Page 4 of Ale Storm

Sylin stopped on the sidewalk and held up the horn, but she arched an eyebrow and didn’t give it to Rylana immediately.

“You’re not having an urge to keep it, too, are you?” Rylana asked.

“I am not. I will give it to you promptly if you cancel my obligation to consume coffee with Zilek.”

“I already tried. I told you. And why does everyone in this town resort to blackmail and bribery?”

“Because violence is forbidden by law, loudly gonging pillars, and golems with stone skin impervious to blades.”

“You haven’t tried to stab one of the golems, have you?”

“Not effectively.” Sylin waved the horn before Rylana’s eyes.

“Look, if you just stay and listen to Zilek say obnoxious things for ten minutes, I’m sure he’ll consider the favor he granted me redeemed.”

Sylin flattened her lips together.

“Do you want me to go along as a chaperone? In case he gets handsy or offensive? I can stab a fork into his wrist.”

“I’m perfectly capable of stabbing a handsy man myself.” Sylin tilted her head toward the antiques shop.

“Zilek is a dragon, not a man.”

“A dragon bound to obey the laws of Tranquility which mandate that he can’t change into his native—and dangerous—form outside of his lair.”

“Yeah, but if you stab him, he might forget that. Unlike Jildarin, he doesn’t have a business he cares about keeping open. He might slay you and fly off to start his next stage of life.”

“Something that wouldn’t hold true if you stabbed him?” Sylin arched her eyebrows.

“Well, he knows Jildarin is fond of me, and we’re…”

Sylin’s eyebrows climbed higher.

“I’m not exactly sure what we are, but I told you that he informed me our kiss wasn’t a mistake, right?”

“It’s true love, then.”

“He did drug an entire diner full of treacherous elves for me.”

“The stuff of fairy tales.” Sylin sighed, looked at the horn, then returned it to Rylana. “I’m only doing this because you keep faithfully warning me about the elves who want me dead.”

“Every chance I get. I’m watching out for your longevity.”

“I’m used to my longevity being in a perilous state.” Shaking her head, Sylin headed into the street. “If not, I wouldn’t be going on a date with a dragon.”

2

As she finished helping the staff with the lunch service, Rylana looked at the clock on the wall, wanting to make sure she was near the coffee shop when Sylin had her date. She doubted Zilek would present a problem that her elven comrade couldn’t handle, but… Rylana had arranged the get-together and felt responsible for it going well. Or at least not abysmally wrong.

The clock informed her that almost an hour remained until Sylin’s meeting. Unlike the tacky timekeeper at the antiques shop, theirs was attractive, branded with the same pyrographic dragon that adorned the front door and the paper-thin wooden lampshades. The entire diner was tidy and tasteful, with the floor uncluttered, the tables always wiped clean, and not a speck of dust lingering on flat surfaces—or the new plaque that highlighted Very Important Persons who’d eaten at the establishment. So far, only the elf queen was on the list, but Rylana knew Jildarin aspired to attract more diners of stature.

Smiling, she cleared a few plates and headed to the kitchen. After spending time in the cluttered antiques shop, Rylana appreciated Jildarin’s fastidious nature. Just as she appreciated the heavenly scents that wafted out of the kitchen.

Today, he was serving Lumi Lake Snakehead fillets, cheesy trollthicket shoots, and a beef-and-vegetable stir fry that she’d personally enjoyed before the lunch service began. She’d also helped herself to a dessert made from leftover waffles and a delicious wild-thimbleberry compote that Jildarin had made during the breakfast hour. It had all been fantastic, as his food always was.

She had a compliment for him on her lips, but he almost crashed into her as she walked into the kitchen. With a book tucked under his arm, and his chef’s coat left on a peg, he was on his way out. He paused to smile at her and step aside, even taking a few of the dirty dishes from her to place in the sink.

That smile made her heart thrum. No, it made her whole body thrum. With his strong jaw clean-shaven, his emerald eyes bright, his bronze skin free of blemishes—save for the scar she’d given him when they’d been enemies—and his short silver hair tousled from the day’s work, he was as handsome and appealing as ever. Since he’d admitted that their kiss hadn’t been a mistake, she’d been thinking of it—and him—more often.