Page 10

I look longingly at the steamer, knowing that at any minute, the buns will have finished resting after their steam and we'll finally be able to taste them.

"I can feel your excitement," Nate says with amusement in his voice.

"Are you not excited?" I ask. "I want to know if they'll taste right."

"I know you do, but they need a couple more minutes to rest. Maybe one of your notes on the recipe should be that the waiting makes you impatient." He leans over and taps the page of my journal where I've written the recipe down.

"It does not," I counter. "I know that it takes time to get good bakes."

"I'm just teasing, Evie," he promises.

"I know. I recognise it from when my siblings do it. At breakfast, Veronica was..." I trail off, realising that I don't really want to tell him what Veronica was teasing me about, especially because part of the conversation was about what I was and wasn't doing with Nate.

"Veronica was?" he prompts.

I clear my throat. "She was actually really helpful. She suggested that I ask the seamstresses for new chemises, but give my old ones to people in the village who might need them."

"I didn't realise you had a problem with them."

"That's because you mostly see me in day dresses," I respond, waving to the dress I'm wearing now. "It's not too bad when I'm wearing these because the fabric of the dress itself is softer. But when I'm wearing a formal gown, or worse, a dress for a ball, it's stiffer and it itches."

"Ah. Then it sounds like Veronica might have a good idea."

"She does, but you can't tell her that," I respond.

He laughs, but stops before he says anything else.

"Nate?"

"The hourglass is done," he says.

"Oh, good." I can feel the faint rumble of hunger, which is normal at this point in a bake. I love to eat what we make as well as make it.

He brings the steamer over to the table and sets it down before pulling off the lid. A waft of steam greets me, rising off the perfect white domes of the buns within and making them look even more enticing.

I pick the one closest to me, almost burning my fingers despite the fact that we switched the stove off about a quarter of an hour ago. I pull open the bun, surprised to find that the custard has gone a little runny inside, even if I know it's supposed to have.

Carefully, I take a bite, letting out a small moan as I taste the salty sweetness of the custard along with the fluffy bun around it. "That's so good."

"It is," Nate agrees, reaching for another one. "It's a good thing there are only seven."

I laugh and eat a second one for myself. My memory is going to have to serve for drawing the inside of the bun, because there won't be any left to draw from at this rate.

Custard dribbles down Nate's chin, and I do everything I can not to giggle at the sight. It's not the first time he's ended up with food on his face while the two of us are baking together, but it never fails to make me laugh.

"What?" Nate asks.

"You've made a mess." I grab a cloth and step closer to him, wiping it away without even thinking about it.

"Thanks."

"I didn't even get it all," I say, leaning in again and getting the rest of the custard. His warm brown eyes peer into mine, friendly and comforting all at once.

Nate is closer to me than I think he's been before. Except that can't be true. We've been baking together for years, there's no way that we haven't stood closer than this. Maybe it's just because of what Veronica said to me that I'm even noticing.

"Evie," he murmurs.

"Yes?"

"I..."

Crack .

We both jump, turning to look in the direction of the oven. For one horrible moment, I think something is broken, but then there's some kind of scratching sound from inside it.

"The dragon!" I rush over and grab one of the oven cloths, pulling open the heavy metal door as if it's nothing. My eyes widen as I take in the cracked egg and the tiny green dragon sitting at the centre of the oven as if it hasn't just scared us. "Hello," I say.

The dragon cocks its head to the side and blinks its large eyes as it looks at me. It lets out a loud chirp.

I hold out my arm, not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be doing.

The dragon has less hesitation and climbs onto my arm.

"Ow, you're hot," I protest as the tiny claws dig into the skin of my bare arms, leaving some red patches in their wake.

I'm going to have to use some of the burn ointment I have stashed in my room later.

Nate hands me one of the oven cloths, but it's already too late, the dragon has made its way to my shoulder where the sleeve of my dress protects me from any more burning.

"Are you hungry?" I ask the dragon.

It chirps again.

"Well, I only have custard buns. Do you like those?" I pick one up and hold it out.

The dragon leans forward and sniffs it before taking a nibble. It must decide it likes it, because soon, the entire custard bun has disappeared.

"Is it allowed to eat that?" Nate asks.

"I have no idea," I admit. "I might have gotten bored reading Artie's book. I'll do better now." I scratch the dragon behind its horns. It closes its eyes in response and lets out a low rumble that I assume means that it likes it.

"Hi," Nate says, stepping closer. The dragon looks at him, seeming to welcome his attention.

"What do you name a dragon?" I muse.

"Whatever you want," he responds.

"Well, yes, but what kind of name do you give one?"

He shrugs. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I've no idea. So maybe a name that works for both. And something to do with fire," I respond. "What about Ember?" I ask the dragon.

It just gives me a blank look in response.

"All right, how about I call you Ember for now, and we'll change it if it doesn't feel right."

The dragon lets out a chirp. I'm not sure if it's because it understands me or not, but I suppose it doesn't matter.

"The book did say that hatchlings were best kept in a nest in the fire for the first few weeks. Should I put Ember back in the oven?"

"Maybe best not," he responds. "An egg is one thing, but I don't think my father will be pleased about a living creature in her oven."

"Oh, right. I guess you'll be coming to my bedroom with me, then," I say to Ember. "But we'll come down here to visit all the time."

Nate chuckles and leans back against the workbench. "I wouldn't expect any different. Maybe you should go get Ember settled so that you can find out what they need?"

"Are you sure? We still need to tidy up here."

"I've got it." He flashes me a reassuring smile.

"All right, but don't forget to use my name to get whatever ingredients you want for yourself tomorrow," I respond.

"I'll make sure of it, Princess," he says with an amused smile.

I roll my eyes at his use of my title, knowing he's only doing it to tease me, but enjoying it all the same.

"Come on, Ember, let's go make you a nice bed in my fire.

" I'm going to have to learn a lot about dragons very quickly, because I didn't expect her to hatch so soon.

At least the delegation from Shengda is still here, and I might be able to ask them some questions about dragon care, because I'm going to need some answers.