“Your boyfriend isn’t around, is he?”
“What?” Maya blinked, then slapped herself on the forehead. “Corin? Why are you trying to call—”
“Because I’m not having my restaurant be the site of another goddamn dragon fight. Felicity was just in here, saying there’s another party of dragons at the perimeter and this lot are Blackburns. That makes them your boyfriend’s problem. And yours. Congrats.”
“Thank you?” Maya stuttered. “Um—”
It was too late. Caro hung up. Maya blinked at her phone for a moment.
“That sounded interesting,” Igraine said, baldly curious.
“There are other Blackburn dragons coming into Hideaway. Did you know they were coming?”
“I hadn’t a clue.”
And Corin was still gone.
Igraine put a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll go look after them. If they’re here to bother you, I’ll be very clear that I got here first.”
“No.” Maya took a deep breath. “I’ll go.”
Corin needed a queen. She wouldn’t be any good to him if she couldn’t even say boo to whatever random relatives turned up.
A few minutes later, Tomás and his latest treasure on her hip, she pushed through the doors of the Hook and Sinker in search of Felicity. Caro was talking to her team behind the counter, but looked up as Maya entered.
Igraine had looked pleased when she volunteered to take the lead and had told Maya she was just going to touch up her face and would be right with her. Which gave her maybe five, ten minutes to deal with the situation herself.
Everything Igraine had said to her so far felt like a test, and she wasn’t going to fail this one.
“Here she is. Lady of the hour.” Caro nodded. “You just missed her. Felicity’s gone up the hill to see off the dragons. Or see them in.”
Maya hoisted Tomás a bit higher on her hip and stopped him from grabbing an empty glass off the counter. “Who’s up there? Did she say?”
“Dragons.”
“Yeah, but—that doesn’t narrow it down.”
“Blackburn dragons.”
“They’re a big family!”
Caro threw up her hands. “What do you want me to say? Felicity came around to fix the fridge that’s been playing up. Two minutes in, her magic does its glowy thing and she says we’ve got visitors. Corin’s family, the same lot as last time.”
Maya’s blood chilled. “The same lot as last time?”
Last timewas when Corin chased her here. With his retinue of cousins in tow.
Caro’s eyes flicked past her. “Guess that’s them.”
The restaurant door slammed open. “Miss Flo-o-o-res!”
Maya stared. Silhouetted against the bright sunlight was a strange shape, like…
She blinked. Likethreeshapes, all trying to cram themselves through the doorway at once.
“Aedan?” She squinted. “Braedan and Caedan. What are you—”
“She’s here! I told you!” Aedan Blackburn elbowed his brothers firmly backwards, propelling himself into the room. Like all Corin’s cousins, he looked like a badly done photocopy of Corin. Same dark hair and brilliant eyes, but shorter and bulkier.
