Page 31 of Hungry Like A Dragon
“The woman has to be making a fortune on those figurines. But why? Dragons love treasure, sure, but those little knickknacks—it doesn’t make sense. A dragon would want a unique treasure, if not a valuable one,” he mused.
“Only one way to find out,” Petra said, and she started toward the shop, with him kicking into gear and following while pushing the stroller.
When they entered the storefront, they veered right, away from the popular curio cabinet, and pretended to peruse a display of Mardi Gras-themed items that, according to a small placard resting on an old oak dresser, were from the turn of the twentieth century.
Noah caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to watch the human woman they met earlier step into the shop from a back room. She smiled when she spotted Noah and Petra, and then whispered something in the ear of the lady hovering near the miniature dragon display. The woman—a dragon—glanced up and acknowledged them with a brief nod. She and the human exchanged a few words, and then she left her employee to sell the knickknacks while she headed in Noah and Petra’s direction.
Dragons aged at about half the rate of humans, so while this woman was likely sixty or possibly older, she looked only a few years older than Noah. Her hair was midnight black, a straight curtain draping to the middle of her back. She had a heavy hand with the black liner around her eyes, and her lips were full, pale, and glossy. She wore a choker necklace with a large green stone fastened to the middle of the thick, gold band. The tops of her ample breasts swelled over the low-cut neckline of her long, black dress.
“Hello there,” she said in greeting as her gaze traveled the length of first Petra and then Noah before flicking briefly to the baby sleeping in the stroller. She offered a limp hand to Noah, like she wanted him to kiss her knuckles or something, but he shook it instead.
“You are dragons,” she said. “But not from around here.”
Petra shook her head and stuttered over the cover they’d devised. “West. Out west.” She swallowed. “Colorado.”
The lady nodded. “Very different from New Orleans.”
“Very,” Petra agreed and appeared to relax. “We’re vacationing here.”
“Ah.”
“I’m Petra.” She held out her hand to shake.
The other woman gave her hand a sour look before reluctantly squeezing it once and then releasing. “Petra, you say? I’m Delilah, and I own this shop. Is there something in particular you’re looking for?”
“Well, we’re quite fascinated by all things Mardi Gras,” Noah said. “But what’s going on over there? Why are all those other dragons so interested in that curio cabinet?”
Delilah’s gaze darted to the latest cluster hovering around her human employee. “It’s a local thing. Nothing that would interest you.”
“I don’t know. If it’s specific to New Orleans, it might be something I’d like to add to my hoard.”
Delilah’s lips twitched, as though she found him amusing but was trying to suppress her laughter. “Trust me, that isn’t what you want to add to your treasures. Fated mates, I presume?”
Noah wrapped his arm around Petra’s shoulders and grinned. She stiffened for a moment before sliding her arm around his waist. “Yep,” he said, as if he were proud of that fact. As if he wanted it to be true.
“Of course you are.” Delilah’s tone was derisive, which certainly went along with the fact that she may very well be the woman who cursed an entire colony and took away their ability to find their fated mates.
“I know,” Petra said, snapping her fingers and glancing up at Noah. “Voodoo. Magic.Curses.” She turned her focus to Delilah. “That’s what we should take home with us. A book of spells or something. Something different from a Mardi Gras mask or beads. Something unique.”
Well done, babe.
“Do you have anything like that?” she asked Delilah. “Even if it isn’t real?”
“If you purchase anything in my shop, it will most definitely be real,” Delilah said, her nose thrust into the air. Petra definitely hit a nerve with her questions.
Even those worthless dragon figurines?
“Even better,” Petra said. “Authentic. This is exactly what we’ve been looking for since we arrived,” she said, casting doe eyes at Noah. Damn, she was good. And sexy.
Was she sexy because he was so impressed by her acting skills or because he just generally found her attractive?
Delilah lifted her hand to the green stone at her neck, stroking it for a moment before she shook her head. “I don’t sell anything like that here.”
Liar.She may not sell anything associated with magic, but she’d obviously dabbled in it at some point. Cursing an entire colony was no small feat for anyone, let alone a dragon.
“We can pay,” he cut in. “Cash. Tell us how much and we’ll make it happen.”
If she took the bait, she’d likely arrange for the sale to occur in a more private setting, and then they could corner her, ask about the curse. Convince her to break it. And then they could go home.
