Not for long, I don’t think, my dragon thought. Something is worrying the dragon. Hurry!
I nodded, putting a little pep in my step.
“It’s the manic look in your eyes,” Hadriel responded. “You all have it.”
“We are typically larger in stature than other shifters,” Gunduin said. “More menacing. And more competent on the battlefield.”
“Arrogant, I think you meant to say. More arrogant,” Hadriel intoned.
Gunduin laughed. “Possibly so, yes. Or maybe it is because we are the favorite choice of their women…”
“Enough,” I said quietly, stopping in front of another couple of ruddy-faced men with a little less weight around their middles. One leaned his large, grizzled hand against a thick wooden pole keeping the docks in place. He didn’t bat an eye at us, unlike the two men beside him. I knew it wasn’t because he liked the look of us any more than they did, however. His bearing gave off a fuck off, or I’ll make an example of you vibe, backed by confidence and hard-earned experience. The body language of the others suggested they looked up to him. Which meant he probably had the best boat and most money of any of them.
“Sir, we’d like to hire a boat,” I said.
The man glanced at each of us in turn, settling on Hadriel for a moment. “What are you doing with a bunch of dragons?”
“Hating my life, mostly. Constantly looking over my shoulder…”
The man grunted out a laugh, and the other two chuckled.
“Sir, please, this is urgent,” I said, threading power into my voice.
He slowly turned back to me, his eyes narrowing. He pulled his hand off the pole and crossed his arms over his chest like the others.
“Are you trying to magic me, dragon?” he asked. The other two grumbled their outrage, moving their hands to their hips.
He said magic as if it had a couple additional consonants tacked on the end. Was he looking for a challenge or something?
I ignored it. “Can you take us? We can pay.”
“Yeah? Well, turns out I don’t need a dragon’s money, so you can bluster and blow as much as you want—it makes no difference to me. You’ll get no ships here, dragon. Fly, if you’re so inclined. Or swim.”
The two guys beside him snickered.
“What’s the problem here?” Weston’s heavy boots thunked against the wood as he made his way closer, two hard-eyed guys behind him. I hadn’t seen them before, but they bristled with muscle and might. These fuckers would be a handful in a fight.
The captain clearly came to the same conclusion, taking a step back and suddenly not sure what to do with his hands. The other men looked like they were ready to haul ass to get out of the area. Hadriel preened as if they were his own personal bodyguards.
“We don’t take dragons,” the captain said. “No self-respecting wolf would do their bidding. Not in this port.”
Weston tilted his head. “No? And why is that?” he growled. “They are paying customers. Is it not your job to do the bidding of your paying customers?”
The captain’s eyes narrowed, and his lip curled. “You must not be from around here. What are you, a mountain wolf? Need them to take care of you, do you? Well, we don’t hold with dragons around these parts. We don’t need their kind. Take your business to the Anglian port. I hear they’ll hire out to anyone.”
Weston bristled, staring hard at the man. “Finley, I think he needs a lesson in compromise.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Dragon magic don’t bother me,” the man said hastily, visibly uncomfortable in Weston’s cross hairs. Dragon magic might not trouble him, but Weston’s certainly did.
“Maybe you just haven’t experienced this dragon’s magic,” Weston said softly, the words rumbling through him.
“You cannot touch him, Finley, or you will be imprisoned,” Gunduin said quickly. “You must threaten him with power and menace alone.”
I furrowed my brow and looked his way. “Are you all kidding? That’s what you think dragon magic is, blowing and blustering to get what you want?”
“It has worked very well for the master for a very long time,” Hadriel murmured. “Except on you, but you’re a headcase. That’s why you don’t understand.”
“Hell, I’ll take ya,” someone down at the way said, and then spat into the ocean. “Any dragon who’s got a team of wolves and a demon hanging around must have a good story.”
We all turned to look his way, and Weston gave the newcomer the full brunt of his intensity. He was wiry, dressed in threadbare clothes hanging off his frame.
The guy waved the alpha away, which was pretty brave, considering his scrawny stature. “No need for any of that. I ain’t looking for trouble. You need a boat? I got a ship. You need two ships? I got a buddy. It’s yours for a price.”
“And what price would that be?” Gunduin asked.
The man spat again and licked his chapped lip where a bulge made it protrude. He looked us all over. “More than some, cheaper than others.”
“We have three dozen dragons and a few odds and ends,” I said, walking his way.
“A few odds and ends, huh?” He looked up the way, spying our people and probably the demons. “You’re gonna need my buddy, I reckon, and you are gonna need to personally ensure those demons mind their manners. I don’t have no cause for fearin’ dragons, but demons are another story. They turn pirate more often than not.”
“We’ll ensure these demons aren’t a threat. Moreover, we’ll kill any others we see on the sea,” I replied.
He pushed up the lip of his cap and scratched his messy hair. “I should tell ya, that’s illegal.”
“Only if you get caught. I’ve always heard that boats sink after they’re burned to a crisp…”
He tilted his head. “That’s about the way of it. They had a bonfire here the other night with a demon boat that was tied up. Probably not right, but I don’t blame them.”
Well, there went Govam’s offer.
“Can we leave soon, sir?” I asked. “Within a couple hours?”
“Where ya headed?”
“Wyvern. You’ve probably never heard of it, but—”
His eyes lit up. “Well, now. That is interesting. It’s on the maps, and the land is there, but some force repels anyone from entering. A few that I know have tried. Why do you want to go there?”
“Because we know a way in.”
He spat before licking at his lip. “For the right price, I’ll take you.”
Gunduin put his hand on my arm, and I knew he was thinking what I was—the captain would accept a lower price now than five minutes ago. Curiosity would ensure it.
“I’ll take care of this,” Gunduin said softly. “You get everyone ready.”
“Why is he paying?” Hadriel asked quietly as we made our way to the others.
“I honestly don’t know, but I don’t intend to look a horse in the mouth. Did you hear anything about the faeries?”
“Gift horse, love. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. You can look— Never mind. The faeries haven’t shown up yet. Weston has been here for a few days, and there’s been no sign of them.”