Bound to the Dragon King by Caroline Hale

doesn’t work. We think we can fix it but we need help from people like you, like us. We’re gathering a coven and we want you to be a part of it,” I spit out, hoping that didn’t sound too crazy.
    She purses her lips and folds her arms across her chest. “I don’t have time to join a coven. I barely have time for anything with this schedule…”
    “What if we could get you a new job?” Ruby asks. What is she talking about? I grab her arm and pull her aside.
    “Ruby you can’t promise people jobs if you don’t have them! What are you doing?” I whisper.
    “Oh don’t worry, I can get her a job. It’s one of the things the Council can do. I will talk to Georgia about it when we get back. There’s no way I’m leaving her here with that guy!” Ruby whispers back. She’s right. If the Council wants to appease the Dragon King, they will find jobs for any of the candidates that need it. They don’t have to know the order actually came from me.
    “You can really get me a new job?” Cera asks tentatively.
    “Yes,” I answer. “But it might be Uptop. Is that a problem?”
    Her brow furrows as she considers the offer. I watch as she pushes the hair out of her eyes. She looks up at us with a serious look on her face. “Let’s say, hypothetically, that I take you up on this offer. What do I have to do for you?” she asks suspiciously.
    “Look, there’s a lot to explain and we can’t exactly talk about it freely down here…” Ruby starts to explain.
    “We honestly just want you to join our coven,” I interrupt. “You don’t have to do anything else for us. I’m the leader of the group and Ruby’s my number two. The magic we’ll be working together won’t be easy and it’s probably going to be more than a little dangerous.” I don’t want to hide the truth from her. “I know we are probably overwhelming you right now with all of this and I’m sorry for that, but we don’t have a lot of time.”
    “I don’t know.” She looks around the little shop sadly. This place is probably her home and also her prison. “I don’t even know you guys. This is a lot to think about.”
    “You don’t have to answer now if you’re not ready. We’ll come back around closing time. Okay?” Ruby proposes to her.
    “Okay…” she responds. The fear has returned to her eyes and I know we can’t leave just yet. I reach down into my bag and find my wallet, spotting a swath of black satin on the shelf behind the counter.
    “Can you make a dress out of that? Something with a slit?” I ask, thinking of the dress that I had on in my dreams with Ash. That one drove him wild. Maybe that’s how I can convince him to go along with this plan...
    “Sure,” she says measuring out a piece big enough. Cera takes my measurements, writes up the order, and gives us a total. It’s more than a paycheck at the library, but I hope it’s enough to soothe her boss. I pay her and we leave the shop, fighting the urge to walk back in and demand that she come with us. If she’s anything like me I know that tactic won’t work.
    “We should have done more… said more. I don’t know...” Ruby is obviously feeling much the same.
    We amble down the street with our tails tucked between our legs and our confidence from earlier completely shattered. I don’t know how we are going to get through this list if this is any indication. We only make it a few shops before we hear a shout from behind us.
    “Hey! Wait!” Cera hitches a backpack up onto her shoulder as she makes her way to us.
    “Did you think about it?” Ruby asks her with a big smile on her face.
    “I did. And I brought your money back.” She puts a hand up to her face and I notice a welt forming on her cheek. That bastard must have hit her! She brushes her hair over that side of her face and looks up at me. “This is crazy,” she says with a laugh, “but I’m in.” She pulls the length of black satin out and smiles at me. I knew I liked this girl for a