Page 23 of Hot for the Dragon

11

DAPHNE

The floating menu board at Cauldron & Cup rearranged itself for the lunch specials as Daphne stirred her Moonbeam Macchiato. Her brother Hugo sat across from her, his sandwich barely touched as she recounted yesterday's events.

"You did what?" Hugo nearly choked on his coffee. "You broke into a storage unit?"

"Technically, Archer broke in." Daphne winced at her brother's disapproving stare. "But we found solid evidence that Adam's been helping fund Carmen's rebellion."

"Through jewelry store profits?"

"And who knows what else." The coffee's magic made her float slightly off her chair. She grabbed the table edge to stay put. "We had to move fast before they could relocate everything."

Hugo shook his head. "So, your first move with Archer was theft?"

"We're calling it 'strategic resource relocation.'" Daphne grinned, then sobered at his expression. "What else could we do? Let Carmen keep building her army?"

"I just don't like you getting mixed up in this kind of thing." Hugo leaned forward. "Maybe someone else should work with Archer."

"Not happening." Daphne's chair thumped back to the floor as the coffee's effects wore off. "I volunteered for this, Hugo. I'm not backing down just because things got a little dicey."

"A little dicey? Daphne, you're working with one of the most formidable dragon shifters."

"Who hasn't actually done anything dangerous." She traced the rim of her cup. "At least, not that I've seen."

"Yet." Hugo sighed. "Look, I know you want to help after what happened to your shop. But Archer Hawke isn't exactly known for playing well with others."

"Neither is Carmen, and she's the real threat here." Daphne met her brother's concerned gaze. "I'm staying on this, Hugo. Someone needs to watch Archer's back while he figures out how to stop her."

"And who's watching yours?"

The floating menu board chose that moment to reorganize itself with a musical chime, drawing their attention to the "Dragon's Breath Hot Chocolate" special. Daphne couldn't help but smile at the timing.

"I can take care of myself," she said firmly. "And right now, working with Archer is our best shot at stopping Carmen."

Hugo slumped back in his chair. "Fine. But that dragon's nothing but trouble. Half the town thinks he's unstable, and the other half's terrified of him. Did you know he once burned down an entire?—"

"Stop." The word burst from Daphne's lips before she could catch it. A nearby fern sprouted fresh leaves in response to her flaring emotions. "You don't even know him."

"And you do?" Hugo's eyebrows shot up.

Heat crept into Daphne's cheeks. "I know he's not what everyone thinks. Yesterday, when we were working together..." She traced the coffee ring on the table. "He was different. Sure, he's gruff and probably hasn't had a proper conversation in years, but there's more to him."

"More to Archer Hawke?" Hugo barked out a laugh. "The guy who growls at children if they get too close to his property?"

"He makes beautiful wood carvings," she blurted out. "And when he talks about them, his whole face changes. He's just..." Daphne struggled to find the right words. "He's like one of those prickly desert roses. All thorns on the outside, but..."

She trailed off, startled by her own passionate defense. The magical lanterns above cast dancing shadows across their table, and Daphne suddenly found them very fascinating.

"Since when are you such an expert on Archer Hawke?" Hugo asked.

"I'm not." Daphne fiddled with her spoon, watching the sparkles in her coffee swirl. "I just think maybe everyone's been too quick to judge him. Including you."

Daphne couldn't quite meet her brother's searching gaze. Why had she gotten so defensive about Archer? Sure, he wasn't as terrible as everyone claimed, but since when did she care so much about his reputation?

Hugo's expression softened as he stirred his cooling coffee. "Well, I'm glad you two are getting along, but just... be careful, okay? Archer is feared for a reason."

"What reason is that exactly?" Daphne leaned forward. "Everyone keeps saying that, but no one will tell me why."

---