“Oh, then you must have a photo of the three of you together.” She’s faster than she looks, and she snags the phone from Kieren’s fingers. “Go stand with your friends.”
Kieren, who never does as he’s told, follows the woman’s command and stands next to me.
“No, no. That is not good. It’s not balanced.” Sheswitches to English. “You must stand in the middle.” She points at Raine.
“Oh, okay.” Raine moves around me. She’s careful to not touch Kieren.
“Closer,” the woman commands. Raine inches closer to me. “Closer,” the woman demands. She stomps on the gravel and pushes Kieren. He doesn’t move, of course. It’s hard to move a dragon when they don’t want to be moved. She scowls at Kieren.
But then Raine steps forward, puts a hand on her hip and turns her shoulder sideways. It makes her appear to be touching us even though she isn’t. “How about this?”
“Ah, yes.” The woman takes the photo and hands the phone back to Raine, who smiles and places it in her pocket.
Kieren leans his head toward mine. “I’m not going to make it.”
“So head back to Crest Wing. Untangling the strands your parents have woven could take a year, never mind a week.”
“You think I haven’t thought of that already?”
“Then do it,” I say. I won’t mind having some alone time with Raine.
“My fucking dragon doesn’t want to go.”
“Well, last I checked, my dragon and me are one.”
“Yes, well, I’m not as in tune with my dragon as you are,” Kieren says.
Raine is chatting with the village woman, their heads close. The village woman’s staring at Kieren and me. Raine seems oblivious to the disdain in the woman’s voice.
The village woman pushes a business card into Raine’s hand. “Use it if you need to. Anytime.” She frowns at Kieren and me and pivots away.
The years of Kieren’s ancestors terrorizing the land haven’t been forgotten by many here.
“She was nice,” Raine says, coming to stand by my side. “I’ve gotten lots of good tips for when Wren comes this weekend. We’re going to have a great time seeing the village.”
My dragon pushes against my skin, thinking of her walking around here without any of us with her.
Kieren laughs. “So glad you joined the club.” He pushes his elbow into my stomach.
38
RAINE
I’m buzzing. This town is amazing. If being surrounded by all the art in the castle didn’t make me want to try to paint again, this place does. Not that I’ve painted much since high school. It wasn’t a real subject, according to my parents. But wow, this place... it’s so clean. Not that New York isn’t clean; it’s normal for a city to be a little dirty. At least, I think it is. I haven’t been to many places other than Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
“What would you like to see? I’m afraid there isn’t much. It certainly isn’t London, Zurich, or Rome,” Evander says.
“Oh, it’s so charming. It’s hard to appreciate something you see all the time. At least, that’s how I feel about my hometown. Though it’s not old. It’s interesting to see the flood marker plaques on the sides of the buildings.” I stare off into the distance and try not to revisit my old childhood fear of being in a house swept away by floodwater. Which, as an adult, I know was almost impossible since my parents’ house was on top of a large—uh—hill. Until I saw the Alps,I thought of it as a mountain. But it’s a baby mountain, comparatively.
“Raine?” Evander takes my hand again.
I’m not sure if he wants to or if he’s just trying to ensure that I don’t accidentally touch Kieren. I snap out of it. “I’m ready. Where to first?” I take a few steps, and we end up next to the cheese shop. “There’s nothing but cheese!”
“Good afternoon,” the shopkeeper says with a smile in his voice. “Sirs.” He inclines his head to Evander and Kieren, and they return the gesture.
There are rows and rows of cheese. And I don’t mean like at the grocery store back home. “This is amazing. I might have to just see if I can get a sublet here.”
“In the cheese shop?” Kieren asks.
