Page 238 of Night's Fall
“So, she told you she was…”Hiseyes flared blue, and againIskipped that part, butIdid it this time noting that it was clear this was an uncontrollable response to the mere suggestion a female in his family was in danger. “Andit just happens?”
Timothee shrugged, butIcould tell he was unsettled by this.
“It’s pretty mega, not the shouting part, the you caring about your mom so much part,”Itold him.
He stared at me with even more shock.
“Also, you shouldn’t hide your dragon from the people.He’sgorgeous.”
Timothee’s mouth dropped open.
“Scary as farg, but gorgeous,”Iamended.
“You think he’s scary?” he asked.
“Have you seen your dragon?”
“We don’t tend to look in mirrors,” he returned.
“A pic?”
Another shrug andIcould swear it was uncomfortable when he said, “Sure.”
“I don’t know what this is about, but from an objective observer, he’s fierce and terrifying.”
He brushed my words aside. “Dragonstend to be that.”
“Mine isn’t.”
His smile that time was another smirk, butIwas sensing, not a bad one. “No, she isn’t.”
“It isn’t about size.Itisn’t about status.Itisn’t about anything but what you make of what you’ve got,”Ieducated him. “Thething is, what you’ve got is a lot, andIdon’t know,Ihaven’t been around for very long, butIsuspect the reason beings are annoyed with you is because you’re smart enough to figure that out and do something with it.”
His face closed down. “You’reright, you don’t know.”
“I know.Isaid that.Butbe this guy.”Ijabbed a finger at the wall. “Themale who helped me out.Notthe other one, who would have walked away in the hallway and made me try to sort it out myself.I’dtrust my life to your dragon.It’dbe nice to knowIcould trust a piece of my heart to you.”
There seemed to be a variety of emotions battling it out in his expression, before he settled on one.
Incidentally, it was the wrong one.
“Do you think you can come into our family and fix us?” he asked, a hint of the snideTimotheein his tone.
“No.Butthat doesn’t meanIwon’t try.It’susing whatI’vegot.Imight fail, but it would suck more ifIdidn’t bother to try.”
As his stare turned into a scowl, andIsensed the otherTimotheecoming to the fore,Iagain studied the depiction of theKnightstarsin theTrollInvasion.
Timothee didn’t engage me in further conversation.
He also didn’t say goodbye when he walked out.
But at leastIhad a sense of whyAlekseigot so hot and bothered after our flight from the gallery.
I still didn’t know why he was so cold and cutting in the closet.
I just knew one thing.
I was in this by choice and destiny.
