Page 1 of The Naga

One

Khush

After years of thinkingit would never happen, I was finally in the human world. It'd taken a dwarf's ingenuity, a sorcerer's permission (and a little magical assistance), and the help of a half-troll and a human, but I'd made it. They'd created a device—a wheelchair, of all things—that could hide my naga lower body, so I could visit human spaces without revealing the big secret.

Silas (my half-troll best friend) and Bellamy (one of the two humans I lived with at the Sanctuary) had come with me since it was my first time and I didn't really know my way around thecity, and I was grateful. I'd never been around so many people before, and it was as exciting as it was terrifying.

The coffee shop we were currently in was cute, with dark wood and bright, cheerful decor, soft music playing in the background as humans rushed about.

Silas and Bellamy couldn't settle on what to order, so now they were both standing near the counter, arguing as they stared up at the menu. Silas had a mask covering the lower half of his face, something he wore even at home to hide his small tusks that stayed no matter which form he was in. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and he pushed it back as he gestured with his hands. Bellamy was the complete opposite. He was still, with barely a muscle moving as he refuted whatever suggestion Silas had made. The diagonal scar bisecting the right side of his cheek gave him a dangerous look, and people seemed to give him a wide berth, which was funny since he was the only human between the three of us.

I wasn't quite sure what the fuss was about. I mean, coffee was coffee, right? The looks I'd gotten from both of them said otherwise.

"There's a sitting area outside, you know. You could've sat there instead of blocking the way in here."

It took me a moment to realize the man was talking to me, and I glanced up at him, puzzled. Had he really just said that? Was this how humans who were actually disabled treated in public places?

When we picked this table, Silas had made sure my wheelchair wasn't in the way, and I could see that there was more than enough space for the man to walk through.

Before I could say something—not that I'd figured out what I was going to say—someone stepped up beside me, a tiny little human dressed in shorts and a flowy, deep red top, their wavy brown hair falling into their eyes.

"Well, he clearly left more than enough space for us mere humans. How was he supposed to guess a bull was going to be charging through?" the tiny human said, and the man's nostrils flared as his cheeks went red.

Huh. He did actually look a lot like a bull.

The barista called out a name, and the bull-man huffed loudly before turning around and walking toward the counter.

I glanced up at the tiny human, and they shot me a wicked grin. "I know that was a low blow, but I'm a firm believer in an eye for an eye. I don't think it will make the whole world blind, but I sure think losing an eye just might make the second person realize the pain the first person went through."

A surprised laugh slipped past my lips, and their grin widened. They stuck a hand out, their nails painted a bright orange, blue eyes twinkling as they watched me. "My name's Dustin. Pronouns he/him. Gemini."

I blinked, then gingerly took his hand. The moment our skin touched, I almost jerked my hand back out of shock while my instincts urged me to never let go.

That was… how was that possible?

My first time leaving the Sanctuary to go out into the human world, and I stumbled acrosshim? Fate couldn't bethatgracious, could she?

Exhaling softly, I shook his hand, returning his smile. "I'm Khush. He/him as well. And I…don't know what my star sign is."

Dustin blinked, as if he couldn't possibly imagine someone not knowing their star sign, and then shook his head. "It was nice to meet you, Khush."

I nodded at him, then watched him walk to the counter, my eyes sliding to his nicely swishing hips before I jerked my gaze away.

When I looked back at the counter again, I spotted him talking to Silas. They were smiling, and if Silas wasn't already happily mated, I'd have thought they were flirting.

I made myself look away, focusing instead on tracing the pattern on the table. I only looked up when I heard Silas and Bellamy's footsteps near the table, and my eyes narrowed at the smug look on Silas's face.

"Here. The pretty boy asked me to give you this," Silas said, sliding one of the coffee cups toward me. It was one of those foam cups Silas—and his human mate Touya—always brought back whenever they went out to run errands.

I picked the cup up and took a sip, surprised at how different the coffee tasted from the one we had at home.

"Turn it around," Bellamy insisted, and I shot him and Silas a suspicious look before doing as he'd asked.

On the other side of the cup, written in pink, glittery ink, was a phone number. Below it were the letters H M U, followed by a smiley face.

"Is that some kind of code?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the cup. Was Dustin in danger and trying to send a message?

Bellamy made a weird, choking sound as coffee somehow snorted out of his nose, and Silas broke into loud laughter. Have you ever heard a half-troll laugh? It wasloud, even with the mask covering his mouth.

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