by Alicia Banks
She took the flowers home, found their biggest vase, set up in the kitchen, and started making the arrangement. Her mom came in from the grocery store.
“Oh, how beautiful!”
“I thought it might cheer the place up a bit.”
“Having you here cheers this place up.” She kissed her cheek “Go put that beside your mom’s bed; she loves having flowers there. Then you can come back down and help me make dinner. I’m thinking comfort food. Garlic bread and macaroni and cheese. I thought I’d throw some chopped meatballs into the macaroni.”
“That sounds great, but I’m trying to train for the marathon. Can we just have a nice chicken Caesar salad?”
“You don’t want the macaroni or garlic bread? You love garlic bread.”
“Yeah, I do, but my gut doesn’t.”
“Oh, stop that right now.”
“I was off my pace by five minutes.”
“You don’t have to win the marathon to make a difference.”
“The more laps I can run, the more money I can make. Believe me, Mom, five minutes makes a big difference.”
“We love you for doing this, we do, but you have got to pace yourself.”
“I don’t have time. Ok, I can eat a small piece of garlic bread if I run around the block after dinner. And I run in place until dinner,” she said, running in place as she dumped the contents of the bag salad into a salad spinner.
Sarai stayed with her parents for the weekend, but they sent her packing after that. She promised to come back after the marathon. They wished her luck.
The day of the marathon came at last, and she was finally starting to feel good again. She threw herself into the marathon, earning a lot of money for the charity.
Chapter 14
Alistair
Alistair threw himself into his work at the gym. He took on two new human clients, two guys who wanted to get back in shape before they started dating again. They were both obese, and Alistair had them on a strict routine and diet. One of them goofed off and flirted with all the females, but his friend took it seriously and over a couple weeks his results were showing. That whipped his friend into shape. Soon their guts were shrinking, and their muscles were getting toned. He was no longer plagued with thoughts of Sarai and he had stopped calling her phone just to hear her voice. He hadn’t started dating yet. He would wait till Phoebe and Teagan were married before he did. Maybe he would find a dragon he liked enough to accept his responsibilities. That made him chuckle to himself.
“Alistair, the game’s about to start,” Tibs said.
“I’ll be right down.” Alistair finished paying the bills and doing other paperwork, then he shut his office door and headed down to the shifter room for poker night. The room was already smoky from cigar smoke. Tibs passed him a handful and he breathed fire to light them.
“I love having a dragon for a friend.”
“So, what are we playing?” Alistair asked as he passed out the now lit cigars. He kept one for himself and put it between his teeth
“Skins,” one of the other men at the table suggested. He was a short, burly fellow with reddish hair and a full beard. He snorted a lot.
“Tired of losing all your money, Hank?” he teased the man.
“Naw, it's just been a while since we played skins.”
“Uh huh! Well, alright, I’m game,” Alistair said.
“This time, Alistair, you’re letting your dragon out,” Hank said, pointing his cigar at him. “And no one is seeing this piggy.”
All the guys at the table burst into laughter.
“We’ll see. Deal them up, Tibs.” There were seven guys sitting around the poker table. The bar was hopping tonight, and Alistair looked around at all the familiar faces and smiled when he spotted the back of the head of a pretty blonde. She was sitting across the table from a dark-haired girl. “Hang on, I want to say hi to someone.”
“You’re using that excuse to look at my cards,” Hank complained, trying to hide his cards.
Alistair walked over to the table.
“Hello ladies.”
“Alistair, I didn’t realize you were down here.” Teagan said,
“I was sitting over there, at the poker table. We’re playing skins tonight. If you ladies stick around, you might just get to see my dragon.”
“I’ll pass,” Teagan said.
“So my parents are still planning the wedding in three months, I thought you were taking care of things,” Phoebe asked.
“I thought I did. Clearly my father didn’t listen to me. Well, tomorrow is Sunday and I’ll talk to him again.”
“Maybe I should talk to him.”
‘No, no I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“Alistair, if he doesn’t listen to you--”
“If he doesn’t listen to me, then we’ll just have to show him. You and Teagan should get married. I haven’t worked things out with Sarai yet, but I will.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“Good luck with that,” Teagan said.
“Alistair, you playing or what?”
“Have a good evening, ladies.” He walked back to the table. “Nice king of hearts, Hank.”
“I knew you were looking at my cards,” Hank growled. Alistair laughed and then picked up his cards.
“How many, Hank?”
“Three,” the burly man grumbled slamming three cards on the table.
“Bob?” Bob was burly but he was larger than Hank. He had shaggy black hair that kept falling in his face. He would huff at it till it flew back. It would stay that way for a few minutes, then fall back in his face.
“Two.” The big man slammed his hand down on the table shaking it and making the chips jump.
“Dave?”
“Two.” Dave was a slender guy with sunburnt skin, black hair, and squinty eyes. He flicked his cards at Tibs.
“Eliot?”
“One.” Eliot was a tall blond man. He was clean shaven, impeccably dressed in a silk shirt and slacks. A gold chain hung around his neck.
