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“Um....um....”
Suddenly, my heart drops and I wonder what the hell I’m doing here. Why am I here? Why did I even come? He sees me and just assumes the worst about me. It doesn’t matter that I’ve spent the last several months slaving away. None of that matters to these creatures.
Maybe they really are just monsters in the end.
I stare at Cameron, willing the words to come, but I find myself shrinking back, trying to hide from his watchful glare.
“What. Do. You. Want.”
It’s not a question.
Each word is said sharply, with a snap, and I don’t know why, but I start crying as I try to get the words out.
“It...It’s Reece...” I finally say. “He...bakery....Lee...Wilson....”
Suddenly, Cameron seems to understand that I’ve come for help. He doesn’t apologize. Instead, he calls out to his mate.
“I’m needed at the bakery! Urgent matter! Be back when I can!”
Then he strips out of his clothing as quickly as he can. I turn my back before he gets all the way nude. He scoffs, as if he can’t believe how childish I’m being about seeing a grown man naked. Then he pushes past me and leaves without another word. I don’t do anything. I just stand there with my back to the door.
Then I take a deep breath.
And I go home.
I don’t want to sit around, waiting to talk with Peggy. She?
?s probably busy, anyway. Peggy does so much for the clan that it’s crazy. She used to work at a school, if the stories are true, and now she spends much of her time helping the clan stay organized and on top of things. She volunteers and she helps out Wilson and Cameron when they need her. She does a lot of different things. She’s not lost the way I am.
Should I go back to the bakery to see the wreckage?
Should I check to make sure Lee is okay?
He didn’t have to come save me, but he did.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” I look up sharply. A woman with a baby stroller is looking at me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her.
“Don’t be sorry,” she says sharply. “Be careful. You almost walked into me.”
“I’m really, really sorry,” I say again, and something in my voice must show her just how devastated I really am today, because suddenly, her voice softens.
“Hey,” she says. “It’s okay. Honest mistake. We all have bad days. Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” I say, shaking my head and waving my hands around. I’m trying a little too hard to be nonchalant, but she notices.
“You don’t look all right.” The woman, who is definitely a dragon, sniffs the air around me. “Sadness?” She asks. “Did you have a rough day?”
“A little,” I tell her.
“You look horrible,” she says, and I bristle, but don’t respond. I just stand there nervously for a minute. “Look,” the girl says slowly. “I know it’s not my place, and I know we don’t know each other, but if you need anything, you know there’s an entire community here who wants to help you.”
“I think we both know the community would be better off without me,” I tell her, but she just shakes her head. “That’s not true, love. You do a lot here, don’t you? Haven’t I seen you at the bakery?”
I nod.
“Well, for what it’s worth, these last few months, those cakes have been un-fucking-believable, so keep your chin up.”
