“Good day, Ninki,” Tana greeted.“Mckenna asked me to escort Kai here so she could speak with you about some lost items,” she explained.
Ninki's gaze settled on Kai.“Oh?”
Kai gritted her teeth.She wanted to growl.Is Ninki going to pretend she doesn’t know she has my things?She sucked in another breath through her nose, loud.
The other woman arched an elegant eyebrow as she tipped her head but kept silent.
“Ninki, I understand Tana gave you my things when I arrived.You took them to be incinerated.”Kai held her arm out.“This coat was part of those items.”
“Yes.I had that coat temporarily.I turned it over.”Ninki glanced at Tana, who confirmed her words with a nod.“Sorry if you are here for your tattered belongings.They went up in flames.Quickly.”She folded her arms, pushing up her large breasts.
“No, I’m not here for my old clothes.”Kai cleared her throat.She could not argue about the state of her old pants and shirt; they were deplorable.From the corner of her eyes, Kai noticed a few people as they passed by.She glanced over at them, but the people didn’t stop.It made her feel embarrassed to have others hear about her clothing.She wasn’t sure what they thought about her, but one thing she didn’t want was for them to believe that she was a sorry human who came to their territory to gain from their Mckenna.
“Then what’s the point of this visit?”Ninki kept her yellow-flamed gaze on Kai, not even giving a brief look at Tana.
“I came here for my two gold rings.”This time, Kai saw a handful of Drahk stop and boldly stared at them.
Tana glanced at the group.Her gaze was full of concern.“I don’t think we should hold this discussion out in the open.”
Then Ninki’s eyes flitted beyond Kai to the crowd.When her sharp stare met Kai’s again, there weren’t only marigold flames in it, but a similar tint illuminated the markings along her bare arms and legs.“Why don’t you both come inside?I’m brewing wildflowers.”
When Ninki stepped back and pulled her door wide, Kai only paused a moment before she entered.
Tana followed.
Once the door was closed, Kai didn’t glance at her surroundings.Instead, she set her hands on her hips and demanded answers from the other woman.“Do you have my rings?”
Kai hoped that Ninki wouldn’t barter away or sell her things.If she had, Kai would continue to question whomever until she tracked them down.
Still showing agitation, Ninki gave a short nod.“Tana, please prepare the tea.I’ll get the rings.”
Ninki turned to a set of stairs on the right and began up them.
Not trusting Ninki, Kai watched her until she reached the top and entered the single door in her view.Finally, Kai turned and stared at the place.This was the first time she had been in any other dwelling besides Aodh’s.The home was spacious but nowhere near the size of the Mckenna building.On the first floor was a great room with a sitting area, a space for a small table for two, and a kitchen on the other side.
Tana moved silently around the solar-powered stove, removed the teapot, and strained it into a glass kettle.The tea had a rich, brown tint as Tana arranged the pot with three stone mugs on a tray with a honey jar.
In the Dispatch District, they only steeped herbs for medicinal purposes and never added sweeteners.If you were sick, you just choked down the hot liquid and worked past the awful, bitter taste.Kai wasn’t looking forward to the heated drink.
“Please sit.”The older woman directed.“Your rings won’t appear faster if you end up passed out on the floor.”
Kai sighed but settled into one of the chairs around the low table in the front room.“Do you think she will give them back?”
Placing the tray down, Tana looked her way with a small smile.“Yes.Drahks are always honest with each other.”
“But I’m not one of your people.”
“If the Mckenna has chosen you, you are.”Those words came from Ninki, who moved gracefully down the last few steps.“Even if his dragon has not mated with you.”
Shocked, Kai turned.She didn’t hear Ninki coming down.Heat rushed up along the back of her neck and into her face.Embarrassed, Kai didn’t want to sit there and have Ninki, Aodh’s ex-lover, talk about how she still lacked the beast’s approval for some reason.She only wanted to get her rings and go.
“Tea?”
Kai turned back to Tana and saw the older woman holding out a steaming mug to her.Out of reflex, Kai took it.Looking back toward Ninki, she assessed the woman.Kai noticed that one of Ninki’s hands was clenched tight—knuckles white.
Ninki stepped closer to Kai and unfurled her hand one finger at a time in a painfully slow movement.Finally, the other woman’s palm flattened before Kai, and two plain gold bands lay in the center of Ninki’s palm.
Unspeakable joy filled Kai’s heart at the sight of them.She set her mug on the table and quickly reached for the precious items.Kai paused.With her fingers hovering directly above the bands, she realized something interesting—Ninki’s hand trembled.At first, Kai thought the shaking was from all the excitement coursing through her veins at finally getting the jewelry back, but it wasn’t.She tipped her head back and stared up into Ninki’s face.She was stunned to see two mini, white blazes dancing in the depth of the other woman’s gaze.
