Read Online The Bone Dragon by Alexia Casale - Free Book Online

and says, ‘Well, in that case, you’re set for life, Evie.’ But instead of grinning and quirking an eyebrow as he says it, he sounds tired. Weary. As if having determination is a heavy sentence and not a compliment. As if there’s something sad about it and he wishes something different for me.
    I frown, turning to look up at Paul. He pulls me closer and presses a kiss to my forehead. ‘You could teach the world about determination, Evie,’ he says. ‘Amazing girl.’
    It makes my throat hurt, so I look down again at the fortune and close my hand about the Dragon. The bone warms in my palm.
    ‘Well, that was a lovely, lovely meal, Ben. Even though you really must stop being so impossible about paying,’ Amy says brightly. ‘But I, for one, need to take my bursting tummy off home to bed.’
    ‘Can’t argue with that,’ Paul agrees, rubbing his belly as he pushes back from the table.
    As Amy and Paul collect our coats from the waiter, I lean against Uncle Ben, yawning. He ruffles my hair, reaching over me to take a mint from what looks like a goldfish bowl on the counter.
    ‘Want one?’ he offers.
    I shake my head, watching as he takes a second, tosses it into the air and catches it in his mouth.
    ‘Ben!’ scolds Amy, rolling her eyes. ‘Could you stop teaching Evie bad habits for just a couple of minutes?’
    Uncle Ben pulls a face. ‘I suppose. Maybe. Actually, I’m not sure. It might be too painful. Perhaps even dangerous . . .’
    Amy throws his coat at him.
    ‘Or I could just get you teaching Evie even worse habits,’ he says cheerfully. ‘Clearly I can do that.’
    ‘Yes, clearly,’ Amy says, but she is smiling, flushed from the wine they had with the meal.
    I yawn again, slumping against the counter. There’s a little tray next to the goldfish bowl filled with business cards and matchbooks. I pick one of the little booklets out, opening the flap and running my finger across the red-tipped matches.
    ‘Evie, darling, do you really want matches?’ Amy asks anxiously.
    ‘Just as a memento,’ I say, closing the little booklet and slipping it into my pocket.
    ‘I don’t think that’s necessarily the best keepsake, darling. And you’ve got your fortune-cookie messages . . .’
    Uncle Ben rolls his eyes at me and moves to put his arm about Amy’s shoulders. ‘Sister dearest, please stop pestering my niece. Those sorts of matches are always useless. They won’t do her any harm.’
    ‘But what if . . .’
    ‘Matches, especially rubbish ones like those, don’t light themselves, Amy.’
    Amy looks to Paul, who grins. ‘Worrywart,’ he says and Amy relaxes, taking my coat from him and helping me into it.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ I say. ‘I promise not to burn our house down.’

     
     
    Uncle Ben’s mobile goes as I turn to follow Amy upstairs. I hear him say, ‘Speaking,’ though I also hear the unspoken ‘Who is this? What’s going on?’ But it’s the ‘What do you mean, “damage”?’ that stops Amy too.
    ‘Is everything OK, Ben?’ she calls, starting back down the stairs.
    He turns at her voice, but I can see the response is automatic: his eyes look past us both and there is a dark scowl on his face. Then he blinks and focuses. ‘Oh,’ he says and blinks some more. ‘Yes. Yes, everything’s fine,’ he tells us. ‘Hang on one moment,’ he says into the phone, then presses it against his chest. ‘No worries,’ he tells Amy, smiling. ‘Off you go to bed.’
    But then he turns away again – ‘Sorry, didn’t catch that. Just talking to my sister’ – and there’s an odd tone in his voice, something wrong about the way he’s standing: big and angry. Looming somehow. Almost intimidating. I shiver and hurry up the rest of the stairs ahead of Amy – ‘Evie, don’t trip, darling. Please go slowly.’ By the time Amy is putting my drink on the bedside table, it’s clear she’s forgotten all about the strange phone call and Uncle Ben’s even stranger reaction