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Shouts from down the street grab our attention. I lean over the railing and see people peering up at the sky and pointing.
So I look.
“Fuck me!” Micah’s exclamation drowns out my gasp. “Dragons!”
“Dragons,” I repeat reverently. There are four of them, getting closer by the second. Two are green, one red, and the last rosy pink. They’re huge, even from this distance, and majestic and fucking amazing. “Every day of my life just keeps getting better since I came here.”
“Did you know they were flying here?” Asher demands, and I take my eyes off the dragons for long enough to see Garrett raise a brow at him.
“Of course. How did you think they were going to get here?”
I look back at the real-life dragons approaching. Wow.
“I don’t know! I thought someone was going to get them. Or that an elf would bring them through a portal.”
I blink. An elf would bring them through a what now?
Before I can ask if portal means the same thing to them that it does to me, and if so, why haven’t I heard anything about elves being able to use them, Garrett says, “Well, they flew. And they’re here now. Are we going to go meet them?”
I’m out of my chair so fast, it nearly tips over. Then the blanket that was in my lap tangles with my legs, and I bump into the table, rattling all our dishes. I stay on my feet, though. Score for me!
“I think Cam would like to go.” There’s only the tiniest trace of sarcasm in Micah’s voice, and his subtle little smile more than makes up for it.
We pay the bill, promise to tell the dragons they get a discount at the pub, and make our way through town to what Garrett tells us is the designated landing area. The dragons are circling above us now.
“Here?” Asher asks, looking around. We’re on the south side of the village, in an area that’s relatively clear but not level. The older teens use it for sledding when they can get away with it, which isn’t often, because it’s too steep and too close to buildings to be safe. “Don’t they need a flat area?”
Garrett shrugs. “I asked, and they said no. As long as it’s not wooded, apparently.” A small crowd gathers around us as the dragons begin to descend—one green one and the pink one first, while the other two continue to circle.
“Micah, Micah!” I hear Isaac calling, but don’t take my eyes off the smooth way the dragons land on the uneven slope. I could never be that graceful.
Micah leaves my side but is back a moment later with Isaac in his arms and Chloe tagging along beside him. “Wow,” Chloe breathes. “I can’t believe those are real dragons.”
“I know.” I’m in complete agreement.
A gasp runs through the group of onlookers—including me—when the two dragons on the ground shift into biped form. They’re both men, both dark-haired, but where one is tall, hair cut short, with a stern expression, the other couldn’t be more opposite. His hair flops in his face, and he grins and waves at us jauntily.
“That’s Steffen,” Asher says. “He was here a few weeks ago. He’s in charge of dragon security.”
That cheerful guy? I guess that’ll teach me not to judge a book by its cover.
“Which one?” Isaac demands. “That one, or that one?” He points.
Micah captures his hand and pulls it down. “Don’t point. The taller one.”
Oh. Whoops. Look at me making assumptions about making assumptions.
Garrett walks forward to meet them even as the other two dragons swoop in to land. Asher takes Chloe’s hand and follows, and Micah slides a glance at me. “Well? Come on.”
Yesssssss. I’m gonna meet the dragons!
It doesn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. For one thing, this part of the village doesn’t get the snow removal treatment, what with being a big, empty space. Teens hang out here enough that the lower layers have been packed down, but I still have to slog through nearly a foot of it. Plus, the ground underneath is uneven.
So of course I trip and face-plant into the snow. Micah couldn’t even catch me, since he’s carrying Isaac.
I groan into the cold, wet snow. Why can I never make a good first impression?
“Cam?” Hands grasp my shoulders and lift me back to my feet. “Did you hurt yourself?” Micah studies my face.
