Page 9 of Dragons & Dumplings
I smiled, happy to hear her voice, but I still rolled my eyes at the fact that she asked about the diner first. “We’re doing just fine—morning rush is slowing down, and our regulars have been very regular.”
“Glad to hear you haven’t burned the place down yet,” my dad chimed in.
“What your fathermeansto say is that we're both incredibly proud of you for managing the diner so well while we’re away,” mom cut in.
I laughed. “Thanks. And yes, the place is still standing—for now. Though Pyra might have other ideas.”
“Good thing we installed that sprinkler system just in case,” I heard my dad mutter, followed by a cough as my mom no doubt elbowed him in the ribs.
“Good, glad to hear it. Have there been any issues?” she asked.
I hesitated.
“Mei?” My mom’s voice took on a worried edge.
“There have been…a couple of incidents,” I said slowly, my eyes darting to Kiki and then Yuri. “But I kept my temper in check. It was nothing I couldn’t handle.”
I could hear her relieved exhale. “That’s my girl.”
“Was there a reason you called so early today? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until tonight.”
She paused, giving my stomach time to twist itself into knots, before finally replying, “There’s been a change of plans.”
“Is everything okay?” I scowled, worried.
“Everything is fine. The conference is just going to last for an extra week and a half or so.” She sighed, and I could practically see her rubbing her temples.
I did some mental math. “Wait, but what about the Harvest Feast?”
I didnotlike where this was going. The Harvest Feast was something akin to the humans’ Thanksgiving, but with a much wider variety of dishes to account for the dietary needs of all kinds of magical folks.
“You’re going to have to cater it without us this year.”
My breaths started coming faster as I tried to stave off my rising sense of panic. There wasno wayI could handle the Feastalone!We were nearly two weeks into November, which meant I only had about two weeks left to prepare. The menu was only partially finalized, so not only would I have to figure that out, but I would also still need to order all the ingredients, prep all the dishes, and then cook and deliver all of the food in time for the Feast!
Icy blue eyes met mine, but I turned away, even as smoke leaked out of my nostrils.
I had just enough air left in my lungs to say cheerily, “Don’t worry about a thing, I’ll take care of it. Better go and get started, I’ll give you an update soon!”
“Mei-Mei, are you alright—”
I hung up the phone, clutching it tight with fingers that were now tipped with ruby claws. I leaned my forehead against the wall even as I tried to get a breath down. Tried and failed. I could feel scales creeping across my skin, and spines pressed against the fabric of my shirt.
The endless list of things I needed to get done in such a short period of time pressed in on me from all sides. I had never been responsible for something so huge and important in all of my twenty-two years! How could I possibly keep the diner running and get everything ready in time for the Harvest Feastalone?!
My body temperature was rising too fast for me to control. The air around me shimmered with it, distorting my vision even as my slitted eyes began to glow. Oh no, if I shifted into my dragon form in the middle of the diner, not only would I probably destroy the building, I’d never be able to face my parents again!
“Mei, what’s wrong?” Yuri appeared in front of me, concern creasing his forehead. He grimaced at the heat, but then his eyes widened when he took in the scales that were rapidly spreading across my face and my throat.
“I can’t— I can’t—” Flames came out of my mouth with every word, which Yuri calmly froze in mid-air. I shook my head, my horns brushing against the screen of decorative plants, which were the only reason no one had noticed me losing it yet. “I can’t breathe!”
His cold eyes softened when they met mine, the understanding in their depths so visceral that I longed to know what had caused it. I wanted to know why he hid his warmth beneath such a cold exterior.
“Let me help.” Pearlescent scales covered his hands as he grabbed mine. He winced at the heat, but the moment his scales touched mine, comforting coolness slithered through my veins.
But my internal temperature was already too high; the delicate ice, despite its best efforts, quickly melted away. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead from the heat. If he stayed so close, I feared I would have to give him more than just aloe gel.
I took a step back, fearing I would burn Yuri along with everything else I touched in my panic. But instead of backing away, he lunged forward and pressed his lips against mine.
