Page 4 of The Flame Game

“I’m sorry, Bailey, but you’re still outclassed by phoenixes,” my husband said.

“Just because phoenixes can fly doesn’t mean they’re better than cindercorns. We have hooves, we breathe fire, meat is delicious, and so is napalm.”

Laughing, he shook his head and continued to push me along. “It is my solemn duty as your husband to feed you as much steak as you can stomach. If we stand here chatting, the hungry horde of police officers might toss us in the canal for delaying their dinner. It’s bad enough more cops than I anticipated showed up, so we’ve taken over every damned restaurant in the hotel, and I think we took over some of the restaurants across the street, too. Including a buffet. The only good news is we’re not paying for it, although there’s a battle royale going on over who will foot the bill in progress. I want nothing to do with that battle, by the way.”

“My father?” I guessed, as I couldn’t imagine Ra liking to lose to anybody.

“Among others, including my grandfathers, my uncle, and most of my relatives. While you were getting dressed, I got to listen to some of the dispute. It’s going to be entertaining. I did suggest your father handle processing all of the payments to keep things orderly and to fight over it after the wedding. That earned me some father-in-law favor, which I’m happy to take at this point.”

If our families wanted to bicker over the wedding bills, I wouldn’t get in their way. “I get to fight your grandfather, Quinn! That is the only battle I care about.”

“It will be a light skirmish, and you two will not beat each other to a near-death state. We can discuss strategy over dinner.”

“There’s a strategy for fighting gorgons? You mean I can’t just pet his snakes after I catch him in a headlock? I figured I’d get him in a headlock and cuddle with his snakes. They like me. Amanda has been teaching me the many ways I can put people in headlocks. I suck at everything else, but I am good at headlocks!”

I bet the instant we got home, Quinn would be doubling the number of self-defense courses I took. With luck, he’d join me.

Few things beat sanctioned brawling.

My husband laughed. “You know what? Forget I said anything. If you catch my grandfather in a headlock so you can pet his snakes, I will reward you appropriately.”

“I’ve been extra good today, so I deserve an even better reward.” Six months ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of asking anyone to spoil me, especially not my personal heaven and hell rolled together in one smoking hot package. “Maybe I deserve two extra special rewards for saying that out loud without running away.”

“I am very impressed you didn’t imitate a lobster or attempt to flee to the nearest bathroom. I figure you still have some time tonight to do so, although I’ll enjoy catching you and returning you to where you belong.” Quinn made sure I’d keep walking before releasing my shoulders, stepping to my side, and wrapping an arm around me. “I have you where I want you, and I intend to keep you here for the rest of the evening.”

“Who has the kids? Are they going to be having dinner with us?”

“They’re socializing with the gorgons. My cousin brought his whelps to start socializing them, so they’ll probably play all night.”

I wrinkled my nose at the memory of having beaten Quinn’s cousin, who lacked common sense when under the influence of alcohol and an incubus. “Oh, he’s useful for something other than annoying me?”

With a low, wicked chuckle, my husband led me to the steakhouse for my next conquest. “Shockingly, yes. It’s their first time with other gorgons their age, so we’ll let them socialize and have a good time. As Darrel never wants to experience you trying to shove your foot down his throat again, he promises the children will be tended properly and kept out of trouble. Not only that, when we get them back in a day or two, they’ll be exhausted.”

“Exhausted is good, because they’re going to be exhausting us soon, won’t they?” I couldn’t wait to get the children and our new animals home so we could settle and get started with the rest of our lives.

“You would be right. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts.” The smoldering look my husband shot me promised there’d be nothing quiet about the rest of our evening, once we got finished with the eating and the brawling. “But for now, you must enjoy your steak. You need plenty of fuel for your fight.”

Once inside the steakhouse, the hostess took us to a booth for four in the heart of the restaurant, which was set up with candles and place settings for two. Two nearby booths had been commandeered for presents, which made me laugh.

I sat, rubbing my hands together. “Nobody told me I got prizes for marrying you in front of a bunch of people. And here I thought you were the prize.”

“I am the prize. You’re just getting consolation gifts for having to put up with me daily. Consider the gifts to be payments for getting too little sleep lately.”

With my change of job, I looked forward to sharing the same shift with Quinn, being able to go home with him, and being able to spend time with him without sacrificing as much sleep. “Six hours a night, Quinn.”

“I’ll aim for letting you get eight unless I’m feeling particularly needy, in which case I’ll just carry you to the car and let you sleep on the way to work—unless we sleep in, in which case, I will make use of a quicker form of transportation after calling it in so you’re not chased all the way to Manhattan.”

“You can transform and run with me. We could race!” Would New York survive two fire-breathing unicorns galloping from Queens to Manhattan to get to work on time? We’d find out, and I’d love every minute of it. “I won’t even teleport so you have a chance of beating me.”

“I’m game to try it.” He chuckled, sat next to me in the booth, and held me close. “I like this part. I get to be a king for a day, and everybody has to shower my queen with gifts. And I’ve learned there’s little more my queen loves than presents. I thought you would have been tired of presents after this morning, but it seems I underestimated you yet again.”

“They have two tables for presents, Quinn. Isn’t that crazy?”

“At last count, five hundred cops and their families came from our building, and that’s only the folks who could make last-minute arrangements to come out. I was expecting fewer, but it seems you have a strong following. I bet it has something to do with your evil coffee-making ways.”

I grinned, as I made a point of going to the station and taking over my husband’s floor at least once or twice a month to make coffee for people.

It’d taken me a few months, but I’d discovered I missed being a barista sometimes, and I enjoyed making coffee for a bunch of starry-eyed cops who tended to follow me around like lost puppies whenever I paid them a visit. “That’s going to be awkward once I’m working there.”