Page 75 of Mikoto and the Reaver Village
“Oh, dear. He has been thoroughly pollinated.” Merl asked,“Do you need anything, Sinder?”
The dragon shook his head, then nodded. “You, with the soul.Come closer.”
Mikoto saw no reason not to oblige, even though Merl’s griptightened. He shrugged out from under his hand and mumbled, “I am here.”
“Closer,” whined Sinder. “It’s cold.”
“I could bring a blanket.”
But Sinder wouldn’t let go. “Stay here. With me. In bed. That’sthe way. Won’t bite. Don’t tell Juuyu. He’s so pissy about protocol. Please,stay.”
“I will stay.” Mikoto didn’t mind. Why would he? He’d wantedto help.
“More, more, more,” Sinder chanted, wriggling a hand underMikoto’s tunic and sighing against his shoulder. “Warm.”
There were other voices around him, but Mikoto was havingtrouble focusing on them. He was too busy listening for Sinder’s next words.
Somebody swore, and Mikoto pulled the dragon closer, prettysure he should be protecting Sinder. That’s what Timur had said to do. Wasn’tit?
Then a blanket settled over them, and a voice growledsomething about needing sleep anyhow. And Sinder crooned softly and whispered,“Sleep.”
So Mikoto did.
TWENTY-NINE
Trade with Me
A voice entered Mikoto’s oblivion.
“Seriously,wake upnow. Otherwise, I’ll be in thedeepest of deep sh– … oh, there you are. Stars and storms, you weren’t toodeep to hear me. You might have gone on sleeping forever, you susceptiblesoftie.” Sinder patted his cheek. “Don’t scare me like that.”
Mikoto’s only real thought was that he was more comfortablewith Zisa’s eyes than with Sinder’s. Because Zisa’s green was dappled with goldand alight with smiles, but Sinder’s green was faceted like stones and fleckedby fear.
“Nothing bad happened,” Mikoto soothed, pulling him closer.“Are you still cold?”
“Are you listening?”
He grunted. “Timur will know what to do. Wait for Timur.”
Sinder pointed.
Mikoto was startled to find Timur looming over them. “Whichone of us is he angry with?” he whispered.
“Me. Very much me. You missed all the shouting. Bellows likea thunderclap, that one.” And with a tweak to his nose, Sinder muttered, “Seriously,wake up.”
Someone flicked Sinder’s ear. The half-dragon boy. Kyrie.
“I only did it to make sure he’s coming out of it,” grumpedSinder.
Kyrie tapped his own nose, then touched Mikoto’s. “He didnot mean to use swaying words. Timur drugged him, which is only another kind ofsway, but Sinder resisted. And he did not ask for anything bad. You did needsleep.”
“Yes.” Mikoto’s attention strayed back to Timur, who was sotense. “I am fine. Nothing bad happened.”
“It might have.”
“All is well,” insisted Kyrie, who seemed too young to beany kind of authority. To Mikoto, he said, “I will teach you when to listen andwhen to resist the words of dragons. And half-dragons.”
“I would appreciate that,” Mikoto murmured, more to bepolite than anything. He was still a little hazy on what had happened.
