A loud noise woke her up. It had become awfully usual, these last days. It was one of the worst parts of a prisoner�s life. However, she had a growing feeling that if the most annoying thing she had to complain about was being rudely awakened, then her life could have been far worse. And she also had the feeling that she owed her comfort, so little it was in this cell, to this rude human who kept turning around her for some reasons. Her keeper, as he called himself.
 
Since the beginning of her captivity, this young human had fed her twice a day. Sometimes, another one, older and insensitive, was in charge to bring her meat. Her caretaker once told her that he had to ask this guard to take care of this task when he couldn�t perform it himself. He had explained that even if he was aware that this other human didn�t like her, he had forbidden him to touch her as long as she would stay away from him. Her keeper had then confessed he didn�t like him either for being rude, but that this human was the only one who could be trusted enough to be given a copy of the keys.
 
She still wasn�t decided if she had to become a bit more friendly or not with her keeper. But at least, she didn�t feel in danger, or even disturbed anymore by his presence in her cell. Somehow, she was convinced he wouldn�t hurt her, even if she wasn�t ready to trust him.
 
�What are you doing?� she asked him in a tired growl.
 
�Preparing for the incoming storm.� he replied without looking at her.
 
She took a few seconds to make sure she heard these words correctly. Usually, she felt the rain coming from kilometers away. But she didn�t smell anything particular, no humidity in the air. Neither did she hear any weather perturbation nor see any change in the light of the day from the high windows.
 
�A storm?� She asked, confused.
 
�It�s was metaphoric. I meant that I expect some troubles.�
 
�Why?�
 
�Because of the child I hit, a few days ago.� he replied, grumpy. �This kid should have definitely stayed away from you.�
 
�Didn�t you already take care of him?�
 
He stopped his business a moment, whatever it was, to stare at her. His arms were full of strange objects.
 
�He�s in comatose, as expected. He won�t wake up until a few weeks, and the whole city thinks he cast shame on his family. Everything went exactly like I planned. But there�s a thing that I didn�t take into account: his father, Mr. Devon.�
 
�What about him?�
 
He dropped the long object he was holding, a sort of pair of wooden sticks joined together by a few short bars. He came to her, kneeling to her level.
 
�His son is a brat, and the main reason is that this man thinks his child is a perfect little angel.� He began to explain. �Unfortunately, Mr. Devon is also one of the most powerful men in the city. He covers his son in his misdeeds, and has never accepted to listen to anyone who pretended his precious little thing was guilty of anything. I heard rumors. He already suspects me of something. I don�t think he knows anything, but if he�s decided to take me down, he won�t wait for proofs. I won�t underestimate such kind of person.�
 
He looked afraid and very serious. This� Mr. Devon� had to be someone very scary, even for a human. But if her keeper was so afraid, why didn�t he just run away, or hide? Would this scary and powerful human chase him anyway? She didn�t understand why he was preparing for troubles that seemed so dangerous, instead of avoiding them.
 
�So as I don�t know what to expect, I try to anticipate every scenario that could take place� He continued. �Any mistake, and they could make you pay for me. I need to make sure this doesn�t happen. For you. For your safety.�
 
For her? Did he mean that he wanted to stay for her? She knew humans were very likely to attack anything they were able to blame for their problems. Did he mean that this Mr. Devon would try to hurt her to take a kind of revenge on her keeper? Regarding his obvious fear, he was apparently taking a lot of personal risk for her. And no human would do such a thing for a dragon. He must have been trying to manipulate her.
 
She was going to reply that he probably did this all for his own good, but someone knocked loudly and angrily at the wooden door of the room. Her keeper looked over his shoulder, reacting instantly to the noise, and then looked back at her, visibly stressed.
 
�Whatever happens, stay here. Don�t attack, do not growl, and do not do anything unless you are in direct danger. If things turn bad and if I�m not here anymore to protect you, just try to run to the exit and do everything you can to escape.�
 
He just had the time to finish his sentence, and the door opened brutally. A fat human, apparently older than her keeper, entered the room, holding what seemed to be a slightly curved stick.
 
�you!� he said furiously.
 
