Kiss the Dragon (Maidens Book One) Read Online Free

served food on platters fit for the queen? No one I knew.
    After the plates came the food followed by a tea pot and a decanter of some kind of alcohol. Given our location and its amber color when poured, I surmised it must be Scotch. The men all added a healthy dose of the booze to their tea. Alec held the decanter over my dainty teacup, but I covered it with my hand and shook my head.
    “No thanks. I don’t drink.”
    Alec raised an eyebrow as if he’d never heard of such a thing.
    “I’m a terrible drunk,” I said and then I stuffed a cookie in my mouth to stop myself from saying anything more. No one needed to know what the voice was like under the influence of alcohol. That little piece of information could be used against me.
    The cookie had a bright lemon flavor with a sugar crust that gave it texture and sweetness. I made an appreciative ‘mmm’ sound which caused Niall’s face to light up with pleasure. “Glad you like it. It’s an American recipe.”
    I washed the cookie down with some tea, enjoying the way its bitterness served as a foil for the sweetness of the cookie. Niall had balanced flavors nicely. “They’re really good. I’d love the recipe.”
    “You would? Do you cook?” He sounded absolutely delighted.
    “I run a cupcake shop in Inverness. Right on the main drag,” I said, leaving out the part where I’d abandoned ship.
    “Oh excellent.” Niall beamed at me. “Since you’re a professional, I’ll tell you the secret is to dip the cookie dough in water first and then the sugar. That’s what makes the crust.” He topped off our tea, pouring from a dented copper kettle. All the men quickly added more booze while I went for one of the sandwiches.
    Catching me peeking between the bread to see what it was, Niall said, “It’s chicken salad with watercress and cucumber.”
    “Sounds very English,” I said.
    The men went still and all four of them gave me a look.
    I straightened in my seat. “Was that a bad thing to say?”
    “We’re not bloody redcoats,” said the dark-haired one with a frown. His intense blue eyes flashed with what I took to be irritation.
    “Oh, my bad. Sorry guys, I’m from the other side of the pond,” I said with a shrug. The intricacies of the English-Scottish rivalry were not my strong suit. I took another sandwich and snagged one more cookie. If I didn’t, they would all be gone. These biker dudes ate fast. “So, who are you guys? What’s with the fireballs?” I gave Alec the side eye and he shifted uncomfortably.
    “I’m Malcolm,” said the guy with the dark hair. “These are my brothers, Niall, Gavin and Alec.” He pointed to each of the men in turn.
    Niall gave an amicable wave, which I returned. Gavin snapped his teeth again, which made Alec tense up beside me. I put my hand on his arm again. “Don’t worry, I’ve got his name and his number. Gavin, class A asshole.”  I smiled sweetly at the blond. “Or would you prefer the term jackass?”
    His face darkened with anger for a moment, but then cleared as he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m a good arsehole to have in a fight.”
    “Well, maybe you should save it for the fighting then,” Alec growled, reaching for a cookie. Gavin got to the plate first, swiping the three remaining cookies and stuffing them into his mouth.
    “God save ye, Gav.” Malcolm swatted the back of Gavin’s head. “Stop it. I mean it, or you’ll be looking for someplace else to rest your head, brotherhood or no.”
    “What? I’m hungry.” Gavin’s eyes went wide with feigned innocence as he reached for the sandwiches, but Niall swiftly pulled the plate away.
    “Brotherhood?” I asked over Gavin’s whining, finding the word odd.
    The table went quiet at my question. Finally Alex sighed. “You ken there’s magic in the world, right?”
    At my nod, Malcolm said, “We’re dragons.”
    “All of you?” I looked at each of them in turn, squinting to see if I could spot scales or something