“They are much more than that.” He answered without hesitation. “I should know – I’m one of them.”
Had I been standing; his statement probably would have knocked me right off my feet. “What?” I stammered in disbelief. “Why would a dragon work at a café?”
“What? You don’t think dragons need money too?”
“I don’t suspect you have rent to worry about.”
“Well, you’re right on that front but if we want to interact with humans then we need human money. Your kind doesn’t exactly accept precious gems as currency anymore.” He chuckled. “Not that we would part so easily with our treasures. As you probably know, dragons are hoarders when it comes to treasure.”
I listened to him talk about dragons like it was an everyday affair. This guy had completely lost his mind.
“By that look on your face, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you don’t believe a word that I just said. I don’t blame you. We’ve made a huge effort to keep ourselves a secret.” As he spoke, he rose to his feet and stretched his arms. His fingers curled into fists while his face twisted with pain.
“Foster!” I called out but he didn't respond to my voice.
I was about to do something when a pair of leathery wings emerged from his back. His face eased back to normal and he even flashed a smile. “See.” He turned around and flapped his wings, hovering slightly above the ground so I could see. “You can touch them if you'd like. Just watch out for the tips. They're razor sharp.”
To my surprise, they were incredibly soft. I ran my fingertips along the leathery surface and it was enough to bring a smile to my lips. “Wow… this is incredible. But why just the wings?”
“This is all I can man
age. I’m an omega.”
“Omega?” I repeated, unfamiliar with the word.
“Dragons range from Alpha all the way to Omega. Alphas, like Myles, are true dragons. They can transform into the beasts of legends. Omegas, like me, only get the wings. I can’t really explain why it’s like this – it just is.”
“I see…” I stood there my head buzzing. “So, it wasn’t just a dream… I really rode on a dragon’s back the other day. I can’t believe it.”
“I’m surprised Myles allowed you to do so. Then again, you’re just his type.”
My cheeks burned a bright shade of crimson. “I am.”
“Mhm.” He answered with a nod. “You’re cute. Which is good because it takes three to tango in our species.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we want to procreate then three people are needed. One female and two males.”
“So… like a threesome.” For a second, I entertained the idea of falling into bed with both Myles and Foster. I had never been one to fantasize but deep down, having a threesome was on my bucket list. “But how does that make any sense… I mean… biologically.”
“Well, our young are very valuable. People have been stealing dragon eggs since the beginning of time. So, at one point, we adapted into this system. It assures that the baby has two forms of protection so if something happens to one of the fathers, they still have someone else to rely on.”
“What about the mother?” I felt like writing this all down. It would make a great comic strip. Dragons were a big trend right now and if I capitalized on it, maybe I could make a quick buck. It would certainly help save for the vacation I was planning.
“Female dragons are known to be rather… err, what’s the word…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, let’s just say that they have a bad habit of killing their young.”
I gasped. “Why would they do such a thing.”
“Beats me. I try to stay away from them if I can.” He raised his hands in innocence. “Honestly, I wouldn’t get into bed with one even if you paid me.”
“Neither would I.”
“Which is why male dragons looked for an alternative.” He paused to point a finger in my direction. “For whatever reason, the human womb is able to carry our young. The only problem? Human females aren’t very fond of the idea. They think we’re monsters and most of the time they set their men to hunt us down.”
“I see…” I sat back down and he offered me a protein bar. I took it and nibbled on its edge while mulling over the information I had just received. It was difficult to believe that dragons were real but, at the same time, it was difficult to deny something that was right in front of me. “So, why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll tell someone?”
“I have my doubts especially with that ex-boyfriend of yours. If he gets the police department involved, we could be in some serious trouble. Some of those guns are strong enough to pierce through our scales, strong as they might be.”