Unawakened (24 page)

Glaring let me hide my mix of confusion and enjoyment of my position.

Instead of filling Rob with terror, my annoyance only made the infuriating dae’s smile widen. “She’s unawakened.”

“Such fire in her eyes. Your angel is annoyed with you.”

“Rob enjoys finding out how many of my buttons he can push before I make him sleep on the couch.” I kept my scowl firmly in place, prodding Rob’s shoulder with a finger. “You’re pushing your luck.”

“This is when I concede the battle and get to business.” Tightening his grip on me, Rob held me close, forcing me to choose between struggling to escape or using his chest as a pillow.

While breaking free of his hold would have been satisfying, I stayed still and quiet, wondering who Minangi was and why Rob would go through so much effort to see him. Later, I’d find a way to deal with Rob’s possessive streak and turn the tables on him.

I could afford to be patient for a little while.

“Too many want her, Minangi. There are those who have already hurt her. I worry whoever is behind these tracking discs doesn’t have her well-being in mind.”

“I see. Do you have one of these discs?”

Rob slid his hands over me until he found one of the discs adhered to my clothing. After prying it off, he offered it to Minangi. “I have had hundreds of these scattered throughout the city, hoping to throw them off her trail. Unfortunately, they keep appearing. The frequency is increasing, too.”

“Give me an hour or two to look into this. While you wait, I will have my daughter prepare you a feast. If you grace her with your smile, she might even dance for you.”

Rob straightened. “I’ve promised my loyalty to Alexa.”

As far as I could remember, he had never spoken such a promise, but hearing his declaration made my face burn. We shared a bed, we shared a home, but my doubts lingered. I feared how long it would be until he grew bored of me.

How far did his loyalty go, and how much closer could I bring him without losing myself? Could I reach his level, climb his ivory tower, and remain free to choose what I wanted to do in my life?

Most of all, I worried I’d throw everything I had worked so hard for away to have just one more day with him.

“I will ask her to dance, and her sister will play her erhu, and we three shall wish you well.”

Rob tensed beneath me. “Minangi!”

“The world has changed, Rob. You know this as well as I. Allow us this much for you.” Without giving Rob a chance to either accept or decline, Minangi turned and walked away, his stride purposeful. He spoke in a language I didn’t recognize, and I heard a woman answer him.

I wondered, but I remained silent. When Rob was ready to talk, he would. He held onto me tighter, as though the strength in his arms could somehow protect me from the changed world.

I knew better, but I wouldn’t remind him of that truth, not yet.

Two men and a woman, all dressed in clothes similar to Minangi’s, ferried a baffling assortment of food to our table. I didn’t recognize a single dish. I recognized ingredients, ranging from beef to duck, but they were combined in a way I had never seen before. Bright-colored sauces partnered with noodles and rice, but the noodles were thinner and the color was paler and more translucent than those offered in normal restaurants. Even the rice was strange, and while it was white, it stuck to everything.

Rob grinned at me, grabbed a pair of wooden sticks, and ate with them. Someone took pity on me, providing a fork so I wouldn’t end up wearing my meal. For the first few minutes, I watched him eat, marveling how he could capture food with two pointed sticks.

Rob gestured to my empty plate. “Go on, eat.”

Blushing, I reached for one of the serving spoons. Rob helped, depositing samples from most of the dishes onto my plate.

Crispy rolls, similar to pastries in many ways, were filled with hot vegetables, meat, and shrimp. My eyes widened at the unexpected savory flavor. Rob picked up a dish of yellowish-orange sauce. “Try it with this.”

“What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Dip it.” Rob grabbed one of the rolls, dunked it in the sauce, and took a bite. “Go on. Don’t be shy.”

I tried it, and the contrast of savory and sweet stole my breath. “What
is
this?”

“Chinese food.”

“They eat this in China?” I demanded. While I had heard of the country and knew it was one of the most powerful countries on Earth, I didn’t know much about the place. Few did.

Learning about the history of the United States was dangerous enough. Rob’s knowledge of the world worried me. How long would it be until the government viewed the dae as a risk and tried to get rid of him?

“That’s why they lock the door for this dining hall, Alexa. This room connects to the Chinese Embassy through an underground passage, which is secured against the US government accessing it. Minangi and his family, while legally allowed to be here, are not supposed to expose any susceptible Americans to their way of life. I do much of my business with the Chinese government in this room.” Rob grabbed another roll, and when I opened my mouth to ask a question, he slipped the roll between my lips. “Next week, I’ll introduce you to Mexican cuisine.”

I chewed so I wouldn’t choke, staring at him with my eyes so wide I worried they would pop out of my head. “Mexican?”

“Maybe Egyptian instead. Oh, I know. Indian.”

“Indian?” Native American culture, like other cultures in the United States, had been eradicated. “Indians, like the original Americans? The Native Americans.”

“No, Alexa. Indian as in India. If you want Native American cuisine, I’m afraid you’ll need a time machine.”

