by Amelia Jade
“It’s there,” Cowl replied. “There’s no precious metals or minerals worth mining, so the humans wouldn’t have dug deep enough to find it.”
“See!” Ivore snapped, pointing at Cowl. “Little Brother gets it. He knows we should go, leave, get our treasure, and live like the kings we were!”
Cowl, still looking out the window over the human town, tossed up his hands. “I just said the treasure was likely still there. That’s all. If you really want to know what I think, I—”
Caine cut him off. “It’s okay, Cowl. We’ll figure this out and make a decision on what to do.”
He fell silent. Before him the lights of the human settlement blinked on as night approached in full force. It was called Barton City, he’d learned, and it housed nearly five hundred thousand souls. Massive beyond imagining to him, he’d learned it was considered little more than a backwater town compared to some of the truly ginormous cities in the country.
Cowl couldn’t imagine it. Millions of souls all in one place? It beggared imagination, despite the images and videos he’d seen on the internet. He shook his head as Caine and Ivore started shouting at each other once more. There was so much they’d missed, sleeping for hundreds upon hundreds of years.
“I’m going for a walk,” he said, but his brothers ignored him. That was typical.
He walked over to the elevator. They’d been housed in a huge building in the middle of the city, where apparently many of the other dragons lived as well. Now that they were up to speed, they were allowed to leave the military base where they’d been awakened.
The doors hissed open and he walked out into the lobby, admiring the sleek lines of construction. The dark tile and floor-to-ceiling panes of glass complemented one another nicely. Sharp edges softened by greenery from various plants made it feel just slightly less hostile. Humanity sure had come a long way.
It’s been six hundred years. It shouldn’t be that surprising.
“Cowl.”
He looked in the direction of the speaker. “Garath.” He extended his hand in greeting to the onyx dragon who had just entered from the streets. “You live here too?”
The gray-eyed shifter nodded. “Yes. One floor above you, actually.”
Cowl had actually gone on a mission with Garath a week earlier, during which he’d actually fought against one of the Outsiders, something neither of his brothers had done.
Garath eyed him. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. The brothers are arguing again, so I decided to come down here. Get some fresh air perhaps. I don’t know.” He ran fingers through his white hair.
“Do they argue a lot?”
Cowl contemplated how to answer that question. Garath hadn’t been overly friendly to him at first, but it seemed he was making an effort now. Cowl didn’t want to overwhelm him with sibling drama right away.
“Yeah. I don’t blame them. It’s a lot to take in.”
Garath’s expression softened. “That it is. More so for you than any of us I’d assume as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“Until you three, they’d only awoken one dragon at a time. That made it much easier. With the three of you at once, the resources were probably stretched to the limit, meaning less focus to help you orient yourselves and learn everything that you’d missed.”
Cowl was forced to agree. The language, orientation, and education sessions the military had put them through had seemed strained to accommodate all three of the brothers at once. “Yeah.”
“You’re here now though. That must mean you passed.”
“Barely,” he joked. “I think they may have just gotten sick of having three of us around at once, and wanted to get rid of us.”
“Maybe,” Garath agreed, smiling. “Maybe.”
“This whole thing with the Outsiders is still hard to believe. I’ve fought one, seen you kill one, but even now, I mean, aliens? Coming through a portal from another world? That seems crazy enough. But now we know they can somehow infect us? Making us do their bidding? I don’t know, Garath… That’s hard to take on top of everything else.”
It was about as close to admitting that he was scared as Cowl was going to get. His brothers were too, though like him they’d never speak it out loud. But they were close enough he could read them easily. The Outsiders were strong, and if they couldn’t find a way to close the portal, eventually the Outsiders would come back through.
He thought back to his briefing, about the nuke the government had sent through the portal in the early days. Instead of closing the thing, it had made it bigger! The only saving grace was that the radiation from the explosion had made the far side impassable to the Outsiders, preventing them from sending their armies through. For now.
“I know. Imagine how the humans feel though. Finding out about aliens and dragons? They’re even more overwhelmed than we are. And they’re far less equipped to deal with this threat. They need us, even if we wish that weren’t the case.”
“Yeah.” Cowl looked away. “I’m going to go for a walk. I’ve spent so much time staring at screens and electronics learning about humans, but I haven’t gone out among them.”
Garath smiled. “They’re mostly good people. Keep that in mind, even if they don’t act the way you think they should.”
“I will.”
They parted ways, Garath taking the elevator up to his suite, while Cowl stared out into the city streets. It surprised him how much going out there made him nervous. There was little that would be a threat to him, but the fear of the unknown made him hesitate.
Fuck that. He was a dragon. No group of humans, no matter how large, was going to slow him down.
Walking out into the evening, he picked a direction and started walking. The first thing he was struck by was the light. There was so much of it. It came from every direction. Lights over the streets, signs in front of shops, and in windows from buildings big and large. There were two mounted on the front of every vehicle that passed, sometimes more.
Everywhere he looked there was light. It went against everything he’d ever experienced before, but Cowl found it fascinating. He started trying to identify the stores by the lit images, but found he just didn’t know enough.
