Epilogue
Yuri
Itook another bite of my frozen berry parfait, sighing in relief as the dessert cooled my tongue.
Mei had gone out of her way to craft a special version of her Dragonfire Dumplings just for me.
Instead of adding jalapeno seeds and loads of ginger to the minced pork, she only kept in a touch of garlic.
Still, I needed a tall glass of milk or a vat of yogurt if I wanted to eat the entire serving in one sitting.
Tonight, I managed to finish it all in record time—and with only half a glass of milk, to boot! Even so, I certainly wasn’t complaining about the cooling effects of the parfait.
Looking up from my frozen treat, I watched Mei as she worked her magic on the last pair of customers for the night.
As thanks for Clove’s help maintaining the barrier last month during the Harvest Feast, Mei had invited both the witch and her boyfriend, Thorne, to enjoy a complimentary meal at the diner.
What the pair of lovebirds didn’t know, however, was that they were unwitting guinea pigs for Mei’s latest culinary creations. Based on the looks on their faces, I was willing to bet that whatever the dishes were, they had been well received.
My lips curved up in a smile when I saw the way Mei was laughing and chatting with Clove. There was an ease about the fire drake that hadn’t been there a month ago, and I was glad to see that the stress and worries that had once caused her panic attacks were nowhere to be seen.
There were still occasions when her tight schedule and anxieties caused her to begin overheating, but I made sure I was always right by her side to cool her down.
A lot of things had changed in just a few short weeks. Mikhail had begun his community service punishment with one of the local charities. I caught glimpses of him occasionally, but I thought it was best to give him some space.
I didn’t want a repeat of last time, and I didn’t yet trust him to behave himself—even though a witch-made collar had temporarily confined him to his humanoid form. Besides, unless he was the one who offered an apology first, I had no desire to see him.
Our father refused to see him, as well—at least until he had fulfilled his punishment, which wouldn’t be for another five months, at least. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about spending time with him, myself.
We had only spoken once so far, and it was an incredibly awkward experience, to say the least.
But at least he was trying. And not once had he talked down to Mei or her parents, or referred to them as wyrms, so I considered that significant progress. Though, he still had a long way to go.
We both did.
I was still getting used to being surrounded by friendly townsfolk, who would go out of their way to smile and greet me.
And despite my best efforts, I still sometimes flinched when someone touched me, expecting pain to follow.
Though my physical wounds were long healed, it seemed I still had some lingering phantom scars.
Perhaps, if I continued spending the majority of my time sitting in a red vinyl booth, surrounded by gentle warmth and the constant murmur of contented voices, those would heal someday, too. Not to mention the healing warmth of one fire drake in particular.
My father had always warned me that ice dragons like me would burn on contact with fire. But I had learned to love the flames, and let them melt the walls I had built up around my heart.
I never wanted to go back to the cold.
“I’m so glad you both enjoyed the food! I’ll be adding it to the regular menu at the start of the new year!” Mei’s cheerful voice drew me from my thoughts.
“We’ll be sad if you don’t.” Clove looped her arm around Thorne’s as they both stood to leave.
“I hope we didn’t keep you too late,” Thorne added, glancing out the windows at the dark sky. A flurry of snowflakes drifted past on a sudden breeze.
“Not at all—one of my regulars is taking his sweet time with his dessert.” Mei glanced over at me, so I raised my spoon and waved it in their direction.
All three laughed, the sound echoing pleasantly through the mostly-empty diner. With just us, it felt extra cozy in here.
“Good to know.” Clove waved back back at me, while Thorne gave me a friendly nod, which I returned. As they stepped out the door and into the bitter December night air, she added, “Stop by the shop sometime—I’d be happy to make you hot or iced coffees anytime.”
“That sounds divine! I do love your GlimmerBrew, and Yuri might even find that he likes warm magical mochas, after all!” Mei shot a grin my way.
I grimaced. “We’ll see about that!” Iced coffees were good, but I still couldn’t get used to warm beverages. Maybe I could ask Clove to start me off with a lukewarm mocha.
Clove and Thorne chuckled at my response, and the bell above the door chimed as it closed behind them.
“The time goes by a lot faster when they visit.” Mei smiled to herself as she cleared their table, stacking dishes on her arms like a seasoned pro. It still amazed me how good she was at balancing all those plates at the same time.
“Do you want some help with those?” I offered.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m alright. I have a whole system down.” Mei winked.
“If you’re certain. Oh and Mei, after you’re done with that, there’s something I wanted to show you.” I glanced at my laptop.
“Sure thing—I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen, and I took the opportunity to polish off my parfait.
When she came back, I scooted along the red vinyl so that Mei could squeeze in next to me. I draped my arm around her shoulders, enjoying her warmth.
“Did you want to show me how much progress you’ve made on your book? You’ve been working so hard on it every day.” She snuggled closer, and I felt my pupils expanding, even as hers did, too.
“Something like that. I wanted you to be next to me for this.” When I was sure her golden eyes were on the screen, I centered the cursor on the page.
I typed out two words: The End.
“You’ve finished it?!” she gasped, her eyes finding mine.
“It will still need some revisions and editing, but essentially…yes.” Pride swelled in my chest. It had taken me a couple of years, but I had finally accomplished the goal I set for myself when I ran away from my fleet. It was that drive, that sense of purpose, that had kept me going.
“Yuri, I’m so happy for you!” Mei threw her arms around me, and somehow, her excitement felt more rewarding than anything else.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I tucked her head under my chin and wrapped my arms around her.
The mystery of Glacius’ time in what would later become the town of Willowmere had been the last gap in his history that I needed to fill in order to write a complete story. Funnily enough, learning my ancestor’s story had been the key to writing my own.
“I’m sure Moroz and the rest of your fleet will be proud of you too! Have you told them yet?”
“Not yet. I wanted you to be the first to know,” I said into her red hair. Today, she smelled like bread from all the baking she’d done.
Mei pulled back to grace me with a radiant smile. On impulse, I closed the gap and kissed her, reveling in the sensation of her soft lips against mine. Our magics mingled, fire and ice melding into steam. I caressed her lips once, twice, before drawing back so we could both catch our breath.
Resting my forehead against hers so that our horns were just barely touching, I whispered, “Why don’t we look for a publisher together?”
“I’d love to help you find one to publish your book!” Mei started, but I gently cut her off.
“I think you should publish your recipes in a cookbook. You could have a spicy cookbook, a dessert cookbook, and everything in between.”
Her eyes went wide. “Do you really think people would like them that much? Enough to buy a cookbook?”
“I do. Your cooking is amazing to begin with, but the way you’ve modified your recipes for each and every kind of magical creature? That’s something special, and entirely unique.”
Mei bit her lip. “I don’t think my parents would approve of sharing family recipes.”
“If you could convince my father to change his ways, I think I have a shot at persuading your parents. After the Harvest Feast, I think you’ve already proven to them you’re more than capable of doing more.
And you could always include just your own special recipes, if they want to keep the signature family dishes a secret,” I reassured her.
“What do you think about a spicy and chilly cookbook?” Mei asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I was always taught that fire and ice could never mix, but…I think we’ve proved them wrong.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yes, we most certainly have.”