Page 19 of Purple Scales & Coffee Tales

“And what about the heart bond?” she whispered.

“Dragons have two hearts. It’s easier to bind one of them to a person we love, but who isn’t our mate.”

“Hang on, two hearts?”

“Yes, here.” I pressed her palm to my chest, first over the heart on the right, then the one on the left of my body.

“You have two heartbeats!” she screamed, then cringed visibly. “Oh shit, sorry. You have two heartbeats?”

“We do. I believe it’s an old development, you know, from back when we all used to hunt each other. Even if you kill one of my hearts, my body can still live on. I’ve heard stories of some of us who have let a knight cut one heart out so they could prove they had killed the Dragon, and they split the treasure.” I pulled my face into a grimace. “Not the best idea if you ask me, ugh.”

“Oh God, sorry,” she snorted. “Shit, I’m really sorry, Scales. But the idea that you’d let…that’s messed up!”

“Some of us are really obsessed with treasures,” I muttered evasively.I can never show her my throne room.

“So Stuart is bonded to your mother, and he lives with you, but you two aren’t…?”

“Goddess, no.”Gross, sweetling.“I’ve never entered into a bond with anyone. Uh, shall we get going?” Without waiting for her reply, I marched into the arcade. I wasn’t prepared to answer questions about my bonding preferences, least of all about Dragon and human bonds.

Inside, I perused the floor plan for a few minutes until I found what I was looking for. Fox & Thyme was a shop I knew from their tasteful ads in FURVOR, the only magazine I religiously consumed.

“This way, boss.”

Maeve huffed but let me lead her towards an escalator, anyway. “I haven’t been in a shopping centre since I was a teenager,” she confessed when we were travelling smoothly towards the level below us.

“Do you prefer the high street?”

“Nope,” she told me, emphasising the ‘P’ with a pop. “I only buy second hand. I think this shirt and the shoes are actually the only two things in my wardrobe that I bought new.”

I tried very hard not to stare at the tangerine-coloured print stretching across her breasts, but focused on her trainers instead. “I like them.”

“Yeah, me too. They’re so comfy, I can work an entire shift in them and my feet don’t hurt at all. I don’t do that often. They’re the only pair of Beacons I have.” Her cheeks reddened a little. “And this.” Maeve pulled the crop shirt down, tightening it even more over her boobs. “I got this at Conall White’s show a few months ago.”

“It’s very pretty.” I cleared my throat, thankful that we were approaching Fox & Thyme and that I had an excuse not to discuss that tiny shirt any further.

A shop assistant approached us the instant we crossed the threshold.

“Good afternoon, madam, sir.” He bowed at both of us. “Welcome to Fox & Thyme. My name is Alex and if there is anything I can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, Alex. We are looking for a dress for a party for my partner.” Better not make it too complicated. “I am thinking of amid-length dress, maybe something flowery.” I met Maeve’s eyes and gave her a fleeting smile. “She always looks stunning in green. Why don’t we start there?”

“I think I have just the dress for you, ma’am. Please follow me.”

He led us deeper into the shop and up a staircase to a sparsely decorated, more private level. He walked purposefully towards one of the elegant racks that hung at intervals from the ceiling and pulled out a gorgeous dress. Green, as I’d said, with a deep, plunging neckline. It was made from silk and tulle, and embroidered with intricate wildflowers.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous,” Maeve sighed reverently.

“Just the dress for you, then. Try it on.”

Her eyes met mine again, assessing me for a moment, before she gave a tiny nod and followed Alex towards the changing rooms.

It took her a few minutes to put it on, and I waited with bated breath for the door to open.

“Wow,” I breathed on a heavy exhale when she eventually stepped out.

The dress fit her like a glove, the cinched waist emphasising her hourglass shape. A few purple strands curled out of her high bun, framing her beautiful face, and I knew there and then that if she had asked me to bind my soul to hers this very moment, I would have laid my entire being at her feet.

“Can you give us a moment, Alex?”

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