Page 10 of On the Road

“Uhm, right, I just . . .” I patted my pockets.

The barman’s glare narrowed further.

This was going so well.

“On me,” my burly barmate said, and nodded encouragement as our gazes met.

With a huff, the barman glowered. “You better pay for the pancakes, buddy.”

“Yes, of course, my uh . . . friend Zee has my wallet. I just . . .” I trailed off as the barman turned his back and served other customers, his demeanor suddenly one of the sunniest guys you’d ever meet. Just not for me.

Sipping my whiskey, the warmth did help soothe my nerves. “Thanks again.” I saluted, and was met with those bushy eyebrows pinching together. The older guy on my left glared through his thick, dark, bottle-brush lashes. Maybe this was how they welcomed tourists? It seemed a bit icy, but I couldn’t really judge when our barman told most customers to get lost . . . but less politely. “Nice jacket.” I smiled again. “You all have them. Did they come from the same leather store?”

A growl bubbled up through my new friend, and the stack of pancakes arrived just in time for me to make a quick retreat to our table.

Zee brightened at the sight of honey-drizzled pancakes and a mountain of bacon.

“Come to Uncle Zee.” He spotted my whiskey. “Where’s mine?”

“I didn’t get much choice in the matter.” Glancing back at the bar, I found we were still being watched, and raised my whiskey with a grin that hopefully made it clear we were all friends.

“Sit.” Zee cut up some pancake and stuffed it into his mouth, speaking around it. “You makin’em nervoush.”

The men here didn’t look nervous. They looked as though they were buying time until we left so they could jump us, rifle through our valuables, then give us a stern warning to get out of their neck of the woods.

We tucked into the pancakes, with Zee wolfing down over half in under a minute, eating like he’d never seen food before. Done with his half, he shifted sideways in the large chair and draped an arm over its back, getting comfortable. “Those were the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten.”

“I could tell,” I chuckled, shoving a forkful of bacon and pancake into my mouth and washing it down with the whiskey.

He went on to describe how pancake eating should be a sport, and how we should hold a competition at the hotel and invite the Razorsedge demons. He’d definitely win, he explained, but the event would be hilarious. His eyes brightened whenever he spoke about his friends, and a pang of guilt tugged at my heart. I’d made him leave. We’d go back. I just needed . . . a plan.

“Do you have family, Zee?” I asked him.

“Family?” He sat up, probably because I rarely asked about personal stuff.

“You don’t really talk about anyone on the other side of the veil much.”

“Uhm, sure. I guess. I got sold into soldiering real early on.” He plucked at his sharp teeth with the prongs of his fork. “I don’t remember much other than I had parents, but they’re a blur. Blood family’s not a big thing for demons. But found family?” He pointed the fork at me. “People you choose to love? That’s where it’s at.”

Like the family we had at the SOS Hotel. A bunch of misfits who fit.

“What about you, huh? I know you like”—he lowered his voice—“killed them all, so I get it if it’s a taboo subject.”

“Oh uh, yeah, no. It’s complicated.” I’d never told anyone about my homelife. I was different here—everything was different here—and talking about my real home and who I’d been before made everything I’d worked for at the SOS Hotel seem fragile. “We uh . . . so, we hatch. There’s usually lots of us⁠—”

“Wait, hold up. You fuckin’ hatched? Like a chicken?”

“More like a lizard, but yeah.”

He pulled back and blinked. “I did not see that coming.”

“Yeah, so, there’s loads of eggs in a clutch, and we hatch, and pretty much from the beginning it’s survival of the fittest. I wasn’t really all that fit, or big, or much of anything really.”

“Pfft.” He flapped a hand. “You’re the best dragon. Everyone knows it.”

“Yeah, but . . . I really wasn’t. I don’t know how I stayed alive, other than by mostly running and hiding . . . and then there was the whole prophecy thing, and all the family wanted a piece of me. I never really liked them much. Things got wild before I came here.”

“You’re not really into blood ties either then, huh?”