Then he stopped, recognizing one. He may have slept for six hundred years, but Cowl still knew what a mug of ale looked like when he saw one. His eyes strayed to the wording on the sign.
Mcguiver’s Pub.
Interesting name. It had been a long time since he’d drunk alcohol. He was due, he told himself, heading inside. A six-century sober spell was something that should be ended as soon as possible.
He pushed open the swinging door, taking in the layout of the room. Directly ahead was the bar itself, occupying the middle section of the back wall. To his left and curving around with the wall were tables. On his right the tables only went as far as the wall, leaving a blank space in the back right corner.
The exposed wooden rafters gave the place an old-world taste to it that he appreciated, though the floor wasn’t made of mud and coated in straw. Cowl supposed he could get used to the cleaner living conditions.
Two men sat at a table conversing softly to his left. Three more were at the bar talking to the waitress. Two of them were leaning backward, staring at him. Both were tall, though not as tall as he was. One had dark messy hair and ruddy cheeks that spoke of an alcohol problem, while the other’s eyes gleamed with undisguised maliciousness, green orbs that promised pain and suffering to anyone who tried to cross him. That was an evil man, Cowl knew, having seen the same look many times before.
The third member of their party was hunched over, talking in low tones he couldn’t make out to the bartender, a human woman.
Although he could only see her from the waist up, Cowl was immediately struck by her. She had that thick stomach and large breasts that he loved, though they were almost entirely covered by the black long-sleeve shirt she wore. Only the faintest hint of flesh was visible in the V-nec
k, though he could make out several dimples near her collarbone that promised to be dangerously distracting.
His eyes traveled upward to the soft, smooth skin of her neck, just begging to be nibbled on while his hands caressed the rest of her body. Her jaw was set, wavy golden hair falling to several inches past it, bouncing slightly as she responded to whatever the man had said.
Cowl was momentarily distracted by the dull reddish oval mark on her cheek. Some sort of birthmark he supposed, but it suited her round face. Metal pierced her ears in three spots, something he’d never seen before, intriguing him even further.
But it was her eyes that caught and held his attention as she finally looked past her conversation partner. Cat-like eyes with irises of jungle-like green, they screamed of something wild and as yet untamed by anyone or anything. Cowl decided he was going to be the one to tame them. No one else but him. She would be his.
His mate.
The sudden pronouncement froze him in place. Had he really just found his mate?
“Got a problem, pal? Or do you just enjoy looking at us?”
The man with the evil eyes of jade spoke in a slow drawl.
Cowl blinked. Slowly.
He then returned his attention to the woman behind the counter. Only then did the expression on her face register with him. Fear. She was terrified. Her hand on the bartop itself was trembling, a faint gesture most would miss, but Cowl didn’t.
These men were intimidating her. Maybe even threatening her. Any warmth remaining in his expression faded as a cold fury wrapped itself around him, sucking the heat from the room.
Cowl strode forward, ignoring the two bodyguards and only stopped when he could rest his arms on the countertop.
“Excuse me,” he said with false sweetness, catching the bartender’s attention. “Could I have one of your finest ales please? Sorry to interrupt.”
There was nothing sincere about his apology, or the look he directed at the man who had been speaking.
The two sycophants on either side of him snickered as Cowl spoke, but he silenced them both with a glare. That seemed to finally get the attention of the third man, a tall fellow with what could be surprisingly good looks if it weren’t for two things. He had completely boring brown eyes with nothing unique about them, but his face was clean. He had a strong nose and powerful jaw, and despite too much product in it, his short soft-spiked haircut actually suited him.
Where it all went south was the perpetual sneer that seemed to be emblazoned upon his face, and the recent gauntness to his features. Cowl knew it was recent, because his skin didn’t quite sit right.
“You are interrupting.” He said it in such a way that Cowl was certain he was expected to apologize, cancel his order, and leave the bar.
Unfortunately for him, Cowl wasn’t going to do that.
“Make it two, if you don’t mind,” he said to the green-eyed goddess behind the bar, who was staring back and forth, looking at Cowl as if he were out of his mind.
“Uh…”
“He doesn’t mind, trust me.” Cowl was still staring at the obvious leader of the trio. “Do you?”
The man fully turned to face Cowl now. He was taller than his cronies, somewhere around Cowl’s height, just a hair or so under six and a half feet.
“And if I do?”
“Then I guess you’ll just have to suck it up.” Cowl gave no ground, his eyes hardening. He wasn’t backing down from these cretins.
Brown eyes gave Cowl the once-over. Evaluating. Strategizing. Trying to decide if it was worth it. Part of him almost wished they would try something. It had been too long since he’d cut loose. Since he’d been able to teach a lesson to pricks like this asshole.
The leader snorted, making his decision. “Nah, not worth it. Let’s go boys, we’re done here anyway.”
Cowl smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Jade eyes flashed with anger.
“Easy, Danny.” The leader rested a calming hand against his chest. “It’s not worth it. We don’t need to cause a scene.”
