Page 47 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

“Udar, youpromised,” she hissed at him. Udar’s mouth shut with a click.

“Forget I asked,” Tika said. “Tell me how you two met instead.”

Great, another tricky question. I took another large gulp of wine. “I wait tables at Norma’s Kitchen. One day, he and Niemrin came in, and I served them. Az’zael came back and asked me out for coffee.”

Udar snorted. “Apublicmeeting? Sneakyfrumser.”

“Quit insulting him.”

Both dragons gaped at me, sharp teeth glinting in the low light.Fuck.

Then Tika laughed. “Don’t tell me, after all his complaining about timid humans, all it took was a little patience to find one with fire! Az isnota patient dragon.”

How on earth did they get “patience” from what I’d described? Patience wasn’t why I’d agreed to see him; I had bills to pay. Someone could have lit a match with the force of my blush. Still, I said, “Az has been very patient with me.” My voice hitched at the end.

“Good for him,” Udar muttered into his glass.

I went to take another sip, but my glass was empty again. I grabbed another full one from a passing server.

Tika leaned toward me, gleaming muscle and still half a foot taller than me in my sky-high heels. “I’ve heard quitting is a very cathartic thing for humans. Was it delicious, when you quit your job?”

I straightened my shoulders with pride. I wanted her to understand that I…what? Wasn’t with Az for his money? He was fucking paying me. Jesus. Of course I was with him for his money, and they seemed to understand that instantly. I wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. What the hell was I doing?

Az’zael might have been a touch intense, but he was also kind and thoughtful, and he made me wonder if swearing off relationships altogether was possibly a rash decision. I didn’t want Tika to thinkthat I took her brother for granted. “I haven’t quit.”

She drew back like I’d slapped her. “You’re still working some wretched job? What does Az say about that?”

“Az and Ijuststarted dating,” I said, taken aback.

“Did he not offer you enough? Are you holding out for someone richer?” Her nostrils flared as smoke curled from them.

Udar opened his mouth, probably to say something nasty. She shot him a look that screamedshut up.

“He might be early in his career, but he always got top marks in gold-sniffing, and he haswonderfulplans to improve this dreary ‘city.’ You couldn’t find a better dragon.” Tika’s wings flared out wide as she spoke.

I backed up a step, afraid I was about to get a front-row view to a pissed-off dragon transformation.

“I won’t depend on a man like that.” Shit. The words came out too aggressive. I should have stuck to one drink.

“Az’zael isn’t a man. He’s a dragon. We’re much more dependable,” Udar said, examining his claws. A complete and suspicious change of demeanor from thirty seconds ago. What was his game now?

“Exactly! Az is a very dependable dragon, no matter what anyone says about his library!”

Udar smirked as he glanced between the spectacle Tika was making of herself, me, and the humans shrinking to the sides of the banquet hall.

Certain my whole body was bright red, I drew in a deep breath. I could feel eyes watching us from all over the room. “This is between me and Az’zael.” I enunciated each word carefully.

Heedless of the attention we drew, Tikalass drew up to her full height, towering over me. “You’re wearing his gifts; you’re accompanying him in public. I thought you liked him.”

“Idolike him.” Better than I’d ever expected to.

“Then why are you stillworking?” She said the last word like it had bitten her.

Out of the corner of my eye, Udar shifted forward. “Calm down, Tika.”

Calm down.The two worst words in the English language. I glared at Udar, and he gave me a small shrug. As if he didn’t understand why that hadn’t worked, and no, thatwasn’thim provoking her five seconds ago.

“Enough, Tikalass,” Az’zael growled from behind me. “Leave Elle alone.”

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