Thaniel blinked, but a moment later he started to walk. As they neared the mouth of the narrow alley, the man waited for Thaniel to catch up to him. Again, he hesitated, but finally gathered his courage. “Thank you.”
The giant stared down at him, his bushy brows pulled into a frown. “You’re pretty small to be out here alone.”
Thaniel shrugged but said nothing. What was there to say? He was small and alone, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
The giant sighed. “I’m Real.” It sounded like Ree—el. “Come. No one will bother you if you stay with me.”
Thaniel furtively studied the guy, unsure. The idea sounded great, but everyone always wanted something, and as much as he would like this guy’s protection, there were certain things he wasn’t willing to do for it.
Real nodded. “I give you my word. You won’t come to any harm from me, but it’s up to you.” Then the big guy turned and walked away. While still skeptical, his mind shouted to beware, not to trust. Yet he somehow felt the guy was sincere. He followed Real that day and had been with him ever since.
***
Thaniel knew he wasn’t anything like his big friend, and wishing he was did no good. At twenty years old now, he was still scrawny—skin and bones, due to a lifetime of having to scrounge for every morsel. So, he really didn’t see the appeal for anyone to pay him any mind or stalk him.
He searched for anyone else lurking nearby. Anyone besides his stalker, who might try to grab him. Tonight luck seemed to be with him. The alley in front of him was empty. With caution, he rose to his feet.
Go now … he thought, and slunk close to the walls, ready to run at the slightest noise as he made his way over to the large dumpster. The aroma drifting from inside the restaurant made his stomach growl loudly. He paused and peered around, hoping no one heard.
The only time he’d ever approached the back of the restaurant, two other scavengers had told him in no unnecessary words that this particular dumpster was claimed. He’d never heard of such a thing. Then again, it was one of the most expensive eating places in the city, so anything was possible.
The knowledge that he couldn’t win a fight against the two men that day had him backing off and he never went near the place again. Tonight, the garbage had been thrown out early and the two were nowhere in sight. It was a risk he normally wouldn’t take, but he was too hungry to care.
Once beside the large bin, he peered back over his shoulder. His stalker hadn’t moved any closer. It was weird. The only other person he sensed like this was Real. It was like there was something more to the big guy. Something Thaniel couldn’t quite grasp.
With another wary glance around, he quickly climbed up and cautiously lowered himself inside, steeling himself against the nasty, rotting stench. He needed to search swiftly. There was no telling how soon others would show up.
Careful of where he put his feet, he moved a couple cardboard boxes, one stained with tomato sauce, out of his way. It wouldn’t do to get cut on broken glass or the sharp edge of a can. There were all kinds of trash, as not only the restaurant but also the small apartment next door utilized the dumpster. It was the garbage bags on the top that interested him.
Ripping into the thin plastic, he found useless garbage along with rice scattered throughout. He pulled cans, cartons, and napkins out, finding bits and pieces of veggie here and there. Thaniel grabbed a large can as he popped a piece of broccoli into his mouth. He chewed quickly and picked more veggies out, dropping them into the can. He then found a handful of long white noodles covered in a buttery cream sauce. He shoved them into his mouth while he continued to root through the bag.
Jackpot! He’d just found the ultimate in dumpster food—a large hunk of steak. Saliva filled his mouth at the sight of the delicacy. What’s more, it only had a couple chunks cut out of it. Who would order a steak only to eat a couple tiny bites? He couldn’t imagine.
Next, he found a large half of a chicken thigh with the leg attached, a baked potato, and one … no, three untouched dinner rolls. With his mouth watering, he could no longer resist and raised the steak to his mouth when he heard a lilting, feathery soft voice.
“Hello?”
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. It was her.
