Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Vaan huffs with amusement, as if the thought is a bizarre one.
At my side, Murr tenses every time the whole “Salorian” thing is mentioned. I don’t know too much about it, but I know from our discussions that Salorians were bad guys in their world. “Do we…need to meet this Salorian guy?”
“Oh, no,” Thess says, waving a hand and dismissing the idea. “You are day traders. He will not care that you are here.”
Good. I take a bite of cornbread and nearly moan aloud at how good it is. “Can we trade for this?”
“I am sure something can be arranged. Food is not as easily traded for, but you brought dried meat, yes? That is always welcomed.” Thess scans the room as we eat, as if looking for someone. “We will talk to the trading post later, I promise. What did you think of Jonah?”
“He seems like a nice kid,” I say, “but it’s not my dog. It’ll be up to Aggie to decide how she wants to move forward.”
Thess nods. “Once Dottie has seen Samir, we will bring them all to the cafeteria to eat. I wanted to chat with the two of you in private.”
My stomach clenches. “Oh?”
Thess keeps smiling, but I could swear I feel the mood in the room changing. “About you and your family possibly moving to the fort. Permanently.”
I knew there had to be a catch somewhere. I’m suddenly a lot less hungry.
CHAPTER 93
DAKOTA
The delicious food I’ve been enjoying suddenly feels like a bribe. Of course Thess wants to show us how amazing the fort is. She wants us to move in and live here, with Murr hunting for the locals and offering protection.
Maybe it’s selfish, but I like our cozy set-up in the bookstore. I’ve no desire to change it up, no desire to live with more of my fellow man.
Thess must see my sour reaction, because her smile gets brighter and she reaches over, touching the hand I’m holding my fork with. “It’s merely a question. Of course we want both you and Murtades around at all times. If all of us work together, we can do amazing things, and I want more drakoni and humans to pair up. I want to show the world we’re no longer a threat, and what better way than a thriving city that showcases the best of humanity and the best of the drakoni?”
“No,” Murr says, his hand going to my spine. He rubs my back, as if he knows I need reassurance. “Murr, Dakota happy. No change.”
I glance over at him, not wanting to be a problem. “We can talk about it later.”
“No change,” Murr says again, and pulls me in for a kiss at my temple. “Is decided.”
Thess just smiles brightly. “I hope we can change your mind at some point.”
I doubt that sincerely, but I also don’t want to decide for the others. Aggie and Dottie might like this fort. I’ll talk to them when we go home, when we’ve had time to process and no one’s influencing us.
Gwen crumbles her cornbread and adds it to her soup, speaking up. “Don’t stress about it. Thess asked because she asks everyone that visits. She likes to manage people. No one expects you to jump at the chance to live in a fort.”
I manage a small smile at that. “We’re pretty happy where we are.”
“Murr cats need food,” my husband points out. “No cats here in fort.”
“Well, we should have cats,” Gwen comments. “We could use a few good mousers. If you have any ferals that want to be transplanted to somewhere that has a lot of rats, this is where you want to go.”
Nudging my soup with my spoon, I grimace. “Maybe we don’t talk about rats over lunch.” Now I’m wondering if I should stop eating while I’m ahead.
“To be fair, this fort is far less gross than others I’ve seen, right, babe?” Gwen gives her dragon husband a meaningful look.
“It is a fort,” Vaan says, his words slow and careful. He turns to Murr. “Do you recall who you served?”
Murr shakes his head, tapping his temple. “Much confuse. No good. No remember Thess, see her, then remember.”
Vaan nods. “Memories are difficult. Mine are…polluted. I recall some things, but not others.”
“Which is also why it’s important for us to spend time together,” Thess says, clasping her hands under her chin. “The more we share, the more we can help each other recall.”
“Thess,” Gwen says in a warning tone.
“I know, I know,” Thess says. “I will not bring it up again.”
But she shoots me a pleading look anyhow, as if I can somehow make a difference. “We’ll talk about it,” is all I say again, but my answer grows more firm by the moment. I’m already feeling a bit overstimulated by how many people are around. A noisy group enters the cafeteria, sweaty and tracking in dirt, and they talk over each other to the point that my head hurts. I’d forgotten how loud so many people can be so close together.