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“What about you?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Gran wanted me to stay close. Unlike George, I didn’t have a driving need to pursue a particular course of study. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Gran pushed for the University of San Francisco and I agreed. Normally, freshmen need to live on campus, but Gran is quite persuasive. One meeting with the dean and it was agreed that I’d live at home and drive to my classes every day.”

She walked in silence for a while and then added, “She was worried. None of us were dealing well with Alec being missing. I understood, but it was stifling.” She kicked a rock. “I only lasted two years before I dropped out. I just didn’t care about any of it. I could do the work. I was always an excellent student—Gran wouldn’t have accepted anything less—but I just didn’t care.

“I knew I had an affinity for metalwork. I’d been working part-time at the jewelry store since I was fourteen.” She looked a little uncomfortable and then said, “We all have trust funds.”

I nodded. The Drakes were loaded, so that made sense.

“A quarter of it was released when I turned twenty. I went to the registrar, disenrolled, and then had a sit-down with Gran.” She gave another humorless huff of laughter. “That was ugly, but she eventually agreed that the jewelry business was the right direction for me. She knew that was my gift. I think she just hoped I’d finish my degree first. She was not, however, prepared for me to move out of the house, especially when George was moving down to Palo Alto for college.”

“I bet the house got real quiet all of a sudden.”

She nodded. “I used my trust fund to renovate the upper floors of the jewelry store into two apartments, in case George wanted to live with me.” She glanced over. “I was calling him, checking in every couple of days. Maybe more often. Between Gran and me, we were probably driving him nuts. I couldn’t help it, though,” she said. “I had to know he was okay.”

“He understood,” I told her. “Given Alec’s abduction, I don’t think anyone would understand better why you were both checking on him constantly.”

I paused, not wanting to upset her, but it seemed important. “Can I ask? That little girl the judges showed us, that was you, right? She had your eyes,”

Coco nodded. “That was me when I was ten, when Alec was abducted.”

“Oh. Of course.”

She glanced over, her eyebrows raised.

“It can be hard to see ourselves clearly, especially when we’re weighed down with history and guilt. The judges were showing you how young and small you were. They wanted you to stop blaming a child for the actions of sick, powerful adults.”

Chapter 20

WHINERS!

Hating the look of sorrow in Coco’s eyes, I changed the subject by asking, “Do you enjoy working with jewelry?” I’d been fortunate enough to see Coco in action when she’d been working on the necklace my mother had made me. Dragons were magical beings and Coco’s gifts centered on metals and stones. She created gorgeous jewelry, but could also add spells, like she did for the stunning choker she created that protected my mind from my psychotic aunt when she’d been hunting me.

She nodded. “I do. I love jewelry design. Working with metals calms my mind and contents me.” She ran a hand over her bare shoulder. “A lot of dragons are metalsmiths.”

“Are you cold?” I pulled at the strap of my backpack. “I still have a t-shirt in here.”

She shook her head. “Dragons like heat, but I’m fine.”

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, how is Fyr doing? I mean, I see him most days at the Slaughtered Lamb, but Fyr doesn’t like to share personal stuff, and I don’t want to pry—which I just realized is what I’m doing right now. Sorry. Never mind.”

She laughed and sounded like she meant it this time. “You’re concerned. I get it.” She paused, considering. “He’s had it hard. He wasn’t trapped in that bitch’s dungeon as long as Alec was, but it was long enough. And then that fae bastard…” She shook her head in disgust. “I’d give anything to have seen George and Gran give those two fae assholes the dragon’s kiss.”

“I was there and let me tell you, that was both awesome and terrifying.” I shivered, remembering. “They were so damn cool doing it too. They didn’t say a word, but they moved as one.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Bracken said, “but I’m not familiar with that term.” He paused, rubbing his nose. “I suppose I should apologize for eavesdropping as well.”

Coco waved her hand, dismissing his concern. “We’ve got nothing to do between life and death situations besides walking and talking. A dragon’s kiss is a way for us to kill an enemy in a low-key but horrendously painful way.”

She stopped walking and we all stopped with her. “You take someone’s face in your hands.” She pantomimed the movement with her own hands. “You move in and seal your mouth over theirs, like you’re kissing them. Then breathe fire down their throats, burning them from the inside out.”

“Niiiice,” Stheno drew out.

Coco nodded. “It’s very effective.” She started walking again and we all followed. “I wanted to be there.” She turned to me, making sure I understood how much she meant that.

“You weren’t allowed?”

She shook her head, her expression strained. “They were already up in the air before George called me to tell me they were going. When I said I’d catch a commercial flight and meet them, Gran got on the phone and forbid me. She said risking one grandchild was bad enough. She wasn’t risking both of us.”