Chapter Two
Stalker
THANIEL’S HEART BEGAN TO RACE and fear swamped him. With caution, he peeked through his hair and over the top of the dumpster. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the young woman with bright gold eyes staring back at him. She was exotically pretty in an almost feral way. Huh? She blinked and whatever he’d seen that made him think feral went away. A light touch of musk and jasmine floated faintly around her and Thaniel breathed the scents in, hardly believing what he was seeing.
There was no doubt that this was his stalker, but she looked more like a petite, dark-haired angel—in rags.
So, she decided to finally step out of the shadows and make her presence known? He frowned, wondering why now, and why had she been stalking him? He didn’t understand. He was nothing.
A streak of dirt marred her cheek as a slight frown drew one brow up, and he realized she was staring at the food clutched in his hands. Ah, now he understood. She was hungry.
“Ah … hi,” he said, ignoring the warning bells telling him not to trust her. Just because he’d caught a glimpse of something deep inside of her, who was he to judge? He didn’t know anything about her life or what made her the way she was.
Without taking his eyes off her, he climbed out of the dumpster, and although his heart was still racing, he pushed the fear away. Still, he didn’t get too close even though she really didn’t look scary. In fact, she was shorter than him and he was only five-foot-five. “Ah, are you hungry?” he asked, wincing when his own stomach rumbled loudly.
Surprise flickered in her bright gold eyes as he held the food out. “Here.”
She didn’t move and Thaniel felt uncomfortable as she studied him. He knew she must think him disgusting.
“I’m Elianna,” she finally said with a touch of conceit. Thaniel didn’t think she meant to sound that way, though he couldn’t have said why he thought that. He got the impression it might be a defense mechanism.
“Oh, ah, I-I’m Thaniel,” he said. He took a tentative step forward and offered her a choice of steak or chicken.
Shock momentarily lit her eyes, then she shook her head. Her black, shoulder-length hair gave a slight swish.
Thaniel frowned, noticing her clean shiny hair, unlike his dull and dingy mess.
After a slight hesitation, Elianna reached out and took one of the dinner rolls from him.
“Thank you,” she said, biting into the still warm bread. He watched her, perplexed. Though her jeans were faded, ripped, and torn, and her long-sleeved black t-shirt appeared really worn, he now noted that the sneakers she wore didn’t look very old at all. Maybe she stole them. Something about her didn’t ring true, but then he could just be overthinking things. Maybe she was just new to the streets. He wanted to ask, but didn’t dare. He’d learned long ago to keep his curiosity to himself.
A noise at the mouth of the alley set his heart racing once again but he ignored it. “You’ve been following me. Why?”
Elianna shrugged. “I was curious about you,” she said, but he sensed there was more and frowned. What was there to be curious about? He was a street rat, nothing else. Then another sound snapped him out of his musings.
“We should get away from here.” He scanned around to make sure no one was sneaking up on them.
Elianna glanced behind them, and for a moment Thaniel thought she was going to resist, but she just nodded. “All right.”
She followed really close as he began to head in the same direction the drunk had gone. Uncomfortable, Thaniel put a little distance between them but didn’t stop until they were a few blocks away. When he did stop, he checked to ensure there was no one about and noticed Elianna had finished her dinner roll.
“
More?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, you eat.”
She obviously wasn’t that hungry. Feeling self-conscious and sure that he looked like a savage, Thaniel ripped into the steak. He had to stifle his moan at how good it tasted. Cooked with just a hint of seasoning, it was divine—the tastiest thing he’d eaten in a very long time.
Elianna purposefully stared off down the street.
Though he could have eaten more, he shoved the other dinner roll along with the chicken into the can for Real and felt Elianna’s perplexed gaze land back on him. “What are you doing?” She indicated the food.
Thaniel looked at the can in his hands. “I’m saving this for my friend and—” He stopped speaking. From how long she’d been watching him, he figured she probably knew who he was saving it for. After all, Real was pretty hard to miss.
“Why?” she asked, then frowned.
Thaniel shrugged, uncomfortable once again. “I don’t have to, but my friend, he … looks out for me, and never asks for anything,” he said quietly, with no idea what drove him to explain himself.
