Page 17 of Eliza's Cursed Dragon

“She fell asleep as soon as Mike was done with the swan,” Daisy filled me in. “Who is she?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted before I had a chance to think better of it.

“Did you bring her here? Why didn’t you stay?” Daisy’s eyes narrowed at me accusingly.

“I…” My mind searched frantically for a plausible explanation. “I found her in the middle of the road,” I lied. “When I saw the injured swan, I brought her here and the others followed. I didn’t stay because I drove back to see if there were more.”

“Hmm,” she harrumphed, hazel eyes probing me. She didn’t believe me, but she was willing to let it go. For now.

“Did you see what happened to the swan?” she followed up.

“No, like I said, I found her in the middle of the road. She didn’t speak, but the bird was in a bad way… Will he be okay?” I added belatedly.

“He’s gonna be fine. He has a nasty gash, but Mike sewed him up. He needs rest and medication.” Daisy’s expression gentled when she took in the girl and the swans. “She’s so… ethereal.”

I fully agreed with her on that. “Yes.”

“She doesn’t look like she’s from this world,” Daisy continued her musings. “I wonder if she came from Fable Forest.”

That thought had occurred to me.

“Like a fairy princess or something,” Daisy kept going, watching me carefully for any signs of giving up more of the story she didn’t believe.

“She does,” I said simply, still drinking in her form on the couch and thinking how perfect the name suited her. Princess.

“Her hair is very unusual.”

That, too, I fully agreed with. I couldn’t figure out if it was silver with black strands or black with silver. Either way, it was magnificent and unusual, just like her.

“Let me pay for her expenses, how much—”

Daisy waved her hand in the air. “The girl already took care of it.”

She had?

Funny how I had never given her funds any consideration. I had just figured she didn’t have any because she and her swans were living in the old church. But she must have paid for her things at the market somehow.

One of the swans stirred. His long neck stretched and stretched as he looked around through very sleepy and very human eyes. His gaze landed on me. Slowly he got up and waddled over to me, snaking his long neck against my leg he squawked as if in greeting. It would seem impossible that he recognized me and yet… he seemed to know.

“I’ve never seen swans this domesticated,” Mike said from behind me, entering the room. He was dressed and wiping his glasses.

“Good morning,” I said, remembering my manners.

“Would either of you like some coffee?” Daisy offered, remembering hers as well.

I threw a look at the sleeping beauty on the couch. As much as I wanted to take her home, she needed her rest and she didn’t look as if she was about to wake any time soon.

“I would love some,” I told Daisy, extricating myself from the swan and petting it on the head, then followed Mike and her into the kitchen.

They had decorated since I met them here while moving in. The white cabinets had sunflower-shaped knobs on them. Curtains of blue, white, and yellow framed the large window with a small sitting area.

“It looks cozy in here,” I complimented her.

“I wish the counters were light blue, but yes, thank you. We like it here,” Daisy answered.

Mike and I sat down while Daisy brewed coffee in an old-fashioned drip system, and the aroma of it began filling the air.

The swan who had hugged me had followed. His wings flapped and he landed on my lap, nudging me with his beak, I relented and put my arm around him. He snuggled right in, curling his neck around his body and closing his eyes. I felt a sigh go through him.

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