Origin (Scales N' Spells #1) - A.J. Sherwood Page 0,7

all, one of the secure countries in the world.

Alric led the way down the stairs and into the building. There were more winding stairs and some enormous oak barrels that looked as if they stored wine or beer or maybe even whiskey. At the end were a few more stairs and then an arched entrance that led into what was clearly a cave, its rough-hewn stone walls alight with dancing candlelight. The air was several degrees cooler, chilling the sweat still coating his skin.

Cameron was in awe of the place. The ceiling was higher than he’d expected, disappearing into darkness, while the floor plan was largely open with a scattering of tables covered in pristine white cloths. More candles in hurricane glasses glowed on the tables. In the center of the room was a large bar made of hefty rough timbers and a sparkling rainbow of hundreds of bottles of alcohol.

But the true color came from the banners—dozens of colorful old banners emblazoned with images of dragons. There were more with strange symbols and images he felt sure were linked to mages, but he didn’t know what any of them meant. Just things he remembered from his childhood thanks to his grandmother’s crazy stories.

“What do you think?” Alric asked in a low voice.

“I’m expecting to see a dragon wander through blowing fire because these people are too close to his hoard,” Cameron said with a grin. The entire cave had a feeling of stepping back in time.

Alric snorted softly. “No self-respecting dragon would keep his hoard where humans could stumble across it.”

Cameron laughed and started to ask how Alric could be so confident when a short man in a smart suit hurried over to them, sidestepping a couple servers and a woman who looked to be the hostess. He immediately fell on Alric, fawning over him in a flurry of German like he was a prince visiting from his royal castle. Alric greeted him with his usual easy charm, his expression stoic but mildly friendly. Not quite the same smile he’d been flashing Cameron all day.

Not that Cameron cared.

Not really.

Cameron shivered, and Alric stopped the man mid-sentence, turning his full attention to Cameron. “Are you alright? Is it too cold in here?”

“Oh no! This is fine,” he quickly countered. He did not want to miss out on eating in a cave.

Alric nodded once. “I’ll have a Kuscheldecke brought for you.”

Before Cameron could even ask what that was, Alric was turning back and issuing quick orders to the man watching them. The man waved them on, snatching up two menus before leading them on a weaving path through the tables to a secluded booth near the back of the restaurant. The table afforded them a view of the entire place while partially shielding them from the view of the other diners.

This was starting to feel like a date.

But it wasn’t a date.

Couldn’t be a date.

Alric was just showing him around the city.

Cameron was leaving Sonthofen in a couple days. He’d never see Alric again.

He needed to get his head on straight.

“Um…restroom?” Cameron asked and then winced. “To clean up, after all the walking.”

Alric smiled at him and gave succinct directions to the bathrooms not too far from where they were seated. Cameron quickly darted away, a sigh of relief escaping him when he was finally inside the room.

After the sight of the old bar and stone walls, he’d not been sure what to expect for the bathroom, but he was relieved to find it completely modern with sensor-activated faucets, plush hand towels, and fine decorations.

Best of all, he was completely alone. Snagging his phone out of his pocket, he pulled up the messaging app. He didn’t have a single damn bar, which wasn’t surprising considering how far underground he was. However, the restaurant was providing free Wi-Fi.

Met hot guy in Sonthofen. Took me to dinner in an old dragon cave. Tell me not to be stupid. Really want to be stupid, Cameron quickly texted.

Cassie’s response was immediate and not at all helpful.

dragons didn’t live in caves

they built castles

Cameron rolled his eyes at his sister. Of course she focused on the dragon part of his story.

But she sent a second text a couple heartbeats later.

pic or it didn’t happen

Growling softly, Cameron pulled up his photo gallery and quickly flipped through it. He’d been snapping pictures on his phone all day. He was stunned he had any battery life left, but he thought he’d caught one that accidentally included Alric. Yep, there. The