“Oh,” she said and looked pleased, though at what, he had no clue.
Suddenly, fatigue lit her eyes. “Well, I gotta go. Bye, Thaniel.” Elianna backed away, then, with a little wave she turned and hurried off.
Thaniel watched until she was out of sight. Well, that was strange. He still didn’t know what she wanted. The idea that she was hungry had been wrong. Even though she ate the dinner roll, he got the impression she didn’t really want to. With an inward shrug, he started to walk. There were shelters and other places to sleep, but Real had quickly learned that with Thaniel staying with him, it was safer to keep a bit of distance from others.
Thaniel contemplated Elianna as he made his way to the tent that doubled as his and Real’s home. As he neared the three trees by the overpass, he proceeded with stealthy caution, keeping his eyes peeled for trouble.
Their meager home was hidden and hardly noticeable unless you were aware it was there. When he didn’t see anyone lurking about, he unzipped the tent and climbed inside, glad it was still summer. He zipped it almost all the way back up, leaving a small opening at the bottom before sitting down on his makeshift pallet.
A moment later, he heard a meow and a furry little head pushed through the bottom of the tent. Then the rest of the black-and-gray tabby’s little body followed.
“Peanut,” Thaniel said with relief as the tiny cat climbed up into his lap and began to purr. Thaniel fished some of the chicken out of the can and fed it to his little friend. “Hey,” he whispered, stroking the cat’s back.
Though now almost a year old, Peanut was still tiny, just like Thaniel. Although, judging by the bones of all the mice Peanut left outside of the tent, Thaniel suspected his little friend ate better than he did. Still, he couldn’t resist bringing his furry friend treats.
When he’d first found the young kitten, a scrawny but scrappy thing, Thaniel thought Real was going to say they couldn’t keep him. His friend had surprised him. “At least he can hunt for his own food,” Real had said indifferently before turning away.
“Where you been?” Thaniel asked Peanut like he always did. This time Peanut had been gone for the last two days and Thaniel had been worried.
Though he couldn’t do anything about it, Thaniel dreaded the day when Peanut might not come back. As his only source of comfort, he’d miss his furry companion.
As he sat on his makeshift pallet, petting Peanut and wondering where Real was, he took the rest of the food in the can, set it on Real’s pallet, and covered it with an old shirt.
Then he pulled Peanut to his chest, lay down and thought about Real. He liked to think Real was his friend, but Real kept to himself and wasn’t very friendly with anyone. Thaniel was often surprised that Real tolerated having him around as much as he did.
Most of Thaniel’s foster homes had been somewhat bearable, until the one he ran away from. He still marveled at how he’d survived that first year on the streets without Real. It had been so hard—scary, and more than a few times he’d almost given up—let whatever was going to happen, happen. He shuddered whenever he thought about Cruel and Crazy. If Real hadn’t stopped them, there was no telling what they’d have done to him.
Ever since Thaniel was four, Real had been the only person who had ever attempted to help him, care for him. The social workers, who claimed to care, never really did. Thaniel had noticed the relief in their eyes whenever they dropped him at the next home. They’d quickly head back to their fancy cars and perfect lives. And why should they care? He was nothing to them but a job—a scrawny, silent child for whom they needed to find another home.
Unable to sleep, Thaniel listened to the sounds of the city at night. Car’s raced by on the interstate, while exhaust fumes lay heavy in the breezeless air.
Finally, the sound of stealthy footsteps growing closer set his pulse racing until the zipper slid up and Real’s giant, scruffy form crawled inside and to his pallet. Thaniel’s relief was immediate. He watched Real devour the food he’d left for him. Then, the big guy lay down and moments later he was snoring. With his protector home, Thaniel relaxed, shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
When he awoke the next morning, Thaniel stretched and sat up, noticing that neither the cat nor Real were inside. That was not unusual. He opened the flap of the tent and saw Real sitting on an upturned milk crate. Crawling out, he re-zipped the tent and stood up. “Breakfast?”