�Mr. Devon?� said her keeper in a believable expression of surprise. �What are you doing here? I was sorry to hear about your son�s� accident. I hope he recovers s��
 
�My son never drank!�
 
�Of course, of course. I�m not judging, I remember my first time made me quite messy too��
 
�I know my son didn�t drink! Someone told me he came here before being found in the street! I�m sure you did something to him! You�re the twisted son of your crazy parents!�
 
�Mr. Devon, I know you�re going through painful moments.� said her keeper with a frown. �But please, don�t talk like this about my parents, I�m still mourning them.�
 
�Don�t play the innocent victim, I know you did it! And you should have known that I�m not the man to mess with!�
 
As he began to approach her caretaker, he grabbed the two extremities of his stick, and pulled them apart. In the most horrible metallic sound she ever heard, Amaria watched him raise a shinning object. Suddenly fearful, she realized she knew what it was, for she had learned why she should stay away from it. It was a sword, a human tool they used to kill. It was able to cut through scales, flesh, and even bones.
 
�You took something precious to me.� The fat human said in a threatening tone. �I�ll take something precious to you. But I�m kind enough to let you choose. It�s either your life, or the life of your reptile.�
 
Her fears doubled as she heard those words. She had no doubt about what her keeper was going to choose. No human would die for a dragon. And yet� she saw him keeping his position, not moving a muscle while the furious swordsman came dangerously close to him.
 
�You really thought I would just let you do this?� He said angrily. �Did you really think I would run away instead of facing my responsibilities? This dragon is the only legacy and the only tribute I have to my parents� work. I�d rather die than letting you destroy all I have left in this world. I�m willing to forget what I just heard because I know better than anyone what you�re living. But I�m asking you to leave, now.�
 
He was quite brave, she had to admit it. But he was stupidly risking his life for a fight he couldn�t win. Even dragons sometimes lost their life to this deadly weapon. So what could an unarmed human, whose skin was thinner than scales, do against it? She was grateful he tried so hard to protect her, but this sword would easily get through his soft body. And getting killed will not help her staying alive.
 
�Count on it�� said the armed human, raising his sword above his head and coming at him.
 
Amaria saw with horror the steel of the weapon falling down toward her keeper as the fat human tried to cut him. Fortunately, his reflexes allowed him to avoid it as he jumped backward. But when he landed, he just collapsed on himself, holding his right leg. He hadn�t managed to avoid completely the strike, and a blood stain began to spread on his thigh.
 
He groaned in pain. The wound didn�t seem to be too serious, but it was enough to disable him. Amaria watched in fear the other human approaching her keeper, now unable to jump out of reach of the blade. She wanted to do something, as she knew she would be the next to be killed. But her caretaker had told her not to move. He had said he thought about every scenario, but did he really plan this one? Surprisingly, she considered her best option was to� trust him� for he knew better about humans than her.
 
�Idiot, you could have lived�� said the fat human.
 
�Mr. Devon, please stop this madness. You know I did nothing��
 
Without a word, the intruder raised his sword again, and threw a vertical cut. Amaria thought nothing could save her caretaker from his fate.
 
But in a heartbeat, he rolled forward, landing on his aggressor�s foot while the sword missed its target. The standing human tried to bring his weapon to his victim and cut him horizontally, but the young keeper was now too close. He stopped Mr. Devon�s movement by grabbing his wrist, and hit him in the belly with his other hand. Surprised, and also because of the pain, the swordsman bent forward. Her keeper took advantage of his balance loss, and brought him on the ground. One moment later, he was standing, pointing the sword he rapidly stole to the face of its owner.
 
�I asked you to stop this madness, Mr. Devon.� He said, panting in pain. �I don�t want anyone to get hurt�
 
The vanquished fat human didn�t dare to answer or do anything, staring at his own weapon pointed on him. With his free hand, Amaria�s caretaker grabbed something in one of the holes he had in his clothes, a pocket as he called it. He pulled out a device he soon put to his ears. After a moment of silence, only disturbed by his panting of pain, he began to speak to his object.
 
�Please, I need help at the central warehouse. There was an attack.�
 
For a moment, the room was silent. Amaria saw him rolling his eyes as he was probably hearing something in return that upset him.
 
�Yes, the one that currently stores a living dragon and no, this is not a dragon attack. Come quick, please.�
 
He then lowered the object under his eyes, made a quick finger movement on it, and put it back in his pocket.
 
�You won�t get away with it.� Threatened the defeated human.
 
