Page 24 of Hot for the Dragon (Saltwater Grove #3)

24

ARCHER

A rcher sat in the corner booth of the Cauldron & Cup. His back was to the wall and his eyes scanned the room out of habit. Daphne sat across from him, absorbed in reviewing her notes about the upcoming meeting.

A server dropped off their order - his Dragon's Breath Hot Chocolate actually snapped at him as he lifted it, making him smirk.

His gaze drifted back to Daphne. His dragon instincts urged him to protect her, to keep her far away from any potential danger. And walking into a meeting with potentially hostile dragon shifters? That definitely qualified as danger.

But he'd promised to trust her judgment. Damn if that wasn't harder than he'd expected. The woman had no sense of self-preservation sometimes, rushing headfirst into situations that made his scales itch. Always seeing the best in everyone, even when they didn't deserve it.

Including him.

Archer watched as she absently created a small vine that crawled up her water glass, tiny flowers blooming along its length. She'd done the same thing to his life, he realized. Slowly but surely working her way in, making everything around her more vibrant, more alive, like him.

Before her, he'd been content in his isolation, crafting his wooden figures and avoiding any connection to the town or its people. Now here he sat in a public café, planning to help save the very community he'd turned his back on. All because this sunny, optimistic witch had waltzed into his life and made him want to be worthy of her smile.

If anyone could convince hardened dragon shifters to choose a better path, it would be Daphne. She'd managed to thaw his frozen heart, after all. Made him remember what it felt like to care about something beyond himself.

The thought should have bothered him. Instead, it filled him with a fierce pride. She was extraordinary - and somehow she'd chosen to trust him, to believe in him.

"What do you think about..." Daphne started to ask, but Archer was too lost in his thoughts to respond.

The lantern light caught that sparkle in her eyes as she returned to her writing. His dragon instincts recognized her as something to be treasured, even as his human side struggled with allowing her to take risks. But that was Daphne - gentle yet unstoppable, like a flower growing through concrete.

They soon followed Terry down the narrow alley behind the Cauldron & Cup. The brick walls pressed in close, amplifying every echo of their footsteps. Archer’s dragon instincts screamed to grab Daphne and fly her far from here, but he forced himself to stay focused on their mission.

Terry led them through a maze of back streets to an abandoned warehouse. Inside, about thirty dragon shifters lounged against steel support beams or perched on rusty machinery. Their eyes gleamed in the dim light as they tracked every movement.

"Well, if it isn't the traitor," one of them sneered at Archer. "And he brought a little witch."

Archer's jaw tightened at the remark. The dragon within him wanted to show these upstarts exactly why he'd been feared, but he held back. This was Daphne's show right now.

"Thank you all for coming," Daphne stepped forward, her voice steady despite the hostile atmosphere. "I know you're taking a risk just being here."

"Yeah, we are," a female shifter cut in. "So make it worth our time."

Daphne launched into her speech about choice and freedom, but the interruptions started immediately.

"Easy for you to say - you're not bound by our laws."

"What would a witch know about dragon culture?"

"At least Carmen has the strength to back up her claims."

The barbs kept coming, each one making Archer's blood boil hotter. These fools were too caught up in their outdated traditions to see the gift Daphne was offering them. She persisted, her passionate words competing with their doubts and derision.

"Carmen may be strong, but she's using that strength to-"

"To do what dragons have always done," someone shouted. "Take what we want!"

These dragon shifters had no idea what Daphne was risking to help them, how pure her intentions were. His dragon roared inside him, demanding he put these upstarts in their place right now.

The warehouse soon erupted in overlapping voices, some agreeing, others arguing. Archer watched Daphne's shoulders tense as she tried to regain control of the room. His protective instincts flared as one particularly large shifter stepped toward her with a sneer.

That was enough. Archer pushed off from the wall he'd been leaning against and stalked forward. His presence commanded immediate attention. The room fell silent as he positioned himself at Daphne's side, his power filling the space. These youngsters might have forgotten who he was, but their dragons hadn't.

The warehouse's musty air crackled with tension as he surveyed the gathered dragons. His eyes locked onto each challenger, daring them to interrupt.

