“That’s Jael.” Rían gripped my forearm. “She’s nocturnal. That’s why she dresses like that. Her eyes are very sensitive to light, so she always wears dark sunglasses and a hoodie or hat to shield her face if she has to go out during the day. It’s rare to see her before dusk. That’s probably why you haven’t noticed her until now.”
“Oh.” I backed down, even though instinct continued nudging at me. “I guess I’m on edge.”
“You have every reason to be.” He released me. “Things won’t always be like this.”
“I know.” I breathed easier when we reached the diner and the warm scents of fresh bread and sugar hit my nose as I let us in. “Are we on for tonight?”
“Yes.” He cut his gaze left to right. “I need to discuss a few things with key people, then I’ll update you.”
Message received, loud and clear. We might be in clan territory, but it wasn’t safe to have those kinds of conversations where anyone could overhear. I hated how the reminder dragged down Rían’s good mood.
“Fayne is terrified that Liam and Sloane will become an item.” As we took our seats, I blurted out the one thing I felt certain would snare his attention.
“She’s a wise woman.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “The two of them cause enough trouble individually. As a couple, they would rain down chaos and catastrophe.”
“I really don’t see a difference between that and what they’re already doing, honestly.”
“Fair point.”
“Those invisible-fence things are meant to keep dogsinyour yard, right?” I attempted to picture a life where Sloane and Liam were our neighbors. “Do you think they would work to keep relativesout?”
“As long as there are windows in our house, they’ll find a way.”
The menu I had been perusing slipped from my fingers to slide across the floor.
“I mean…” His ears burned red. “It will be our house. One day.” He reached for the glass of water before him. “After we’re officially mated. Or married.” He chugged it all in one go. “Whatever you want or don’t want is fine with me.”
“No.” I hid my face behind my hands. “I hadn’t considered it. The logistics. Of homeownership. Not mating.” Now it was my turn to ramble. “I already live there, and it feels homey, so…” I lowered my forehead to the table. “I’m an idiot.”
“You’ve got so many more important things on your mind.” He pushed my hair behind my ear. “This is a problem that can wait. I don’t want to pressure you, so I haven’t mentioned it.” He ducked low, trying to catch my eye. “I’m just happy having you at home with me. Even if a spare room is all you ever want, or you pull a Burdock and decide to only visit me on weekends, I’ll be happy.”
“You would be okay with me crashing at your place on weekends?” A snort escaped me, and I leaned in close to whisper in his ear. That failed spectacularly, until I gripped his shoulder and yanked him down to my level. “A guy who ran off to seal a pact with a black witch thinks I willeverleave him unsupervised again?” I bit his lobe. Hard. “Are you trying to land yourself in aLittle Mermaidsituation where you barter your voice next?”
Pink rushed into his cheeks, his breath hitching, and I don’t think he could blame embarrassment. Notjustembarrassment anyway. I got the sense he enjoyed my teeth piercing his skin.
All of a sudden, I was reminded of the first time we met, and the fangs that had been on display.
“I would say I’ve learned my lesson, but if it keeps you near me, then I’m willing to wear a seashell bra.”
Any dirty thoughts Imighthave been entertaining about his mouth evaporated as a new mental picture flashed in my mind’s eye.
On his gigantic dragon, seashells would be little more than nipple pasties.
Oh, yeah. No doubt about it. That was going to stick with me for days.
And bydays, I meantforever.
As loathe as I was to sacrifice our rare private time on clan duty, I used our mini date to learn as much as I could about dragonsbane, its origin, and its effects on dragons and non-dragons. He gave me an update on Becca, and we delved into other possible scenarios to flesh out my understanding until I was satisfied I grasped the risk to our scaled clanmates, as well as to myself.
Our stolen moment stretched into an hour as we savored our meals and then beyond as we bounced from topic to topic, catching up as if it had been weeks instead of hours since we last saw each other.
No sooner than we polished off our coffees did Liam walk in with a laptop stuck under his arm. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, which were bloodshot, and he slid onto a stool at the counter without so much as looking our way.
An older woman carried a pot of coffee to him, sat it on a coaster at his elbow, then poured him a mug from another one. She set a pitcher of creamer and a tray of sweetener next to the rest. He grunted out a thank you, I think, and she pinched his cheek with fondness.
Meanwhile, Rían and I had gone stiff, shocked he hadn’t invited himself to join us. Except Liam appeared to be too sleep-deprived to notice we sat a few booths away from his perch. It was odd for Liam to be so unplugged from reality. Especially in dangerous times like these.
Our waitress placed our bill on the table and began gathering our dishes, but I barely noticed for staring at Liam, who hadn’t twitched after opening a browser tab on his laptop.
