“Thank you, Jace, for looking out for us. I can tell your brother means a lot to you, and that means a lot to me that you have his back, even in the face of danger. The world needs more people like you,” Emmy said and closed the distance between them.
Before Kingston could stop her, she wrapped her arms around Jace’s waist and gave him a hug. The look on his brother’s face was priceless. It was easy to see that he didn’t know if he should hug her back or push her away.
Kingston silently nodded, indicating it was perfectly okay for Jace to return the hug. He liked the fact that she had acknowledged how much of a help his brother was and that he had always had his back. Emmy pulled back from the hug and returned to stand beside Kingston.
“Where are you two headed from here?” Jace asked.
“I think we're going to check out The Dragon’s Lair and then get some dinner. What are you and Malia up to?” Kingston asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe we’ll meet up with you for dinner if that’s okay,” Jace answered.
“I’d like that,” Emmy said. “I really like Malia. I can see the two of us becoming close.”
Jace smiled. “Yeah. She likes you a lot too. Text us where you’re going, and we’ll meet you there,” he said before leaving.
“I really like your brother. He’s good for you,” she said.
“Thanks. We’ve been tight for a long time. I can’t imagine not having him in my life.” He and Jace hadn’t always had the best relationship, but they had worked for years to get to the place they were at now.
“Didn’t we just leave the lair? Are we going back?”
Kingston could see the confusion on her face.
“Sorry. The Dragon’s Lair is my nightclub. I need to pop in quickly and check on a few things. Then we can meet Jace and Malia for dinner. It won’t take long. I promise.”
“That’s fine. I was just confused. I think the name of your club is great and very fitting.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought too. It’s a shame that some in our clan didn’t think so. They think I’m flaunting the rules.”
“What rules?” she asked.
“That we keep our existence a secret. There are many legends of us, but no one has ever confirmed those rumors to be true. Everyone has cell phones these days, and the chances of being exposed are greater than ever. No one wants to end up in some government lab as a science experiment.”
“That would be bad. Like, really bad.”
“That’s why we must keep our existence a secret. That’s now a secret you must keep. No one can ever know what I really am.” He hoped Emmy truly understood how important it was for the humans to never know what he truly was. Their entire relationship depended on it.
“I understand. I would never tell anyone about you or the others. I promise.”
He felt the truth in her words. Knew the truth she held in her heart. For the millionth time since he had met her, he found himself amazed at how perfect she was for him.
* * *
After Kingston gaveEmmy a quick tour of his house, they hopped in his Denali and headed for The Dragon’s Lair. The drive from his house to his club was short and filled with a couple of rounds of twenty questions as they continued to get to know each other.
“Really, Duran Duran?” Kingston laughed.
“Yep! Absolutely adore them. I used to have a poster of Simon LeBon hanging on my wall when I was a tween. I can’t believe you’re an Elvis fan. He was ancient, even when you were growing up,” she teased.
Emmy was surprised to learn how much they had in common despite how differently they had grown up. They had the same taste in food, but their tastes in music varied wildly. They had already started teasing one another over their eclectic preferences.
They pulled up outside of what appeared to be a packed club. A line wound down the sidewalk with partygoers patiently waiting to enter the establishment.
“You weren’t kidding when you said your club was one of the most popular spots in town, were you?” Suddenly Emmy felt severely underdressed when she saw all the women lined up waiting to get in.
“It’s taken years for me to build up the club, but I have, and I’m proud of it.”
“You should be. I can’t wait to see what it looks like inside. Though, I’m afraid I’m going to look like a homeless crazy lady compared to the rest of the women inside. I wish we would have stopped by the hotel first. I would have changed had I known.” Her hiking outfit definitely didn’t fit in with all of the stilettos and skin-tight, vagina-length dresses.