Never Deal with Dragons by Lorenda Christensen

Author:Lorenda Christensen [Christensen, Lorenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2013-07-21T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

I knocked lightly before slipping inside the room. Dan and Henry looked up from the game they were playing, both giving me a grin before concentrating on the cards fanned out in front of them on the table.

My friend sat, wrapped in a blanket, on the couch with her feet tucked underneath her. Richard sat beside her, his hand resting awkwardly on her knee. Her eyes were red and swollen, and the tissue in her hands had been twisted so much it was barely recognizable.

I hated myself for putting her in this situation.

“How you doing?” I gestured to the large empty bowl nestled in her lap. “Did you find something to eat?”

She laughed, blubbering a little. “Not exactly. Richard gave me this just in case my stomach wouldn’t settle. I don’t think I’ll feel like eating for a while. Even the thought of food makes me ill.”

“Yeah, sorry about the little show they put on. It was for my benefit. I think they want me to go home. The dragons I know are generally less...effusive in their blood sport.”

Carol’s face went slightly green. “I can’t believe you do this stuff for a living. On purpose.”

I shrugged. “To each his own I guess. I’d blind myself with a paper clip if I had to put up with your job all day.”

Carol smiled, collecting herself, and looked me over, no doubt searching for bite marks. Satisfied I was still in one piece—and in possession of the shoes she’d been lusting after for days—she got down to business. “What did you do to your dress? Did you find out anything about Hian-puo?”

I ignored the dress question. Carol’s heart might not be able to take it.

“No. I got the same runaround. They insisted he would be here any day now. But we ran into one of his human servants.” I deliberately left out the part about jumping Trian’s bones. “Hian-puo is stalling.”

Carol’s face went slightly pale, and she swallowed audibly. “What else happened?”

I grinned. Carol’s curiosity had always overruled her good sense. Even when a party consisted of bad-tempered dragons and bleeding goats, she still felt left out if she didn’t see it firsthand.

“Well. That was an experience. One of the dragons was afraid of me, and the others were eyeing me like I was a piece of steak. So no, not much else happened at the dinner.” I shivered involuntarily, remembering the cold, angry eyes of Rime as I laid out our plans for blackmail.

“But we managed to convince Rime that helping us would be in his best interest. I’ll get in touch tomorrow morning to reschedule the mediation session.”

I clapped my hands cheerfully. “As for food, we’ve made a contact that could keep us supplied with some vegetarian options.”

I quickly filled them in on our encounter with Jia, skipping the part about me sucking face with Trian in plain view of the world. A girl had to have some secrets.

When I looked up, Richard was watching me. “Are you okay?”

I felt my slight blush crawl from my neck to the tips of my ears.

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