Page 4 of The Naga

Khush: Not at all. I just don't talk to new people very often, so my people skills are rusty, and I didn't want to accidentally say something offensive.

Dustin: lol, that's okay. How about this? I'll give you one free pass. One chance to get away with saying something rude.

Khush: That's very gracious of you, but I hope I won't have to use it

Dustin: Me too.

The conversation fell silent, and I realized I had no idea what to say next. How did people do this? I didn't want to fail, not when Dustin was… I swallowed hard. Mate. He was my mate.

How lucky had I been to run into him the first time I went outside? I couldn't squander this chance, not when I had no idea if it would be the only chance I got.

I needed assistance. Assistance of someone who was well-versed in texting with new people but who would also keep their trap shut.

Silas and Touya were as clueless as me, so they were out. Bellamy…yeah, I didn't think the ex-criminal had ever flirted with someone online.

Jacinta would just spread the news everywhere, gossip geek that they were. They were a cecaelia, the best damned cook we had at the Sanctuary, and the person to go to when you needed information on anyone at the place.

Which, unfortunately, left me with only one option.

Wrapping my tail tightly around the branch I'd been sitting on, I slid off it, hanging upside down from the tree. As much as I'd enjoyed going out, it felt great to finally be free of the wheelchair and able to stretch my tail a little.

"Keoni!" I shouted, throwing my voice as far as I could. "Keoni, you here?"

The familiar sound of clacking hooves and clattering wheels preceded Keoni's arrival as the teenage centaur stopped under my tree. With the way I was hanging upside down, Keoni and I were face-to-face, and if Haruto was here—a jorogumo and a somewhat solitary resident of the Sanctuary—he'd comment on the scene resembling a certain favorite comic book of his, not that there was anything resembling chemistry between us.

"What do you want?" Keoni asked, his blond ringlets flying about in the gentle breeze, then poked my nose. I smacked his hand away.

"I need your help."

Keoni's brows shot up, his baby blues instantly full of curiosity. "Youneedmyhelp?"

"Yes," I answered curtly, and then rolled my eyes as a wide grin spread across his face.

"What is it? Tell me!"

"First, promise me you won't tell anyone. Not Silas or Touya, and especially not Jacinta."

Keoni's eyes brightened. "Oooh, interesting. I promise, I promise."

"You can't tell the headmaster either."

"What? Not even Zephyr? You aren't doing anything illegal, are you?"

I knew I'd have to inform the man who ran the Sanctuary about Dustin at some point, but I'd rather not just yet. While I adored and respected Headmaster Zephyr Morrigan, we didn't really have the kind of relationship where I'd tell him something like this, at least not until Dustin and I actually had something between us.

"No! Of course not! What do you take me for?" I scowled at Keoni, and he chuckled.

"Fine, fine. Now tell me. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

I watched him for a long moment before exhaling loudly.

"Okay. You know how I went out this morning?"

"Yeah, with Silas and Bellamy, right?"

I nodded, then chewed on my lip a little. Why was this so difficult to get out?

"Well, I met someone."

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