She shook her head. “It must be a cultural thing.” Kneeling, she rummaged inside her bag and pulled out her wallet. She was on a tight budget. All her savings had gone to purchasing information. “How much?”
“Money?” He grimaced. “I don’t like paper. Don’t you carry anything valuable?”
“Most people would consider money valuable.” She mumbled under her breath as she shoved her wallet back into her pack. With a little more digging, she found her small carrying case and held out two silver earrings. “That’s all I’ve got. Take it or bug off.” She laid them on his outstretched hand.
He sniffed at the metal. “There’s not much silver in this.”
“How can you tell?” Her shout echoed over the water.
“I just can. Get in. I’ll give generosity a try.”
She climbed inside the old cab with peeling leather seats before he could change his mind. “It’s only charitable if you don’t keep the earrings.”
He dropped them in his breast pocket. “Believe me, this is charity.”
Chapter 2
Sandra settled inside the truck and glared at the driver as he pulled away from the curb. His audacity had stunned her into silence. He had taken her jewelry, insulted it, and then called himself a saint. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she kept her mouth shut, since she really needed the ride.
Before this week, she’d never left the large town of Crab Apple for any extended amount of time. She had worked at the local diner as a waitress and shared a crappy apartment with her sister. They’d been surviving until Beth fell ill six months ago with a tumor in her head.
Staring out the window, at the waves crashing against the shore, she sighed. Those events seemed like a hundred years ago, but in a matter of months, Beth had gone from a vibrant ray of sunlight to a faded shadow. The doctors said it was inoperable and the treatments weren’t shrinking it.
She’d lost all hope of her sister surviving until now.
“My name is Koishi.”
She twisted in her seat to face him. “Sandra.” If it weren’t for his crummy attitude, she’d consider him handsome. High cheekbones gave his face a sharp appearance. Fortunately, his full lips, which were too quick to laugh at her, softened the harsh lines. He kept his jet-black hair cut short in the back, but the wind swept his bangs across his forehead. Tall and broad shouldered, he could catch attention. He was definitely getting hers.
“What brings you to our fair island out of season, Sandra?” The way he spoke her name, as if he tasted it, sent a shiver over her spine.
Her pulse raced a little. “I’ve always wanted to explore the area and this is the only time I could get off from work.” She’d been practicing the lie and it flowed easily from her mouth.
“Are there no places closer to home to explore?” He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.
“Sure, but they’re not Japan.” She wanted to change the subject before he questioned her more. “Where did you learn English?”
He swerved the truck and she clung to the dash for her life. They’d just missed hitting what looked like a Chihuahua running across the road. “Damn.” He snapped his fingers. “I missed it.”
Wide-eyed, she gaped at him. “You wanted to hit it?”
“Long story. I learned English during the war. Some American soldiers took refuge here. They taught me.”
“Which war? Desert Storm?”
“What?” His eyes widened. “I meant, they taught my grandfather. It was during World War II.”
“And your grandfather taught you to speak perfect English?”
“Yes,” he said with his ever-present smile. Turning off the road, he aimed the truck for a nice sized town. “This is the main tourist area. Beach, water sports, and lots of food. Plenty of hotels to choose from. I’ll take you to my favorite.”
“Sounds fine, but I don’t need anything fancy. Something clean with hot water will do.” Her smell was killing her even with the window open.
“This one has both, with a fine view of Mount Mihara.”
“Is that where the dragon lives?”
His easy grin slipped. “What dragon?”
“I’ve heard that a dragon guards this volcano.” From what she’d discovered of their race, all of them remained in Outremer except this keeper. “I was told, by a reliable source, most of the residents on this island know about him. I could imagine it’s kind of hard for a dragon to hide.”
“True.” He kept tossing furtive glances her way. “And you came all this way to see a dragon?”
“Yes.”
“He’s quite magnificent.”
She raised her eyebrow. “You’ve seen him?” What were the chances? She wasn’t born yesterday. Koishi could spin whatever tales he wanted, but she wasn’t buying. Even if she wanted to, she didn’t own any more jewelry to spend. She set her hand over the locket hanging from her neck. And he was never going to get her necklace.
“Sure I have. You can see him flying over the island sometimes when he feeds.”
“And he lives in the volcano?”
“Of course, he’s a stone dragon.”
She scratched her chin, not seeing the connection. “Wouldn’t a fire dragon be better suited for a volcano?”
He shrugged. “They’d like the heat, but stone dragons are drawn to lava.” His voice took on a tone of awe. “The birth of all land comes from magma. It holds quite a bit of magic.”
“Not on Earth. This plane contains no magic. It’s all in Outremer.”
“You know something about the other realm?”
“A little. I was wondering if you knew about it as well. Does everyone who lives here know?” She watched the locals hurrying along the street. One man was nailing shutters over the windows of his home. It would be a bad storm.
“You’re smarter than you look.”
“What?” She snapped her head around in his direction.
“Most know about the dragon, but very few know of the gate or Outremer.”
“Why do they think he stays here?” She couldn’t decide if she’d been complimented or insulted.
“There’s still magic here. It’s deep in the ground where humans can’t reach it, and useless to most.”
“Except to a stone dragon.”
“Master Ishi can use it to replenish his own magic.”
“Why doesn’t he return home? What’s he afraid of?”
The truck jerked suddenly and she shot forward. Luckily the dash softened her impact.
“What the fuck?” She rubbed her head.
He’d slammed on the brakes.
She gazed out the window expecting to see a body on the road or, at least, a flock of chicks crossing, but she saw nothing.
“Ishi isn’t afraid of anything.”
She faced Koishi. The storm clouds reflected in his eyes and she could almost taste the lightning in the air around them. She swallowed with a throat gone dry. “My mistake.”
“That’s the hotel.” He pointed to a building across the street. The humor that had been in his face had vanished.
She gathered her backpack and clambered out. “Thanks for the lift.” She’d paid for it, however. Halfway across the street, she heard him call her name. She turned.
“Watch the skies tonight. He’ll be out flying.” Then Koishi geared his truck into drive and pulled away.
Koishi drove his truck toward the beach and parked. The clouds loomed so close he could taste the electricity in the air.
Sandra. It was a very American name. He had enjoyed watching the play of emotions on her lovely face. She was easy to provoke.
Reaching inside his breast pocket, he removed the worthless earrings. Why had he bothered with a trade? The hint of silver in the jewelry wasn’t worth his time. Well…her laugh had been. It had been awhile since he’d found someone amusing.