I almost laughed out loud.
Caden went nuts.She's here. She's near. Go, now!
I barely heard the rest of what Mom said. She tried to spin it into this whole thing about cross-generational stewardship and the Meyer legacy, but I was gone. I mumbled something that might've sounded like "thanks," then hung up and cut through the grass so fast I didn't even feel the ground under my boots.
The air was still cold enough to bite, but it didn't bother me a bit. I stomped down the slope toward thecreek, wishing I could shift again just for the edge, but I didn't need dragon senses to know she was already there.
Tash. Wading mid-thigh in moving water, sleeves rolled, ponytail a little crooked, attitude dialed to maximum. Seeing her again was like taking a hit to the sternum. One second, I was just a man walking toward a creek. The next, every nerve I had lit up like the night I'd had her under me, skin hot, breath quick. My knees almost buckled. She was hunched over a sampling tray, every muscle in her back sharp and focused. There were test tubes and a field book balanced on a rock, and she was filling vials while muttering to herself. It was unfair how familiar her silhouette felt after all these years. My body recognized her before my mind could catch up. The curve of her neck, the way she braced her weight on one leg, even the way she breathed sent a punch of heat through my ribs.
A guy in the vest was upstream by the culvert, ignoring both of us. Worse for him. The second I saw her, the whole world tunneled down. Nothing else moved.
Caden slammed me with a hit of raw fury.She's OURS. She bore our hatchlings. Claim her!
The reaction tore through me so fast I almost stumbled. I'd thought about her over the years, sure,but I never expected the sight of her to detonate something this intense. One night shouldn't leave marks like this. Except it had. I nearly staggered from his ferocity. My hands curled into fists, and the heat rolled under my skin, that old firestorm coming alive in my chest. If I let Caden take over, I'd be across the water in a single bound, tearing up the stones, pulling her close. I gritted my teeth. No way I was opening with "Hello, I'm your dragon mate." I barely trusted myself to speak.
She hadn't seen me yet.
I took a step closer, using the crunch of rock to warn her I was coming in peace.
Caden was wound up tight, whispering,Home. She smells like home. Ours.
She smells like river mud, pond scum, and way too much determination,I shot back at him.
Tash finally looked up. Her eyes locked on me, and the shock rolled over her face. First recognition, then suspicion, then a bit of fear. There was something else, too. A flash of heat she tried to smother. I saw it. Felt it. It hit me like a second wave, sharper than the first. She remembered. Every damn second of that night was right there in the way she held herself. She straightened, setting her sampler down with calculated patience.
There it was. Recognition. Not confusion, not polite curiosity. Recognition. Her eyes widened the same way they had right before she'd pulled me into that dark hallway seventeen years ago, her hand fisted in my shirt like she couldn't stand another second of distance.
I cleared my throat and went for total ignorance. "Morning. I'm Chance Meyer. My family owns this land. Just wanted to see who was out here." It came out steadier than I felt. Inside, everything was on fire. My pulse, my lungs, the place low in my stomach that remembered exactly how her body had felt pressed against mine.
Her body language flipped from laser-focused pro to all-out, armor-up mode. She sized me up, chin high, eyes wary behind the smudges on her cheek, but she didn't back away. "We wanted to check the salamander density by this run. Is that a problem?" She was using an "I dare you" voice. I liked it.
Caden loved it.Strong mate. Take her?—
I clenched my jaw so hard it might've cracked. "No problem," I managed, trying to keep my voice low and neutral. "Just caught me off guard. Most people give a heads up before hitting private streams."
She shrugged, turning back for her field book. "If you'd like, I can find the records of the person whogave us permission. We're just doing basic water quality and species count. Nothing invasive." She rattled off the sentence without missing a beat. Was I wrong? Didn't she remember me? But then she looked up, and I saw the old spark right there, hidden but alive.
I leaned against a boulder, hoping it would anchor me. It didn't. Not even close. Being this close to her again had my body wound too tight, every sense tuned to her. Her scent, her movements, the subtle tremor in her voice. I'd forgotten how addictive that pull was. Or maybe I'd never understood it until now. "Not a problem. My family's been here forever. Meyer blood, all the way back. We try to keep the land in good shape." I paused. "Especially the water. There's a lot of history in this creek."
She nodded. "That's why we picked it. Old property, undisturbed banks. Hellbenders need stability, or they disappear." The words came out clipped, precise, but her hands shook just a little as she handled the test kit.
Caden raked claws through my skull.She's nervous. We could soothe her.
For a minute, I had to focus on breathing. Every muscle was locked up, ready to go off. My vision swam with Caden's heat, just a hair short ofa full shift. I'd never lost it in front of a human before. It took everything I had to stay steady.
She moved farther out, doing more stuff with little vials. Her boots slipped on algae, and she caught herself. I flinched, reacting faster than I could think. My whole body moved before my brain had a chance. It wasn't instinct. It was that same helpless, magnetic force from years ago, the one that made it impossible to keep my distance even when I knew I should.
Tash, oblivious, tried again. This time, she stepped onto a rock slick as oil. Her boot skidded out, and she pitched sideways, arms flailing for balance.
I was in the water before she fell. When I caught her, everything inside me dropped straight through the floor. Her body against mine felt exactly the same. Warm. Solid. Familiar in a way that made no sense after one night and nearly two decades.
Dragon reflexes, there was no other way to describe it. I grabbed her waist, one arm locking around her before she could even hit the current. Water splashed everywhere, freezing cold against my calves, but all I felt was the heat of her body pressed to mine.
She tensed from head to toe. For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. Up close, her hair smelled like leaves and something citrusy, plus a blast of adrenaline.
Her eyes went wide. She stared up at me, breathing hard. "That, uh, wow. Fast reflexes."
"I played a lot of sports as a kid," I said, my voice coming out all husky and low. My hands didn't want to let go. Caden was purring so loud I could barely hear myself think.
