Page 22 of Secondhand Garagyre

Stupidmornings…

Chapter Twenty-Four

LAITHOG

So,my little human is not all sweetness.Shehas some spice to her.Itmakes me desire her all the more, even thoughIam mildly aggravated with her.Notfor her words, but because she has jarred her healing body.Ican tell by the way she’s sitting that she’s in more pain than she was last night.

Thevigorous movements of earlier are too much for her to handle.Thankfully, ifIam correct, the crystalsIcharged last night will remedy what ails her and erase my vexation at her current state.

Closingthe door behind herdogs,Imarch back across the room to the low-slung cushioned bench she calls acouch.Snaggingthe box of crystals,Ipop the lid to it asIsit down.

Tomy surprise, a pale hand lightly lands on my forearm, her colorless skin is a stark contrast to the purple hide and black scales that make up my body. “Laithog,Iapologize.Ishouldn’t have snapped at you.AllIcan say is,Ihate mornings to begin with, andIwoke up terrified that something happened to you because of my negligence.Ijust wanted to tell you that before we get started with…whatever this is.”

Herwords catch me off guard.WhileIloved myIlayahan, she is not one to offer an apology unless the offense is grave.Thebit of piquePaisleyshowed earlier, while justifiable, haven’t rankled me at all.Mymate had been far more forceful thanPaisleycould ever hope to be.

Itis not as ifPaisleyhas been out of line.Icould smell the tumultuous array of emotions coming off her skin when she met me at the back door, a perk of heightened sense.Iknew she snapped at me out of fear and concern while the vestiges of sleep still clung to her.

“You’venaught to apologize for, little one.Itook no great offense.Youwere alarmed and worried for my well-being.Ithank you for the apology given, however.Youare kind to care for the feelings of something so different from yourself.”

Reachingover, giving her time to rebuff my advances,Iplace my hand atop her tightly clenched hands, the scent of her distress thick. “Comenow, there is no need to fret.Noharm done,”Isay, trying to alleviate her worries.

Ashort nod followed by the relaxing of her body is my answer. “Iknow you have quite a bit to tell me, but do you mind waiting just a sec for me to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth.Ihave dragon breath and my bladder is yelling at me,” she states, slight embarrassment in her voice.

“Ofcourse!Ido not mind a slight wait at all.Mywards are in place inside and out, naught can bother us whileIam alive and well.”

Iwatch her head tilt as she takes in my words. “Ooooookay.Well,I’llbe back in a jiffy!”

Ismother a chuckle as she scampers off thecouchandIhear the latch on what she calls abathroomdoor.

WhilePaisleyis taking care of her personal business,Iselect the stones from the box thatI’llneed to attempt to healPaisley.I’venever actually tried this before, and definitely not on another species.Thebattle mages of my past always carried a pouch of healing stones with them to use during the midst of fighting in case they or their brethren were felled.

Hmmm.

Surely,Iwould need red jasper; the vitality stone, citrine; the ray of sunshine, amethyst; the zen master, clear quartz; the all-around stone, black tourmaline; the protector, jade; the dream stone, lapis lazuli; the truth seeker, and, finally, turquoise; the ancient talisman.Asevidenced by the gods blessed piece adorning my left wrist.

Takingthe stones out,Iset them with care on the low table in front of me.Ican feel the power each stone holds.They’refully charged from last night’s full moon.

Good.

I’vethe notion they’ll be drained if whatIhave planned works.

Thesound of thetoiletflushing, and what an interesting invention that is, announcedPaisley’seminent return.Iwas agog whenPaisleyshowed it to me last eve.Thescratching sound of her tooth stick tells me she’s cleansing her teeth.

Sweetlittle female appears to be a stickler for self-care.

Creakingfloorboards herald her approach.Lookingup,Ismile at her warmly.Pleasedto have her return to my side.Herpauses at my smiles are getting shorter and shorter.Iknow my visageis not considered handsome to humans, even thoughIam quite the catch amongst my own species.Bothmy hearts glow with warmth because the femaleI’vechosen is slowly beginning to accept me.

Sheis adorable in her sleepwear, the short tunic she has on has flowers all over it, andIcan tell her breast are not bound as they were yesterday.Avertingmy eyes,Iswallow and force myself to focus.

She’syet to acknowledge it to herself, but the nose knows.Herpheromones are shifting, butImustn’t be hasty.Thatway lies failure.

“Okay,I’mready.I’mnot sure whatI’mready for, butIam prepared nonetheless” she declares.

Reluctantto waste any more time,Idelve right into the hearts of the matter. “Yesterday, whileIwandered your home,Ifound this box of crystals.”Iwave at the array of stones on the table and those still ensconced within the box.

“Yes,Ifound those at a garage sale, and had the thought to use them in some jewelry pieces.Ijust haven’t gotten around to it soIstuck them in my china cabinet.”

Noddingat her explanation,Icontinue. “Itis good that you know they are naturally occurring stones.Whatyou do not know is that they can be charged by the light of the full moon to fulfill greater purpose than merely jewelry.I, however, do.Onmy way out of the library, box in hand, the crystals pulsated and lead me to the cuff you now see me wear.Iknow not how you came by this cuff, but it is a sign of the gods thatIam exactly where they intended for me to be.Thisis a protection amulet.One, that if the gods will it, can protect the wearer from their greatestweakness.Inmy case, that would be the sun.Hencewhy, for the first time in my existence,Ihave felt the warmth of the sun upon my face.Nowonder you day walkers are so fond of it.”Isnicker at my own joke, and catch the small smile onPaisley’sface beforeIfinish my explanation.

---