Page 3 of Midnight in the Garden of Okay and Meh
“It’s supposed to be lethal for mortals, but I don’t buy that. I drank a full glass before I accepted Drake as my mate,” I said, looking at the bottle.
“Same,” May said with a little smile at Gabriel that had his silver eyes—which were uncannily similar to Christian’s—glittering at her in a wholly approving manner.
“Yes, but you were both a wyvern’s mate,” Drake pointed out. “And Allie, with all due respect, is not.”
Christian seemed to bristle at the implication that Allie wasn’t on par with the mates. “She is just as immortal as dragon mates. If she wishes to have some of your wine, I will purchase—”
“It’s fine—this evening is on us, since it’s because of Brom and Pixie we’re here in the first place,” Ysolde said, and slid the bottle toward her.
“Will a sip hurt me?” Allie asked Drake.
He hesitated a moment, then shook his head. “No, but I wouldn’t recommend you try more until you know how it affects you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a Dark One drinking dragon’s blood.” He looked a question to both Gabriel and Baltic.
“My contact with Dark Ones is limited, so I’m of no help,” Gabriel admitted somewhat apologetically to Christian.
We all looked at Baltic.
He stared back at us.
Ysolde nudged him with her elbow.
“Mate,” he said in his bossy Baltic tone, “stop poking me in the side. Being a Firstborn does not mean I have in-depth knowledge of all beings in the Otherworld.”
“No, but you’ve been around a lot of places and met a lot of people,” she argued.
“Plus, you’re kind of ... you know ... extra,” May said. “Your father being a god and all.”
“Demigod,” Baltic and Jim said at the same time.
Baltic shot a startled glance at Jim, but the latter said nothing, just continued to read its magazine.
“Here goes nothing,” Allie said, and, after pouring out about a tablespoon of dragon’s blood, raised her glass to her lips.
We all stared expectantly, but none more so than Christian. He looked like he was ready to leap up and fight every person there should Allie react badly to the wine, but I had more faith in her.
She took a sip, had an indescribable expression for a few seconds, then immediately went into a coughing fit that resulted in Christian patting her on the back as she clutched the table.
“Oh, yeah, that first sip is always a lulu,” I said, grimacing as she grabbed a napkin and mopped up her running eyes and nose. “Sorry that I forgot to warn you about that. Are you OK? Maybe a little water?”
“I’m all right, just a little ... I don’t know. Winded? Hoo!” Allie took a couple of sips of water, then shot a glare to the side. Her voice sounded like it was made of rocks. “Although I could do without the ‘I told you so’ comments.”
“Er ...” Karma, who was seated next to Christian, looked from him to Allie. “I don’t think he said anything.”
“Oh, he did,” Allie said, coughing a couple more times. Her voice still sounded rough. “You just didn’t hear him. Well, I think that quells my curiosity about your fancy dragon wine. Is a normal wine available? I could go for a robust red right about now. One that isn’t actively trying to kill me.”
Karma and Adam agreed, and an order was put in while the rest of us picked up the menus and considered the options.
“I don’t suppose the lamb chops—” Jim started to say.
“No. You heard the vet when he said you can’t have chicken, pork, or lamb. Do you want a burger?” I asked.
“Yeah, since you won’t let me have the good stuff,” it said, nosing over a page of the menu. “But I want extra fries.”
“Considering your annual checkup noted that you put on four pounds since last year, your fries will be the standard serving, and no, before you ask, you can’t have ice cream. You get way too gassy after dairy.”
“Jeez, Ash!” Jim said, kicking the menu aside. “Just embarrass me in front of everyone!”
“My apologies for bringing up the subject,” I told the table. “But we’ve discovered that it’s just better if we keep cheese and ice cream away from Jim. Are we ready to order?”
