The atmosphere within the close confines of the cottage was tense and uncomfortable. When it was time for dinner, he was surprised when Cadence joined him instead of changing back and flying off to hunt. He refused to ask about it, so they ate their meal in silence, chewing and swallowing mechanically, not making eye contact. Nick was still seething, so that was fine with him. Several times, Cadence drew breath to say something, but Nick kept his eyes on his plate. Cadence took the hint, and didn't say anything.
After dinner, he started working on a sketch of Theo and his family. If it turned out well, he planned to give it to Theo during the new year's party. It was smiles and laughter and everyone talking at the same time, based on the dinner the night of Theo's rescue attempt. He'd hoped to lose himself in the comfort of that memory, but Cadence was a thread that ran all the way through it, so it didn't end up being as much of a distraction as he'd hoped.
A cold draft blew in through gaps in the door and wound round his exposed ankles while he sat at the table. This was the time he usually sat with Cadence, back pressed against her pine cone side, while he sketched or read. He shivered and hunkered down in his coat, missing Cadence's warmth... missing Cadence.
"Nick." Cadence watched him with an uncertain expression on her face. She was stretched out on his pallet in front of the hearth, chin propped on her right hand, while her other hand held a book open. "Do you want to come and sit with me? You look cold."
He thought about joining Cadence on her pallet, resting his back against Cadence's side, the warm give of muscle and flesh behind him... He reminded himself that Cadence had lied to him for weeks. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
Cadence's face fell. "You were fine with it before," she said.
"That was before," he said.
"The offer still stands," Cadence said softly, and went back to reading her book. By the light of the glow globes, Nick could just make out the way Cadence's mouth turned down at the corners.
YOU ARE READING
Home is a Treasure Beyond Price
Fantasy"In what had to be the stupidest decision he'd ever made in a lifetime of making stupid decisions, he resolved to follow the dragon into her lair. The cave mouth yawned, dark and forbidding before him. He stared at it, willing himself to take the fi...
