“Never mind about that,” Portia said, waving her off. “I’ve got a plan to save your life.”
“Oh? Please, share. I’m at a loss, and I’ve just spent the last twenty-four hours nursing a man back from the dead. As signs go, I’d say that’s a bad one.”
“Or it was meant to be,” Portia sang, waving Lou toward them.
Alice turned in her seat to frown at Portia. “Meant to be? What?”
“Cooper is an alpha dragon. He’s just been through a whole bunch of trouble, but now, it’s resolved. He needs a wife. A powerful one. You’re just the ticket.”
Alice…who had just taken a deep pull from her drink…sputtered. “What?” she squeaked. “Did you just really tell me that Cooper wants to marry me forpower?” Anger flashed inside of her.
“No, silly,” Portia laughed. “I have no clue if he will want to marry you, but I think that if youwereto get married, it would actually save you both.”
“I am not marrying some stranger who almost got killed by his own pack of dragons.”
“A thunder. That’s what a family of dragons is called. You should know that if you’re going to marry Cooper.”
“I’m not marrying him,” Alice insisted.
“Sure you can. You might not want to, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea,” Portia said.
“What’s not a good idea? I, myself, find that all of my terrible ideas actually end up being my best,” Lou added to their conversation as he came to stand across from them behind the bar. “What’s this idea? Maybe I can help?” He wiggled his brows suggestively.
“Yes, please,” Portia sang while Alice grumbled, “Not a chance.”
“I can see that you two are on the same page. How nice,” he beamed a smile. “What’s the idea?”
Much to Alice’s annoyance, Portia proceeded to give the bartender details about her marriage plan. If Alice thought she was annoyed before, it was nothing compared to the flash of anger that she felt when Lou threw his head back with an excited laugh. “This is a marvelous idea. How can we get this in the works?” Lou’s eyes shined as if he had already heard this plan.
“I have an idea,” Portia answered.
“Nope,” Alice shook her head vehemently. “No. Just no. This conversation is not happening. We haven’t even checked with Cooper. Maybe he doesn’t want a wife. Besides, you can’t think that marrying me off to the first dragon that crashes on your beach is a good idea.”
“I wouldn’t marry you off to just anyone,” Portia insisted. “I would only do that if I thought the couple would be a good match.”
“Oh,” Alice huffed. “Because you think we would be a good match?”
Portia grinned, reached for Alice’s drink, and downed it in one go. Lou nodded in appreciation. “She’s the only one in the whole world who can down one of my drinks like that without passing out.”
Portia winked at them and stood. “I gotta see a man about a wedding.”
Before Alice could stop her, Portia was gone.
“Lemme get you another drink, little witch. You look like you need it.” Lou walked away, laughing to himself.
For her part, Alice didn’t feel very much like laughing. She might not have come to Hellscape Holiday Resort for a holiday, but it would have been so much better if she wasn’t in this matrimony nightmare.
* * *
Alice knewwhat nerves felt like. She had spent most of her life wrapped up in all kinds of nervous energy, but that was the part of her history she didn’t like reminiscing about. She wanted to keep it all locked and buried in the past.
What she needed to focus on now was her future. She had to find a way to beat these assassins who kept coming for her, but she also had to find a way to figure out which of her enemies was sending them after her to begin with. The list of pissed-off witches was as long as her arm and probably four times as wide.
Portia and Lou were comical, but they were insane if they thought that marrying Cooper Dawson, the dragon she had saved, was a good idea. She was still reeling from it, and it didn’t matter that Portia hadn’t presented the plan with her usual attention to detail. Details wouldn’t change her mind.
She wasn’t going to get married.
Ever.