Dragon-Ridden Read Online Free PDF

flagging down one of the waitresses milling around the room. It had grown
crowded in the short time since Tate and Ryu had joined them. “If you’re
hungry, I’ll get you some food.”
    “I can order my own food.”
    Before she could say more the
waitress arrived. Her voice was chipper as she gave Ryu her undivided
attention, ignoring Tate. “You boys in for the festival?” She didn’t wait for
an answer. “What can I get you? The Nest has some of the best food in the
Lower.” She smiled flirtatiously and bent so her prominent breasts were
displayed to their full advantage.
    “I’d like a plate of whatever they
had,” Tate said loudly, jerking her head towards the others at the table.
    It was a moment before the woman
transferred her attention to Tate. It was apparent she didn’t think much of
Tate when her mouth quirked in satisfaction. “And how ‘bout you love?” she said
dismissing Tate entirely. She rested one hand against Ryu’s shoulder and stood
close enough that her skirt brushed his leg.
    Tate blinked. It wasn’t that she
expected to attract attention or even wanted it but to be totally dismissed?
That was just insulting.
    Perhaps it was her clothing.
    Her worn brown pants and the top
hanging loose on her slim frame, as it had originally been a man’s shirt,
usually deflected unwanted attention. She was fine with that. It meant she had
to do a lot less fighting. She’d had to roll the cuffs up twice on her tunic
just so her hands could peek out from the long sleeves. Her hair, damp from her
bath, was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. When dry, it tended to frizz in the
humidity.
    The dragon hissed at the woman Mine.
Don’t touch.
    Tate found the table in front of
her suddenly fascinating as she wrestled with a strong urge to strangle the
waitress. Mine? Oh no, definitely not. Uh-uh. Tate wouldn’t know what to do
with a male nor did she want to figure it out.
    As to the woman’s clear disdain of
Tate, it wasn’t the first time she’d been dismissed. The woman had a point and
Tate was happy that she didn’t stand out. It made slipping about unnoticed a
lot easier. Tate contented herself with stealing another vegetable from Trent’s
plate as he gawked at the waitress’s cleavage.
    Ryu shrugged the woman’s hand off
and then shot a charming smile at her. “I’ll have the same as her.”
    The woman pouted, disappointed to
be dismissed, but took their orders and headed to the kitchen. Riply and Trent
burst out laughing as soon as she was out of earshot.
    “What is it about your ugly mug
that makes you so appealing?” Riply asked, slapping him on the back.
    “You must be crazy to turn down
such a fine woman,” Trent stared longingly at the woman’s shapely rear as she
sashayed her way around the room.
    “Lad, you’ll find as you get older
there are more qualities to a ‘fine woman’ than merely her breast size,” Ryu
said.
    “Don’t lie to the boy like that,”
Riply said with a scandalized expression.
    Tate took another sip of her beer
and fought not to grin. The woman was pretty and it was surprising Ryu hadn’t
been the least interested in her. In Tate’s limited experience while on ship,
she had learned that women with nice figures were highly sought after.
    Riply’s view was pretty normal for
him. He made a point of bedding every willing woman in any port they stopped
in.
    Tate’s stomach growled at the scent
of Trent’s stew. She hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning, and it was past time
for lunch.
    “Hungry?” Ryu asked.
    Tate’s face turned red, but there
wasn’t much she could say in response. This was why she didn’t like to talk
much to Ryu. He had a habit of throwing her off balance and making her feel
like a fool.
    The food arrived before she could
come up with anything witty to say. She dug in without another word. The first
mouthful burned her tongue, and she had to suck in air around the piece of meat
to cool it enough to swallow. She took a deep drink