Cowl’s smile became a grin. “Go on. Follow your master.”
The sneer reappeared on the leader’s face. He squared off in front of Cowl, the progress out the door halting. “On the other hand, maybe it’s time we taught you some manners.”
“I could say the same for you.” Cowl had seen the way the bartender looked at the trio. She was intimidated by them for a reason, and he didn’t like it.
Knuckles cracked. Cowl was ready. These pieces of shit wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Jake, come on. He’s obviously drunk or high. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Just leave it alone.”
Four sets of eyes snapped around as the bartender spoke for the first time. Cowl wanted to protest, to tell her that no, he was completely sober and perfectly aware of what he was doing. He was saving her. Getting rid of the assholes who had been making her uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth to say just that, but she shot him a glare, dark green eyes flashing with vibrant intensity, conveying a message loud and clear. Shut up. Cowl closed his mouth, curiosity overwhelming his sense of protection. It would seem the bartender wasn’t quite as cowed by these men as he’d first thought.
“Whatever,” Jake sighed. “I’m hungry. Let’s go get some food that isn’t the shit this place serves.”
Cowl didn’t taunt them any further, and just watched as they left. In the corner by the door the other two patrons wisely kept to themselves, sipping at their beers and not staring. Once the door closed he spun around to face the bartender, blue eyes meeting green.
He gave her a broad toothy smile. Gods, she was beautiful.
“So, can I have that drink now?”
Chapter Three
Andria
He had to be insane.
“You must be insane.”
Pale eyelids lowered and then raised. He hadn’t stopped staring at her since he’d turned around after Jake left. The intensity of his gaze left her a little unsettled, and a lot flattered. He was hot. Really, really hot.
Tall, with shoulders so broad they threatened to rip his shirt apart every time he inhaled. She knew she’d been staring. The seams around his biceps were strained to bursting as well, and Andria hadn’t even gotten to the way his chest filled out the T-shirt. It was a shame it wasn’t lower cut. She’d have loved to see some more of his muscles.
“Why do you say that?”
His voice was smooth, like watching expensive liquor poured perfectly into a glass, splashing easily against a pair of frosted ice cubes. It drew her attention in, captivated her, and made her want to just rest her elbows on the bar and listen to him talk.
“Because he was about to kick your ass!”
Tall, Pale, and Perfect laughed easily, dismissing her fears. “No, I don’t think it would have gone quite the way he expected it. But that’s over now. Let’s discuss something more interesting.”
Andria looked up at him through her painfully thin eyelashes. “Oh? Such as?”
Was she flirting with him? She looked down and promptly stood up, pulling her arms away from where she’d inadvertently crossed them to amplify her already considerable cleavage. Yep. She’d been flirting with him.
Get ahold of yourself.
It wasn’t hard to do that. She hadn’t flirted with anyone in months. After what happened, it held no appeal to her, the idea as dull and bland as ash. A burnt reminder of what she’d once been like.
So how come this guy could get her into such a good mood? It probably had to do with him riding to the rescue, coming into her bar like a knight in shining armor, driving Jake and his fellow fraternity brothers out into the streets. That was one way to get on her good side.
“Well, I’m sure if I had an ale to quench my thirst, I could come up with something suitable to discuss.”
He talked so weird, even though it was plain English.
“Sure. This one’s on me as thanks.” She poured him a thick loca
l beer, setting it on a coaster in front of him.
The stranger pulled a gold coin from his pocket and slapped it down. “Thank you, but while I may not have my treasure just yet, I have enough to pay for a beverage. Will this suffice?”
Andria stared. “Is that real gold?”
“Of course. You think I would try to pawn off some cheap imitation as if I were little more than a street beggar groveling in the mud?”
He talked so weird.
“No, I guess not. Thanks.” She pocketed the coin. The beer had been offered freely, so if it was real gold, she was definitely not going to complain.
The pint glass seemed to disappear in his hand, looking like a sippy cup more than anything. He was massive. And Jake was afraid of him. Well, maybe not afraid, but wary, unwilling to outright attack. Nor was the newcomer intimidated by Jake or his cronies, though she thought he should probably be a bit more respectful of them.
Jake’s family was rather well known in town, though if you knew who to talk to, it wasn’t for the best of reasons. Considering that he’d just been in the bar threatening her, telling her to stay away or she’d “be sorry,” Andria was inclined to agree with those others. His family was trouble, and they weren’t afraid to throw their weight around. It had been stupid of her to get involved in the first place, but that was done now. There was nothing she could do about it.
Or was there…
“Hey, do you need a job?”
“I…” He looked like he’d been about to automatically deny it, but changed his mind. “Do you mean here, working with you?”
That’s not quite how she’d meant it. “I guess, yeah. Here, at the bar.”
What the hell was she doing? Hiring a stranger she didn’t even know? The owner, Mr. Logan, was kind enough to let her run the show for the most part, but even she wasn’t sure how he would react to having someone like this hanging around. They did need another hand though…