Page 13 of Ale Storm

“What?” she asked warily.

“Jildarin desires to court you, but there are once again female dragons in the area. If one of them comes into the city and smells your scent on him, she will be incensed. She may seek to slay you outright, and she will certainly complain to our mother.”

“I’ll try not to put my scent on him.” Rylana didn’t know whether to appreciate that Zilek cared enough to give the warning or be annoyed that he was getting involved.

“That will not be possible since you sleep in his lair, but if you mate with him, it will be even more pronounced. Any dragon would know right away. Even in this lowly form, our senses are superior to those of humans.” Zilek touched his nose.

“It must be difficult to be so superlative.”

“Usually, it is quite enjoyable. I would warn you to stay away from my brother entirely, for the sake of your life and so that he isn’t moved to mourn exceedingly and find a new bookkeeper, but once he gets a notion in his mind, he is quite stubborn about it. Now that he’s realized he lusts for you, he would likely seek you out, even if you departed his establishment. He might even toss you over his shoulder and carry you back to his lair.”

“It’s always nice to be desired.”

“Will you be this flippant when Loxvonla and Foxvonla arrive to slay you?”

“Yeah, flippancy distracts your enemies while you’re untying the tranquility ribbons from your bow.”

“I find you somewhat exasperating but at the same time see why my brother is drawn.”

“I’m starting to like you too.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Since Zilek had gone against his aunt’s wishes and hadn’t tried to slay Rylana, she felt less hostile toward him. And, pompous and manipulative as he was, he seemed to care about his brother.

“I’ve delivered my warning,” Zilek said. “I suggest that if you and Jildarin must rut, you do so in the dead of night and wash yourselves thoroughly afterward. The sisters could show up at any time. Further, be aware that dragons do not court or marry humans. Even if he and his sperm were not eagerly sought by so many females, that would be true. Humans are too far beneath us. Even an elf would be frowned upon, and they are the greatest of the lesser species.”

“They must delight in the way you describe them with such reverence.”

“They are honored by their association with dragons, I assure you.”

At that moment, Sylin opened the front door. Zilek swung to look at her, a smile spreading across his face. Sylin inhaled and visibly braced herself before stepping in.

Believing Zilek suitably distracted and done speaking with her regardless, Rylana moved to step past him. But he caught her wrist, his grip tight. Her latte almost sloshed over the edge of her cup.

“Simply have sex with him,” Zilek said. “Do not allow him to have notions of a more involved relationship. If you are wise, once he’s satisfied you, you’ll tell him to go out and mate with Loxvonla and Foxvonla and the other Sunclaw female with them.”

“He’s supposed to get busy with three females? At once?”

Zilek nodded firmly. “I am certain Mother and the rest of the clan would object much less to you if you weren’t, in their eyes, keeping Jildarin from mating with his own kind. He has the great stamina of all dragons. He would satisfy you no less because he was also inseminating others.”

Sylin arrived at the table, her eyebrows up. “This sounds like an important discussion. Should you wish to continue it, I can leave.”

Zilek released Rylana’s wrist and stepped back to face Sylin. “Dragon stamina is indeed an important topic, one I am greatly looking forward to discussing with you during our date.” He flicked his fingers in a shooing motion at Rylana.

“How fortunate for me.” Sylin slanted a dark look toward Rylana as she moved past.

“Ten minutes,” Rylana whispered before choosing a table near the window so she would have a view of the diner—and she wouldn’t be so close to Zilek’s table that he would believe she was monitoring him. Besides, she had probably listened in on enough of his private conversations for the day.

Zilek sat and waved to the chair opposite him. Sylin shifted it aside so that she could stand with her shoulder against the wall while facing him. Amusement made the corners of his lips quirk, and he said something—Rylana only caught the words deliciously eccentric—then waved for Vilma to attend them.

Tezilly brought a steaming cup of black coffee to a male ogre standing at a counter near the door—the tables and chairs were too small for their kind—and also set down a small plate holding four flower-shaped pats of butter. The ogre rumbled a thanks and dropped the pats into his coffee, then took a spoon and stirred them in.

“The preferred ogre brew,” Tezilly said, noticing Rylana watching. “It’s becoming popular with other species as well, especially those who labor at the docks or other demanding physical jobs. May I join you?” Tezilly pointed to the empty seat across from Rylana and lifted a notepad and pencil. “I’m brainstorming a list of ideas.”

“Of course.” Rylana looked toward Zilek and Sylin. They were talking—mostly, he was talking—with nothing alarming taking place yet. Sylin’s expression was masked, but that was typical for her.

Tezilly sat. “I like to start my lists on my own before Brella comes over and tells me what I prefer.”

“It’s good that you have a system that works. What are you brainstorming?”