“Andrew?”
“Four.” Andrew was a muscle builder. He sat wearing a black tank, his head shaved
“Andrew, you always ask for four.”
“Yeah, Tibs deals me shit cards,” he snarled.
“I don’t know what you get,” Tibs argued.
“Balthazar?” The other dragon in the room studied his opponents and the, flicked three cards at Tibs without a word.
“Alistair?” Having noticed Balthazar sitting there for the first time, Alistair gritted his teeth. There weren’t many dragons he got along with, especially now. Dragons were fierce competitors and high strung. Alistair fought hard to keep himself in check, but Balthazar was the opposite of him. He was callous and only played because he loved to win, plus he was fascinated by the shiny colored disks they played with. He liked to collect as many as he could.
“Alistair?” Tibs asked again.
“None,” Alistair said.
“Alistair, you fucking cheater!” Hank roared. “You and Tibs are in on it together. That’s how you win every fucking time!”
“Hank, chill, I got shit.” Alistair threw his cards on the table.
“Then why didn’t you ask for cards?”
“Because I’d still have shit.” Alistair concentrated and his wings came out and folded down his back like a cape. This seemed to irritate Balthazar, and that was fun.
“Ooh Hank, you woke the dragon,” Tibs teased.
“Don’t worry Hank. The wings are the only thing Alistair knows how to control,” Balthazar said sinisterly. “She should have been mine,” he said as he glanced toward Phoebe.
“Yeah? Well she’s not,” Alistair snarled.
“Rumor has it you threw her away for a human.”
“I didn’t throw her away, and I don’t think that is any of your business,” Alistair snarled.
“Guys! Guys! We’re here to play cards.” Tibs tried to get the game back under control
. “Alistair if you’re out, then just sit there.”
“I’m getting a drink.” Alistair got up and went to the bar. His wings trailed behind him. Everyone gave him a wide berth.
“Why do you play with those idiots?” Phoebe asked joining him at the bar.
“They’re my friends. Well, not Balthazar, but the rest of them are. Hank just joists. He’s never actually mad; he’s batting me because he wants to see the dragon.”
“Alistair, there is no room here for the dragon.”
“I’ll make room, and yeah there is. There isn’t room for two, so hopefully Balthazar doesn’t show his, but there’s enough room for one. Don’t worry, though, I have no plan to show my dragon tonight, or any night, not till Sarai sees it. I’ll tell you exactly how this game is going to go, because it happens every time. Hank is going to let his piggy out and the rest of us will be half-human, half-animal. It’s always a strange sight.”
“Hank is a pig?”
“Well he’s a boar. If he was a pig, without the tusks, I think Eliot and Dave would tear him to shreds. The tusks are what keeps him alive. I better get back to the game.”
“And you want to bring a human into this world?”
“I think she has an open mind. I think she’d understand it. She’s different. She wasn’t afraid to stand out as a human. I think she’d appreciate our world.”
“You mean she looked like a pixy.” Phoebe giggled. “I think we’re going to take off.”
‘Have a good night. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won't be.” She kissed his cheek then sashayed back to Teagan. Alistair couldn’t help himself; he watched her walk away. After all, she was a good-looking woman. He returned to the table. Half the table now had tails. He was surprised to see Balthazar had his wings out. Hank was still in his full human form for once. He nodded to him.
Tibs dealt the next hand. Alistair asked for three cards this time. He was determined not to pull out more than his wings. Alistair won the second hand, so everyone else had to reveal another part of their animal. Ears popped out. Andrew now had spotted ears on the top of his head. Dave had sleek black cat ears. Eliot’s furry ears hung down the sides of his head. Bob had bushy round brown ears, and Hank had fuzzy brown ears. Balthazar chose to pull out his tail instead, the seat backs were specially made to accommodate for tails. Balthazar won the third hand, and Alistair was begrudgingly forced to let his tail out.
“But that’s it, that’s as much of the dragon as you’re going to see.” Alistair’s dragon was a deep emerald green. Balthazar’s was black. The tip of Balthazar’s tail forked while Alistair’s was long with an arrowhead at the end. Balthazar folded and called it a night before any more of him came out. Alistair stayed in the game even after he was forced to push out his ears. Paws, claws, and hooves began to appear around the table. This made card holding very difficult since they all lost that opposable thumb their human forms gave them. The black panther head appeared on Dave. Eliot’s dog face appeared. Hank was still holding on, only one hand had seen him transformed, and he had his ears and his tail, but the rest of him was still human. Alistair was hanging in there, too. The rest of the bar patrons had long left. Alistair sent the bartender home. He tended bar for his friends. Now that Balthazar was gone, only his friends remained around the table.
“So, can I ask you guys for your opinion on something pretty important?”
“Of course.”
“I’m all ears,” Eliot said lifting his ears to hear better.
“I’m in love with a human.”
“Aren’t you engaged to Phoebe?”
“I was, but she chose Teagan over me, so even though our parents don’t seem to have gotten the memo, we called it off.”