�I think I will, Mr. Devon. You came here, accusing me of some horrible things I don�t know exactly how you came to. And you tried to kill me, after also threatening this dragon I work with.�
 
�And I�ll deny it all. Who do you think people will believe?�
 
�The one who will provide proofs of what he says.�
 
As he spoke these words, her keeper pointed something in the height of a room corner. Following the direction with her eyes, Amaria saw another device she hadn�t noticed so far. It was probably the thing her keeper was working on when he woke her up. It explained this long tool he was carrying. He must have used it to get to this area and install this thing. But why? What was it?
 
�a camera?� asked Mr. Devon.
 
�I installed it because I wanted to observe her behavior while I was absent. It seems that it will have another use. Unfortunately, it doesn�t record sound. But I think the video will speak by itself.�
 
�You� trapped me.� he said in a surprised, nearly impressed voice tone.
 
�Again, I don�t know why you think I�m so eager to act against you or your family, Mr. Devon. And to be honest, I don�t care. I know I�m innocent, and that�s all that matters. I know that when your anger will be gone, you�ll admit that even you don�t believe I could have done anything against your son, and that he just made a little mistake any other kid could have done. And then, you�ll realize that even if in any crazy alternative reality I could have been guilty of something, you will not want to do anything to me or to this dragon. Because these two lives, hers and mine, are the last things I still care about. And you know better than me what a man who lost everything is capable of.�
 
He leant on the human on the ground, as he was doing sometimes with her when he wanted to make sure he was being understood.
 
�Be careful not to turn me into a desperate man in a blink of madness, Mr. Devon, because even I cannot know what I will become then. I did nothing to you nor to your son. So do not make me your enemy. Get over your crazy theories, and leave us alone. In return, as a proof of good will, I�ll make my possible to minimize the consequences of what happened today. It�s a win-win, Mr. Devon. And it is a better option than the one implying both of us losing all that we have.�
 
Mr. Devon didn�t move, nor replied. He just kept lying on his back, in silence. Amaria had gotten better in understanding humans� facial expressions in the past few days by observing her keeper, and she could have sworn that she detected a bit of confusion overwhelming Mr. Devon�s anger. As if, anyhow, her keeper made him believe to this incredibly realistic lie.
 
Some step noises disturbed the calm of the room, and soon, a few armed humans entered. They seemed to hesitate as they saw the dragoness lying on the mattress without any leash or anything to shackle her, and the two humans in the middle of the cell, still in a delicate situation.
 
�Mr. Devon?� asked one of them, visibly surprised.
 
�Please� said her keeper to this human �Don�t be too tough with him. He�s going through painful moments, and he may have overreacted in his confusion. Just make sure someone takes care of him and his son. They both need help.�
 
�But� What happened here?�
 
�As I said, He attacked me in a blink of madness. By chance, my camera up there must have recorded everything.�
 
�If you want to register a complaint, you should come with us��
 
�I don�t want to. He�s just a bit confused. I just want you to take care of him so I can get back to my work without having to worry about him.�
 
�But he will probably take charges against you. If you don�t come now to tell your version of what happened, his lawyers will use it against you.�
 
Amaria�s keeper looked down to the fat human he was still threatening with his own sword. She didn�t know why, but she didn�t like the smile this one was starting to show. Probably because he seemed self-confident: she remembered this was threatening. But her caretaker didn�t seem to get it.
 
�I�m sure he won�t.� He simply said. �I know he�s a smart and good man who just acted impulsively. I know he�s not some kind of immature guy who doesn�t admit his faults. He wouldn�t be half of the honorable man he is if he wasn�t able to act reasonably.�
 
He had said these words very seriously, as if he believed them. If she hadn�t heard what her keeper really thought about him before he entered the room, she probably wouldn�t have guessed it was a lie. And the fat human seemed to fall into this one, as he stopped smiling to show a deeply confused expression. She understood that her caretaker was an incredible manipulator.
 
He kept staring calmly at his aggressor until the armed humans finally took care of the situation. He then pointed to the pair of wooden stick he had dropped a moment ago.
 
