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“Thanks, by the way.” He dropped his head.
No, look back up at me. Show me those teeth again.
“You saved me twice in one day. That’s got to mean I owe you a really nice dinner. Wine too. At least.”
A chuckle rose up from my chest. I shook my head, amused at the way humans liked to “pay each other back” for things that really had no inherent value. It was their incessant need to label and price and trade.
Most of all, it was their impulse to feel like good people. Like they weren’t taking advantage of a situation.
Dragons all operated on a base level of trust and understanding. We were creatures of immense honesty and pride, instilled with strong values from the moment we were born. We knew that not every favor needed to be repaid and were fine with letting debts fall away. So long as the intention was right, then so was the soul. It was the only thing we carried after death. Everything else—loans, debts, worries, bargains, gifts—all that was left behind, no need to focus on them.
“You’re fine,” I said. He looked back up at me. There it was. That damn grin. So fucking brilliant.
“The vampire in the snake-way said something about a bounty… Do you know what he was talking about?”
Not having answers left me with a frustrated thorn in my side. I could only shake my head. “It’s what we’re trying to get to the bottom of. They’re clearly hunting you for a reason; I just don’t know what that is yet.”
Robby winced. He rubbed at the back of his neck. That’s when I noticed he was bleeding from a cut on his elbow.
“Shit, you got hurt. Let’s clean that up.”
“I’m fine. It’s just a scrape.”
Heavy footsteps drew my attention toward the wide, arched hallway. It was Xavier in only a pair of black gym shorts, munching on a bright green apple. Golden scales glittered against his tan thighs and arms. He looked like he had just woken up from a nap. Likely had a famous starlet about to go club-hopping and needing a bodyguard.
“Oh, didn’t realize we had a guest. Wait, you’re the guy from the Magic Box, right?” My brother cocked his head as he looked Robby up and down. “Damn. You’ve been through it.”
“Do I look that rough?” he asked, arms out at his side.
“Not at all,” I said. He did look like he’d just completed a grueling gauntlet involving multiple timed trials that may have involved fighting someone to the death, but I didn’t think it was necessary to point that out. Besides, there was a charm to the way his wind-blown hair seemed to have a life of its own.
I gave Xavier a look—be quiet, brother—before I summarized what had happened in the snake-way. Xavier had finished his apple by the time I was done, his head shaking from side to side.
“This is bad,” he said. “And confusing as fuck. Why are they going after him?”
“That’s a very good question,” Robby answered for me. He had moved to one of the fluffy poofs of a seat. He sank into the center of it, legs crossed and head held up by his fists. “Maybe it’s because of my big, fat, juicy—”
“Boys.” We all swiveled to see Dawn walking into the foyer, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a heavy-looking book in the other. “There’s a fresh pot in the kitchen if anyone is planning on staying up tonight.” She turned her attention to Robby and gave him a friendly smile. “I see you changed your mind about staying with us.”
“Yeah, I had a pretty convincing argument presented to me down in the snake-way.”
I laughed at that. I was surprised at how resilient Robby seemed. Normally, humans tended to crumble under even the slightest amount of pressure. I had seen videos of people losing it over things as simple as a mistaken fast-food order, shouting about speaking to managers and leaving terrible reviews as if they wielded one-stars like a samurai’s sword. After everything Robby had been through today, I wouldn’t blame him if he curled up into a ball and shut out the rest of the world.
But he didn’t. He managed to crack jokes and seem completely at ease even though his established world actively shifted and cracked around him.
Still, I could see that the mask he wore began to slip. His smile flickered and wavered like a dying candle.
“Come, let me show you to the guest room and get you settled in.” I helped him get up from the sunken-in seat. Bambi, who had been perched on the back of the couch, saw her new favorite guest move and decided to follow us. Xavier and Dawn stayed behind, chatting about some new theory on how to break the curse. I’d join them once Robby had a place to lay his head down and get some sleep.
