Page 18 of Eliza's Cursed Dragon

“I’ll be damned,” Mike stared at the swan in my lap.

“Yeah,” I agreed puzzled, petting the soft feathers.

Eliza

I woke in a strange environment, lying on a soft surface that reminded me of a mattress, but with something hard by my side.

A feather tickled my nose and instantly I was awake, remembering everything. My hands moved up and down Caspian’s body, who lifted his head and let out a small squawk in greeting.

My eyes searched his. Are you alright?

I’m hurt, but I’ll be alright, he answered right back, or so I imagined.

I squeezed him as tightly as I dared and pulled his neck to give him a kiss on the top of his head.

A bandage was wrapped around his torso, but otherwise he seemed no worse for the wear.

“You’re awake,” a male voice called out.

Edward stood in the doorway. For some reason, his sudden appearance wasn’t as unexpected as it should have been. It seemed natural for him to be here.

“Your swan is okay,” he told me. “The doctor stitched him up. He also prescribed some antibiotics and painkillers. We need to come back here in ten days to get the stitches out.”

All his words jumbled in my head, because my mind focused on him using the word we. Questioningly, I looked at him.

“You can’t stay at the graveyard. The ghouls have tasted blood now and will be waiting for you.”

Ghouls? Was that what had attacked us? I shuddered at the memory of the terrifying creatures. The terrible truth of Edward’s words hit me full-on. We couldn’t stay here. We had to leave. I wouldn’t see him again. Ever.

Sadness overcame me, even though I didn’t know him, but there had been a dream, a vision of what could be, and now I was losing that too.

Slowly I rose from the couch, careful of Caspian who watched Edward and me through squinted eyes. Maybe my brothers could fly back and get the nettles and some of our belongings, mainly the already finished mantles. We needed them.

Edward’s other words came back to me. Caspian needed to return here, have his stitches removed. How would we do this if we had to leave?

“If you like you can… stay with me. I have a large house. You and your swans of course,” Edward offered, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. A gesture that made him appear ten years younger and adorable.

Stay with him though?

I tilted my head, searching his features.

“It really is a big house, we don’t even have to see each other if you don’t want to. But you can’t leave yet and you can’t stay at the church.” His lips twitched, making him look even more insecure. “Or I can get you a room in one of the hotels, but I don’t know about what the other guests will say or do about your swans.”

Staying in a hotel had occurred to me, but I had had the same objections he had just given. Most people were nice to animals, but I had seen others trying to shoot at my brothers. Which was why we usually stayed away from people and towns.

I wasn’t sure what exactly I was agreeing to, but since I didn’t have many choices, I smiled tentatively at Edward and nodded.

“Yes?”

I nodded again.

“Yes to the hotel or my place?”

I gave him a look and he realized his mistake. With a goofy grin, he asked, “My place?”

I nodded.

His face lit up. “Good! Excellent. I have a cook, she’ll fix you meals, and a gardener. I… Oh, the swans. I’ll have my crew come over and pour a pond for them. A large pond.”

---