Page 7 of Serving my Dragon (The Dragocracy Chronicles #2)

Chapter Five

I blinked in surprise while Kayleigh exclaimed, “Did Polly just speak? I don’t know much Spanish but that sure sounded like real words.”

“Because they were,” I said slowly with confusion. I would have thought I was dreaming if Kayleigh hadn’t heard it.

“What did she say?”

“About time. I’m starved.”

“What a smart lizard.” Kayleigh clapped her hands. “I’m going to ready a plate of yummies for the good girl.” Off she went with the bag while I frowned. Perhaps it had been the television that orated with uncanny timing.

“What took you so long?” Pollita complained in slightly accented Spanish, hopping from the couch.

“How is it you’re actually talking?” I gaped in stunned disbelief.

“I always did, you just couldn’t understand me before. This magical device is quite informative.” Pollita waved to the television. “Although, the people caught inside the box appear to have overly dramatic lives.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on.” I sat down hard on the couch. “Lizards don’t speak.”

“Lizards don’t. I do.”

“If you’re not a lizard then what are you?” I asked.

Pollita’s head cocked. “I am unsure of the word in your language as my kind didn’t appear at any time in your magic box.”

“It’s a television.”

“Whatever.”

Kayleigh emerged from the kitchen with a heaping plate. “Look at what Lola sent home for you to eat. Wait until you taste it.” She placed it on the low table but Pollita didn’t immediately pounce on it.

“The female speaks a different language,” my not-a-lizard observed.

“It’s known as English.”

“I will need to learn it. Does your television have little people inside that communicate in it?”

“I have English channels, but I don’t understand, how did you learn so quick?”

“Because I am intelligent. More intelligent than your kind.” I’d have sworn Pollita smirked before digging her face into the food.

Kayleigh sat beside me. “What’s she been saying?”

“She claims the television taught her how to speak Spanish while we were gone.”

“What a smart girl.” Kayleigh slid to the floor beside Pollita. “Can you say my name? I’m Kayleigh.” She poked herself in the chest.

Pollita paused before snorting. “Kayleigh.” She glanced at me. “Matias.” She eyed the plate. “Delicioso.”

An excited Kayleigh bounced and clapped her hands. “Oh, how marvelous. I didn’t know Peru had lizards that could talk like parrots.”

We didn’t. This was astounding and unheard of. Exactly what had I found?

“I think I need to go to bed.” Perhaps I was already asleep and dreaming. “Good night, Kayleigh. Good night, Pollita.”

Pollita belched in reply, whereas I stumbled into my room and collapsed on my bed. In the morning, I’d wake and probably discover everything had been a dream. Pity, because I quite enjoyed Kayleigh’s company.

The booze and excitement of the day helped me to crash into a deep sleep.

I woke well past dawn. Despite my vivid recollection of the talking lizard and Kayleigh, I decided it must have been my overreactive imagination plaguing my slumber.

An omen about my upcoming trip to the canyon? Maybe. Perhaps I shouldn’t go.

Wearing only my boxers, I wandered out to the kitchen to make some coffee, the one thing I could manage on my own.

I stopped dead in the doorway, staring.

Kayleigh turned from the stove once more wearing my shirt and—given her long, bare legs—possibly nothing else. She beamed as she chirped, “Morning, Matias.”

Sitting on a chair, wearing a pink ribbon around her neck, was Pollita, who flicked her tongue before saying in perfect English, “Finally. He awakes.” Then to Kayleigh, “Now can we eat?”

I staggered a few paces back and collapsed on the couch. Kayleigh emerged a few moments later with a plate holding one of her delicious sandwiches and a coffee.

“You look like you need this more than Polly,” she stated, sitting beside me.

“I thought I dreamed it all,” I admitted after taking a fortifying sip. “Meeting you. Pollita.”

“Not a dream, silly.” She giggled. “Pretty amazing, actually. I left the television on an English-speaking channel last night and this morning Polly was speaking it. She’s got some gaps in her vocabulary, obviously, but I taught her the alphabet while I was making breakfast. She wants me to show her how to read. She learns really fast.”

“But she shouldn’t be able to do that,” I exclaimed in between bites. “It’s not normal. None of this is.”

“Including me?”

I paused in my eating. “Even you. I mean, people don’t go out on a hike and return with a talking lizard and a beautiful woman who has amnesia.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” Her smile almost put me on my knees, especially since she didn’t give the impression of being coy, not with that pink hue staining her cheeks.

