Page 21 of Burned

“Fish and chips for me, please, and a draft of whatever you have on tap.”

Alrick nods. “Same.”

“Table number?”

“Fourteen,” I answer.

She taps on her register, yelling something at another table in Scottish slang that’s meaningless to me. I could tell Alrick that this is one of the oldest pubs in the area and that I was here with my brothers when it was still new, but I’m not quite ready to voice the truth we both know. After we get to the mage woman, break the bond, and get back to the states, I won’t care what his reaction is, but for now I need to keep a modicum of cooperation between us.

Alrick’s attention is on everything but me when we get back to our table, and for a moment, I imagine him joining DrakeSecurity. He’s alert, and obviously strong. He’d make a great bodyguard, especially with my fire flowing through his veins.

The thought is jarring, and a wave of heat spreads through me as my dragon curls up as close to the surface as possible.

“You okay?” Alrick asks.

“Perfectly fine.”

The bartender arrives with our beer, and before I’ve finished my first sip, she’s back with the food and a bucket of cutlery. The aroma of fried goodness stokes my appetite, and I dig right in. Alrick takes several gulps of beer first, his Adam’s apple bobbing and drawing my attention away from my delicious meal.

I tear my gaze away just as he turns to his food. We eat in silence for several minutes, and I imagine the wear and tear of the trip is catching up to him.

He leans back in his seat a few minutes later, munching on a fry as a slow smile spreads across his lips. “I feel transported to another place and time being here. My Viking ancestors are smiling down at me, waiting for me to start the plundering that won’t happen.”

“As I said, the ghosts linger.”

He nods, shifting his weight again to hover over his plate and resting his elbows on the table. He eats happily, licking grease and vinegar from his fingers and washing the food down with beer. He’s so ruggedly handsome and manly, and my thoughts return all too quickly to what it would be like to taste his kiss.

I have many questions, most of which I probably don’t want to hear the answers to. Does he want to kill a dragon? Would he ever allow one to touch him intimately? Would I allow myself to indulge if I could?

I polish off my meal, aware of the shift in his energy. Instead of the guarded man I’ve been sitting across from, I’m met with someone softer, more curious.

“Do you have a question?”

Alrick chuckles. “Uh, yeah, I guess I do.”

“I’ll answer if I can.”

“You’re not in a relationship?”

It’s not the question I was expecting him to ask. It takes me a second to gather my composure and answer.

“No. I haven’t been for some time.” I eye him, working to keep my voice even. “You?”

He shakes his head. “No.” He leans back, scratching his beard as his gaze takes me in unabashedly. “But you date… men?”

I nod. “Exclusively. You?”

“Yeah. I hid it forever because I thought my dad would lose his shit. We were raised in a hyper masculine environment, but then I found out my older brothers are gay too. Surprisingly, my dad was fine with it.”

“That’s good. My parents are very accepting and always have been. It’s normal where I’m from. In fact, we never even had a word for it until…” My words trail off as I realize where I was going with this. “Culturally, previous generations didn’t use modern terms for sexuality. It never mattered. Who we love is who we love, regardless of societal constructs of gender or sexuality.”

“That must have been very freeing for you.”

I shrug. “Didn’t know any different until I was exposed to those outside of my family. I don’t care what others think or what labels they assign me. I am what I am.”

“I finally got there too.”

“Good. We all deserve to be who we are.”

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