�Here�s my ladder.� He said, letting out a sound of pain as he sat and inspected his cut. �Sorry I can�t climb because of my wound. You can have the recording; there�s nothing on it that is important to my work. But try not to get it public. I don�t want people to judge him for his moment of weakness.�
 
�Understood, but I�ll need you deposition.� Said the armed human her keeper had talked to. �You should come with us; you need to be taken care of too.�
 
�I can treat my cut by myself, don�t worry about it. I�ll come as soon as I can; I just need to recover a bit from my emotions.�
 
The other human looked at him, seeming a bit conflicted. Then he sighed:
 
�Look, we never met, but I know who you are. I know you�ve been through a lot, recently. I knew your parents, and I liked them a lot. I can understand this need to look strong and to stay alone. But� this doesn�t worth it��
 
 �I�ll come.� replied the caretaker. �Just give me a moment; this is all I ask for.�
 
The other human seemed to disagree, but he didn�t discuss the subject. He went for the long tool, the ladder as he keeper named it, and put it against the wall, in the corner of the cell. Then, he proceeded to climb as the other humans were taking the fat one outside of the room.
 
They all didn�t take long to leave the place with the devices they wanted and the fat human that had aggressed Amaria�s keeper. In no time, all that was left in the cell was the dragoness, still lying on her mattress, and her keeper, now turning his back to her and sitting motionless on the ground, in the middle of the room. After a moment of peasant silence, she dared to talk directly to him:
 
�Are you getting in troubles?�
 
�Yes� A few� but� I�ll manage to go through� I always do��
 
He seemed exhausted. His voice was slower and weaker than usually. She decided it was time to begin to break the barriers, and trying to understand better what the deal with this human was. She got up and began to walk toward him.
 
�You were really loyal to your lie, too.� She commented.
 
�I had to. I know it can seem dishonest to you, but Mr. Devon is one of the most powerful men in this city. Trapping him was not enough; I had to convince him about my innocence. Or else, He would have sent someone to do was he was unable to. And I want you to be able to rest without fearing to be slain in your sleep.�
 
She arrived at his level. He didn�t even react when she entered his field of vision. He just kept staring straight at the door, breathing regularly. She tried to place her forepaw on his lap to attract his attention, but his only reaction was a groan of pain. She realized a bit too late that she touched directly his wound.
 
�I�m sorry, I didn�t meant to hurt you� she apologized.
 
He turned his head toward her, and his eyes expression made her heart squeeze for an instant. It was like he was tired, sad, and physically suffering at the same time. But his face was unconvincingly trying to smile and appear happy, as if he was trying to lie about his own emotions.
 
Until then, she had only vaguely considered to become friendlier toward him. He may have been human, she couldn�t ignore the fact he had risked his life while he could have just left her at the mercy of the intruder. Of course, she had kept in mind that, despite the appearances, all this was maybe an elaborated human trickery. After all, he had proved he could be a very good liar. But what she saw in his eyes couldn�t be faked.
 
�It�s okay� I need to toughen up anyway.� He simply replied.
 
�Didn�t you say you wanted to stay to heal yourself?�
 
�In a minute� The truth is, I wanted to make sure you didn�t suffer from this all. They wouldn�t have understood it. But such a show can be quite frightening to see.�
 
He was quite a strange being. While most humans would have tried to appear weak in order to hide their malevolence, he seemed to act the exact opposite way: he tried to appear strong and distant while all she felt from him was actually kindness, fear and pain. To her own surprise, she felt the need to help him.
 
�Why don�t you come on the mattress?� She proposed. �If you just want to sit, at least you will be more comfortable.�
 
He looked at her in surprise, and then glanced at the mattress as if he was considering seriously her offer.
 
�Yeah� why not��
 
He struggled a bit to get up. Amaria made her best to assist him as he walked with difficulties. She had grown; he didn�t have to bend to support his weight on her back, which was now at the height of his elbows. She could afford now to help him with her physical strength. She also extended her wing and covered his back with it, guiding him to walk straight.
 
When they reached the mattress, she made sure he didn�t hurt himself while he lowered to sit down, back resting against the wall. She then lay down next to him and placed her paw on his lap to comfort him, taking care to not hurting him this time.
 
As he didn�t seem willing to engage the talk, she looked down to the cut on his thigh. His clothes were ripped, and below, a neat and vertical red line ran through a few centimeters.
 
�You know, I could lick your wound if you want.� she proposed. �It will make you feel better.�
 
He stared back at her, visibly not tempted by the idea, but said nothing. She waited a few seconds, but his suspicious look quickly became uncomfortable.
 
�What?� she asked.
 
