Page 14 of Storm Dragon
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think…”
“Did you think people would come when you asked for help?” Luke chuckled.
“Well, yeah.” Pushing the straw from between her teeth, Tamsyn turned just enough to look the big Black Bear in the eye.
“Girl, you could say ‘jump’ and most people would ask how high.”
“Yeah, right. You are…
“Oh, puhlease,” Luke scoffed, a smirk on his lips and a twinkle in her eye. “I am not delusional.”
“Hey, that was my line,” she tried and failed to deflect the compliment she knew was coming her way.
“Yeah, it was, and sadly, you are delusional. You have no idea how many people love and adore you. They would literally cross oceans to come when you ask.”
“As if.”
“Yeah,” Luke adamantly nodded. Placing one hand on her shoulder, he turned her back toward the clearing and pointed toward the crowd. “That pretty picture right there makes my point. Not to mention, one of the most renowned Dragon Elders of all time is here.”
“I seriously hate it when you’re right,” she ground out through gritted teeth.
“But you love me.”
“Only when you’re sleepin’.”
“Hey,” Luke snickered. “I’ll take what I can get.”
“Oh, and speaking of Carrick…” She leaned forward and looked around Luke. “Where did you leave him?”
“I promise I did not leave him anywhere,” Luke deadpanned. “Like I would do that.”
“You have been known to get all interested in Bonnie’s cookies or Amethyst’s honey buns and forget what day it is. So, I mean…”
“You mean, you saw the food table gettin’ set up and figured I left one of the most famous Dragon Guardsmen of all time in dirt to get my hands on the goodies?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I didn’t,” Luke sniffed, pretending to be upset before bursting out laughing and pulling a honey bun wrapped in a napkin from behind his back. Holding up, he asked, “You wanna bite?”
Unable to keep from laughing, Tamsyn chuckled, though tension lingered in her eyes. "No, you go on and enjoy right after you tell me where Carrisk is," she pressed, impatience curling inside her even as she tried to sound lighthearted.
“Oh, okay, if you insist.” Winking, Luke went on, “He said he had something to do but would be back in plenty of time to help with the evacuation.”
“Something to do in Defiance, North Carolina, on Mt. Serenity?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t you think that’s weird?”
Shrugging as he ate half the oversized confection in one bite, Luke chewed quickly then answered as soon as he swallowed, “You know I try not to think about what’s weird and not weird around here. It’s just a good way to get a headache.”
“Or lose your mind.”
“See? That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.”
Shaking her head, she silently chuckled. She truly did love that old Black Bear like a brother and would’ve been lost without him. Goddess knew she would never have thought to reach out to the Others under the Council’s jurisdiction without him. When he’d suggested it, she’d almost ignored him, but the little voice in the back of her mind- the one that wasn’t Bridgette- told her to hear him out, and it had been one of the best things she’d ever done.
The proof was staring her right in the face.
