Page 48 of Rejected By Dragons

I also remember how that went in Wynrath Crest. Every time I opened my mouth, it seemed like I made a new enemy. I never would have dared to try to go to a bar--much less to a trivia night.

They've always looked like fun on TV, though.

Sensing weakness, Amy holds out a hand. I slip my palm into hers and let her drag me up. "Come on. Go put on something hot, and let's go."

Fifteen minutes later, I descend the stairs, dread in my heart, but mixed in alongside it is this tiny, fleeting dash of hope. I'm not exactly dressed up; I don't own anything that isn't practical. But my boots are clean, and with ripped black leggings tucked into them, I look a little bit badass. My white tank top is low-cut, showing off the decorative straps of my nicest black bra. A short black skirt, a beaded necklace, a leather wrap bracelet and a ton of eyeliner complete the look.

Amy's eyes widen as she takes me in. She whistles. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

I flick my gaze toward the ceiling. "Thanks. It's the best I could do."

"This weekend, we'll go shopping," she promises.

I have an instant flashback to that awful altercation I had with Jasmine and Fury at the boutique in Wynrath Crest. When Storm looked at me and pretended he didn't know who I was.

And then I bought the amazing dress that I got completely, totally, utterly fucked over in--in every sense of the word.

"Eh," I mutter, heading for the door.

"That's not a no," Amy says in a sing-song voice.

"Let's just get through whatever you have planned for this night first."

Outside, it's just past sunset, the air warm but lacking the intensity of the midday sun. The cafe down the way is doing a brisk business, and we get distracted for a minute when Amy stops to say hello to a couple of shifters seated at a table outside. She introduces me, and I smile and wave but keep my mouth shut. The folks she's talking to give me a pass, mercifully, welcoming me to town without asking too many questions.

We're on our way again before long. Amy exchanges quick greetings with a few other people, and I try to remember their names, but it's going to take me a little while.

A few blocks and a couple of turns later, we arrive at a little brick building with an old-timey wooden sign outside. "The Dragon's Flagon" is spelled out in bold yellow letters on a maroon background beside a cartoon picture of a dragon holding a beer mug. By the tilt of the dragon's head and the way its eyes are staring in different directions, it's clearly had a flagon or two too many.

I raise my brows as if to say Really?

Amy laughs and ushers me inside. "Just give it a chance."

Within, it looks like...well, a normal pub, I suppose. It's a little old-fashioned, with wood-paneled walls and low amber lights. There are pool tables and a dart board in the back, and vintage ads for beer and liquor hung up everywhere. They're doing a good business, most of the tables full, and a decent smattering of folks hanging out around the bar.

"Amy! Amy!"

Amy lights up and points toward a young woman with short black hair who's waving at us from over by the window. She's seated at a table with a few other twenty- or thirty-somethings, including, to my relief, Freya.

"There they are! Come on."

"Hey!" The woman with the short hair stands and pulls Amy into a hug.

"Hey yourself." Amy pulls back. "Nora, this is Ember. Ember, Nora." She gestures around the table and rattles off a few other names that I try to commit to memory, but I'm resigned to having to ask at least a half dozen times.

"Glad you decided to join us," Freya says coolly as I take the seat beside her.

"I didn't exactly get a lot of choice in the matter," I confide.

Freya laughs. "Amy dragged you here? I'm shocked, I tell you, just shocked."

We settle in, ordering drinks and chatting. Everybody else clearly knows each other, so a lot of the conversation goes over my head, but I'm okay with that. I listen and try to laugh or nod at the right times.

Slowly, the tension inside of me begins to relax. There's still a part of me that expects these people to turn on me. I was an outcast for so long that instantly being accepted into a circle of friends seems too good to be true.

"So, Ember," Nora says, looking to me. "Amy says you just moved here from the Air Kingdom."

I swallow, unprepared to be addressed directly. "That's right."

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