***
“Thank you.”
Hollie looked up at him, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “For what? I haven’t done anything.”
He gave her a look that said she was very, very wrong. “Besides stick around when you didn’t have to, ensuring that I didn’t wander the world alone, and make a big mistake in the process? Or did you not do anything with all the education you’ve given me about this world that I am now awake on. Or paying for my food and haircut?”
He ran his hand through the cleaned and cut hair. After seeing himself in the mirror before and after, even Sid had been forced to admit he looked better now. It was still unsettling to pay for someone to do something he’d always done himself. But the results were hard to argue with, and he had felt refreshed. Seeing himself in a suit had just put the cap on everything. He looked good.
“Oh. That” she said, unsettled. “Well, you’re welcome. Anyone else would have done the same thing.”
“Everyone else ran way, Hollie. You didn’t. You stayed.”
“Barely,” she admitted. “It was tough. I wanted to run. But I couldn’t; my body wouldn’t respond. So I got angry about that, and the anger cut through the fear.”
“Well, thank you for that, and for not running away later,” he said, truly grateful. The world was so different. There was no way he could adapt without help.
“Don’t mention it.”
He nodded. “What are you preparing for dinner?”
Instantly the kindness that had been building in her eyes disappeared, vanishing in a flash of anger.
“What am I preparing for dinner? What, you think just because I’m a woman, I’m making the meals around here?” she growled angrily, standing up from where she’d been sitting on the other end of the couch from him.
He eyed her up and down for a second, appreciating what he was seeing. Once they’d arrived at her place she’d excused herself to bathe and change into some other clothes. Sid wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but when Hollie had walked out in a deep red shirt that exposed the upper flesh of her chest and some black pants that clung to her skin like a wet towel, he’d nearly lost control.
It wasn’t the novelty of seeing skin that had him all hot and bothered. He’d spent time in various parts of the world before where nudity was the norm. No, it was seeing Hollie like that, that had brought about said reaction. He’d thought her attractive before, but now he truly desired her. Sid had it bad for her, and he was wondering if it was starting to show.
“Very well,” he replied, standing and moving into what he recognized as the kitchen. “Where can I light a fire?”
“A fire?” Hollie was confused, unsure of where he was going.
“Yep. Squirrel tastes best over open flame. So, if I’m to make dinner, then I want to prepare it for you the best I can.”
Hollie groaned. “That is so not fair. Both of us are well aware you can cook better than that.”
“Five hundred years ago, sure,” he told her. “But we still used a fire. And…well, from what I saw earlier at the pizza place, things have changed. A lot. We often pick feathers out of the chicken after we cooked it, you know.”
His mate—oh how he wished he could tell her what he knew!—shuddered. “Okay, delivery it is. Are you okay with more pizza?”
“Am I?!” he asked excitedly. “Can I try it with chicken this time?”
At the pizza shop earlier he’d almost gotten that on his, but Hollie had suggested he go with the pepperoni and bacon combination. Sid didn’t regret listening to her one bit, but he now wished to try something different.
“Sure!” she said with a laugh, pulling the phone out of her pocket and making a call while he salivated over the idea of chicken on pizza. “Thirty minutes or so,” she said after hanging up, slipping the phone away and pulling out the wad of paper money—cash, she called it—and taking some out.
“Thirty minutes for what?”
“Until the pizza gets here,” she replied absently, her attention focused on the money.
“The pizza is coming here?” Now he was confused.
“So, in this day and age, a lot of the places do what’s called delivery. You pay extra, but they prepare the food and then bring it right to your door.”
Sid’s jaw dropped open. “That’s flat-out amazing.”
She grinned at his reaction. “Yeah, it really is when you stop to think about it. But, like I said, it costs extra.”
“Do you have enough money?” he asked, suddenly worried.
“What?” She looked startled. “Yes, Sid, we have tons.” The stack of paper money was waved under his nose. “See?”
“That’s a lot of money to you?” He hadn’t thought that Hollie was poor. Her house seemed nice enough compared to what he was used to, but perhaps that was a bad comparison. “Are you…are you poor?” There was no nice way to phrase the question, so he just tossed it out there, hoping she wouldn’t take offense.
“Poor? No,” she waved him off. “But I’m not rich either, and this is a lot of money for me to just have lying around.”
He grinned. Boy was she in for a treat then.
