Page 45 of Dragon Heir

She tossed the knife into the air and the blade flipped around and around. Vargas and I watched in horror as it dropped down, but Enna caught it with ease and gave it an extra twirl in her hand before she sheathed it.

Our companion set her elbows on the island and cradled her chin in her upturned palms. A huge smirk graced her lips as her eyes shimmered with amusement. “I could do that all day and never get a scratch.”

Vargas lifted an eyebrow. “Truly?”

Enna bobbed her head. “Truly.”

“Then catch.”

Vargas tossed her the butcher knife she’d been holding to cut the meat for the meal. The toss went wild and the knife flopped about in a rough arc before descending short of Enna’s position. She practically threw herself over the whole of the island but caught the knife just before it disappeared beneath the top.

She slid back onto her seat and held up her triumph. “See?”

A faint smile appeared on Vargas’ lips. “I must say I am impressed. Very few mortals achieve such dexterity in your short lifespans.”

Enna laughed and tossed the knife back at her. The blade flew with more grace and Vargas caught it with ease. “Then you need to get out more. That’s a trick that was taught to me when I was a girl.”

Vargas inclined her head. “Perhaps I shall but for now I will be content with making some food.”

We finished the cooking and sat down to eat. Vargas took the seat at the head of the table while I took my usual chair. Enna plopped herself down a few seats away from Vargas and opposite me so there was one empty seat between the two feuding women. She eyed the chair at the bottom of the table but the food was out of reach.

Vargas scooted over most of the dishes to our reluctant companion and I made do with what I could grab before they slid out of reach. Enna studied each dish as if it had a chance of hiding poison.

“I assure you they are all delicious,” Vargas insisted.

“Well, that’s your opinion,” Enna countered as she finished plating and prodded a pile of baked potatoes with her fork.

I had to tamp down a smile as I started on the potatoes, at least to show her they weren’t dangerous. Enna took up a piece and snapped it into her mouth. She chewed a while before swallowing and then took another bite. And another. Then she moved on to the other dishes.

Vargas and I watched her with amusement. “What do you think of it?” Vargas wondered as the food on Enna’s plate disappeared.

Enna nodded and spoke with a mouthful of food, splattering the table with crumbs. “This isn’t half bad.”

Vargas and I glanced at each other with knowing smiles and she winked at me. We continued our meal and whiled away the time after that with cleaning up after ourselves.

“You needn’t do that,” Raines insisted as he stood by watching us scrub and dry the dishes.

“Try and stop us,” Vargas challenged him as she handed me another rinsed plate to dry.

Raines turned his hopes on Enna who had to the role of putting the cleaned dishes and pans away. She slid all over the kitchen tossing and clinking the dishes into their spots. The energetic tosser paused in her work and glared at him. “You’re not getting my job, either, bub, so just sit down and watch.”

Raines furrowed his brow, but only for a moment. He lifted an eyebrow and cocked his head to one side. “I believe I hear something.”

We all froze mid-duty and listened. My heart pounded in my chest as my mind conjured up images of an army of black slugs invading the house. However, the noise came from above and voices followed.

“I must say again, that was a spectacular display of firepower,” Ware commented.

I dropped my plate onto the counter and Vargas dropped hers into the sink as we both rushed out of the room.

“Hey!” Enna shouted as she tossed the last plates in her hand into their cupboard. “What’s the rush? It’s only the guys.”

Vargas and I met the guys in the foyer as they strolled in. I threw myself into the surprised but pleased arms of Will. A cloud of dust exploded off of him, choking both of us.

Will drew us apart and grinned down at me. “Sorry about that. The extermination went rather too well.”

“But the farmer did not complain about his field being renovated,” Allard chimed in.

Vargas stopped in the dining room doorway and put her hands on her hips as she looked Ware over. He was as filthy as Will, though I noticed that Allard had remained spotless.

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