Page 1 of Dragon's Honor

1

A Magic Charm

Finley stared into the abyss of her sister, Olivia’s intense super model closet. Clothes overflowed out of the doors and something with feathers peeked out. On her sister’s orders, she supposed to pick out something to wear to go to the new hot party spot, Club Opal.

Only, Finley wasn’t the type of girl that showed up at hot, trendy places. She preferred the pool tables and coziness of a bar who knew her order and her name, likeCheers. Not that she had one of those places either. But at leastCheersnever made anyone show up in a feather-covered cocktail dress.

Olivia stepped up beside Finley as she stared into the depths of the walk-in closet. “Need some help, Fin?”

“You know I do. If it’s not jeans and a baseball shirt, I’m pretty much out of my league.” She eyed the feathers like it might take flight and attack her.

“I actually have something perfect for you.” Olivia disappeared into the closet, swallowed by ruffles and silk.

At first glance, no one ever thought Olivia and Finley were related, even though they looked a lot more similar than people noticed. Being half-sisters meant they only shared their dad’s genetics. Their inherited curves from their shared grandmother and aunt was the only reason Finley was able to go shopping in the designer closet.

Olivia had her mother’s sunshine blonde hair and soft, delicate features with cheekbones to die for and curves in all the right places for her plus-sized modeling career.

Finley inherited her mother’s warm tawny skin tone, black hair, brown eyes, and curves that made her the butt of too many jokes. She didn’t care much. She’d grown a thick skin, especially once her and Olivia started going to school together. They were a team ofdon’t fuck with uscurvy badasses. Or at least, that’s how it felt when they were in high school.

She’d never been able to share clothes with her friends in middle school, she was always bigger than their size twos, threes, and fours. Her friends were never assholes about it, but she still felt like she was missing out.

Now, not only did she get to share her sister’s wardrobe, she got to wear exclusive clothes not many could access without connections. Olivia’s super model career opened a lot of doors and there were plenty of designers who wanted her to wear their clothes as long as she did it in public, posing on the red carpet for hot new movie releases and concerts for paparazzi pictures of her sporting the outfit.

Olivia returned with a green dress, purple heels, and a box. “You’ll need a strapless bra and thong. No granny panties.”

Finley frowned. “I do not wear granny panties.”

Olivia nodded with seriousness tugging at her mouth. “Full coverage panties. Whatever. I’ve seen your laundry.”

“They’re boy-shorts. They’re comfortable. I don’t make fun of the scraps of floss and lace you wear. You don’t need to make fun of mine.”

Olivia chuckled. “No one likes panty lines on a dress. And tonight, dear sister, you’re wearing a dress. I know you like it when I dress you up.”

“The last thing I need is my ass hanging out,” Finley grumbled.

“Tonight is about fun. Sometimes that means your ass should be hanging out.”

Finley pointed accusingly. “How short is that dress?”

“Don’t worry about it. Your ass won’t literally be hanging out, but panty lines will ruin the aesthetic of the dress. I brought this from my shoot in Brazil. It screamed you. Well, if you were less tomboyish and liked to dress up more than the anytime your little sister forces you to go out and celebrate.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint.”

“You really should be. You’re the older sister. You’re supposed to show me the way of fashion and boys, and yet, here we are.”

“Considering you’ve dressed me for every formal occasion, kissed a guy and lost your virginity before I did, I’m going to say that I failed utterly as a big sister.”

Olivia placed everything on the bed. “You didn’t actually. As much as I love to give you a hard time, you are a great big sister. Now, go get a thong and a strapless bra.”

“Okay, but I’m not wearing those heels. I’ve got a pair of purple Chucks.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Fine. Those probably suit you better anyway. Now go.”

Finley sighed and did as she was ordered.

She rummaged through her dresser looking for the right underwear. Once she had the undergarments in hand, she straightened. Her eye immediately wandered to a picture tucked in the frame of her mirror. She remembered that night vividly, when she was alone on the beach, with nothing but her camera and the roiling ocean as a storm raged overhead, just waiting to burst open. She’d opted for a film camera, and it wasn’t until she was in her makeshift dark room, swirling the photo paper around in the setting solution, that she noticed it.

Lightning ripped through the night sky and the ocean lit up, framed by some serious storm clouds. A dark silhouette broke through the center of the clouds, ominous and looming. The only word she had to describe the winged creature in the center of the storm was dragon.

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