Page 13 of Toadstools and Vampire Kisses

I swipe my tongue over my teeth. “Look, I’m sorry but I don’t know what you want me to say. If you could just tell me what exactly you want to know, it would probably help.”

He stares thoughtfully at me for a long moment before taking a deep breath and releasing it. I watch in fascination as small glimmering sparks dance from his lips before puffing out. Was that a hint of dragon fire? My inner nine-year-old squeals in delight, and I want to lean forward and demand that he does it again.You’re a thirty-one-year-old adult woman and not a child. Act your age.His lips twist in a wry smile as he props his elbows on the table.

“You’re right. I’m making a hash of this. I suppose people properly greet each other first and all of that.”

I catch myself smiling in response. “Well, you did throw my name at me. I assume you are Adeon.”

He blinks, surprise flickering through his eyes. “Your mother, she’s… spoken of me?”

“She mentioned you,” I agree, giving my coffee a stir. I take a sip and close my eyes as the caffeine blissfully rolls through me. When I open them again, Adeon is eyeing me patiently and I paste my smile back on my face. “So what exactly can I do for you?”

He lifts his cup and takes a large swallow of his black coffee, and my tongue nearly shrivels at how bitter it must taste. “To be blunt, I want to know why two vampires were coming out of your room.”

“I think I’m a little old to need supervision when there is aboyin my room,” I reply.

“This isn’t a laughing matter. Vampires are dangerous,” he growls.

I take another sip of my coffee and shrug a shoulder. “Mother obviously isn’t too concerned about it since she is putting them up here. Besides,” I say, meeting his eyes, “it’s not like all vampires are exactly the same. Isn’t that right?”

Adeon cocks his head, and for a moment I can see the dragon cunning lurking behind the human façade. “It seems you’ve been getting quite friendly with our ‘guests.’”

I continue to meet his eyes, sipping my coffee. If nothing else, being the family wallflower has taught me patience. Perhaps not to the same degree as an old dragon, but I’m hoping enough to demonstrate clearly that I won’t be cowed by him. After a long moment, he gives a reluctant grunt and takes another sip from his own mug.

“You’re just like your mother—stubborn,” he observes, the corner of his mouth inching up in a genuine smile.

“I learned from the best,” I agree, smugly returning his smile.

His chest vibrates with a rumble of laughter, and he shakes his head. “It seems that I’ll be cursed then. Very well, you’ve got me there. Yes, there are different sorts, and their kind is not the worst of the species, but don’t get it in your head that they are peaceful and kind. Because they are not. They live by their own moral code, and in the end humans are prey whether you like it or not. Being less of a monster doesn’t make them any less monstrous.”

I purse my lips. “Fair point, but then the same could be said of a dragon. Right? You are not human, and our species haven’t always been on very friendly terms.”

“And you’ve got me there as well. I’m pleased that you have a good head on your shoulders, but I shouldn’t have expected any less from a daughter of Katherine Durmont.”

I hum in agreement but am suddenly very curious how he knows my mother so well. “About you and my mother… what’s going on there?” I ask.

He blinks his eyes slowly in a manner that almost looks reptilian as he sits back in his chair. “Fate has a sense of humor,” he replies finally.

I frown. “That’s it?”

He shrugs, the motion too stiff for what should be casual movement. It is more like a sinuous stretch, and I can imagine dragon wings fanning with the roll of his shoulders. “That’s all I’m telling you. Like you, your mother is of age and doesn’t require supervision.”

I narrow my eyes on my quarry and purse my lips gamely. I have to admit that this is turning out to be rather fun. I can see why mother keeps him around. Aside from the fact that he is obviously attractive. There isn’t a line on his face and a thread of gray hair on his head, but there is a sense of age in his hard-chiseled features. Being a dragon, there’s no guessing at how old he has to be.

“Oh, fine,” I sigh. “My mother is an adult and perfectly capable of turning your lizardy ass into a newt if you piss her off, so I’ll leave you to it and wish you the best of luck.”

“Appreciated,” he replies, a spark of humor lighting his eyes.

I nod. “You’re going to need it, sad to say. And if it makes you feel any better, the vampires were coming out of my room because Reynard clocked his cousin a bit too hard and needed some help reviving him. No dastardly goings-on there.”

Which is a shame because I think I might enjoy some dastardly handling from Reynard if he gave me the time of the day.

A predatory grin stretches across Adeon’s face. “Is that so? Good. I ran into Jack a few times last night and wasn’t too impressed. Hopefully, it knocked some sense into him. The younger vampires are almost worse with their recklessness.”

He shakes his head, his expression settling into one of amusement. It fades, however, when his eyes shift to a spot over my shoulder. I don’t hear anyone walking toward us, but before I can turn in my seat and look, I hear a low growl a short distance away that sends a chill up my spine. An answering growl in a brassier note comes from the dragon sitting across from me as he pushes up from his chair.

“Dragori,” Adeon growls unhappily.

“Dragon,” Reynard returns, his deep voice cold.

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