“A murky gray. Nice.” She slid across the seat and he got in beside her.
“Except you.” He closed the door. “O’Malley’s, please.”
“Sure thing.” The cab pulled away from the curb and Kelos leaned back in his seat, hoping they had made the right decision.
“So, what color am I?” she asked.
“Blue, like the clearest sky in early spring,” he said wistfully.
“I like blue,” she told him as she snuggled up to him. “I also like green.”
“You do?” he asked.
Amber pressed her lips to his ear. “Are all dragons green?”
“No. They are a myriad of colors.” He closed his eyes briefly and recalled a time when other dragons roamed the far reaches of the world.
“We’re here,” the cab driver said, jerking him out of his daydream.
“Thank you,” Amber reached into her purse and then handed cash to the driver.
Kelos got out of the cab first and held out his hand to her. “It looks like a lively place.”
“It does.” Amber stood on the sidewalk next to him, the cab drove off and they crossed the street toward the entrance to O’Malley’s.
Raising his head, he sniffed the air. Yeah, definitely shifters. At least the majority of them were, a few people were normal humans, possibly mates or perhaps just friends of the shifters who came to drink here.
“I suppose we’d better go inside.” Amber tugged his hand and he realized he’d been frozen to the spot, staring at the bar.
“I suppose we should.” He slipped his arm possessively around Amber’s shoulder and they stepped off the sidewalk. A few heads turned to watch them as they approached but Kelos kept walking.
“We’re outsiders,” Amber murmured as they reached the entrance to the bar. Double doors with frosted glass obscuring their view inside stood between them and the place Joanna had asked to meet them. “You don’t think Joanna set us up, do you?”
Kelos shook his head. “I don’t think so. She seemed genuine.” He placed his hand on the door and pushed it open. “There’s only one way to find out.”
They went inside.
Chapter Twenty – Amber
“Drink?” Kelos asked once they were inside the bar. He was nervous, people were staring, and he didn’t like it.
“It’s okay,” Amber reassured him. “Let them stare.” She guided them toward the bar, not letting go of Kelos’s hand. She was nervous, too, but she was also used to walking into strange places and making friends. Without being able to shift into a dragon and make a quick getaway, unlike Kelos, she had learned to adapt.
“I’ll buy the drinks,” Kelos insisted as they approached the crowded bar. Not that they had to squeeze through the crowd, the people seemed to part in front of them, stepping to one side to create a path.
“Now that is strange,” Amber said quietly to Kelos as they reached the bar.
“I’ll have a beer, please.” He glanced at Amber. “What do you want to drink?”
“I’ll have a rum and Coke, please, lots of ice.” She smiled, keeping it friendly as the bartender nodded, his eyes lingering on Kelos a little longer than she’d have liked.
“Shall we take our drinks to the back of the bar?” Kelos suggested. “Maybe we’ll find somewhere quiet.”
“Sure.” She scanned the bar area, disappointed that there was nowhere to eat. Her stomach growled in response to the thought of food. They’d have to grab something after they met with Joanna.
“There you go.” The bartender set the two drinks down on the bar.
“How much?” Kelos asked, pulling his wallet out of his pocket.
The bartender grinned in a goofy kind of away. “No charge, dragon.”
Kelos’s head snapped back as he studied the bartender. “Thank you.”
“Anything else you need, just let me know.” The bartender didn’t move off to serve his next customer, instead he was frozen to the spot, staring at Kelos.
“Do you have a quiet place we could sit?” Amber asked, quickly aware that plenty more people in the bar must be aware they were in the presence of a dragon.
“Sure.” He inclined his head toward a door marked Private. “This way.”
Leaving the busy bar in the hands of another bartender, he led them through the door and into a quiet, comfortable sitting area with a couple of sofas and a TV.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Amber stood in the doorway, uncertain as to if they should stay or go.
“It’s the staff break room. And I own the bar, so yes, it’s okay.” He grinned at Kelos. “We don’t get many dragons in here and as much as I like you guys, you distract my customers from drinking.”
Kelos laughed. “I have that effect on people. Although, not everyone can sense me.”
The bartender took a step closer and sniffed the air. “You smell of sulfur and taste metallic on my tongue.”
“Maybe next time we go to a bar, you should wear stronger cologne,” Amber told him. Then she fixed the bartender with a hopeful look. “I don’t suppose you have any food, do you?”
“We have traveled a long way and have a long night before us,” Kelos said. “There is a woman who will be coming to meet us. I’d also appreciate it if you could direct her to us.”
The bartender’s smile widened. “I just love the way you guys talk.”
Amber smothered a laugh that threatened to burst out by taking an interest in a photograph on the wall. As she studied the faces in the photograph, her smile faded. “Do you know Detective Joanna Hargreaves?”
“Yeah, she used to work at the bar. Years ago, before she joined the force. She still comes here to drink…” He pointed as Kelos. “You are here to meet Joanna.”
Kelos inclined his head. “We are. Could you tell her where we are when she arrives? It’s especially important.”
“Sure.” The bartender nodded and then thrust out his hand. “I’m O’Malley, by the way… I know, who names a bar after themselves?”
Kelos looked down at the bartender’s hand then gripped it in
