Koshi Read Online Free PDF

with a grin. “There!” Twisting, he found her staring at him. “What did you say?”
    “Treasure, does the dragon keep treasure?” She crossed her arms over her chest with a glare.
    Tilting his head, he hesitated before responding. “Why do you want to know about his treasure? He guards it day and night.” She wouldn’t be the first to try robbing him, but it would be such a shame. He didn’t want to destroy her. She gave him pleasure.
    “Shouldn’t he be guarding the gate?”
    “Well…” He blinked. Maybe intelligence wasn’t such a good quality in a toy. Then again, he grinned. “He keeps a goblin as a pet that guards it for him when he’s not around.” Let her think about that. “It’s stupid and dangerous to try stealing from a dragon.”
    “Who says I want to steal anything? I want to make a deal.”
    His eyebrows shot up before he could school his expression. “Like what?” He managed to keep the eagerness out of his voice. Barely. The scent of stale coffee filled the kitchen and he pulled two mugs out of his cupboard. When was the last time anyone had the courage to barter with him? He restrained a grin. How much would she be willing to do for what she wanted?
    “That’s not any of your business. How can I meet the dragon? You know, without him eating me.” She chewed on her bottom lip and her gaze dropped to the floor.
    “Tell me what you want from the dragon and I’ll see what I can do.” He busied his hands by pouring the coffee into mugs. What could she want from his hoardings? Maybe she had something really good to trade, like old gold, the kind that wasn’t processed by modern chemistry and didn’t have the stink of machines. Pirate gold was the best, especially if it had been sitting in the ocean, because it had a nice salty scent to it.
    He turned to offer her the coffee, but stopped mid-twist.
    A tear was sliding down her cheek. “It’s between me and the dragon, Koishi. It’s personal.” She wiped her face and gave him a watery smile. “I’m not an idiot. If I could avoid meeting him, I would. I don’t care to meet something that could swallow me whole.” Her voice shook.
    “Then why do it?” His greed faded, replaced with something he hadn’t experienced in decades. Curiosity. He took a sip of coffee. The putrid flavor coated his tongue and stung his delicate sense of taste. He spat it out in the sink. “Foul.” He wiped his chin. “Maybe we should walk down to the coffee shop.” He poured the poisonous stuff down the sink.
    She gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “I’ll skip the coffee for now. I need to find someone who’ll help me.” She stepped toward the door as he gripped her elbow gently.
    The touch sent an electric pulse through him. “I’ll help.” He didn’t often act without thinking, but knew he didn’t want her to leave. He scratched his chin. How would a mortal expect to meet a dragon? There was only one path leading to his lair, and he didn’t want others to know about it. He couldn’t stroll down to the city in his dragon form without causing riots.
    In Outremer, when a human wanted to speak with a dragon, they made a sacrifice. He gazed out the window. “Uh, you’ll have to hike up halfway to the top of the volcano.” What next? Make her chant some silly spell or–or bring a present?
    “I have to go on foot?”
    He shook his head. “There’s a road you can drive part way.” He flipped the picture of the dragon she had drawn, and he sketched a map. “At the end, there is a trail. Follow it until you reach a large, flat stone. Sit there and–and sing until he finds you.”
    “Sing?”
    “Well, how else will he know you’re there? Doesn’t have to be a fancy song.”
    “I’m a terrible singer. Couldn’t I just ring a bell or something?”
    “You’re summoning a dragon, not a bellhop.” He shoved the paper into her hand and guided her from the house. Maybe a gong, but never a bell. “Wear something pretty.” He