2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Taran

M aeve wasn’t her usual vibrant self today. I didn’t want to bring it up since she was clearly trying her best to stay composed, but I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to dim her light like that.

“Could I get a slice of the red velvet and another Brewce Lee, please? I feel like treating myself today.”

She discreetly sniffed and gave a nod. “Absolutely. You want to wait, or should I bring it to your table? ”

“Whichever is easiest for you.”

Her pretty face lit up with a smile. “I’ll bring it over in a minute. I’m almost on my break, anyway.”

I loved it when she did that, and maybe she knew. Usually, I only saw her upper body stuck behind the beat-up counter with the crumbling tile, but I loved watching her when she wove through the tables. She chatted with the people as she passed, ready with a friendly word or a cheeky remark for everyone. Maeve was the soul of this cafe, and it was amazing to see her aura make the whole place come alive.

Not to mention, she was drop-dead gorgeous. I had ‘zero game’ as the kids called it these days, and couldn’t for the life of me say if she saw anything in me aside from a semi-regular customer. Did that change the fact that I was smitten with the barista? Big fat no.

“Here you go, Taran. Need anything else from me?” she asked me with a half smile that didn’t quite reach her dark eyes.

“Can you sit down for a moment?” I blurted and my tail thudded nervously against the chair leg.

Moon Goddess! What are you doing?

Maeve considered me for a second, then took off her apron, put it on the back of a chair, and sat down.

“I just thought, because you said you were almost on your break,” I explained myself, making her smile even wider.

“Mind if I grab my lunch real quick? I could use an iced latte and some nice company.” Her hands loosened her hair tie and the bright purple strands tumbled down her shoulders. She shook them out before tying them back up in a bun.

Goddess, she’s beautiful .

“That would be nice.” Nice? Can you have negative game?

Biting her lip, she got up and swiftly went back to the counter.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Maeve mumbled as she came back with a glass of iced latte and a sandwich on a plate.

I nodded, already wishing I hadn’t. I wanted her to sit with me, but she got me all jittery. My mouth was so dry, my tongue was glued to the roof. Perhaps a sip of the Brewce Lee could loosen it up?

“How has your day been so far?” See? I am a good Dragon. I can do small talk!

I’d read everything I could on the customs of small talk before I ventured out for the first time in the years since my mother had left this plane. She wasn’t dead, but she had grown bored with this world and had jumped to another reality. We Dragons could do that.

Not that I’ve ever been interested.

I didn’t even like exploring this plane. Why would I want to go to another?

Existing made me nervous, as did unfamiliar situations, so I spent most of my time in the safety of my lair.

“It’s been okay, thanks.” I didn’t believe a word of what she said. Rusty I might be, but that didn’t mean I was clueless.

“I don’t believe you,” I told her quietly over a sip of my spicy coffee.

“Excuse me?” A loud laugh escaped her and for the first time today, it sounded genuine.

“You seem different, distracted.” With a shrug, I drank again. That coffee was addictive.

“Why are you so perceptive?” Maeve’s soft pink lips pulled into a pout as she scrutinised me over her sandwich .

“Comes with the species?”

“So, Dragons are psychic?”

“No, but we can read a room.” Wow, where did the sass come from?

“If you really want to know, my day has been shit.” She heaved a deep sigh. “I suppose you’re going to find out anyway… The cafe’s going to shut down. Well, they didn’t say so, but…”

What? They were going to close the cafe?

“But why?”

“Our boss had our manager send us a message on KrakenChat earlier,” she told me angrily. “He didn’t even have the balls to tell us in person. Can you believe that?”

Her eyes filled with tears, making them look like a deep, dark lake with a tiny glimmer of light from the lamp above us. Just like the moon on the nights I change . When I spread my wings over the lake by my castle, and the wind raged against my scales as the Goddess blessed me with her magic.

“They’ve been sued for copyright infringement. Apparently, the trademark belongs to a big ass company with no sense of humour. Reynolds doesn’t want to fight for the name, and ‘rebranding is too expensive.’” She sketched quotation marks into the air, little red bolts of rage sparking in her aura’s murky blue. “No balls, no backbone. I should be glad I’m not working for him anymore. Fuck,” Maeve cursed under her breath, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

“I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do…”

With a heavy sigh, all the fight went out of her. I hated watching her curl in on herself like this. That wasn’t my Maeve—the strong, sassy human I admired from afar .

“Got a shit ton of money to buy this place?” she told her iced latte in a defeated, flat voice.

I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling. I had so much money, I would never run out. My wealth grew all by itself, and there was no one or anything to ever spend it on. Besides the art I hoarded, but even that got as boring as stale bread. It was a clear sign that I needed to change my life when I no longer found joy in my art collection.

“Well, actually, I do.”