Bloodlines Page 0,64

the car to a stop, Adrian was out the door, lighting a cigarette. We'd gotten in an argument on the way over, despite me telling him three times that Latte was a strictly no-smoking car. The rest of us soon got out as well, and I wondered what I'd signed up for here as we strolled toward the entrance.

"I've actually never been mini-golfing," I remarked.

Lee came to a halt and stared. "Never?"

"Never."

"How does that happen?" asked Adrian. "How is it possible that you've never played mini-golf?"

"I had kind of an unusual childhood," I said at last.

Even Eddie looked incredulous. "You? I was practically raised at an isolated school in the middle of nowhere Montana, and even I've played mini-golf." Saying I was homeschooled was no excuse this time, so I just let it go. Really, it just came down to having a childhood more focused on chemical equations than on fun and recreation.

Once we started playing, I soon got the hang of it. My first few attempts were pretty bad, but I soon understood the weight of the club and how the angles on each course could be maneuvered. From there, it was pretty simple to calculate distance and force to make accurate shots.

"Unbelievable. If you'd been playing since you were a child, you'd be a pro by now," Eddie told me as I knocked my ball into a gaping dragon's mouth. The ball rolled out the back, down a tube, bounced off a wall, and into the hole. "How'd you do that?"

I shrugged. "It's simple geometry. You're not that bad either," I pointed out, watching him make his shot. "How do you do it?"

"I just line it up and putt."

"Very scientific."

"I just rely on natural talent," said Adrian, strolling up to the start of the Dragon's Lair. "When you have such a wealth of it to draw from, the danger comes from having too much."

"That makes no sense whatsoever," said Eddie.

Adrian's response was to pause and take out a silver flask from his inner coat pocket. He unscrewed it and took a quick drink before leaning in to line up his shot.

"What was that?" I exclaimed. "You can't have alcohol out here."

"You heard Jailbait earlier," he countered. "It's the weekend."

He lined up his ball and shot. The ball went directly for the dragon's eye, bounced off it, and shot back toward Adrian. It rolled and came to a stop at his feet, nearly where it had started.

"Natural talent, huh?" asked Eddie.

I leaned forward. "I think you broke the dragon's eye."

"Just like Keith," said Adrian. "I figured you'd appreciate that, Sage."

I gave him a sharp look, wondering if there was any hidden meaning behind that. Mostly, Adrian seemed amused by his own wit. Eddie mistook my expression.

"That was inappropriate," he told Adrian.

"Sorry, Dad." Adrian shot again and managed not to maim any statues this time. A couple more shots, and he sank the ball. "There we go. Three."

"Four," said Eddie and I in unison.

Adrian looked at us incredulously. "It was three."

"You're forgetting about your first one," I said. "The one where you blinded the dragon."

"That was just the warm-up," Adrian argued. He put on a smile I think he hoped would charm me. "Come on, Sage. You understand how my mind works. You said I was brilliant, remember?"

Eddie glanced at me in surprise. "You did?"

"No! I never said that." Adrian's smile was infuriating. "Stop telling people that."

Since I was in charge of the scorecard, his play was logged as four, despite his many further protests. I started to move forward, but Eddie held out a hand to stop me, his hazel eyes gazing over my shoulder.

"Hold up," he said. "We need to wait for Jill and Lee."

I followed his gaze. The two of them had been in deep conversation since we arrived, so much so that they'd slowed and lagged behind the rest of us. Even during his bantering with Adrian and me, Eddie had continually checked on her - and our surroundings. It was kind of amazing the way he could multitask. Thus far, Jill and Lee had only been one hole behind us. Now it was nearly two, and that was too far for Eddie to keep her in his sight. So, we waited while the oblivious couple meandered their way toward the Dragon's Lair.

Adrian took another drink from his flask and shook his head in awe. "You had nothing to worry about, Sage. She went right for him."

"No thanks to you," I snapped. "I can't believe you