With a grunt, Real stood and Thaniel took that as a yes.
His stomach growled as he walked beside Real, anticipating having breakfast at one of the soup kitchens. Thaniel often wondered where it was Real disappeared to afterward. He had asked once, but Real turned away without responding. The desolation in his friend’s lime-green eyes made Thaniel uncomfortable, so he never asked again.
***
That afternoon, Thaniel had just emerged from the tent when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He hadn’t heard a sound, but somehow he knew Elianna was back. Still not sure about her intentions, he turned to face her, ready for anything. Elianna just stood there, watching him with a strange, puzzled expression on her face.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, then felt rude at the question.
Elianna shrugged. “Just wanted to see you again.”
Although he was still leery, he also found he wasn’t averse to seeing her. In fact, it felt kind of nice. Real had left him to go do whatever it was the big guy did, and Thaniel couldn’t remember when someone wanted to see him, or just be around him for the sake of it.
“Will you walk with me?” she asked, further surprising him.
A warning tingle shot down his spine. Thaniel didn’t understand what that was all about, or why the thought that this girl could be a threat wouldn’t release its hold on him. Could it be he just wasn’t used to hanging around with anyone, never mind a girl? Pushing the warning away, he nodded.
They passed near the tent and a meow let Thaniel know Peanut had returned.
“Is that where you sleep?” Elianna asked, nodding at the tent.
He was sure she knew the answer. She had been following him for months, after all. Still, embarrassment filled him and he lowered his head. “Yeah.”
“And you have a cat?”
Again, Thaniel nodded. “Yeah.”
“What’s his name?”
His? He glanced up at her. How did she know Peanut was a boy? Lucky guess, maybe? Must be. “Ah, Peanut,” he said, grateful when Elianna didn’t say anything else.
In silence, they walked down one street, then another. It wasn’t often that he was bigger than another adult, which should have reassured him, but Thaniel couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a mouse and Elianna the cat—playing with him.
Finally, she stopped at an empty bus stop bench. “Let’s sit here.”
Thaniel looked warily around, expecting to be told to move along, but everyone walking by just ignore
d them, so he sat down, keeping a little bit of space between him and Elianna.
“Do you ever think about leaving the city?” she asked a moment later.
Thaniel shrugged. “I’ve thought about it.” Truth was, he didn’t know how he’d survive anywhere else.
“How long have you been living on the streets?” she asked.
Thaniel hunched his shoulders and thought about not answering, but then he realized it didn’t matter if she knew. “Since I was thirteen. How long have you been on the streets?”
Elianna looked at him then away. “Not long.” She confirmed his suspicions that she must be new to the streets. They sat in silence for a bit before she asked another question. “Where is your mother?”
He thought it was odd that she’d ask about his mother and not both of his parents. Uncomfortable with the question he didn’t want to answer, but he also didn’t want her to leave. Then again, what did it matter if she knew? “She’s dead,” he said, feeling the familiar anger inside of him at the reminder of his mother.
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
He tensed up when she slid a little closer, but held still, not wanting her to know she scared him. “Don’t be. I’m not.” Without meeting her eyes, he changed the subject. “Where do you stay?” he asked, worried about her. He’d noticed that she either didn’t care, or didn’t understand the danger facing her as a pretty, young woman alone on the streets. Or was she alone? She could be with family, friends, a gang.
Elianna shrugged. “Nowhere near here.”
Thaniel would have liked to know more, but he didn’t push.
“You must be about what, twenty?” she asked, surprising him once again. Most people saw him and thought he was younger.
He nodded. “And you?”
“I’m twenty-two,” she said. “Why don’t you work?”
Thaniel thought about how to answer. “I have in the past,” he finally said. “Odd jobs, but they never seemed to work out.”
Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Page 91