Page 21 of No Honor Amongst Shifters
Leo snorted.“And they called it Red Rooster?”
Alcott thought it was clever, but he understood why it also sounded ridiculous.To dragons, cockatrice shifters were strange.They were smaller and looked a bit like chickens.Alcott wouldn’t say that dragons thought cockatrice shifters were inferior, but they tried to stay as far away from them as possible when they could.On the other hand, cockatrice shifters thought dragons were arrogant and too big.They couldn’t stand each other, which was one of the reasons people weren’t surprised when they started fighting.
If the coven succeeded, they’d come out of this with their hands clean, and the blame would fall to the dragons and cockatrices.
Alcott hoped the cockatrices they were about to talk to realized that.
“I’m coming in with you,” Roslin said when they parked.
“That wasn’t the plan,” Tim said.He turned in his seat.“I know you’re worried, but Alcott and Terrence need to do this alone.It’s the only way to make it work.”
Roslin looked like he was about to argue, so Alcott put a hand on his thigh and squeezed.“I’ll be fine.I’ll be with Terrence, and you’ll be right outside.You’ll hear right away if something happens.”
Roslin frowned.“I don’t like it.”
Alcott didn’t, either, even though he’d volunteered.He couldn’t stop thinking about everything that could go wrong as he exited the car and joined Terrence in front of the bar.They looked at each other, and Alcott glanced up at the sign of the Red Rooster above the door.
It was time to get to work.
He squared his shoulders and hoped he didn’t look like he was terrified.He walked in, then quickly glanced around, knowing who he was looking for.He wasn’t surprised to see them gathered in a corner, their heads close together as they talked.The glasses on the table were almost empty, and, considering the time, Alcott knew they were about to go home.Irwin wouldn’t tolerate them being away from their territory for too long.
Alcott sucked in a breath and marched up to the table.He could feel Terrence behind him, a strong and comforting presence that told him that he’d be okay even if one of the cockatrice shifters attacked him.
He didn’t stop until he was standing next to the table.It took a few seconds for the cockatrice shifters sitting there to realize something was happening, but eventually, one looked up.
“You’re the dragon shifter who was beaten by that mage,” one of the cockatrices said.
Alcott nodded.“I am.”
The man’s gaze slid to Terrence.“And you’re the traitor,” he said with a growl.
Alcott needed to get the situation under control before it exploded.“I know how much you hate the coven and what they’re doing to your clan.I hate them, too, and we’re not the only ones.Elijah, the leader of the dragon clan, has a proposition for you.”
For a few moments, no one spoke.Alcott was sure it was going to end in a mess, and he’d be right in the middle of it.If it came to that, he could shift, but he’d rather avoid doing it in a public place.
The man glanced at his friends, then back at Alcott.He nodded.“We’re listening.”
* * * *
ROSLIN FELT LIKE HISskin was itching.He didn’t like having Alcott out of his sight for so long, especially not when Alcott was in the lion’s den—or in this case, in the cockatrice’s den.The only reason Roslin hadn’t gone after Alcott was that Alcott had chosen to do this.He wouldn’t be happy if Roslin put all of them in danger by interrupting the meeting.
Donahue bumped his shoulder against Roslin’s.The two of them were leaning against the car, watching the bar.The dragons had moved closer, but they were still far enough away that the cockatrices probably wouldn’t consider them a threat.
It was too far away as far as Roslin was concerned.One of them should be inside with Alcott and Terrence, keeping them safe.Hell, he wishedallof them were inside.
“He’ll be fine,” Donahue murmured.
Roslin almost snapped at him until he remembered that someone Donahue loved was in there with Alcott.“I’m sure Terrence will be, too.”
“He will.I have faith in his ability to protect himself and Alcott.Besides, they can turn into a cockatrice and a dragon.If anything happens, they’re more than capable of defending themselves and each other.”
Roslin rubbed his face.He wanted to ask Donahue how he could be so calm, but he didn’t think his brother was.He could see the way Donahue’s fingers twitched every so often as if he was about to take out his phone, no doubt to call or text Terrence.“Do you think they’ll succeed?”he asked instead.
Donahue pushed his hands into his jeans pocket.“There’s no alternative,” he murmured.“The clan and the coven would be too much for us to fight at the same time.We need those cockatrice shifters to stand down.Hopefully, they hate the coven enough to disobey their leader’s orders.”
Hope was what they were running on at the moment—that and frustration.Roslin hated not being able to do much.He could talk to ghosts and use them to spy on the cockatrices, but how useful was that?
It felt like an eternity before the bar door opened.Roslin tensed, only for two women to come out.He slumped back against the car, telling himself he couldn’t go in there.He could probably get away with it since he wasn’t a dragon shifter, but he had no idea what he’d be walking into, and he wasn’t about to risk Terrence and Alcott.
