Page 41 of Dance for the Dragon
Just over a slight incline, a little house came into view, and a dim but welcoming light was lit over the back door.
“We’re back at the restaurant?”
As they walked into the circle of warmth it cast, Devon tried to catch up to him, and he noticed for the first time she was limping.
Concerned, he looked over his shoulder and caught Devon…looking straight at his ass.
When she noticed he was watching, she averted her eyes and shrugged. “What? You’re running around showing it off and you expect me not to look?”
Kohl laughed, and answered her question. “Margaret and her family know what I am. It’s safe here.”
They got to the door, and he rapped five times. There was some shuffling around inside, and then it was opened by their hostess from earlier. She wore a long nightgown with little pink flowers all over it, her dark hair was braided over one shoulder, and she held a blanket in her hands. She smiled that same welcoming smile and handed him the blanket. “Is everything well?” she asked with her Irish lilt.
He took the blanket from her and wrapped it around his waist. “Devon was bit.”
“Not by you, I take it?”
He shook his head.
The smile immediately fell from Margaret’s face and she pushed him aside and pulled Devon into the house and under the light. “Oh, no.”
Devon complied, allowing the older woman to fuss over her while she looked around the kitchen with interest.
“Who was it?” Margaret asked him.
“It was Jaz.”
Her smiling blue eyes narrowed and her mouth hardened. “That fecker. He’s not right in the head. He’ll be looking for you, you know,” she said to Devon.
“She knows,” Kohl told her.
“Well, it doesn’t look so bad.” She patted Devon on the arm with a sympathetic smile.
“Can we stay downstairs?”
“Of course. You don’t even have to ask. You know that, Kohl. But I appreciate that you always do.” She shooed them in the direction of the restaurant. “Go on, then. You know where to go. There’s fresh towels and I can bring some food if you’d like.”
“I think we’re good, Margaret. Thank you,” Kohl told her.
“Speak for yourself,” Devon said, turning to Margaret with a hopeful expression. “I’m starving and I lost my leftovers.”
Margaret opened the restaurant size refrigerator and pulled out a dish covered in foil. “Just warm it up in the microwave for a minute or two. And let me know if you need anything else, dear,” she told Devon. “I’ll see you both tonight.”
“Thank you,” Devon told her.
“Yes, thank you, Margaret. You and your family have saved my ass more times than I would like to admit.”
“Well, and a fine arse it is.” She gave him a wink, locked the back door, and left through the other side of the kitchen to the rooms she shared with her brother.
“See?” Devon told him. “It’s a fine ass.”
Kohl’s shook his head with a laugh. “I think the loss of blood is starting to affect you. Come on.” Leading her in the opposite direction, he took her through the restaurant. There was a door between the two restrooms. He felt along the top of the top of the doorframe and found the key, unlocked it, and turned on the light.
Stairs led down to a basement. It hadn’t been an easy task, but with the family’s permission, his coven had dug it out years ago for emergencies. Kohl just happened to have more emergencies than the others, so he’d taken to keeping some things of his own there.
Devon preceded him down as he closed and locked the door behind them with the key. When he joined her at the bottom of the stairs, he found her standing in the middle of the floor, looking around in surprise.
“Wow. This place is like something straight out of a James Bond movie.”
