Page 11 of Hot for the Dragon (Saltwater Grove #3)

11

DAPHNE

T he floating menu board at Cauldron & Cup rearranged itself for the lunch specials as Daphne stirred her Moonbeam Macchiato. Her brother Hugo sat across from her, his sandwich barely touched as she recounted yesterday's events.

"You did what?" Hugo nearly choked on his coffee. "You broke into a storage unit?"

"Technically, Archer broke in." Daphne winced at her brother's disapproving stare. "But we found solid evidence that Adam's been helping fund Carmen's rebellion."

"Through jewelry store profits?"

"And who knows what else." The coffee's magic made her float slightly off her chair. She grabbed the table edge to stay put. "We had to move fast before they could relocate everything."

Hugo shook his head. "So, your first move with Archer was theft?"

"We're calling it 'strategic resource relocation.'" Daphne grinned, then sobered at his expression. "What else could we do? Let Carmen keep building her army?"

"I just don't like you getting mixed up in this kind of thing." Hugo leaned forward. "Maybe someone else should work with Archer."

"Not happening." Daphne's chair thumped back to the floor as the coffee's effects wore off. "I volunteered for this, Hugo. I'm not backing down just because things got a little dicey."

"A little dicey? Daphne, you're working with one of the most formidable dragon shifters."

"Who hasn't actually done anything dangerous." She traced the rim of her cup. "At least, not that I've seen."

"Yet." Hugo sighed. "Look, I know you want to help after what happened to your shop. But Archer Hawke isn't exactly known for playing well with others."

"Neither is Carmen, and she's the real threat here." Daphne met her brother's concerned gaze. "I'm staying on this, Hugo. Someone needs to watch Archer's back while he figures out how to stop her."

"And who's watching yours?"

The floating menu board chose that moment to reorganize itself with a musical chime, drawing their attention to the "Dragon's Breath Hot Chocolate" special. Daphne couldn't help but smile at the timing.

"I can take care of myself," she said firmly. "And right now, working with Archer is our best shot at stopping Carmen."

Hugo slumped back in his chair. "Fine. But that dragon's nothing but trouble. Half the town thinks he's unstable, and the other half's terrified of him. Did you know he once burned down an entire?—"

"Stop." The word burst from Daphne's lips before she could catch it. A nearby fern sprouted fresh leaves in response to her flaring emotions. "You don't even know him."

"And you do?" Hugo's eyebrows shot up.

Heat crept into Daphne's cheeks. "I know he's not what everyone thinks. Yesterday, when we were working together..." She traced the coffee ring on the table. "He was different. Sure, he's gruff and probably hasn't had a proper conversation in years, but there's more to him."

"More to Archer Hawke?" Hugo barked out a laugh. "The guy who growls at children if they get too close to his property?"

"He makes beautiful wood carvings," she blurted out. "And when he talks about them, his whole face changes. He's just..." Daphne struggled to find the right words. "He's like one of those prickly desert roses. All thorns on the outside, but..."

She trailed off, startled by her own passionate defense. The magical lanterns above cast dancing shadows across their table, and Daphne suddenly found them very fascinating.

"Since when are you such an expert on Archer Hawke?" Hugo asked.

"I'm not." Daphne fiddled with her spoon, watching the sparkles in her coffee swirl. "I just think maybe everyone's been too quick to judge him. Including you."

Daphne couldn't quite meet her brother's searching gaze. Why had she gotten so defensive about Archer? Sure, he wasn't as terrible as everyone claimed, but since when did she care so much about his reputation?

Hugo's expression softened as he stirred his cooling coffee. "Well, I'm glad you two are getting along, but just... be careful, okay? Archer is feared for a reason."

"What reason is that exactly?" Daphne leaned forward. "Everyone keeps saying that, but no one will tell me why."

Hugo set down his spoon, his green eyes turning serious. "Back when he was still with his wing, there was an incident where?—"

Suddenly, a deafening roar cut through the air outside, rattling the vintage espresso machine. The floating menu board flickered and dropped a foot before catching itself. Daphne's heart lurched as screams erupted from outside the café.

She and Hugo rushed to the window. Three massive dragons circled overhead, their scales glinting in the afternoon sun. One swooped low, sending pedestrians scattering.

"Get people inside," Hugo ordered, already heading for the door. "I need to get to City Hall."

"But—"

"Now, Daphne!"

She sprung into action as Hugo disappeared into the chaos. "Everyone inside!" she shouted, propping the café door open. The bell chimed frantically as people streamed in. "This way!"

