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Chapter 7
Eva
“What’s the difference between being teleported from one place to another and stepping through a portal?” I asked Seth. I still didn’t quite get it.
I tried to ignore the way Mateo was glaring at me and focus on Seth and my lunch. But no amount of buttery lobster on freshly baked brioche buns could distract me from his intense golden gaze.
What was his problem, anyway? I didn’t ask to get pulled into this mess.
Seth finished a huge bite of lobster-stuffed goodness and wiped his mouth with a napkin before answering. “One is a very real magical phenomenon. The other one is science fiction. Emphasis on the word fiction. A portal doesn’t send your cells one at a time and reassemble them on the other side.
“Think of it as if someone took the space between point A and point B, folded it up like an accordion, and opened a door at each end. You’re still fully whole when you step through; you move through it in one piece, and you step out exactly the way you stepped in. It’s like traveling through a tunnel. Unlike teleportation, which is supposedly instantaneous, moving you through the tunnel takes time.”
That made sense. I remembered the swirling black nothingness of the portal Mateo and I had stepped through. “When you came through a portal, I saw a glimpse of the room you came from. But when we stepped into the portal to come here, it was pitch black. Why was that?”
“Oh, that’s just a privacy setting. Desmon likes his privacy. I don’t particularly care if you see the inside of my living room. Hell, it took a long-ass time for me to make it look the way I want; it’d be a shame if no one saw it.”
I grinned.
Seth was very easy to get along with, in complete contrast to his aggressive punk look. He was a perfect example of never judging a book by its cover. His mom was sweet too, and a fantastic cook, if this meal was any indication. I was almost tempted to ask for the recipe for the brioche buns, but who was I kidding. I’d never actually have time to bake them.
I already had a billion recipes saved online that I never made. Similarly, my fridge’s vegetable drawer was where produce went to die. I always had the best intentions when putting them into my cart. Sometimes, I even had the perfect recipe to use them in. I just never actually got around to making it. Oops.
Carly was eating with us. She was already on her second serving, but Mateo had her beat: he was on his third lobster roll and fourth corn on the cob and didn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Considering that he was at least two hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle, I guess it made sense that he could put away a lot of food. Whatever type of monster he was, it probably had a high metabolism.
Luckily, Elana had not been kidding when she said she’d made a lot of extra food. She’d made several dozen brioche buns and enough of the lobster filling to feed a football team. There was a whole pot of butter dip, too. It made me wonder how much a dragon usually ate if this was an average lunch.
I was kind of glad I hadn’t met Desmon yet. That could wait until I found Tony and the missing artifact. Meeting the dragon as someone who helped find his lost treasure was a lot better than meeting him as the sister of the bum who stole it.
Feeling a bit gluttonous, but also because I hadn’t had breakfast, I helped myself to another serving, piling a generous amount of the creamy lobster filling onto my bun. Halfway through, I realized I was far too full to finish it. I slowed, taking tiny little nibbles because I didn’t want such amazing food to go to waste.
“You don’t have to finish it all, you know. I won’t be upset,” Elana said, noticing me picking at the food. “If you’re full, you’re full.”
“I’ll take it,” Mateo volunteered.
I pushed my plate over to him and turned to Elana. “That was so delicious, thank you. I’d keep eating forever if my stomach would let me.”
She beamed at the compliment as Mateo picked up the half bun overflowing with lobster and shoved the whole thing in his mouth at once.
Full and a little sleepy from all the food, I yawned as I checked my phone. Still nothing from Tony. I exchanged a look with Seth and Mateo. “I’m going to try calling again, I think.”
“Go ahead,” Seth said. “I’m ready.”
I did, but again, Tony didn’t pick up.
I was really starting to worry now. What if he was already exchanging the piece with the buyer, or whoever set him on this? What if he wasn’t picking up because he knew I was trying to find the artifact? What if Mateo thought I was just leading him on? What if I never found Tony, and the dragon blamed me for the theft since I was his next of kin? What if—
“It’s okay,” Mateo said. “It’s probably best if I scour the online collectors forums for any mention of the item. We can try calling again in a bit.”
“I’m staying here to hang out with my favorite mother anyway,” Seth said.
“I’m your only mother,” Elana replied drolly.
“Why don’t you two stay in one of the spare rooms until you get this sorted out?” Carly offered.
Lunch finished, Carly set us up in one of the many spare rooms. She even lent me a charger since my phone was almost out of juice, and I’d left my charger with the rest of my things at Mateo’s place.
Then I was alone with Mateo again. I went straight for the socket at the bedside table to get my phone charging. Now that I had eaten so well, the fact that I hadn’t slept well last night caught up with me.