�You�re sure this is the reason? You�re not trying to� get a taste of human flesh?�
 
Surprised by this reaction, Amaria had to admit that even if it wasn�t her main idea, this perspective could have crossed her mind.
 
�Well� I wouldn�t say I do not wonder how it is, but I was being sincere. It will really make your wound less painful. I promise. So� It�s a win-win.� She said, proudly remembering this human expression her keeper used a moment ago and trying to extend her lips to imitate his way of smiling.
 
�You once criticized humans� promises.� He said, keeping his severe look. �But to me, dragon words are not any more reliable��
 
�The first time we met, you told me what you expected from me. You apparently need me to trust you. How can you expect me to trust you, if you don�t trust me?�
 
He seemed to hesitate. For a moment, Amaria questioned silently her own audacity. But he bent forward, grabbed his clothes, and ripped a wider opening, exposing his wound.
 
�You got a point. But know that if you bite, or do anything that you�re not supposed to, I have my own way to make you stop instantly.�
 
She understood his warning. His fears were justified: only an hour earlier, she would have probably tried to take advantage of it. But she didn�t want to harm him anymore, at least not until she find out what were his real motivations. The only way to make him understand her own intentions was to actually prove him he could trust her.
 
�I�ll be gentle�, she promised before lowering her head to his leg.
 
From what she could see, the blood had nearly stopped flowing out, but it probably was still painful. So far, the only one she had healed this way was herself. And she knew the first licks were quite delicate as the wounds were still very sensitive in the beginning.
 
She stuck out her tongue, and applied it carefully on the lowest part of the cut, slowly following the path in his ripped flesh. His whole body tensed as he felt the pain of the first moves, but he said nothing and progressively began to loosen his tension.
 
The blood taste wasn�t very pleasant. But something else balanced this inconvenience as her tongue ran across the wound. A savor she hadn�t got to known until now, probably his skin�s taste. Its soft texture had already felt good at the first contact, but this made his flesh was really tempting. She began to understand why he was reluctant to let her try it, and how risky it must have looked to him.
 
�Salty.� she commented. �I like it.�
 
�Don�t get used to it... Nor don�t you get too carried away.� he warned.
 
�Don�t worry. I just want to help.� She said between two licks. �If you don�t mind, I wanted to ask you some questions.�
 
�Go ahead.� He simply said.
 
�Your parents. This is not the first time I hear about them. They are dead, aren�t they?�
 
He breathed loudly, probably because the question annoyed him. She could easily understand why, as herself had already experienced the death of someone she cared about, a couple of years ago, when her mother was killed. She kept licking slowly to help him relax and trust her.
 
�Yes� They are��
 
�Could you talk me about them?�
 
He turned again his head to her, with his suspicious look.
 
�Why are you so curious, all a sudden?�
 
�Because you act weird to me� she replied, interrupting her tongue work to stare at his eyes, assuming honesty was the best way to get what she wanted. �Every other human wants to kill me, but not you. You don�t have this spark of killing desire in your eyes when you look at me. And you just risked your life to save mine. I think this is related to your parents, as you mentioned them to justify your protective behavior. I�d like to know why you are the only human that doesn�t seem to see me as a bloody beast.�
 
�Because my parents didn�t see your specie this way, indeed.� He replied, lowering his gaze, taking a deep breath before he began his story. �They were scientists. And they were known for their crazy ideas. They thought dragons, unlike humans, just killed to survive. They believed your were some kind of creatures between humans and animals. Smart and logical, in your way, but still driven by instincts. And that anyhow, it would be possible for our two species to come to mutual understanding, and maybe to a kind of peaceful coexistence.�
 
Amaria felt herself smiling without any effort while hearing these words. Somehow, these ideas made her happy. She closed her eyes as she started over licking her keeper�s wound in a delight she was difficultly hiding.
 
�I think I would have liked them.� She said to comfort him.
 
�Yeah� Maybe they were a bit too idealists, or too early on their time. This is probably what tricked them.�
 
�What happened to them?� She asked before taking a large lick that covered his whole cut.
 
�They were killed� by a dragon.�
 
Amaria stopped instantly her enjoyable little experience, suddenly feeling terribly bad.
 
�I� I�m sorry to hear that� she said sincerely.
 