"You think you know everything about being dragons?" He let out a sharp laugh. "I used to think the same way. Strength above all else. Until this witch showed me what real strength looks like."

"She walked into my home - my territory - without fear." Archer's voice carried across the warehouse. "Stood up to Carmen herself while surrounded by hostile dragons. And you know what she did next? She made me question everything I thought I knew about power."

He paced the floor. "I was like you once. Thought might made right. Then I watched her rush into burning buildings to save strangers. Saw her defend people who'd done nothing but spread rumors about me. Hell, she even defended some of you who don't deserve it."

The warehouse fell silent. Even the most aggressive dragons seemed to be listening now.

"You want to talk about strength?" Archer's lip curled. "Try watching someone half your size stand up to everything you believe in and make you realize you've been wrong your whole damn life. That's real power."

He crossed his arms, letting his words sink in. "So yeah, maybe you should shut up and listen to what she has to say. Because I guarantee she's stronger than any of you - she just shows it differently."

The gathered dragons shifted uncomfortably. Archer felt Daphne's presence beside him, steady and warm. His dragon instincts purred with satisfaction at defending her, even as his human side marveled at how she'd changed him.

"Now," he growled, "are you going to hear her out, or do I need to remind you why I used to be second-in-command of the most feared wing in the territory?"

Archer watched as Daphne stepped forward, her presence filling the warehouse despite her small stature. His dragon instincts thrummed with pride as she commanded the attention of every shifter in the room.

"I've seen what Carmen's attacks do firsthand," Daphne's voice rang clear through the silence. "I watched my flower shop burn. But more importantly, I watched families lose their homes, children cry in fear, and people I care about get hurt."

She paced the concrete floor. A small vine curled around her wrist, responding to her heightened emotions. "But I also saw something else. I saw this town come together. I saw witches healing the wounded, shifters helping put out fires, and humans offering shelter to those who lost their homes."

Archer tensed as she moved closer to the gathered dragons but kept his position. His muscles coiled, ready to spring if any of them so much as twitched wrong in her direction. But they remained still, caught in her spell of words.

"You have a choice now," she continued. "Carmen might be physically stronger, but true strength isn't about who can hit hardest. It's about standing up for what's right, even when it's difficult. Especially when it's difficult."

The warehouse's shadows danced across her face as she gestured passionately. "This town needs your help. Not because we're weak, but because we're stronger together. You can choose to be part of something bigger than just following the strongest fighter. You can choose to protect instead of destroy."

Archer's chest swelled as he watched her. His little witch, facing down a warehouse full of dragon shifters without a trace of fear. Making them question everything they'd been taught, just as she'd done to him. His dragon purred with satisfaction at how far she'd come from that first meeting in his mansion.

The gathered shifters remained silent, but Archer could smell their uncertainty, their consideration. Daphne had planted the seed of doubt in their minds, just as she'd done with him. Now they just had to wait and see if it would take root.

His little witch had done what he'd thought impossible - made dragon shifters actually consider change.

"But what about our traditions?" A younger dragon asked, his tone respectful where minutes ago it had been sneering. "We've always followed strength."

Daphne's eyes lit up at the genuine question. "Sometimes the bravest thing is choosing to forge new traditions."

Archer's dragon preened as she handled each concern with grace and wisdom. She'd grown so much from their first encounter yet maintained that pure heart that had first caught his attention. His chest tightened as she gestured animatedly, her enthusiasm infectious even to these hardened warriors.

"What if Carmen retaliates against our families?" Another dragon questioned.

"That's why we need to stand together," Daphne replied. "United, we're stronger than any single leader."

The warehouse hummed with contemplative energy. Archer crossed his arms, maintaining his intimidating presence while letting Daphne work her magic. Damn, he loved how she could command a room without a hint of force or fear. Every day she surprised him, challenged him, made him want to be worthy of her brilliance.

A smile tugged at his lips as he caught several dragons nodding along with her words. His fierce little flower had done it again - turned enemies into allies with nothing but truth and compassion.

"Well," he thought, "I never stood a chance against her, did I?"