Phil stumbled to his feet as he clutched his face. "You broke my nose."
Ellie stared him down. "You're lucky that's all I broke."
Colton nudged her and swung his head toward his back. She stepped on his foot, and he lifted her up so she could climb on. He knocked out part of the wall when he went through the swinging doors, but once out in the arena, he took flight and easily cleared the building. He soared away from the resort and back up the mountain, and within seconds, they were back at the cabin.
Ellie climbed off and waited for him to shift. "You have a lot of explaining to do, mister."
He followed her inside and used his dragon fire to light the fireplace. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"Is that how you put the fire out, because you were a dragon?"
He nodded. "It is. Dragon fire can cancel real flames when necessary."
She sat on the couch and put her head in her hands. "I thought things were out of control when I met you." A sob escaped her. "Now, I don't even know what's real anymore."
He sat beside her and pulled her toward him. "I'm sorry, Ellie. I should have done things differently, but sometimes saying hey, I'm a dragon, just doesn't work itself into polite conversation."
She snorted. "I'll just say it. That's the weird part. But Nita. What the hell is Nita doing?"
"I saw her."
Ellie's head jerked up. "You saw her?"
Colton described her. "She was in the suite. She was rather, um, flirtatious."
Tears erupted as the full betrayal hit her. "She's been my best friend for years. I have no idea why she would turn on me like this. It makes no sense."
"There has to be an underlying explanation." Colton tilted her chin up. "We'll figure it out."
Ellie suddenly felt like the room was closing in on her. She jumped up and grabbed her jacket from the chair. "I need to go for a walk."
"Okay." Colton stood up, but she stopped him.
"Alone. I just need to be alone for a little bit."
She stepped outside and closed her eyes. All she wanted was a minute to catch her breath.
"I'm going to follow you, only because I don't want a repeat situation."
She suddenly swung around and flung herself into his arms. "I don't know what to do."
He held her tight. "It's okay. You don't have to know right this second."
“I’m still a little freaked out that you can turn into a dragon. That is not an everyday thing.”
“Understood. But I promise, you’ll get used to it.”
They went back inside, her walk forgotten. Ellie paced as she tried to focus on the problem at hand. "Why would Nita want to kidnap me? What does she stand to gain?"
Colton watched her but didn't say anything.
"The answer is nothing," she explained to him. "She could have had whatever she wanted. I would have given her anything."
"Boyfriend jealousy?"
"I didn't have a boyfriend. Neither did she. Nothing to be jealous of."
"Money?"
