It was a quiet night at McKinnett’s. The back room was empty. No one dared go in there. Donovan’s shadow lingered on, even if he and his boys had made themselves scarce. The rest of the pub softly hummed with the chatter of stalwart regulars and a few well-behaved bands of tourists. I sat at the bar with the boys, watching Missi chat up some of the tourists, a trio of young hipsters who, thankfully, knew better than to try to order a Pimm’s Cup and stuck to the local craft brewers that Kitty kept on tap.
“Y’know, I’ve been thinking of learning how to make some of those cocktails they keep asking about,” I grinned at Kitty.
She snorted indelicately. “Better you than me, kiddo. I’m too old and I don’t have the patience. You’re young and clever. I’ll buy you the books, if you like.” She smiled warmly, then shot a look at the boys. “Not like you’re bound to have time for bartending if you’re off to be queen of the dragons.”
I sighed into my beer. “True that. I’d rather be bartending.” My stomach flipped. I nudged Chase. “When am I supposed to meet them again?”
Chase put an arm around me and pulled me close. “You’ll be fine. And within the next week or two. Aric’s parents called and said they were waiting on Meriwether.”
I sat up straight, pulling out of his arms to look him in the eye. “Senator Meriwether?” My mind went back to the dream I had while I was unconscious. “She’s…”
“One of ours.” Aric sniffed at his wine, then set it back down untouched. Kitty shot him a death glare. He ignored it. “She’s the Elder Water Dragon. Has been since the old Council almost got wiped out.”
It was my turn to glare at him. “You mean when my entire family was killed?”
He looked away. “Yeah. Sorry.”
I shook my head and turned back to Chase. “What are the others like?”
Chase took a long sip of whiskey, pondering his words.
Cass spoke up first. “The Elder Ethereal Dragon hates my guts.” He flashed a rueful smile. “Or, rather, hates my mentor’s guts. She hates me as a proxy. I hear she’s pretty decent to people who aren’t in my family, though. She’s one of the best respected academics and arcanists in the draconic world. You’re hard-pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable about dragonkind.”
“Except maybe your mentor?” I asked, giving his arm a playful squeeze.
Cass shrugged and sipped his gin and tonic. “Except maybe him. But he passed away two years ago.”
“Shit. Sorry,” I winced.
He reached over and wrapped his arms around me. “No harm done. He was a little reckless. He tried something he shouldn’t have, and the backlash killed him. Nothing any of us could have done.”
Chase set down his whiskey. “My Elder’s not over-fond of me, either. The General’s very old-school, very set in her ways, and very much about adhering to the traditional modes of combat and training to move up in the ranks.” He grinned at me. “It’s gonna kill her that we found you. And I’m gonna have a hard time not laughing.”
I grinned back at him, then turned to Galen. “So, what’s the Elder Earth Dragon like?”
Galen shrugged and swirled the last of his lager around in his glass. “Nice, actually. Genuinely a good person all around. Everyone wonders how she’s stayed an Elder this long.” He laughed. “She’s the chief surgeon at Boston Metropolitan Hospital. She oversees a lot of dragon residencies.”
I frowned and took a deep swig of my beer. “So I’m the underachiever by, like, a lot.”
Kitty swatted me with a bar rag. “Don’t you get down on yourself for working for a living, young lady. I won’t have it.”
“Yes’m.” I set my beer down.
“Besides, you’ve already taken down an entire cell of Chosen pretty much single-handedly. You’re nothing to be taken for granted.” Galen squeezed my knee.
I shrugged. “You guys helped with that. A lot. And I didn’t get the priest.”
Chase slipped a finger under my chin and brought my gaze to his. “The High Priest of the Chosen of Apep is a hell of a formidable opponent. You held your own against him. More experienced dragons have died at his hands, with more backup and more training.” He gave me a crooked grin. “You done good. I know it, the Elders will know it. You need to know it.”
