Page 230 of Nobody Told Me Thrift Shops Sell Stolen Dragon Heirlooms

“You earned this,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “I know.”

And the strange thing was, I did.

I had earned this.

Max pressed his shoulder against my leg, so I rested my other hand on his head.

After the announcement, the evening turned into a blur of congratulations. Moira hugged me hard enough to threaten ribs. Cressler told me my Fenwick service memo had become “training material, unfortunately.” Helena shook my hand and said, “Do not make me regret this,” which from her felt like being knighted.

Octavia arrived in a black velvet suit and enormous earrings, took one look at me, and said, “Good. The dress survived the emotions.”

“Barely.”

Avery appeared beside her holding a champagne flute and wearing her silk suit dress that made three women nearby pretend not to look twice. Behind her, Elena from Mr. Alvarez’s hot dog cart gave me a shy little wave.

I gasped. “Oh my god.”

Avery’s eyes narrowed. “Do not make this a thing.”

“It’s already a thing.”

Elena smiled. “Hi, Quinn.”

“Hi. I love this for everyone,” I said with a grin.

Avery pointed at me. “Job night. Focus.”

“I can contain multitudes.”

“You can barely contain your eyeliner.”

“Fair.”

Rafe, who had come up behind me, murmured, “You seem happy.”

“I am aggressively happy. It may become everyone’s problem.”

“It already has,” Avery said.

Max chose that moment to abandon dignity and lean against Rafe’s father, who had approached with Aoi on his arm.

Rafael Virelli bent to greet him. “Good evening, Max.”

Max’s tail wagged.

Aoi looked luminous in a soft silver dress, her dark hair pinned back with a comb I recognized from the recovered relics display photographs. Not the relic itself, obviously. A reproduction Rafe had commissioned for her, so she could wear the shape of what had come home without risking the fragile original.

Her gaze moved around the room, taking in faces, candles, glass cases. For a moment, I saw the Fog at the edges. The slight uncertainty. The way Rafael’s hand steadied at her back without making it obvious.

Then her eyes landed on me.

“Sunshine,” she said.

“Hi, Aoi.”

She took my hands. “You aren’t an intern tonight.”