"Aren't you a little nervous? Didn't it make you afraid when you first saw me? Well, both of me?"
"I suppose it should have." She held up her hands. "But it didn't. It made me curious, but it didn't really strike me as something that I should be afraid of. You don't, by the way. Give me anything to be afraid of, I mean."
Drake stood. He didn't want to shift, and he knew his mother would skin him alive, but leaving Joey curious wasn't a good option either. He walked away from the bench, and in a second, a real life dragon stood where he had.
Joey's eyes widened as he watched her, and she walked toward him with her hand out. She ran her fingers down his scales, their dark green color almost black as they glinted in the moonlight. He felt his skin quiver at her touch as she walked around him.
She stepped over his tail. "You are magnificent." As she came around the other side, her fingertips barely trailed along his skin. It took all of his focus to remain still and not encourage more touch.
She cupped his snout when she reached his head. He bowed his neck lowered so she didn't have to stretch, and she kissed him right in between his nostrils. If he hadn't already been in love with her, he would have fallen at that exact moment. She exhibited no fear of him in this form, and she wasn't even freaked out about his little secret.
He shifted back and caught her hands. He pulled her into a hug, and she kissed the side of his neck. They stood there entwined in each other's arms as he looked across the water. The wind made little ripples on the surface that glistened in the faint light from the moon.
His thoughts were of the last see'er that his family had encountered. The one that his brother had destroyed before it destroyed them.
Chapter Fifteen: Feeling the Heat
Josephine “Joey” Preston
Despite having to compete for the unexpected afternoon matinee, Joey was in a great mood on Sunday morning. She had the coffee made before Scarlet rolled out of bed.
"Good Morning, Sunshine."
"Suck it, morning person," Scarlet growled. "Just give me the cup of joe and back away slowly."
"You wouldn't have maybe snuck a few illegal bottles last night now, would you?"
Scarlet grinned. "Maybe. You know how the guys relabel the bottles to look like Root Beer in case we get caught."
"I do," Joey admitted. "I just can't believe the jackasses would fall for it. All you have to do is smell the bottle."
"Well, and in my defense, I missed Percy's sudden announcement, so I was halfway to shitfaced before I knew we had to work today."
"I know the Hales weren't very happy about it."
"You're getting pretty close to that Drake character, aren't you?"
Joey wasn't ready to admit that yet. "We're just passing through. And I still haven't even figured out why we're here."
Scarlet sipped her coffee. "You think Percy has underhanded reasons?"
"Oh, I'm positive of that. I just don't know what it is yet."
"Maybe so you could fall in love." Scarlet made a kissy face to Joey.
"Enough. You tell anyone, and I'll tell Percy you were drinking."
Scarlet was unfazed. "Whatever. You'd probably be doing me a favor."
Joey grabbed her hat. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"I have to return something. I'll be right back."
She hurried to the end of the blue barn that was closest to the yellow barn. She heaved the sack of feed that she had put in an empty stall over her shoulder and headed to put it back where she had stolen one from. Fortunately, she was early enough that no one was around to pay any attention as she covered the ground between the barns.
After she stored it in the supply room, she stopped to pat Mission. "Hey, buddy. How are you? You're not getting much exercise, are you?"
