Sapphire Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

his own rag to it.
    Then he looked over at her, blue eyes inquisitive. “Do you think I’m really good-looking? Very attractive? Sexy?” He grinned as he repeated her words, and she felt butterflies flutter to life in her stomach.
    She laughed nervously. “What do you think?”
    He cocked his head. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you.”
    “Of course I think you’re attractive,” she said, because she saw no point in lying. It would be like telling the sun it wasn’t shiny.
    “Interesting,” he said. “I had no idea.”
    “You didn’t?” she asked.
    “Of course not. I didn’t read your mind.” He went back to scrubbing.
    But it bothered her, the way he’d said that. Almost as if he were saying he could have read her mind but chose not to.
    A little chill rippled up her arms as she began work on another cage, removing the little bowls and bedding so she could put them back after. “So, um…” She trailed off. How did one even ask a handsome man about whether he could read minds? She decided she was just reading too far into it and decided to drop the subject.
    “So, um, where are you from, then?”
    He looked over at her, his blue eyes so bright near the center and so dark on the outside that they stood out incredibly from his face. “Somewhere else.”
    “Oh,” she said as he stood up and walked over to Bastien’s cage, running his finger over the lock.
    “Do you mind if I get him out?” he asked.
    “Sure.” Normally it wouldn’t be time for a break, but he was a volunteer, and besides, it was interesting to watch this mysterious man interact with animals.
    She sat on a bench, dropping her rag back in a bucket and letting herself rest for a moment as she watched Luc.
    He opened the cage carefully, and once again, Bastien lit up like he never did for anyone other than Hallie. The graceful, exotic-looking cat slinked into Luc’s arms and immediately purred, turning onto his back and rubbing his cheek against Luc’s arm.
    She could swear she saw a slight smile on Luc’s face as he watched the little cat make himself comfortable. Luc raised a hand and stroked over the cat’s cheeks, and Bastien’s eyes closed in relief. Soon, the purring stopped; Bastien was asleep.
    Hallie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. One of the grumpier, most nervous cats in the shelter was behaving like a perfect lap cat. Not to mention acting as if not in any pain at all. They tried to keep Bastien medicated, but it had never given him relief or relaxation like this.
    “There, there,” Luc muttered in a low voice. “Does that feel better?” He stroked over the cat’s head. “I guess I haven’t lost my touch.”
    She walked up behind him quietly, looking over at Bastien. “You’re magical,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this with him.”
    Luc just shrugged, his attention still on the cat as he gave him soothing strokes over his head and face, just where most cats liked to be touched.
    “So what other magical powers do you have?” she asked, watching him in amusement.
    “Magical powers?” he asked, his hand freezing on the cat as he stared at her in confusion.
    “It was a joke.” She walked over to nudge him in the side. “Geez, you need to lighten up.”
    “Lighten up,” he said skeptically. “I keep hearing that. Not sure what there is to lighten up about with the world going to hell.”
    She looked up at him in surprise. What a gloomy thing to hear from someone who seemed like he had it all together. Money, looks, privilege. What did he have to complain about?
    Still, she knew from personal experience that you could have wounds no one saw.
    “So many things to lighten up about,” she said. “Sunny days like today. Cute animals getting adopted.” She reached out to stroke a cat. “Nice people coming in to volunteer.” She peeked at the clock. “Yummy lunch in just a few hours.”
    “It doesn’t take much to please you, does it?” he asked, amused.
    She