Don't Jump In Puddles You Can't See The Bottom Of

Chapter 4

I wake up and I'm not even fully conscious before everything from last night crashes back into my mind in contorted images. The basement stairs. A pile of shiny, gold items. Iron bars. Luke's white knuckles. I lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling, letting it all race through my head before I even think about getting up.

A glance at the clock tells me it's 7:38. Luke's probably up by now. He seems like an early riser. He's probably in the kitchen making a full breakfast. I swing my feet onto the floor and sit up.

I'm not afraid of him, so why am I hesitating?

I don't want to be afraid of him, but if I'm honest, a part of me is. I believed him when he said he wouldn't hurt me but...

But

I remember his glowing eyes and how he gripped the bars last night, physically restraining himself from... whatever he might have done. I honestly don't even know what he was keeping himself from doing. Which just adds to the uneasiness.

But I do believe that he won't hurt me. So I push myself off the bed and unlock the door, slipping out into the hall.

The house is quiet with that morning wakeful freshness. I hear Luke banging pots and pans in the kitchen, confirming my assumption about breakfast. I realize I'm inching my way toward the living room, my feet dragging along the floor. Good grief, Luke's a dragon. He probably knew the instant I woke up. I shake myself and stride through the living room to the kitchen.

"Good morning." I say, trying to sound normal, but I don't know what I normally sound like, so I probably only succeeded in sounding like an idiot.

He doesn't reply, just keeps getting breakfast together, and that's strangely okay. I sit at the table and watch his back while he flips pancakes and fries bacon. When it's finished, he brings the platters and two plates to the table, returning for a handful of silverware, and sits across the corner from me.

I take a pancake and butter it lavishly, letting it soak in before dousing it with syrup. Then I help myself to the bacon and dip it in the syrup.

"That is nasty." Luke says.

I glance up at him, slowly bring the bacon to my mouth and biting off the syrupy end, staring straight into his gold, reptilian eyes.

He shakes his head and swirls his coffee cup. "You humans are strange."

I can tell he's genuinely amused by me, but last night hangs over us like a dead weight. He finally sighs and I feel it coming.

"About last night." he says, keeping his eyes on his mug.

I dip my bacon in the syrup and take another bite.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. Did you sleep okay?" Now he looks up, eyes filled with concern.

I nod. "Mhmm. Yeah. I slept well."

Awkward awkward awkward.

He stirs his coffee now and I wonder if he's going to drink it before it grows cold. "It's hard to explain so I'll just..." His hand goes to his nose, abusing the bridge just like he did last night. "You humans have your fairy tales of the dragon kidnapping the princess. Well, there's a good deal of truth in that. We hoard shiny items but sometimes we also hoard... people."

He says it like he's confessing the worst sin ever committed. I finish the last bite of my bacon.

"That's why Rama wanted to kidnap you. Sun probably mentioned she's taken male jumpers that have come through. We get the hoarding, protecting, possessing urge with our own kind, but it's stronger with humans because you're so weak and powerless. Usually that urge can be abated just by the human being in our house but..."

"It gets stronger when I come close to your hoard?"

He nods. "Yes. It's... it's frustrating and annoying to live with and completely nonsensical. But when you came downstairs and I saw you while I was next to my hoard I just... I wanted to add you to it. I needed to see you sitting on my pile. It would have been a good time for Rama to come over so I could truly fight him."

"Is that why you two fought yesterday? Because he kept saying he wanted to take me away?"

He nods. "Yes. And you're mine so I punched him."

I'm slightly shocked by how simply he says 'you're mine' as if it's a well known fact, but I think I understand.

"So what about when Tahga builds the... whatever she's gonna build, and I go back home? Will you be able to let me go?"

He nods again. "Yes. That's a little different. I just keep you safe until I can return you to where you belong. You won't survive if you stay in this world. The best way I can protect you is by sending you home."

That phrase strikes me as incredibly sad, but also terribly sweet. Luke still has one hand over his eyes and hasn't looked at me for over five minutes. This must be incredibly embarrassing and awkward for him.

I put my hand on his arm and he jumps like I stabbed him with my fork. His pupils are dilated and I see little sparks exploding in his gold irises.

"It's okay. You've taken very good care of me and I'm very grateful."

His cheeks flush but he doesn't break my gaze. He opens his mouth to respond but the front door crashes open before he can make a sound and Rama booms,

"WHAT'D I MISS?"