A mother clutching two small children stumbled on the threshold. Daphne steadied her, ushering them toward the back of the café. The floating menu board had given up on changing specials and now just displayed "SEEK SHELTER" in bold chalk letters.

"Under the tables," Daphne directed, her voice steady despite her racing pulse. "Away from the windows."

Another roar shook the building. Through the window, Daphne caught glimpses of dark blue scales. Carmen. Her stomach clenched as she remembered watching her flower shop burn.

"Is anyone else out there?" she called, scanning the street. A teenage boy huddled behind a parked car, frozen in fear. The plants in the window boxes stretched their vines toward him, responding to her worry.

"Hey!" she shouted to him. "Run! Now!"

The boy bolted for the café door. Daphne pulled him inside just as a shadow passed overhead. The magical lanterns flickered as people huddled together, the air thick with fear and the lingering scent of coffee and starlight.

Daphne looked over and saw Nina's hands dancing through the air, purple energy crackling between her fingers as she wove protective magic around the Cauldron & Cup. The vintage espresso machine hummed in harmony with her spell, its copper surfaces reflecting the mystical light.

"That should keep the fire-breathing menaces out," Nina declared, her constellation-speckled apron twinkling. "Though I'd like to see them try breaking through my barriers. They'd get quite the surprise."

Daphne pressed her palms against the window, watching another building burst into flames down the street. The same helpless rage that had consumed her when her flower shop burned bubbled up inside her. A potted fern next to her sprouted thorns in response to her emotions.

"I hate this," she muttered, her reflection scowling back at her in the glass. "I should be out there doing something."

"What you're doing is keeping people safe," Nina said, directing a trembling elderly man to a cushioned booth with a gentle wave of her hand. "Sometimes that's the most important thing."

"Well, that pompous, selfish woman…" A blue dragon – Carmen – swooped past the window, and Daphne's words dissolved into a frustrated growl. "She's destroying everything just to prove she can."

"Honey, you're making all my plants look like they belong in a haunted forest," Nina pointed out, gesturing to the now thorny and twisted greenery throughout the café.

Daphne forced herself to take a deep breath, willing the plants to return to normal. "Sorry. It's just... I thought working with Archer meant we'd actually be doing something to stop this. But here we are, watching it happen all over again."

The floating menu board flickered anxiously above their heads, its chalk letters spelling out "REMAIN CALM" before switching to "TRY OUR SOOTHING CHAMOMILE BLEND."

Movement suddenly caught Daphne's eye through the window. An elderly woman crouched behind a newspaper stand across the street, clutching a cane with trembling hands.

"There's someone still out there!" Daphne rushed for the door.

"Don't you dare—" Nina's fingers crackled with purple energy. "The barrier?—"

"Break it! Just for a second!"

Nina muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "stubborn green witches" before gesturing sharply. The magical barrier shimmered and parted just enough for Daphne to slip through.

The scorching air hit her lungs as she sprinted across the street. Debris crunched under her feet, and the smoke made her eyes water.

"Come on," Daphne reached the elderly woman, helping her up. "Let's get you somewhere safe."

"My ankle," the woman grimaced. "I fell when everyone started running."

They moved painfully slow toward the café, the woman leaning heavily on both Daphne and her cane. Each step felt like an eternity as dragons wheeled overhead.

"Almost there," Daphne encouraged, though her heart pounded in her chest. Twenty more feet to Nina's protective barrier. Fifteen. Ten.

The ground shook beneath their feet. A massive dragon landed before them, blocking their path to the café. Its scales gleamed like polished bronze in the sunlight, and its eyes fixed on them with predatory focus.

"Oh no," Daphne muttered, positioning herself between the dragon and the elderly woman.

The dragon's chest expanded as it drew in its breath, its jaw unhinging to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. Heat shimmed the air around its mouth.

Daphne's fingers twitched, ready to try something – anything – with the scraggly plants nearby. She might not be able to stop a dragon, but she wasn't going down without trying.

"If you're going to eat us," she called out, surprised by how steady her voice sounded, "you should know I probably taste terrible. All that plant magic, you know? Very bitter."

Daphne could hear her pulse in her ears. Her thoughts suddenly drifted to Archer's mansion on the outskirts of town. Could dragon hearing pick up the chaos from there? The elderly woman's grip tightened on her arm, trembling.

"Come on, Archer," she whispered under her breath, the words barely audible over the crackle of nearby flames. "I know you're probably brooding over your wood carvings right now, but I could really use some backup here."