By the time I reached the barracks, the sky was turning orange. The shift change whistle hadn't blown yet, so the place was quiet. I showered fast, letting hot water pound the knots outof my shoulders. I scrubbed glass and dust out of my hair and pulled on a fresh uniform.
When I stepped into the common room, Carter was waiting with a cup of bad coffee and an expression that meant trouble.
"Well, well," he drawled as I passed. "Look who's glowing like a kid at Christmas. What'd you do, Griff? Pick up one of them German girls last night?"
I didn't respond. He kept going.
"Bet she was grateful, huh?" Carter grinned. "Those Fräuleins will doanythingfor an American uniform. Hell, half of ‘em are begging for?—"
I dropped my duffel bag, grabbed his collar, and slammed him against the wall so hard the tin mug in his hand clattered to the floor.
His eyes went huge.
"Watch your mouth," I snarled. "You talk about her like that again, and we'll see how grateful you are for a trip to the infirmary."
"J—Jesus, Griffin—" he sputtered. "I didn't mean?—"
"I don't care what you meant."
I let him go, and he slid down the wall, dazed.
"Don't talk about Inga," I said, voice low anddeadly. "Ever."
He nodded frantically, and I walked away without looking back. I didn't trust myself not to slam my fist into him again.
I only made it ten steps toward the flight board before a shadow slid into my path. Gray suit. Cold eyes. The CIA man.
"Captain Griffin," he said, adjusting his tie. "How's our little… domestic situation?"
My jaw ticked.
"Say one more thing about my family," I said quietly, "and I'll throw you through a wall."
"Family?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Already so attached? You do move quickly?—"
A thread of heat slipped up my throat. Steam curled from my nostrils, causing his expression to falter. Unfortunately, he didn't back down.
"I'm here to remind you," he said, "that dragons—yes, it's time to quit dancing around the truth, we both know what you are—pose a national interest. And East Berlin is a volatile situation. We want your cooperation."
"I don't give a damn what you want."
"And," he continued as if I hadn't spoken, "we expect you to report any incidents—like those leading to a certain Sovietvisityou survived—before acting alone again."
Istepped into his space, close enough for him to smell the heat coming off my skin. "You listen to me. You will fast-track the marriage forms. All of them. I want the paperwork done today."
"That takes weeks?—"
"You will get them done NOW."
He scoffed. "We don't respond to threats."
I let the dragon slip.
Just a little.
My eyes flared gold. Heat shimmered between us. Smoke curled from my nose in two precise bursts. The man's face drained of color.
"Watch me," I growled.
