CHAPTER ONE
WHAT’S IN A CHECKLIST
Kade wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about living among humans. They all seemed so self-involved, materialistic, and wasteful. Fawning over the latest piece of technology while another piece of computerware gathered dust or worse, they just discarded it without another thought.
Their behavior didn’t stop with inanimate objects; it seemed to include other humans. The first time he walked into a homeless shelter, the disbelief and outrage were almost too much to bear. Especially as snow started to fall, covering Boston in a white blanket of cold, crisp flakes, Kade couldn’t understand how anyone didn’t have a warm bed, a cozy place to sleep.
They’d been in Boston almost a month, and Kade had practically moved in at the shelter when he wasn’t scouring the town for his youngest brother. It didn’t feel right to spend his nights in the best hotels, in the finest suites, and not give something back to the less fortunate.
Anything less would’ve disappointed his mother.
Emma Carmine was as selfless as they came, the kind of dragon Kade strove to be. In his youngest years, when he was far too young to be left alone with only Jerrick’s company, Emma would take him everywhere she went, an unofficial ambassador between the human world and the dragons.
Not that anyone ever knew what they were. It was too dangerous to let the humans know that dragons still existed—thrived even—under their noses.
Kade loved playing among the human children though. So many of his earliest memories revolved around one human tragedy or another—war, famine, plague, even natural disasters. But it wasn’t the horror he remembered. It was the humanity, the caring that people brought out even when they didn’t have anything to share themselves.
That was what he saw when he worked at the shelter too. People coming together, giving whatever they had, taking care of each other.
He was astounded when he heard about the tradition of Thanksgiving.
Halloween had made a morbid amount of sense. A twisted version of the original traditions, the original stories, but fun, nonetheless.
But a holiday devoted to eating too much and then spending treasure you haven’t yet earned to out-shop the next person in line? Kade just couldn’t wrap his head around it.
His younger brother, Alexander, embraced all things human, and kept talking about getting the whole family together for a feast Thanksgiving night.
How could he not, with a mate as strong and fierce as a dragon herself?
Before Kade could even consider diving into hordes of food, he had to make sure the people he cared for at the shelter got something good too.
The Boston air was nippy, even for a dragon with fire in his belly, as Kade grabbed bags of scarves, hats, and gloves from the back of his rented SUV. Driving still felt foreign but flying through the early morning sky would’ve drawn too much attention.
As soon as he was inside, Kade dropped his donations near the kitchen door and headed back to find out where he could be the most help for the day.
Immediately, he was accosted. “No, no, no. You can’t leave those there. Someone’s going to trip and break their neck.” The curvy blonde was dressed to kill in a tight pencil skirt and a flowy blouse with warm fall colors swirling over the silky surface, not a hair out of place or even the slightest hint of a smudge on her lipstick.
She looked more like she should be catering a fancy dinner party than helping at the shelter for the day.
“I didn’t realize the usual donation spot was off limits today, miss…” Kade paused expectantly, waiting for the diva’s name.
“Grace.” She scowled at him. “I’ve worked here the past six Thanksgivings in a row. I think I know where donations go.” She pointed at the back door. “Food and kitchen supplies get dropped off there. Other necessities get left at the office for sorting and tagging.”
“Except that the office has been closed for renovations for the past three weeks, because a pipe burst in the upstairs bathroom and the mess that landed on the desk wasn’t something those fancy little heels of yours would want to step in.”
Grace’s frown deepened and she crossed her arms over her chest, nearly jabbing herself in the side with the clipboard in her hands. “Well, find somewhere else to put them. We’re going to have huge numbers coming through today, and I for one don’t want anyone going hungry because we have to stop everything and call an ambulance.”
Kade held his hands up in surrender, even though he had no intention of actually giving into this woman’s high-strung attitude. “Okay. I’ll put them somewhere else. But you do realize that no one’s coming to eat for another six hours, right?”
“Don’t remind me. The turkeys aren’t thawed, there’s nowhere near enough rolls for everyone to get one, and don’t even get me started on the state of the cranberries.” Grace’s eyes dropped to her clipboard, reading things off in a more and more frantic tone.
While Kade’s eyes dropped to Grace’s cleavage. Did she really think she was going to serve food dressed like that?
“Well, Princess, I suggest you go get changed so we can get our hands dirty. We’re going to need our ovens on full heat today, and last I checked, those shoes were a safety hazard.” He smirked as he threw her own words back at her. “Wouldn’t want dinner to get held up because we have to call an ambulance.”
Shaking her head, she pointed at the walk-in fridge. “See if you can do anything about the birds. Or I’m going to send you around to every store in the city to find thawed or pre-cooked ones.” She looked him up and down before adding, “Maybe you should be the one to change. You look like you should be a guest here, not a volunteer.”
Kade looked down at the baggy cable-knit sweater he wore over jeans and a t-shirt. It certainly hadn’t come off the cover of some high-end fashion magazine, but it was comfortable and worn in enough that it was soft and cozy. Perfect for the Boston look—or so he’d thought. “At least I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.” He walked off into the fridge, ignoring the incessant click of her heels as she trotted after him. He had more important things to worry about, and if she was right and the turkeys weren’t thawed, it was possible he’d have to use a little more than human techniques to handle them.
The looming presence of Grace and her clipboard lingered just a moment at the fridge door, but then the shadows hurried off in another direction, leaving Kade alone with the turkeys.
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