“You are drop-dead gorgeous, so I have to wonder how you ended up in the canyon. How you got amnesia. How no one has reported you gone.”

Her lips turned down and I hated myself for causing that. “It does seem strange. Perhaps we should check your email and see if Sally answered.”

“Yes. We should.” Anything to bring back her bubbly smile. I quickly wolfed down the rest of the sandwich and grabbed my laptop as Pollita entered the living room and declared, “You are my official chef.”

“Why thank you, Polly.” Kayleigh beamed.

“As for you, I’ve yet to decide your role. I would have said protector, but your home lacks weapons and proper security,” Pollita uttered with evident disapproval.

“Because most people don’t keep weapons out in the open. Fear not. I can defend this house.”

“I am less worried about your house than I am about myself. My kind have long been hunted by humans.”

I glanced away from my rebooting computer. “And exactly what kind do you belong to?” Because I’d yet to do a search to see what the internet spat out. Then again, I doubted I’d find a Google entry that mentioned talking lizards.

“I discovered the word watching a movie called Eragon last night. I am a dragon,” Pollita grandly announced.

Laughter burst out of me.

Pollita puffed her chest. “Your amusement is not appreciated.”

“Oh, come on, a dragon?” I scoffed as I logged into my computer.

“Because you’ve met so many,” was Pollita’s sarcastic reply.

“I think what Matias is trying to say is that your claim is a tad hard to believe, seeing how you’d be the first dragon we’ve ever met.” Kayleigh opted for a diplomatic reply.

“Obviously, since we don’t converse with just any humans.” Pollita rolled her eyes.

“I think you misunderstood. There are no dragons at all anywhere in the world. In stories, yes. Artwork and movies. But they are considered to be creatures of fiction.” Kayleigh gently added, “I am sure we will figure out soon enough what you truly are.”

“I’m a dragon,” the not-a-lizard insisted.

“Dragons aren’t real,” I muttered as I clicked my email program.

“And yet here I stand before you.”

Before I checked my loading emails, I eyed Pollita. “What I see is a kitten-sized lizard who can talk and eats more than her body weight each meal.”

“I am small because I recently hatched. And I must eat large amounts if I am to grow.”

“That makes sense,” Kayleigh replied. “Is there anything specific we should be feeding you?”

“In times long past, those who worshipped dragons would bring us livestock. However, I am quite enjoying the meals we’ve had thus far.”

“She replied,” I shouted, interrupting.

“What did Sally say?” Kayleigh leaned over to look.

My brow furrowed. “She thinks I’m trying to scam her.”

“What?”

I read the message aloud. “ I don’t know who you are, asshole, but not funny pretending to be my friend. I am not stupid enough to give you her information so you can steal her identity.”

“Oh dear,” Kayleigh muttered.

“Guess we need to figure out a way to make her realize we’re telling the truth.”

“We could take a pic and send it back,” she suggested.

“Anti-virus software would keep it from opening and if your friend is smart, she won’t click.”

Kayleigh snapped her fingers. “Sally’s got an Instagram account. We’ll message her through there with a pic.”

“You know your login?”

She shook her head. “We’ll have to do it from yours.”

“I don’t have any social media.”

“We could set up a profile.”

“Because she’ll totally accept messages from a brand-new user.” I was surprisingly well-versed in online scams. Cousin Sophia’s husband worked in a cybercrimes department for the government.

“What do you suggest we do then?” Surprisingly enough, Kayleigh sounded sincere and not sarcastic like my cousins would have in the same situation.

“I don’t know.” I tapped my fingers on the desk, trying to brainstorm our next move. “Most likely your friend is trying to reach out to you as we speak. When she can’t get ahold of you, what will she do?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Quite honestly, I would have expected Sally to be on this trip with me as I can’t see myself travelling alone.

But if she knows I’m in trouble, and she’s not already in Peru, then most likely she will hop on a plane to come find me.

” Kayleigh’s lips curved enticingly. “She’s the type of friend who’d bring a shovel if asked and never ask why. ”

“Unless she’s already here,” I mused aloud. “Could it be you both went missing at the same time and that’s why no one noticed?”

Once more I killed Kayleigh’s genial expression. “Oh no. Do you think she might be in the canyon?”

“Doubtful, seeing how someone replied to the email.” I drummed my fingers.

“The good news is, the embassy has my message from yesterday, so if Sally gets worried and contacts them, they’ll know how to reach me.

I should also try the police again and file another report.

That way if your friend does start looking, she can find you. ”