Page 29 of Dragon's Honor

Ash grabbed her by the crux of her elbow. “You don’t know who you’re looking for?” he growled.

She shrugged. “Not entirely.”

Ash snarled. “We should go. This isn’t safe for you.”

Finley narrowed her eyes and jerked her arm out of his grip. “You asked if you could tag along, not tell me what I can and can’t do.”

He growled.

She turned and headed into the coffee house. The morning rush was over and only a few people lingered in the shop. She headed to the counter admiring all the fantasy related artwork. Dragons, faeries, and all kinds of other things covered the walls, the counter. Some even hung from the ceiling.

A curvy woman who had been sitting at one of the tables near the back stood and sauntered behind the counter. “Hiya! How can I help you?” she asked.

“I’ll take a cinnamon latte please. I’m also looking for someone.”

The barista had purple hair and big sea foam colored eyes. She grinned. “Who are you looking for?”

“Someone who runs a site called strangesightings.com.”

The woman smiled. “That’s my website. You tracked me down?”

Finley looked a little sheepish. “I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights recently.” She could feel Ash’s gaze on her, but she kept her eyes forward. “Research has been my only consolation prize.”

“What can I help you with…?”

“I’m Finley. This is Ash. Don’t mind him.”

He let out a small grunt.

“I’m Nadine. What exactly do you want from me?”

Finley couldn’t help but laugh. “I must seem like such a freak to you. Honestly, I’ve had a couple small close encounters of my own and I’m trying to figure out if I’m crazy or if there’s something more.”

Nadine nodded. “What did you see?”

Finley pulled out her phone and scrolled through her pictures until she found the same picture she had on her wall. She made it as big as she could without distorting the image and handed over her phone.

Ash shifted uncomfortably next to her, but he didn’t say anything.

“Wow.” Nadine slid her fingers over the screen enlarging and shrinking the image. “That certainly looks like a dragon. I suppose someone could debunk it as a trick of light with all the lightning and clouds, but it looks solid to me.” She handed the phone back.

“Have you seen something?”

Nadine looked uncomfortable. “Let me get your drink.” She moved to the espresso machine and started churning beans and steaming milk. The fragrance of coffee and cinnamon hit the air and Finley inhaled deeply.

She glanced over at Ash. “You want anything?”

He was staring at her curiously. He shook his head and threw down a ten-dollar bill.

“I can pay for my own coffee.”

“Take the coffee,” he grumbled.

Finley took the hot latte and when Nadine handed her the change, she dumped it in the tip jar. Ash didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

“Come over and sit with me,” Nadine suggested.

Finley followed her to the table in the back and sat down across from her and her laptop. Ash took a seat off to the side like he was merely an observer.

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