Page 51

He touched the scar on his face again.

After their conversation, he wasn’t sure what she thought of him.

Does she think me unsightly?She never truly clarified.

Rurik bore his scars not just in his Dragon body, but also in his human one. Witches and humans could be such fickle and vain things, finding ugliness in the weirdest of places.

Although he had no intention of bedding her, he found her quite lovely to look at. He didn’t like that he thought this way about her, although she was considered his enemy, when she might find him revolting.

Did he want her to find him attractive?Do I want to bed her?He thought for long moments.No, no. I have just been without a female for quite some time.

With a glower, he decided to find a place to nap. He hadn’t slept throughout the night since he’d been waiting for her to awaken to make sure she wasn’t going to go into another horrible fit of tears.

A bit later, Rurik found her crawling through one of his piles of riches. Well, in reality, she found him.

He felt the shifting of coins and jewels and heard them sliding as she climbed to the top of the pile. He didn’t think she was aware that she was climbing on top of him as well.

He waited for her to leave in hopes she would just take what she was interested in and go. He knew she wouldn’t when he felt her sit at the top of the pile, doing whatever she pleased. The soft humming noise she made grabbed his attention, informing him that she was no longer upset.

Rurik slowly brought his head out to see what she was up to.

He moved quietly enough that she didn’t seem to notice, and he found her staring at a tiara in her hand. Then with much glee, she placed it on her head.

“Would you prefer to be a princess rather than a Witch?”

She gave a squeal of surprise before sliding down the pile and coming to a stop beside his face.

“You are so big. How do you keep coming out of nowhere?”

The tiara had dislodged and was now sitting crooked on her head. It was horribly tangled in her hair.

“Well, considering you are sitting on top of me, I believe you are the one disturbing me.”

She turned around to dig through the pile on her knees to find she’d been sitting on his shoulder and before that, on his back.

“Why do you sleep like this?”

She untangled the tiara from her hair, her cheeks slightly pink at being caught, before she tossed it onto the pile.

“I like the weight of it. The heavier it is, the better it feels. It is also so that if some human came into my lair and went through my hoards, instead of finding some sleeping Dragon to kill, they will wake me, and I can make a quick meal of them.”

“Do you often eat people?” She gave him a wary look.

“Yes, I eat anything of meat.” He expected her to be horrified, but she just shrugged, making him frown. “You are not bothered by that?”

“I am aware of the circle of life and that it is to be observed without bias rather than with disgust.”

“You say this,” he said as he rose to stand, letting his riches fall from him. “But you saved me from your cat.”

“I would prefer to preserve life when I can, but if you had been dead when he brought you inside, I would not have batted an eye.” She looked around the room. “Why do you sleep here if the other one is bigger? Would you not prefer the larger pile?”

Although many of his hoards were organised, only two consisted of coins and jewels.

“This was my first pile. When I realised I did not have enough room, I carved the other. I just have not moved these yet, and your bed occupies it.”

She nodded with her hand on her chin as if she understood the ways of his kind.

He expected her to stand when he stood, shaking the last of everything off his body, but she didn’t. She continued to have a thoughtful look.