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Some thought it was romantic, weirdly. I found it disturbing. I’d never had a problem controlling my dragon, or my magic... though one of those had become quite difficult recently.
A chill stole down my spine and I stopped. Something was familiar here. I lifted my gaze and turned to stare across the road.
There it was, the restaurant I’d seen in my vision, with its glowing sign and vibrant warm lights coming from within.
My stomach grumbled in hunger, but I had neither money nor the patience to sit with my mate in arms’ reach and not say or do anything.
Instead, I found stairs up to a roof terrace opposite the restaurant, and there I rested while I waited for Mom’s vision to come true.
Chapter 5
CHARITY
It had been a ridiculously busy night for a Sunday. The last thing I needed was another run in with Barry from last night, but what was another bully to deal with?
I’d been handling them my whole life.
I locked up, grateful for the earlier than normal finishing time. Sundays we closed at ten, so I’d be home and in bed before midnight.
Thank goodness. I was freaking exhausted. Mom kept telling me I needed to slow down, but who was I going to defer to? There was no back up manager. There was me, and my amazing staff, and the owners who lived hours away in the city and didn’t give two hoots if I worked myself into the ground for their bottom line.
I slid my keys into my bag and turned in the direction of my apartment. Mom had dropped off some soup today, so that would be supper when I got home. Something warm and filling on this cold night.
I pulled my coat tighter around my body as the wind whipped around me.
“Hey you. I wanna talkkkk to you.” A male voice slurred the words behind me. I jumped and whirled around as a heavy hand grabbed my shoulder.
When I saw who it was, my heart began to pound. “Barry! What are you doing here?” He looked drunk and mean. His hands were clenched at his sides and his face was slashed with redness.
I had pepper spray in my bag... and home was only a hundred feet away. How quickly could I get my keys out of my bag if it came to a fight?
“You!” He growled. “You made me look a fool. And cost me a fortune.”
I opened my mouth to reply, scrabbling in my bag for the pepper spray, but he swung his arm so fast I didn’t even see it coming. His fist collided with the side of my face and I fell backwards.
Cr-ack.
