Flame Touched

Chapter Nineteen - Camila

If Eian was anything, he was a man of his word. He promised to not bother her during the day, and he held true to that promise. While she sat in the middle of the floor in the room that was now hers, he spent the entire time doing...whatever. First, she heard him downstairs in the kitchen ripping apart boxes and the clattering of utensils, pots, and plates as he put them away. Then she heard him move into another room where he grunted a lot. She had no clue what he was doing in there. It wasn't until a long time later that he called up to her from the stairs.

"Camila? I just wanted you to know, I'm going to the store to get a few things. I'll be back."

She blinked and crawled over to the door to open it a crack. "You're okay with me being here alone?"

"I left you alone earlier."

"I was with the other women."

He paused, as if considering her point. "You're an adult. The last thing you need is a babysitter."

"And if I run away?" she challenged, curious as to what he might do if she gave it an attempt.

"Then I'll find you before anyone else does, so I can keep you safe." He chuckled. "I know you're smart enough to not give it a try. We talked about it pretty thoroughly last night. I said I'd take care of you, work my magic so you don't have to be here forever unless you choose to."

She leaned her head against the wall. Why did he have to be so sweet? His kindness kept her trusting him. Running away would have been a lot easier to do if he was a brute. It might have resulted in her getting killed, but if he abused her she'd have reason to rather die than stay. Being nothing but sweet and practically perfect had her more afraid. What if it was all a huge ruse? What if in a few weeks, days, even hours, he blindsided her with his true colors? Why did she feel compelled to find out? I'm staying because he promised I'd get to go home.

"Camila?" he called again.

"Sorry, I was thinking." She took a deep breath. "Are you going to be gone for long?"

"An hour, maybe two. Depends on what I find."

She wasn't sure what that meant. What was he looking for? "I'll be okay. I promise I won't miss you too much."

"If you miss me at all, I'll be pleased we've made some headway in our relationship." He laughed some more. "My cellphone number is on a sticky note posted to the refrigerator."

"Okay."

"I'll see you soon."

Camila closed the door to her room, taking in another slow breath then exhaling it out. I'm alone. I could run away. I could get far in an hour. What would her parents do if she went back to the farm? Would they welcome her with open arms and help hide her, or would they force her to return to Eian? No, to the dragons. Didn't Eian say he'd release me if he could have things his way? I'm still not sure I'm buying this dragons are humans bit, in the first place. He promised proof. Perhaps I'll find out if this is the one promise he doesn't intend to keep.

When he got back, she'd demand it from him. Force him to show her he was in fact a dragon—or else. She hadn't figured out what "or else" meant, but she'd come up with something.

With Eian gone, the house was eerily quiet. No longer able to stay in the bedroom, she tiptoed down the stairs. She didn't dare disturb the silence. When was the last time she'd been in a place so void of sound? Not even the air conditioner made noise even though she knew for a fact it was running. She could feel the cold air pouring through the vents. Camila coughed. The only purpose being so she could listen to the echo bounce through the house. It's too large. What are we going to do with so much space? There are only two of us.