“What’s so funny?”
“Funny? Not funny. That’s a happy smile,” he told her with a wink, and then reached into his shirt, pulling three more gold bars from the inside pockets in quick succession. “These are for sheltering me for the weekend,” he said, putting two of them on the table.
“And that one?” she asked nervously, pointing at the last.
“That one’s for being forced to deal with me, as well as a thank you for doing so,” he joked, putting it on the counter.
Hollie was staring at him, lovely brown eyes wide and unblinking. “Sid…” She breathed the word softly. “You don’t need to do this.”
His hand came up to stop her. “I know. But I want to. You’re a very unique person, Hollie-Annabelle. Very unique. I value that in a…” he hesitated. “In a friend.”
It was an immense struggle not to say more, not to tell her how he truly thought of her. But he didn’t. Not yet at least. Not until he got the first sign that she wasn’t going to bolt the instant he said anything.
“Thank you,” she said, one hand reaching out to softly caress the bars. “This is…nobody has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“You’ve never met a dragon before,” he teased.
“I don’t think anyone in this modern day and age can say that,” she shot back. “No matter what you tell me.”
Obsidian shook his head. “They are out there. I can feel them. Some are sleeping. Some are awake. But they are out there.”
Hollie was staring at him, and he decided not to scare her any more.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” He pushed the bars closer to her. “I’ve got more, after all.”
Her pupils dilated, though she tried to hide her interest. “Showoff,” she said, instead of asking him how much more. That was the biggest indicator of why he liked her. She clearly wasn’t all about wealth. Many humans were, and he doubted that had changed. But Hollie, it seemed, wasn’t that concerned about it.
“I am a dragon. We like shiny things. That’s the truth.”
They shared a laugh together.
“So why are you giving these up then?” she asked, pushing a loose strand of her short hair out of the way.
He couldn’t get over the oddity of how short her hair was, and also how much he liked it. So different from anything he was used to, but it was beautiful, and framed her round face just perfectly. His eyes were drawn momentarily to her lips, and an image of them kissing seared itself into his brain before he could focus back on to her question.
“Because you’re worth it,” he said huskily, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Hollie blushed and looked away, and an awkward silence blanketed the room.
Ding-dong!
He spun around at the noise, arm shooting out to stop Hollie as she headed toward the front door.
“What?” she asked impatiently, frowning at him. “What is it, Spot? Do you smell bad guys?” Then she pushed past him and answered the door.
Sid crept up to the side, testing the air. He relaxed almost immediately as the scent of fresh pizza invaded the house.
“Ahhh,” he sighed, stepping into view. “Smells delicious.”
WOLF!
Thankfully Hollie was busy searching her pocket for the bills she’d set aside earlier, otherwise she would have seen the stunned look the pizza person gave him. Their eyes locked, and it was obvious that the other person knew as well. Obsidian tested the air once again and picked up the faint odor of wolf, hidden under the deliciousness of dough, cheese, and chicken.
Interesting. A werewolf delivering pizza. He’s young, not just young-looking. Still coming in to his powers. I wonder if he knows what I am.
“H-Hi,” the driver stammered.
“Good evening,” he returned, his voice silky smooth and dripping with power.
They shook hands. To his surprise, despite the surprise he must be feeling, the return grip was strong and confident. Obsidian had been prepared for him to go for a crushing mano-a-mano style of handshake. Instead it was just a crisp, firm, professional shake.
“Clear skies?” he asked.
The delivery man—his name tag read Lucas—nodded. “Yes. Perfect night for a run, if you’re into that sort of thing.”
Obsidian chuckled and shrugged, enjoying the sudden turnabout as Lucas realized he wasn’t in danger. There was strength to this man. “If you are. With the skies as clear as they are, you could see for miles if you were high enough.” He tossed the young man a wink when he swallowed hard, his suspicion about what Obsidian was confirmed.
“Here we go,” Hollie said, stepping forward and handing him money before taking three boxes in exchange.
“Thank you,” Lucas said, dipping his head and then stepping back down the walkway.
Wise man, not turning his back.
Obsidian returned the nod just before the door closed.
“Shall we eat?”
He snatched the boxes from her hand and ran into the sitting area by way of answer, promising to eat it all before she could join him. Hollie yelped and came chasing after him, laughing the entire time.