Page 32 of Dragon Fires Everywhere
“Azrael, put him down,” I hiss, all the while internally muttering magical words so any humans in the store think they’reseeing something else. Anything else.
And then I forget about magic, because I hear a familiar piercing voice. “Rigsby!”
Because of course this is actually happening. Here. In a crowd containing a dragon.
“Put him down,” I say to Azrael. Firmly.
On a heavy sigh, he does just that as Cailee approaches. The offensiveRigsbyruns right into her and throws his arms around his mother dramatically, sobbing and carrying on.
I can see Cailee is about to yell at us. Until her gaze finds mine.
Then she gets kind of... wide-eyed.
Satisfyingly wide-eyed, in fact, though the memory of her Daffy Duck tattoo is emblazoned on my mind, and it’s all I can thinkabout for one dazed moment.
“G-Georgie. Hi. Hello.” She’s patting her son’s back as he wails into her side. Her eyes keep getting wider, and I don’t know that she looksashamed, exactly, but there’s certainly embarrassment.
For the both of us. Even thoughIhave nothing to be embarrassed about.
Except, I suppose, that a dragon was about to eat her child. I swallow my discomfort and summon a sunny smile.
“You’ll have to excuse my friend Pete. He doesn’t deal with children often.”
“Particularly ones with absolutely no manners.” Azrael affects a slight British accent. Then he places his arm over my shoulders,much the way Jacob did to Emerson last night.
Cailee stares at the both of us for a long, ticking sort of moment.
“You brought afriendhome from England?” she says to me.
“Uh, well. Yes.”
She shakes her head, but she’s smiling now. She leans close to me, and I’m too stunned to react. “ItoldSage there wasn’t any way you were off in England being faithful. So it’s okay. We’re all okay. And no one has to go...spreading any unfavorable stories around town.”
Cailee beams at me, as though with enough hope and cheer she can force me into agreement. But there’s something genuine aboutit. It’s not affected, it’s... her.
It occurs to me that this is how she views a relationship. Affairs and infidelity areof coursesas long as we can keep the public embarrassment to a minimum. And maybe for her, that’s true. Maybe that’s a deal she andher husband have struck, and it’s absolutely none of my business.
But it wasnotthe deal Sage and I had.
So, no, I don’t smile at Cailee.I don’t agree with her about anything. I just say a polite goodbye and turn back to Azrael.
Who is glaring at me like I’ve done something offensive.
“You can’tgrabchildren like that,” I say beneath my breath. “They’re not snacks. They’re precious.”
“Why haven’t you told your friends?” Azrael looks thunderous. His words don’t make sense.
“Told them what?”
“That your little wheat cracker crumb of an ex was cheating on you.”
I blink at him. Children and parents—human and witch alike—are milling about, and he’s... just saying that. Out loud.
“I... It’s none of your business.” I look around, worried about who might have heard.
“I have spent the pastyearlistening to you lot go on and on about working together. Trusting each other. And these scant few days of being back inmy own body, what I see is you holding yourself apart. Why?”
“What you’reseeingis me third-wheeling it through coven life.” I don’t know where that comes from or why it sounds so raw. I point a bright,unconcerned smile at him to cover it.
