“How are you, Jen?” Alexander asked me, walking away from Roan to take my hand in both of his. “I see you found something suitable to put on.”
“How’d you know where we were?” I asked, ignoring the feeling of warmth his fingers spread across my hand. And up my arm… and other places.
He’d changed out of his black on black suit, which was all I’d seen him wear so far. He wore light gray chinos and a black button up shirt. His shoulder length black hair curled over his collar. He looked comfortable and completely delicious.
Dannan men were dangerous to my libido. “I see you found something more casual. I’d begun to wonder if you lived in suits.”
Alexander laughed. “Lately it feels that way. I’m almost constantly on display in my role with the Junta, and rarely get time to relax.”
“How’s Riley?” I asked. “Can I see her yet?”
“She’s well!” He put his arm around my shoulder and turned me toward the door. “Let’s grab a pint, and I’ll tell you what happened.”
On the way out he waved to the shopkeeper, who I hadn’t noticed before. The woman had a slight green tint to her skin and her eyes were a little bit too big to pass for human. “Ms. Heard, bill me for the book, please?”
She nodded and we walked out. Three doors down was the quaintest watering hole I’d ever seen. The interior was made entirely of wood, from the counters to the tables to the planks on the floor. My nose twitched at the scent of cigars and yeast.
We settled at a table and mugs of Irish cider were set in front of the three of us. “Riley?” I asked after we’d all had a drink.
“She captured the insane leader of the Leyak and took her babies home.”
“Since when is she a badass?” She’d always been kinda boring. Not to mention chubby—definitely not in shape enough to capture someone.
“She’s been pretty badass as long as I’ve known her,” Alexander said. “I’ve only met her a few times, and of course I was in my leadership role.”
Roan rolled his eyes.
“What does that mean, your leadership role?” He didn’t seem like much of a president now. He was much more relaxed than the day he visited me in the cell. It was like he’d morphed into a different person.
“He puts on quite a show doesn’t he?” Roan laughed into his cider.
“I have to,” Alexander replied. “People expect me to be formal, intimidating. I can’t be normal.”
“You should bring your own personality to a leadership position,” I said. Not that I had any experience as a leader. I’d been kicked out of the only public position I’d ever had—at the orchestra.
“It’s not that easy. It took a lot of campaigning to convince people to vote for me.”
“How’d you get people to do it?” I asked. “You’re so young.” He couldn’t have been more than thirty, maybe thirty five.
Roan and Alexander exchanged a look. “We’re both over two hundred years old and still considered young bucks to most of the Dannan.”
Holycow.
“I’m sort of getting information overload here.” The idea that they were more than two centuries old was almost more than I could comprehend.
“There’s a lot to take in, and a lot to learn about yourself. One thing you’ll have to come to terms with is your new life expectancy.”
Oh, no. Did dragons live short lives? “What do you mean?”
“You’ll probably live for several hundred years. Possibly more. Riley and her friends have told us a few things, and we know your life will be far longer than a human’s.”
“I need to sit down with someone of my heritage and go over everything. I need to know about myself.”
“I agree. We’ve employed one of the Sárkány refugees as an advisor to the Junta. He’s staying at our headquarters in New Zealand.”
“Can we go there?”
“I’d rather bring him here, but it can be arranged soon. I feel better with you being here where it’s safe while you learn how to keep yourself safe out in the world.”
