looking for a new victim. I mean fiancé.”
Pandora ignored her food and stared at Kelly without blinking, a ferocious scowl puckering her small, pretty face.
“Wow, I can literally feel the hatred rays burning my flesh,” Kelly said, sipping on a glass of red wine. “It’s kind of nice. The air’s a little chilly in here.”
Dinner arrived a short time later. The dragons all had steak, and Kelly had pasta. Pandora and her family kept glaring steadily at them as they tucked into their dinner.
“Would it be a bad idea to say, ‘Careful or your face will freeze like that’?” Gabriel grinned and shoved a hunk of steak into his mouth. “Get it? Because we’re in ice dragon territory?”
“Your comedy routine needs work,” Kelly mused. “You should stick to jewel thieving. I mean jewelry sales.”
Evangeline took a few bites, looking sullen and annoyed. “This is kid stuff. This is stupid,” she complained, glaring at the ice dragons on the stage. “My friends are outside at the park across the street. Why can’t I go hang out with them?”
“You’re speaking to your schoolmates again?” Gabriel asked her. Kelly remembered how the girls had snubbed Evangeline on the day of the fair.
“Who cares? I’m bored.” She narrowed her eyes.
“If you’re going to have that attitude, please, do leave,” Tabitha said with annoyance.
Evangeline took on a wounded look. “Great. My own family doesn’t even want me. What a surprise,” she said. She stood up with a dramatic flourish. “Nobody wants me. When I turn eighteen, I’m going to go be a hermit and live in the desert by myself.”
“Don’t forget to write,” Gabriel said.
Evangeline responded by kicking him in the shin and stalking out of the restaurant.
Gabriel glanced at Kelly. “I’m hoping we have boys,” he said to her.
“I’m hoping you seek professional help,” she informed him. “But dinner is delicious, thanks.”
“I like her,” Tabitha observed drily. “It’s exhausting being the only one in the family who abuses you. I definitely needed reinforcements.” Apparently she’d already forgiven Kelly for the silverware incident.
Gabriel shook his head. “With a mother like that,” he said to Kelly, “How could I possibly have been expected to grow up normal?”
As they pushed their plates away, an attractive dragon couple who appeared to be in their late twenties strode up to them and greeted Gabriel.
“Kelly, this is my cousin Orion Garrison, and this is his much-too-good-for-him wife, Cadence,” Gabriel said. “Orion, Cadence, this is the woman I hoodwinked into getting engaged to me.”
Cadence rolled her eyes in sympathy. “I know how that goes,” she said, sliding into the seat next to Kelly.
“You do?”
Cadence laughed. “Kind of. I heard about the Fair Maiden thing. That was brilliant. My engagement wasn’t quite that dramatic; basically, I just hid out at Orion’s castle to avoid an arranged marriage, and then whoops, next thing you know I’m engaged, then I’m married and there’s four dragonlings.”
At Kelly’s startled look, she added, “Don’t worry, I’m apparently freakishly fertile. You probably won’t have multiple babies.”
Kelly glanced nervously at Gabriel and scooted her chair away from him. “Four?” she echoed faintly.
Gabriel shot Cadence a reproachful look. “You aren’t being particularly helpful,” he informed her. “I’m trying to convince her not to flee my castle, change her name and go in the Federal Witness Protection Program.”
“She’s known you for a few days and she’s still here.” Cadence shrugged. “I’d say she has a strong constitution. Or terrible taste. Either way, I think you’re good.”
“So other than basically kidnapping a bride, are you staying out of trouble, cousin?” Orion asked Gabriel.
Kelly snorted, halfway hiding it behind her hand.
Orion grinned at Gabriel. “So is that a no? You’ll never change, will you?
Pandora ignored her food and stared at Kelly without blinking, a ferocious scowl puckering her small, pretty face.
“Wow, I can literally feel the hatred rays burning my flesh,” Kelly said, sipping on a glass of red wine. “It’s kind of nice. The air’s a little chilly in here.”
Dinner arrived a short time later. The dragons all had steak, and Kelly had pasta. Pandora and her family kept glaring steadily at them as they tucked into their dinner.
“Would it be a bad idea to say, ‘Careful or your face will freeze like that’?” Gabriel grinned and shoved a hunk of steak into his mouth. “Get it? Because we’re in ice dragon territory?”
“Your comedy routine needs work,” Kelly mused. “You should stick to jewel thieving. I mean jewelry sales.”
Evangeline took a few bites, looking sullen and annoyed. “This is kid stuff. This is stupid,” she complained, glaring at the ice dragons on the stage. “My friends are outside at the park across the street. Why can’t I go hang out with them?”
“You’re speaking to your schoolmates again?” Gabriel asked her. Kelly remembered how the girls had snubbed Evangeline on the day of the fair.
“Who cares? I’m bored.” She narrowed her eyes.
“If you’re going to have that attitude, please, do leave,” Tabitha said with annoyance.
Evangeline took on a wounded look. “Great. My own family doesn’t even want me. What a surprise,” she said. She stood up with a dramatic flourish. “Nobody wants me. When I turn eighteen, I’m going to go be a hermit and live in the desert by myself.”
“Don’t forget to write,” Gabriel said.
Evangeline responded by kicking him in the shin and stalking out of the restaurant.
Gabriel glanced at Kelly. “I’m hoping we have boys,” he said to her.
“I’m hoping you seek professional help,” she informed him. “But dinner is delicious, thanks.”
“I like her,” Tabitha observed drily. “It’s exhausting being the only one in the family who abuses you. I definitely needed reinforcements.” Apparently she’d already forgiven Kelly for the silverware incident.
Gabriel shook his head. “With a mother like that,” he said to Kelly, “How could I possibly have been expected to grow up normal?”
As they pushed their plates away, an attractive dragon couple who appeared to be in their late twenties strode up to them and greeted Gabriel.
“Kelly, this is my cousin Orion Garrison, and this is his much-too-good-for-him wife, Cadence,” Gabriel said. “Orion, Cadence, this is the woman I hoodwinked into getting engaged to me.”
Cadence rolled her eyes in sympathy. “I know how that goes,” she said, sliding into the seat next to Kelly.
“You do?”
Cadence laughed. “Kind of. I heard about the Fair Maiden thing. That was brilliant. My engagement wasn’t quite that dramatic; basically, I just hid out at Orion’s castle to avoid an arranged marriage, and then whoops, next thing you know I’m engaged, then I’m married and there’s four dragonlings.”
At Kelly’s startled look, she added, “Don’t worry, I’m apparently freakishly fertile. You probably won’t have multiple babies.”
Kelly glanced nervously at Gabriel and scooted her chair away from him. “Four?” she echoed faintly.
Gabriel shot Cadence a reproachful look. “You aren’t being particularly helpful,” he informed her. “I’m trying to convince her not to flee my castle, change her name and go in the Federal Witness Protection Program.”
“She’s known you for a few days and she’s still here.” Cadence shrugged. “I’d say she has a strong constitution. Or terrible taste. Either way, I think you’re good.”
“So other than basically kidnapping a bride, are you staying out of trouble, cousin?” Orion asked Gabriel.
Kelly snorted, halfway hiding it behind her hand.
Orion grinned at Gabriel. “So is that a no? You’ll never change, will you?
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