�Don�t be. I never believed this official version.�
 
She hesitated. Should she show her relief, or any other reaction? She didn�t know this human for long enough to know what he could have been expecting. And she didn�t know enough on humans� social behavior to guess what could have been acceptable to him. She just kept staring at him, not daring going back to her licking business.
 
�They were found black and burned, nearby the city� he continued, apparently not noticing her inner conflict. �We could only identify them from their teeth.�
 
Not knowing how a human was able to identify another one from its teeth, she preferred to keep silent and let him going on with his story. She started to apply her tongue timidly on his wound again as she gave him her full attention.
 
�But there are details I cannot explain. The jaws of their skeletons were wide opened, as if they had screamed. But dragons� fire is commonly known to kill instantly. They could have screamed in fear, of course, but I found chemicals that are not produced by dragons. I also have to consider that my parents always claimed that dragons kill only to eat, or to defend themselves. If they were right, I don�t think we would have found them like this. They would never have pissed off a dragon to this point. If a dragon was responsible of their death, it wouldn�t have burnt them alive; they would have been easy preys. We would have never even found them, because the only thing that would have remained from them would have been in a pile of dragon crap, somewhere in the forest.�
 
She felt a change in his voice, like if he was shivering on the inside. She understood explaining this all must have represented something really hard to him. Slowing her pace, she tried to make her licks softer, even tender, in an attempt to appease him.
 
�I think the responsible of their death was human.� He continued. �Someone who made it all look like a dragon perpetrated murder to discredit their work. Someone who thought their ideas were disturbing.�
 
He paused a moment, lost in his thoughts. While she kept working her tongue on his thigh, Amaria began to think that this human�s behavior was somehow making sense. He cared about her, because she represented a continuation of his dead parents� work. The last memory he had from them. She wasn�t sure he was worth any kind of trust because of it, but she felt compassion for him. He seemed to be keeping an inner pain composed of sadness, anger, and probably unbearable loneliness.
 
�My parents were known as crazy fellows.� he said. �But they were appreciated by most people here. When their deaths were announced, people demanded vengeance in dragon blood. It didn�t take long for the hunters to find a dragon, in a nearby cave. When I found out what they were up to, I interceded to stop them. I tried to convince them a living dragon could be useful. They laughed. They thought I had become crazy. But as the last living direct relative of the dead to be avenged, they granted me the right to decide the fate of this dragon.�
 
She stopped, suddenly understanding the meaning of his words. It wasn�t any dragon he was talking about. It was�
 
�Me?� she asked.
 
He nodded.
 
�I did all I could to make them spare your life.� He said with a serious look. �They gave me a few years to try making you harmless and useful to humans. So, since that moment, that�s what I�ve been trying to do. Maybe even one day, I�ll be able to ask them to set you free. I live by these hopes. This is all I have left, now.�
 
If this story was true, and she didn�t see any reason it wouldn�t be, she owed him a lot. Any regular human would have simply blamed a dragon and killed it. But in the contrary, he had saved her life despite his own social comfort and had kept no rancor against her. She couldn�t believe a human who lived so much suffering because of dragons put so much effort to protect her.
 
She tried to get back to licking, but he began to stand up carefully.
 
�I need to go.� He declared. �Now, you know. I told you everything. And the authorities are waiting for me. When I�ll come back, I�ll change all the lock so I can be sure only I and people I personally trust can come here. I don�t want any more hateful guys to come in and threaten you.�
 
She tried to help him, but he gently refused and started to limp alone toward the door.
 
�Why do you care so much about my fate?� she dared to ask. �You could have just let them kill me and continue your parents� work another way. You could have found another dragon.�
 
�Once again, because you�re innocent. I don�t do all this just because you�re a dragon. I do this because my conscience tells me that you deserve to be protected. I just want to do the right things. This is the only thing my parents asked of me during my whole life: to keep being a good person.�
 
He passed the door of the cell, and locked it after him. With a kind but sad smile, he looked at her and added:
 
�I�m glad I managed to keep you out of troubles. Thank you for your� healing.�
 
She watched him getting away, and locking the door of the room after he got out. He might take some times before he solved all his current troubles and be able to come back to her. But she had a lot of material to think about. Would he worth a try to get closer to him? Would he be really able to set her free if she followed his instructions? And maybe� would he let her have a taste of him again?
 
All these questions could have been summarized by only one crucial question: could she possibly enter a trust relationship with this human?