I heard the door jingle and cast a habitual glance at the door. My breath caught. I had an uncomfortable flashback to my birthday. Three men, all candidates for quarterback positions, stood by the door looking intimidating. With them were three women, Amazons with powerful arms and deadly gleams in their eyes. They surveyed the crowd, scanning for someone. Billy looked a little green around the gills at them as he checked their IDs. Fuck. Sorcerers? Donovan’s goon squad? What now? Can’t we just be done for one night? But, even in the depths of my freakout, something pulled at my insides. Something that said friends.
Aric hopped off his barstool and walked over toward them. “Over here,” he commanded. The group looked at him, snapped to attention, and followed him back to the bar.
Aric stopped in front of me. For a moment, he looked unsure of himself. “My parents were out of line. If this place is important to you, it’s important to all of us.” He smirked. “Yer majesty.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “So, who are they?”
He nodded at them. “They’re the new security staff for McKinnett’s Pub.”
“The fuck you say,” Kitty growled from behind me. “I make the hiring decisions around here, kid.”
In an uncharacteristic display of diplomacy, Aric nodded. “Of course. But know that they’ve been vetted personally, trained in both de-escalation and hand-to-hand combat, and soft skills like dealing with drunks and punks while playing nice-nice with your regulars.” He nodded at them again. “Oh, and they’re all dragons.”
Kitty leaned on the bar and looked them over with a wary eye. “Why so many?”
“Round-the-clock security for the premises. They’re trained on the security cameras, so they can keep a good eye out for Chosen, the mob, and anyone else you manage to piss off.” Aric leaned against the bar and looked pleased with himself.
Kitty frowned. One by one, she looked them over. With a soft harrumph, she looked at me. “Take the bar, Sia. I’ve got some interviews to conduct.” She crooked a finger at the six new dragons. “Step into my office, boys and girls.” She led them to the back room and closed the door behind them.
I watched as she left, mouth slightly open.
“She’ll hire them. I’ll pay for them. Forgot to mention that part.” Aric crossed his arms and leaned his back against the bar. “So what…”
I pinned him against the bar and kissed him full on the lips. He yelped in muffled surprise, stiffened for a moment, then kissed me back with breathtaking enthusiasm. His lips parted mine, his tongue darting into my mouth and tangling with mine as he uncrossed his arms and slid both hands into my hair. His lips devoured mine like succulent fruit, slowly and sensuously. As I leaned into it, my body pressed into his, he pulled my head back and smirked down at me.
“What’ll you do to me if I hire an extra bartender?”
I shoved both hands into his chest and pushed away from him with a noise of disgust. He cackled and ran a hand over his mouth. I thought it lingered for a moment. Probably just hiding more smirk.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
He crossed his arms again and leaned against the bar. “You know it.”
Cass wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him, letting my annoyance dissipate in his warm embrace. I looked around the pub, at my regulars, at Missi clearing the tables, at the bar and the door to my room. Everything was the same, yet nothing was the same. Not for me, not for Missi, not for Kitty or Billy. Nothing would ever be the same. Donovan had gone from lovely Irish uncle with a merry band of high-tipping regulars to deadly enemy mob boss. That was all my fault. There were six dragons preparing to put my home and workplace under surveillance round the clock. That was my fault too. There was a cult after me. That wasn’t entirely my fault, but it was coming down on me and mine, and that was my fault. I was the key to bringing about the apocalypse. That totally was not my fault, but it would be if I let them catch me.
Everything was falling apart. All because of me.
Cass nibbled at my ear. I smiled and leaned my head to the side, letting him nibble down the side of my neck. Chase ran his hand down my thigh, squeezing gently. Galen squeezed my hand, then made his way behind the bar to snag another beer. Aric leaned on the bar, scrutinizing the top shelf and making soft tsking sounds. Okay, maybe it wasn’t all falling apart. I had four handsome, amazing dragons helping me through. Missi was right. My family was growing. My mates and I could take on these threats and face them together.
My mates. Maybe I was jumping the gun a little.
But if I was, why did it feel so right?