“Amy and Conlan are getting married in a few months. I’d like you to be my plus-one for the wedding.”
Jayce squawked. Kristine couldn’t understand bird talk, but she imagined he was probably saying something like “Tell them congratulations for me” or “Sure, I’d love to go.” She wondered if Ryan would be able to translate.
Ryan rounded the corner with a plate of cookies. He also had some napkins and spoons in his hand and placed four of those around the table. For a brief moment, Kristine wondered whom the fourth set was for. Did they feed Jayce birdseed at the table?
She heard Mrs. Fierro call out, “Antonio! Come and meet Jayce’s young lady.”
Ryan smiled. “My dad is probably in the man cave watching ESPN.”
A couple of minutes later, a large, olive-skinned, older man entered the dining room. Kristine stood and extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Kristine Scott. The FDNY guys call me Scotty.”
The balding gentleman grasped her hand, pumped it twice in a hearty handshake, and introduced himself as Antonio Fierro. Then he strode to his son and gave him a man hug with lots of backslapping.
Mrs. Fierro rounded the corner with a tray holding a large coffeepot and four mugs and plates.
“I should have introduced myself before. I’m Gabriella.” She poured a cup of coffee for everyone and then put the sugar and cream on the table between them.
When they were seated and settled, Antonio said, “Jayce just showed up here a few minutes ago. Maybe you can tell us what happened, Ryan.”
“I have no idea. I was hoping Kristine would explain.”
“Of course, although it’s a long story, and I’m not sure where to begin.”
“Well, Jayce told us a little bit about you. But we’d like to know more,” Gabriella said.
“Let’s find out what happened to Jayce first,” Antonio interjected.
Everyone focused on Kristine intently, waiting for the story.
Maybe she could just hit the highlights. “As you can probably guess, the old Jayce died in a fire.” She realized that wasn’t enough to satisfy them, but she had her own questions too. “I’m not exactly familiar with what will happen from here on out. I hope you can tell me more. I know he’s a phoenix and needs a couple of months to reach maturity before he can shift back into his human form.”
Mrs. Fierro nodded. “That’s correct, dear. You seem to know more about him than we do about you.”
“I’m a dragon.”
It seemed bizarre to say that out loud. She had never told anyone before—well, no one but Jayce. His brothers had witnessed her other form, but she doubted they’d talked about it. Still, Jayce’s parents just sipped their coffee as if this were a normal conversation. Perhaps it was for them.
Ryan smiled. “Just like my wife. And you’re a firefighter too. I don’t suppose you’re a queen also?”
Kristine chuckled. “No. As far as I know, my mother and I have no royal bloodlines.”
“Pity,” Antonio said. “Ryan got a castle out of the deal.”
Ryan laughed. “Yeah, and I’ve been rebuilding it ever since.”
“So what happened to Jayce?” Gabriella asked again.
Kristine grimaced. “Like I said, it’s a long story, but here goes…”
She started with Jayce showing up at the fire station and their first date and ended with finding out her mother was missing.
“Kidnapped!” Mrs. Fierro leaned back and clasped her hand over her heart.
“What did the kidnappers want?” Mr. Fierro asked.
“They wanted me to do their dirty work. As a firefighter, I could gain access to some of the buildings in my area. As a dragon, I could set them on fire with my breath and leave no accelerant behind to indicate arson.”
“Oh dear. That must have been awful for you,” Gabriella said sympathetically.
