Annie Nicholas: Koishi

Mud sucked at his boots as he made his way toward them, searching the flock for the fattest ewes. Using his dragon reflexes, he darted in and tucked one under his arm. It squirmed and bleated as he carried it back to his truck. It was more cumbersome than heavy. Closing the pen gate behind him using his foot, he recognized a familiar pretty brunette hiking up the hill toward his truck.

She’d made good time. He hadn’t expected to see her at least until tomorrow. “Good morning, Sandra. Did you sleep well?” He opened the large crate door in the bed of the truck and settled the ewe inside. Patting its head, he watched as Sandra came around the back to confront him.

“You!” She set her hands on her hips. “You knew I was here to see the dragon. Did it ever occur to you to mention that you work for him?”

He shrugged. “I’m not his secretary. I don’t schedule his meetings.” Everyone knew Koishi as the dragon’s human servant. If contact or messages needed to be relayed, they sought him out. Imagine if they ever found out they were speaking with the dragon directly… He chuckled.

“This isn’t funny. I’m on important business.”

Raising an eyebrow, he assessed this lovely, furious female. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what he planned to do with Sandra; he already had a pet. But she was much more attractive than a goblin. He leaned forward and inhaled. She smelled better, too.

A dark flush covered her cheeks. “But you could instruct me on how to make an appointment, right?”

“Maybe I can.” His gaze wandered to the shiny gold necklace warmed by her skin. A vision of her bare on his bed, except for that piece of jewelry, occupied his thoughts.

“I’m not trading it.” She set her hand over the well-crafted piece.

He grimaced. “You made that perfectly clear yesterday.” How best to enjoy his new toy? Allowing his gaze to wander over her curves, he had a few salacious ideas. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I bought some kind of rice ball thing on my walk here.”

Nodding, he closed the crate door, trapping the ewe. “How did you find me so quickly?” She spoke terrible Japanese. It was a miracle they hadn’t sent her to the other side of the island on a wild goose chase. Or it could be fate.

She unfolded a piece of paper with a drawing of him in flight.

With a dawning appreciation for her cleverness, he leaned forward to take the picture. “You watched me–him in flight last night?” Laughing, he handed it back to her. “Very ingenious to use a drawing.” So she was smart as well as pretty. If she had a crafty streak, he might just keep her.

“I could use some coffee.” She leaned against the side of his old beige truck and only then did he notice the dark circles under her eyes. They hadn’t faded since she’d gotten off the boat.

“You look like you can use some.”

“Thanks.” She gave him a weary smile, the first one not carrying an edge of anger to it.

He pointed to the small house by the pens. “I’ll make you some. Come inside.”

Hesitating, she glanced at the surrounding empty land and didn’t follow.

“If I were a serial killer and wanted to add you to my collection of frozen body parts, I would have done it last night when you were trapped in my truck. Don’t you think?” He entered the house, leaving the door open for her, and opened the cupboards in the kitchen. Most were empty–he didn’t actually stay here, but it was a good pretense for his game warden persona to have a home. He glanced over his shoulder as she stuck her head through the doorway. “You can leave the door open, if it makes you feel better.” Not like she’d make it out if he really wanted to have human for breakfast.

He hadn’t eaten human flesh since becoming a gatekeeper. It would be a conflict of interest, given that his job was to protect them from supernatural creatures like him. “What do you want to know?” The coffee maker appeared dusty. He plugged it in and all the lights came on. Must be fine.

“Have you ever been in his lair?”

“Sure.” Coffee grounds. Where did he leave those? It had been ages since he’d made any for himself. The coffee shop a few miles away always seemed more convenient. He opened the tin canisters on the counter and located the grounds, but a stale smell came from inside. Mold. He scraped it off and discarded those in the sink.

“Does he collect treasure like the legends say dragons do?” She came far enough into the kitchen to lean on the counter.

He couldn’t locate any filters, so he found a roll of paper towels. Lining the coffee maker’s basket with a layer, he poured the clumps of grounds inside. He filled it with water and turned it on with a grin. “There!” Twisting, he found her staring at him. “What did you say?”

“Treasure, does the dragon keep treasure?” She crossed her arms over her chest with a glare.

Tilting his head, he hesitated before responding. “Why do you want to know about his treasure? He guards it day and night.” She wouldn’t be the first to try robbing him, but it would be such a shame. He didn’t want to destroy her. She gave him pleasure.

“Shouldn’t he be guarding the gate?”

“Well…” He blinked. Maybe intelligence wasn’t such a good quality in a toy. Then again, he grinned. “He keeps a goblin as a pet that guards it for him when he’s not around.” Let her think about that. “It’s stupid and dangerous to try stealing from a dragon.”

“Who says I want to steal anything? I want to make a deal.”

His eyebrows shot up before he could school his expression. “Like what?” He managed to keep the eagerness out of his voice. Barely. The scent of stale coffee filled the kitchen and he pulled two mugs out of his cupboard. When was the last time anyone had the courage to barter with him? He restrained a grin. How much would she be willing to do for what she wanted?

“That’s not any of your business. How can I meet the dragon? You know, without him eating me.” She chewed on her bottom lip and her gaze dropped to the floor.

“Tell me what you want from the dragon and I’ll see what I can do.” He busied his hands by pouring the coffee into mugs. What could she want from his hoardings? Maybe she had something really good to trade, like old gold, the kind that wasn’t processed by modern chemistry and didn’t have the stink of machines. Pirate gold was the best, especially if it had been sitting in the ocean, because it had a nice salty scent to it.

He turned to offer her the coffee, but stopped mid-twist.

A tear was sliding down her cheek. “It’s between me and the dragon, Koishi. It’s personal.” She wiped her face and gave him a watery smile. “I’m not an idiot. If I could avoid meeting him, I would. I don’t care to meet something that could swallow me whole.” Her voice shook.

“Then why do it?” His greed faded, replaced with something he hadn’t experienced in decades. Curiosity. He took a sip of coffee. The putrid flavor coated his tongue and stung his delicate sense of taste. He spat it out in the sink. “Foul.” He wiped his chin. “Maybe we should walk down to the coffee shop.” He poured the poisonous stuff down the sink.

She gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “I’ll skip the coffee for now. I need to find someone who’ll help me.” She stepped toward the door as he gripped her elbow gently.

The touch sent an electric pulse through him. “I’ll help.” He didn’t often act without thinking, but knew he didn’t want her to leave. He scratched his chin. How would a mortal expect to meet a dragon? There was only one path leading to his lair, and he didn’t want others to know about it. He couldn’t stroll down to the city in his dragon form without causing riots.