Page 31 of The Promise Born
I had never seen an actual dragon hoard before. Most people would never have one, and if they did, they kept it a secret. Inside the cave was Asante’s hoard. A massive collection of items, some worth more than I could calculate and others holding only sentimental value.
“You said you wouldn’t judge me.” He held his finger up.
“I said no such thing.” I corrected him. “This is a lot to take in.”
“Well, don’t please.” He dropped his head and pretended to pout. “It is my shame. You can’t make fun of me for it.”
“You really take this dragon thing seriously, don’t you?” I laughed. “Just like the old dragons, flying around and gathering things to hoard.”
“I know we’re supposed to have evolved past this, but I can’t help it.” He threw his hands up. “I love my things. My mother hated it. She tried everything she could to get me to stop. And as far as she knows, I did. I found this place a long time ago. The only one who knew about it was my brother, and he swore to keep my secret safe.”
“It’s kind of cute.” I laughed as I moved around the space cataloging the different jewels, tapestries and other trinkets. “Thinking of you as a child doing this. And besides, now I know your dirty little secret.”
“Will you use it to blackmail me?” he asked. “What would people think if they found out their future king did this?”
“Maybe?” I tapped my chin with my finger. “I mean, I could definitely use this for leverage. I’m not sure for what yet.”
“That’s not fair,” he groaned. “At least let me know the bargain now.”
“I think it is.” I started going through the piles of odds and ends. “There really is no reason behind any of this, is there?”
“I go through phases.” He chuckled and pointed to a stack of gray rocks. “Like that, for two years, I was obsessed with the stones at the edge of the ocean. I would sneak down there by myself to gather as many as I could.”
“And no one ever caught you?” I pointed to the stack of plants at the back wall of the cave. “That couldn’t have been easy to sneak up here.”
“If they did, they didn’t speak about it.” He shrugged. “Maybe they knew and ignored it. I wasn’t supposed to be their king. They may have just assigned me the eccentric brother tag like they did my uncle.”
“Thank you for sharing this.” I turned to him. “It’s funny, yes, but I get how difficult this must have been for you to trust me with.”
“It was worth the risk if it made you feel better. Did it?”
I nodded. “Actually, it does.”
“Good. Then I guess you can make fun of me about it.”
Asante found two cushions in his stash that were from a royal party. He said he hoped to gather more but couldn’t. After giving me the backstory of his ploy to take the cushions, he sat them at the opening of the cave and helped me sit on one before taking the other for himself. We sat, looking out at the night sky and inhaling the salty scent of ocean air as the cool breeze brushed across our skin.
“I’m not supposed to feel this way about you.” Asante finally broke the silence.
I looked at him. “What?”
“I can’t help it Kiala, I keep trying to correct my thinking. I know this arrangement between us isn’t real. But there is something about you I can’t get away from.”
“It’s the food.” I nudged him. “Once I’m gone, you won’t have it anymore. It will fade.”
“It really isn’t.” He shook his head. “I considered that, but it’s not true.”
A sudden rush of heat surged through me, and my heart pounded in my chest. “It isn’t?”
“It’s you, Kiala.” Asante shifted in his seat to look me in the eye. He grabbed my hand to pull me closer. “It was you before I knew you could cook. Before the first time you slapped me or put me in my place. It was you when I first saw you.”
“When I fell?” I laughed. “How could that possibly be the moment?”
He chuckled. “I saw you long before that. Hidden behind those old ladies, wrapped in a scarf. It was your eyes that caught me. The way you were clearly judging me and everyone else around me. I was making my way to you before you fell. That’s how I got to you so quickly.”
“Asante.” I tried to stop him, but he continued.
“It’s you. And I think that’s what makes your food so intoxicating to me.” He lifted my fingers to his lips. “These are the hands that make the love you put into your food. I feel it in every bite.”
