“Hey, why don’t you hang onto those cookies, Poppy?” I suggested. “Swing by the BurgerMart tomorrow at eight. I’ll be starving after my shift.”
That seemed like a good compromise. This way I’d see my friend and get my cookies, he wouldn’t know I’d lost my apartment, and he wouldn’t have to worry about me.
“All right,” Poppy said, sounding lighter. “Um, I’m looking forward to it!”
I smiled. “Me, too, Pops. See ya later.”
I hung up and pocketed the phone, then took a deep breath. No matter what happened next, I had to stay positive.
Raising my face to the cool night sky, I imagined the possibilities. I wondered when I’d get the call to return for the Dragonfate Games’ third season. Would I meet new friends there? Which dragon would be the next bachelor, and who would be his fated mate?
I shuffled on the balls of my feet. Thinking about love was so exciting, even though I had no experience with it. I’d never even been on a date before. But it still brought me joy to watch my friends Taylor and Matteo fall in love and have adorable babies.
Maybe if I stayed positive, I’d find my true love one day, too.
Two
Cobalt
The ocean waves.The darkening sky. The evening breeze. The shadowy clouds, lit by the pale light of the moon.
All of it coalesced in my soul into an ultimate calm.
My eyes were shut as I stood on the edge of the beach. The cold water lapped at the tips of my boots. Their rhythm was a dance—the waves beckoned me, then pushed me away in an endless cycle.
A soft sigh left my lips. I never tired of the ocean’s tranquility. Often, I felt as one with the water, as if my feet would sink into the sand and swallow me whole.
Water was an important part of my hoard. Water was life.
My dragon soul was soothed. He lay just beneath the surface of my skin, a lurking behemoth waiting to breach and sink into the ocean’s abyss. We were all one—me, my dragon, and the water.
We were whole. It didn’t matter that I was mateless. Childless.
How many times will I tell myself that before I believe it?
The waters of my heart churned with turbulence. My brothers and their children depended on me. The island depended on me, too. They were all my responsibility. Was that not enough?
My dragon’s deep, Orphic voice responded, “No.”
I sighed. It wasn’t often that we were at odds. Since the Dragonfate Games began, my dragon’s wants only grew stronger. But the hunger wasn’t new. I was the eldest. Longing for my fated mate began when my youngest brothers were barely older than fledglings.
Yet my desires took a backseat to everyone else. There was no other option. I had to protect my family. How could I do that if my loyalties were split between my brothers and my potential mate?
Ignoring my dragon’s wordless scolding, I stepped into the salty water. It engulfed my boots. The leather was thin enough that I felt the cold against my skin. That brought me back down to earth.
The tension in my shoulders loosened. Everything was all right. I’d take each day as it came. If fate had chosen a mate for me, all I could do was trust her.
I stood in the tide, allowing the dancing water to calm me.
Then, out of nowhere, a sharp pain struck my heart—an arrowhead ablaze.
My eyes snapped open. I sucked in a ragged breath.
Whatwasthat? It felt like a knife was lodged in my chest. I couldn’t breathe. My heart literally ached.
The sudden pain shattered my tranquility. It provoked my dragon; he reared his head, snarling like a caged bear.
I stared out past the horizon, frozen except for the low growl rumbling in my throat. The sound of it shocked me. I was composed. I was calm. I did not growl unless necessary.
