Page 71 of The Healing Dragon
Her expecting eyes are the complete opposite from Roman’s bored gaze. He doesn’t think this is such a great idea. As a matter of fact, neither do I. The last thing the brothers need is to be seen as giving me any type of friendship after everything.
“I have plans,” I tell her.
She thinks I’m lying. It’s obvious from her expression. Her eyes don’t shift, as if waiting for me to change my mind.
“I’m meeting Santiago.” Not a lie. “I told him I would eat dinner with him already.”
I give them an apologetic smile. That’s only half a lie. I did tell him I would go during this time, but not for that reason.
“That’s nice of you,” Roman says, then pulls Isabel after him.
She waves me goodnight as she is rushed out of the room.
I make my way down to the library and wonder if I should stop at Pad’s first, but decide against it. I will see him tomorrow morning with Amy Bee. There's a grunt stuck in my throat when I think about her. I shake my head and focus on my task ahead. If Santiago mentioned dinner, I imagine there would be food involved.
The library is dead silent when I walk in. The small wooden desks that are often filled with people hunching over papersare now empty.
“There you are,” Matias says with a smile. His hands are full with a big tray of food items. “I got enough for everyone.”
“About time,” Santiago says, coming from somewhere in the back of the library.
“Oh, you are here,” he says to me, disinterested.
I cross my arms. “You told me to come.”
Santiago helps Matias lower the tray to the same table we occupied the night prior.
“Oh, you’re sensitive today, huh?” He mocks me, then tosses a piece of bread my way. “Come eat, you are obviously hungry.”
I take a bite out of the bread I caught and join them on the table. Hunger has finally caught up with me. When I’m full, there’s still a bit of food left on the tray. Thanks to the boys it doesn’t last there much after.
“How are you?” I ask Matias.
He gives me a look while still chewing.
“I will take that as an answer.”
“No, it’s not bad,” he says after swallowing. “Bianca and I spoke. I think not having secrets between us is better. We feel better, you know.”
I don’t, but I nod like I do. I never had a close relationship with my siblings the way Matias and Bianca do.
“Alright, let’s start looking at some of these books so we can free up some space.” Santiago leads the way by pushing his plate of food to the side and picking up a book.
I’m certain that the clutter annoys him more than anything. It might be why I was invited tonight. I open a book and begin going through a family tree. Matias does the same with one hand on a book and the other on his spoon.
The light in the room dims, announcing the sun setting outside. Other than a few coming in and out of the libraryasking for Santiago’s help, nothing interesting happens. My eyes grow tired and my yawning grows in frequency.
A gasp from Matias has me rising to attention.
“What?” I ask.
He turns the book in front of him to me and slides it across the table. Careful not to toss some of the other books that clutter the space, I pick it up.
The page features the family tree of a witch family. I look closely at the faces of each and every person who is shown but no one jumps at me.
Santiago moves behind me, too impatient to wait for me to be done.
“Pazduelo.” Santiago points over my shoulder at the family name. “Why does it sound familiar?”
