Page 33 of Red Dragon’s Flame

The man shook her in frustration, hugged her tight, and then yelled at her some more.

Michelangela sighed and rolled her eyes and pretended he was all upset about nothing. “Relax, Dad, I’m not dead.”

“Only by sheer dumb luck,” he grumbled.

A delicate-looking woman with long silky platinum-fair hair kissed the man on the shoulder and slipped deftly between him and Michelangela, also hugging her. Rafe allowed himself to be pulled away by someone else, still glowering. The woman said, “You scared your father half to death.”

“I was fine. You’re perfectly calm about it.”

Her mother smiled. “I have a calm nature,” she said. “I’m not a dominant wolf with oversized protective instincts.”

“Five,” Michelangela muttered. “He thinks I’m five.”

Terin said, “He’ll always think you’re five. Might as well get used to it. And he’ll never stop trying to protect you, even if you don’t need it.” She looked fondly at Rafe, who was now talking to Mikah, and said to Michelangela, “Did I ever tell you about the time right after we met, when he was alphasplaining to me about protecting my territory right up until he got caught in one of my traps and ended up hanging upside down from a tree by his ankle?”

Devon snort laughed, and tried to turn it into a cough. Manners fail.

Michelangela said, “Mom, this is my friend Devon. Mikah and I met her online. She’s a badass warrior assassin in Realms of Fire and Stone.”

Two slightly younger boys standing in a private huddle a little ways away pricked up their ears at that, and bounded over. One of them, sporting a bright green mohawk, said, “You’re Shadowfire? Cool!”

Michelangela said, “These are my baby brothers.” Green Hair made a face at her and said, “I’m Neon.” His brother, almost identical but with pink spiky hair, said, “And I’m Donut.”

“Hi,” Devon said awkwardly, and turned to Michelangela. “I thought you said they had turtle names?”

Neon said, “Yeah well, Michelangela could apparently say all her own syllables when she was two and a half—”

“She could not,” Brock said from where he stood nearby. “She was Michenangena.”

Michelangela growled at him, which judging by his grin did not seem to bother him in the slightest.

Neon continued, “—but somehow ours were too much for her little bossy baby mouth. So we ended up Neon and Donut.”

Michelangela said, “You were tiny blobs that did nothing but poop! There wasn’t enough of you to be bothered about all those syllables.”

Neon ignored that and spoke to Devon. “We’ve made the names our own. Neon and Donut are famed on the skateboarding circuit for our shredding skills.”

“So you should thank me,” Michelangela said.

“All our own doing,” Neon said loftily. “Lemons…”

“Lemonade,” Donut finished. He said to Devon, “Would you play Realms with us sometime? Our friends would be wicked jealous.”

“Don’t harass Devon,” Michelangela’s mother said. “She’s had a very hard day. Come on.”

She began to herd the family away. “We’re going back to Michelangela’s room so Dad can yell at her some more. Nice to meet you, Devon.”

Michelangela complained, “I’m out there saving people, and I still get sent to my room. Figures. Why can’t I stay and help Devon get settled?”

Mikah walked up at that moment and said, “Devon and I have to go straight to Emon’s office and tell him what’s been going on. Unless you want to come?”

Michelangela said quickly, “Never mind. Our rooms are good. See you later, Dev.”

She gave her a hug before Devon could warn her, and left with a wave.

Devon looked after her, feeling a little bereft. Michelangela was probably a terror, but she was fun and uncomplicated. Easy to be with.

Then Mikah put his hand on her shoulder, and warmth spread through her. “The staff is going to make up a room for you,” he said. “And get you some clothes. You ready for Emon?”