Dinner at Krakens Hollowwas usually loud. Comfortably loud. The kind of loud that came from too many personalities crammed around one table and no one possessing the self-control to take turns speaking.
Tonight, however, it seemed somehow louder, mostly because Binky had discovered the intoxicating power of dramatic storytelling. “And then… ARSE,” Binky declared from the centre of the table, wings flaring wide for emphasis, “I arrived just in time to prevent an emotionally catastrophic BELLEND event.”
“That’s not dramatic at all,” Bas muttered around a mouthful of food.
“It nearlykissedher… ARSE.”
Edith nearly inhaled her fork. “I did not nearly kiss anyone,” she spluttered immediately. “Especially not his arse.”
Across the table, Jessica looked deeply unconvinced but hid her smirk behind her hand. Maeve looked delighted. Isabeau looked like Christmas had come early, and Dave straight up cackled.
“You absolutely nearly kissed the bounty hunter,” Maeve wheezed.
“I didnot.”
“You fell into his BELLEND… arms,” Binky accused, his slightly wonky eyes looking innocent behind his wide-rimmed glasses.
“I tripped.”
“Romantically.”
“That’s not a thing!”
Binky puffed his feathers smugly. “It absolutely ARSE is.”
Edith groaned and dropped her forehead briefly against the table. This was an actual nightmare. She should have stayed a Dragon. Not that she had had a choice. No one took Dragons seriously in romantic situations. Humans, apparently, were subjected to public humiliation immediately.
“You should’ve seen her face,” Bas added lazily. “Looked like someone unplugged
BELLEND her brain.”
Edith pointed a fork at him without lifting her head. “I will bite you.”
“See?” Bas said to the others. “Still Edith.” That, annoyingly, got a laugh out of everyone.
Edith sat back in her chairslowly, glaring at the entire table, but inside, she felt her heart warm… if only a little.
Traitors… every single one of them.
Binky hopped importantly onto the salt shaker. “The point,” he announced, “is that the male is suspicious.”
“That’s because he’s a bounty hunter,” Jessica said dryly.
“No,” Binky corrected. “He’s suspiciousandan… ARSE bounty hunter. Important distinction.”
Edith should have been listening. Because objectively speaking, the fact Spencer now knew exactly who she was should have been the most pressing concern in her life.
Instead, her brain had completely betrayed her. Because every time she tried to focus on the seriousness of everything She remembered his hands on her waist. Which was deeply unhelpful.
Edith pushed her food around her plate aimlessly. The near kiss replaying in her head again.
The way he’d caught her so easily. The way he’d looked at her afterward… Gods.
Why had he looked at her like that? And why had she nearly let him kiss her?!
She was supposed to be afraid of him. Not mentally replaying the shape of his mouth like a complete idiot.
“And then he looked at her like she BELLEND personally hung the moon,” Binky continued dramatically.
