Such as when my sister had been adopted and I wasn’t.
I loved my sister with all my heart, and she’d been the one thing that had kept me from going crazy our first ten years together.
But then our parents had died, and instead of grieving, I had more worry piled on top of my already over-burdened young shoulders.
“You’re stalling,” the woman currently trying to break into my heart said.
I grimaced.
“I’m a dragon rider.”
Silence followed my announcement. So much of it, in fact, that I had to stop what I was doing with the eggs and look up to make sure she hadn’t fainted from the news.
She hadn’t.
And she was looking at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Say what?” she asked.
I scowled at the incredulity that was tinging her voice.
“You heard me,” I said. “Your eggs are finished.”
She started scooting down the ladder, turning around and presenting me with her perfect ass as she maneuvered.
“How’d you know what I like?” she asked.
“You make them every day you clean here,” I said. “Just figured that was the type you liked the best.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That still doesn’t explain how you know I like them fried, unless you’ve watched me.”
I chose to stay silent.
“Ian…” she said. “You’re not going to tie me up in the basement and torture me sexually, are you?”
I blinked.
“I don’t have a basement,” I said smartly, scratching my head in confusion.
“I noticed you didn’t say anything about the sex torture part,” she observed dryly.
I sighed.
“I’m not going to kill you. Nor harm you in any way,” I told her. “You were the one who showed up at my place, not the other way around.”
She didn’t like what I had to say, and chose to tell me so with a glare.
I turned around to the sink to hide my laughter, dropping the pot I’d used to cook the eggs down into the sink before turning back around once I had it under control.
“This is good,” she said. “Now convince me about your magic.”
I pulled up my sleeves and pointed out where she’d touched me earlier.
“Look familiar?” I asked her, indicating the burn imprint of her hand.
Her lips thinned.
“Now look at your arm,” I ordered her.
She reluctantly pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, and her eyes widened.
“You’ve turned me into a mutant!” she cried.
I sighed and leaned against the counter, eyeing her.
“I don’t know where you come up with this shit,” I said. “But, if you’d just give me a chance to explain before you start name calling, some of this would be solved.”
She growled, and it was so cute that my cock actually twitched.
“Fine. You have five minutes before I’m leaving,” she snapped.
I chose to explain, despite her bitchy attitude.
“I’m a dragon rider. I first came into my powers when I was nineteen, which was a tad earlier than most dragon riders do,” I said. “My powers that I’ve gained from my dragon, Mace, are nowhere near what the other dragon riders have acquired.”
“So, what are they?” Wink snapped.
I smiled, knowing I had her.
“Well, you used one of them on me today. Rapid energy depletion,” I said.
She blinked.
“I used it?” she questioned.
I nodded. “Figured it out about a half second before I was out. Should’ve seen it coming. I knew you had my powers.”
“So, what else?” she pushed.
I smiled and ducked my head so she couldn’t see my lips lift.
“I can see anything that’s wrong with the body and heal it. Kind of like combining an EKG, MRI, CAT scan and x-ray all in one,” I continued.
She blinked at me.
“You can see what’s inside me right now?” she asked.
“If I was touching you, yes,” I said. “I can also see DNA outside of the body. Meaning, the other night when you asked me how I knew that guy wasn’t in your apartment, I really knew. I could see his DNA trail lead in only one direction, away from the body.”
“By DNA you mean…what?” she asked.
I smiled.
“Skin cells. Hair. Saliva. Semen,” I said. “Not that those last two were present that night. But I could see exactly where that man went.”
She nodded, her hand twisting around in her hair.
“That’s kind of fantastical,” she said finally, looking at me. “I’m going to take a nap. I need to think about this.”
I nodded.
“There’s more to tell, isn’t there?” she asked as she stood.
I nodded.
“Okay,” she said softly. “Tell me later.”
“You know where you are sleeping?” I asked her. “Where to go?”
She looked at me like I was stupid.
“I clean this house three times a week. I think I can find an empty bedroom. Try not to trash your house while I’m not watching you,” she ordered.
With that she left, leaving me with a smile on my face.
One that quickly melted away at the thought of her being in my house napping and not in my bed.