I grabbed another roll, and while I munched on it, I considered the other dishes on the table. I pointed at a steaming bowl. “What’s that?”

“Soup. You might find it a bit mild compared to what you’re used to. The dumplings are filled with shrimp and some vegetables.” Rob grabbed one of the bowls and a small, long and shallow ladle, placing them in front of me. “If you charm Minangi enough, he might even give you the recipe. He won’t give it to me, but he has a soft spot for pretty ladies.”

“Do you know what happened to the Native Americans?”

Rob sighed. “I wasn’t around during the reformation, so I can’t tell you for certain.”

“What can you tell me?”

“I can tell you this: I have not seen a single Native American since coming back to the States. The more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same. They’re probably gone, killed to ensure their culture couldn’t be resurrected. America has lost so much and has gained nothing for it.” Rob’s cheek twitched, betraying the fact he clenched his teeth. “I will show you the world, Alexa. I will show you everything you—what everyone—has lost. I will show you the world I remember.”

A flash of purple in my peripheral vision betrayed the appearance of a new disc. I peeled it off my sleeve and held it, wondering if Rob’s fear of Arthur Hasling returning for me was the truth. “Won’t these betray us?”

Rob’s predatory smile sent shivers racing through me. “Let them come.”

Music was the indulgence of the upper castes, and when a young girl with a two-stringed instrument sank to the floor near a crimson dragon inlay, I held my breath.

The trembling, airy melody she played was as bitter as it was sweet, and the longing in her song left me blinking away the sting of tears. All of Rob’s attention focused on her, and his smile was so gentle I reached out and pressed my fingers to his mouth.

He kissed my fingertips.

“I’ve never heard anything like that before,” I whispered.

“Unless something changes, nor will you again.”

What sort of change could undo what had been done? I knew so little of China, but with one song, I thirsted for more. Why had such beauty been hidden away, banned, and refused to Americans?

What harm could there be in such a song?

“As always, you remind me of the blossoms of a cherry tree,” Rob said, his attention turning to the musician.

“Of all the people of this world, it is you who should not mistake me for another.”

I understood, then, what Minangi meant about the dae’s smile. When it touched his eyes, the blue came alive with the intensity of the afternoon sky, brilliant and vast.

Torn between jealousy Rob shared such a tender expression with her and amazement two strings and a bow could produce such a melody, I watched them. Instead of answering his compliment, she coaxed more music from her instrument. Its haunting tones hung in the air.

When the notes faded to silence, the whisper of fabric drew my attention to the door leading upstairs.

The woman with dusky skin, still shrouded in smoke, swept into the room. Closing the door behind her, she clasped her hands in front of her, straightened, and stared at Rob.

“It’s been a while,” she said, and in her voice, I heard the bubbling of a brook, the crackle of flame, the whisper of the wind through the leaves, and the hiss of snow flowing over the rooftops during a winter night.

“Too long,” Rob agreed, and I heard his reluctance.

Capturing his hand in mine, I brought his palm to my lips and gave him a gentle kiss. “Relax.”

“Alexa.” The way Rob breathed my name, as though I were a lifeline for him to cling to, warmed me from within.

Gliding across the floor, the woman came to a halt beside her sister, and the haze sank to the floor, revealing her face. The only thing human about her was her smile. Her eyes were glittering jade stones, orbs polished to a high shine without pupil. The shroud had hidden her draconic snout, and the dusky skin dissolved to reveal golden scales. White tufts of silky hair lined her jaw.

Spiraling horns arched, following the gentle curve of her elongated neck. Living warmth radiated from her, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away as she cast away her humanoid shell, settling down on four legs, splaying her talons so she wouldn’t tear through the ornate floor.

“Introduce us, old friend,” the dragon demanded. “Introduce us, so we might know our sister and welcome her to our home.”

Rob was laughing, and I had no idea why. He let loose short bursts of giggles, which puzzled me almost as much as his gasps as he fought to catch his breath.

It took several confused moments to realize I was sprawled over Rob’s lap, and we were both on the floor. I meant to ask what was going on, but my question emerged as an incomprehensible groan.

My noise did catch Rob’s attention, and he kissed my forehead between chuckles. “You fainted.”

I had no recollection of fainting. I tried to remember what had happened, but I drew nothing but a blank. “What?”

Rob swallowed back his chortles, shifting beneath me so my head rested on his lap. “Muriel does that to us mere mortals. She’s flattened me a few times, too, if that makes you feel better.”

“Are you even mortal?” I wondered about that, and I didn’t like the idea of Rob dying.

“He fainted, too,” the dragon announced.

“Traitor.”

Muriel’s laughter bubbled out of her. “My apologies. Our little brother has never brought a lady home with him before.”

“The problem with this family is the fact
they
decide who they adopt.” Rob smiled at me. “I could be older than them, and they’d still call me their little brother. The entire lot is incorrigible. A little like you, really.”