Page 50 of Dark Dragon’s Wolf

“It does,” Tristan admitted. Whenever he wasn’t distracted by something else, the thought of them in there ate away at him, pressing on his brain, as though everything inside him knew they didn’t have much time.

He didn’t have much time either.

Which was why he had to do this.

He went on, “But you mean even more to me.” He bent and kissed her. Everything. You’re everything. “And all evening I kept thinking about what you said to me. About how we still have to live our lives, or those Gen-X fuckers and the people like them will win.”

He gave a half-grin. “It’s kind of why Flynn and Tank and I took over Alexander Grant’s hunting cabin, after we escaped from that hellhole where he kept us. Living in his place, showering in his palatial bathrooms, drinking his top-shelf liquor—all of that was a giant ‘fuck you,’ because he was in prison, and we were free.”

Mayah smiled at him. “Exactly.”

“So I want to give you something you’ve always wanted—just one tiny thing. Your first chance to see an Earth city. Eat in a restaurant. And fly up over the Earth and look to the horizon, and see how big it is.”

Tears filled her eyes, even as she smiled. “You’re on, White Wolf. We’re going to have a hot, fun, fabulous date. And then we’ll go spy on Gen-X, and then we’ll make those motherfuckers pay.”

By most people’s standards, the beginning of their date wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but Mayah made it seem special. Mostly because she was the kind of person who loved everything, wanted to try everything, and could have a good time doing almost anything.

Tristan had almost forgotten what a good time felt like.

They’d dropped their stuff off at the Greystone brothers’ lair—a stone mansion perched up on a ridge high above downtown Portland.

Zane dropped them off at the restaurant Tristan had picked out, but Tristan told him they’d find their own way home. Mayah wanted to Uber.

“It’s just a car like any other car,” Tristan said. “Except you call it up on your phone.”

“But it sounds so cool when people talk about it on TV.”

Zane grinned. “Trust me. Nothing’s quite as cool as it looks on TV.”

“You’re ruining my date vibe,” Mayah said to him. “Go away.”

Zane just laughed and drove off.

Tristan had chosen a restaurant called the Brazil Grill. First, because they served unlimited meat. Perfect for wolves and dragons. And second, because the meat was brought to the table on skewers by a parade of waiters, and sliced to order.

Mayah was entranced with everything. The drink menu, the salad bar, the way they had a flat plastic disc to signal the waiters. Each side of it was a different color: green for when they wanted waiters to stop at their table with whatever meat was on the skewer; red for when their plates were full, or they wanted to take a break.

“I don’t even know why they have the red side,” Mayah said, sipping her cocktail, which was an improbable shade of purple. “Who would want them to stop bringing meat?”

“Not arguing,” Tristan said. “Taste these garlic rolls. They’re awesome.”

Mayah bit into one. “Oh my god,” she said. “It’s like buttery heaven.”

The first waiter arrived at the table, bearing bacon-wrapped filet mignon. After he’d served them and moved on, Mayah gave Tristan that wicked grin he loved. “They are so going to lose money on us.”

The restaurant undoubtedly did lose money; no one could plow through meat like a dragon, and Tristan did his share of damage. When Mayah was finally complaining she’d burst if she ate one more bite, they left.

“What now?” she asked, looking around the city streets. “Look at this, Tristan. Look at all the people! And the cars. And the stores. Who could buy all these things? Where would they put them?”

“Says the woman with a castle full of empty rooms.”

“I know, but still…” It was getting dark, and the buildings were lighting up. Mayah pointed to a tall building a couple of blocks away, with strings of lights at the base of the gold-colored pyramid that topped it. “Ooh, what’s that one?” she asked.

“That,” Tristan told her, “is where we’re going next. Those lights are a rooftop bar, which the internet says has an amazing view of downtown Portland and the river. Want to?”

“Yes yes yes,” Mayah said. “I want to see everything. I want more purple drinks.” She slipped her arm through Tristan’s and hugged it to her. “Dates are fun.”

Tristan smiled down at her. “This is actually a pretty ordinary date. For Earth people. In cities.”