Page 16 of Dragon Heir

We returned to our work and soon had a feast of simple foods prepared. Vargas removed her apron and showed off that she hadn’t a puff of flour or a speck of spice on her person. I looked down at myself and winced. Flour covered most of my front and a splotch of dough had somehow attached itself to the toe of one foot.

Vargas paused in her smoothing of the few wrinkles that weren’t supposed to be there and looked me over. The corners of her lips twitched upward in a teasing smile. “Perhaps you should change before serving our guests their food.”

I sheepishly grinned at her. “Yeah.”

I slipped out of the kitchen and up the stairs but my attempt at sneaking was foiled when Will came out of our room. He paused at the top of the stairs while I stopped at the landing. His eyes twinkled as he looked me over. “You look as if you have been busy.”

I folded my arms over my chest and coughed a little when my limbs disturbed the flour on my front. “Probably busier than you.”

He grinned as he sauntered down the stairs toward me. “Perhaps I haven’t been idle as you suspect.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Then what have you been doing?”

Will stopped in front of me and brushed his fingers against my cheek. His fingers came away with more than a dusting of flour. “Putting away the laundry.”

I snorted as I imagined the regal lord folding the whites. “Really?”

He feigned injury. “Truly. Raines needed the hand especially as he had so many clothes from Lady Vargas to wash.” He looked past me and at the kitchen. “How did you fare with the old dragonness?”

I nodded. “She was actually pretty nice. She’s a strict teacher but the biscuits came out really well.”

He cocked his head to one side and admired me. “Then you are now both a beauty and a chef?”

I laughed. “Well, I can definitely make biscuits now.”

Will lowered his voice to a whisper. “And the rest of the food?”

I grinned. “That’s going to be our little surprise.”

I slipped past him and upstairs where I changed into less ghostly attire. A loud noise down in the hall made me scurry out of the bedroom and lean over the balcony. The front door was wide open and Lord Ware stood in the middle of the foyer. His nose was lifted high in the air and his nostrils were flared.

“What do I smell here?” he called out.

Vargas marched out of the dining room and put her hands on her hips. “You smell nothing for you, you old fool! That is all you deserve for flying off without thinking!”

He scoffed. “Of course I was thinking! Those small lads needed more eyes in the sky than the eagle could handle, especially as that beautiful but confused bird flew off due east without a single look left or right! I am not even sure it ever returned to do any scouting elsewhere outside of that straight line!”

Vargas tapped her foot on the floor. “That is no reason to use your old wings to fly over the entirety of a dragon’s domain!”

Ware flexed his arms and winced. “They could use a bit of rest, I will admit, but what I could use more is some of that cooking I smell.” He dropped his arms to his sides and looked her over. “I expect you had a hand in it, otherwise it would not have smelled as nice as it does.”

Vargas blushed a little but hid it by crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. “Flattery will not win over my irritation with you.” She stabbed a finger at the stairs. “Now go and change out of those filthy clothes or you will get nothing to eat!” She spun on her heels and marched back into the dining room.

Ware was finally able to reveal his big smile as he rubbed his stomach and turned toward the stairs. He noticed me on the balcony and dropped his arm to his side. The regal dragon lord lifted his chin and sauntered up the steps before disappearing into his room.

I danced down the stairs with a lightness in my step and a smile on my face.

Chapter Eleven

“Something has pleased you immensely.”

I jumped as I neared the bottom of the steps and would have fallen onto the hardwood floor had Will not caught me in his arms. He grinned down at me as I glared up at him.

“Did you really have to do that?” I scolded him.

“I had no idea you were so preoccupied that you hadn’t noticed me,” he teased.

I looked at the hall down which he had appeared. It led into the deeper lower depths of the house. “I can’t really keep track of where you are. You seem to be going everywhere today.”

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