“A human, huh? Well, I say good for you. You’re not the first, and surely you won’t be the last.”
“Do you think that if we mate with humans, the shifters will die off?”
“Nah. There are too many pure bloods still, and purists; we’ll never die off. Clans will die, that’s inevitable. But the shifters, we’ll always be here.”
“Unless the humans hunt and kill us again.”
“Even so, some of us will survive and we’ll continue on. We’ve been among humans for centuries now, right under their noses, and they don’t notice a thing.”
“Are you going to show her your dragon and teach her about our world?”
“That’s the plan. I got to get her to talk to me, again, but once I do, then yeah, that’s the plan.”
“How come she’s not speaking to you?”
“She might have heard Phoebe say something about our wedding, but she was breaking it off. Sarai, that’s her name, she wouldn’t give me a chance to explain. She just got so mad, she got in her car and drove off. She won't take my calls, and I don’t really want to make a scene at her place of business.”
“Smart move. Women get hot-headed with jealousy, give her time to calm down. If it’s meant to be, she’ll come back.” Dave said
“Well when you reconcile, we’ll throw a party.” Dave said.
“Yeah, because we like humans, and we like you. So, if you like a human, then we are all for that,” Bob said.
“Thanks for the support, guys. I really appreciate it.”
“We all live in this world together; we should get along. That goes for humans, too. This is their world, too.”
“If a pig and a cheetah can get along, well, we all should.”
“Well said, piggy.” Andrew reached over and bopped Hank on the head with his paw.
“Keep your damn paws off me or I’ll gut you, you damn felines,” Hank grunted and Dave playfully pawed at him.
Alistair laughed at his friends. Tiberius dealt the cards.
“Last round.”
“Alistair this is it, your dragon is coming out,” Hank said. “Tibs, give me four cards.”
“I think the piggy is coming out,” Bob said. “Give me two, Tibs.”
“Piggy always comes out,” Dave said. “I just know you boys are going to have to wait another night to see the panther. I’ll take one card, Tibs.”
“Eliot?”
“Oh, I think the panther is coming out tonight. I’m feeling lucky. Two cards.”
“Alistair?”
Alistair stared at his pair of aces, but he kept his cool. He plucked his three cards and tossed them at Tibs. Tibs dealt him three more. Two aces and a king.
“Ok, call!”
“Hank?”
“Three of a kind.”
“Not bad. Bob?”
Bob growled, shook, and a big grizzly bear appeared in his seat. He then proceeded to eat all the snacks on the table.
“Bob is out!” Tibs said. “Dave?”
“Full house.”
Hank grunted and then shook, and a boar with massive tusks appeared.
“Beat that, Eliot.”
“Gladly. Royal flush!” Eliot laid out his cards. Alistair cursed and tossed his aces and king on the table.
“Stand back!” He rose from his seat and then with a roar he shook, and a great green dragon appeared. His friends whooped and hollered. Tiberius took his wolf form, and even Eliot shifted for the hell of it. They howled and roared and made quite the ruckus. Then just as quickly, they shifted back, and now they all sat around the table naked. Alistair shut out the lights and Tibs packed the cards and chips away.
“Thanks guys, I needed that.” Alistair smiled at his friends, then they all slipped away to the locker room to get their change of clothes. They always kept some there, for this very purpose.
Chapter 15
Sarai
Two months had passed since she had seen Alistair. He had called every day, but she had ignored his calls. Her inbox was full because of all the messages he had left. She hadn’t listened to them. She had considered blocking his number or getting a new phone, a new number. Something always stopped her, so she just did what she did best: she ignored the situation. At last, it seemed he had fina
lly stopped calling. It was almost Thanksgiving. She had made plans with her mothers. Mickey would be going with her, because she didn’t really have any family of her own. She and Mickey made beautiful cornucopias, so they were busy making and selling them. Soon the store would be smothered by poinsettias. Those big beautiful red flowers that always announced Christmas was on its way.
She was just closing shop when she suddenly felt nauseous. She figured it was something she had eaten, so she stopped at a drugstore to get some medicine for it. She barely made it through the door to the apartment building when she vomited all over the foyer. She waited till she stopped throwing up before she got a mop and cleaned it. Then she puked in the mop water. Once she had it under control, she called Mickey.
“I’m sick. I think I have food poisoning or something. I’m not coming in tomorrow.”
“Ok. I can handle it. Do you need anything?”
“Nope, I think I’m just going to go sleep on the bathroom floor till it passes, and it will pass. Give me a few days, I’ll be back to work.”
“Take all the time you need. I can handle things for you. I’ll check on you in the morning.”
“No, I’ll probably be asleep,”
“Fine, I’ll check on you after work.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” She finished cleaning up and then headed upstairs to her apartment. Just as she had told Mickey she would, she made a bed for herself in the bathroom. She was sick all night, but in the morning when she woke up, she felt fine. After eating a light breakfast, and not having anything more than heartburn, she checked her temperature. It was normal, so she headed to work.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were taking the day off.”