The dragon inside Timothy perked up eagerly. It took Timothy a heartbeat longer to understand why she’d suddenly stopped.
“Oh,” he said, the dragon within him already way too eager to claim her. “It’s... No. It’s not that, I promise! Not that that is a problem, I mean—sorry. This probably sounds really inappropriate. But, when I first saw you—I recognized you. There was an immediate connection. Did you feel that, too?”
Liana gave him a jerky nod, still looking embarrassed.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly. “I know that this is all a lot. And you’re free to go whenever you want—I didn’t kidnap you. I just needed to get you somewhere safe, before they could attack again.”
“Wait—what happened to them? Are they still around?” Liana gave the large window a worried look.
Timothy followed her gaze, but the sky was clear. The weather was gorgeous, the sun shining down on the glistening buildings below.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But I know why they are here. They came for me.”
“Then why did they attack me? Do they go after everyone you talk to?” she demanded, glaring at him. “In that case, maybe you shouldn’t go out and talk to unsuspecting people.”
“Sorry,” he said again. “And it’s a bit more complicated than that. That connection I mentioned...”
“I felt it too,” Liana admitted reluctantly. “It was... weird. A bit like getting hit by electricity when you touched me. Like there was a strange vibration in the air. You know that weird feeling when you’re out and there’s a thunderstorm? When the air is charged with electricity and you can taste it on your tongue? I thought it was the champagne—but that must have been your dragon magic.”
Timothy shook his head. Slowly, he reached out, watching her eyes widen as he covered her hand with his. The moment their skin touched, her mouth opened and she drew in a sudden breath.
Warmth ran up through his arm, a feeling of inexplicable rightness swelling in his heart. His heart began to pound again—mirrored by a similar pounding between his legs.
Not now, he told himself firmly. Don’t scare her. She told you she’s got no experience with this.
“It’s not because I’m a shifter,” he said huskily. “It’s because of you, as much as because of me.”
“I don’t understand,” she breathed, but she didn’t pull her hand away.
“We have a word for this among shifters,” he said. “This connection... it means we’re mates. We’re meant for each other.”
Hastily, Liana pulled her hand back. “That makes no sense. Nothing about this makes sense.”
“You saw me turn into a dragon,” he pointed out gently. “Is it really that much harder to believe that soulmates exist?”
Liana swallowed. “I’ll admit that you’re terribly hot, and terribly charming—which I’m sure countless women have told you.”
“None of that mattered.” Timothy shrugged. “I used to enjoy partying—clubs, cruises, whatever you can think of. But in the end, there was always a strange emptiness. No matter how many people were around me, in the end I was always alone. Being charming doesn’t fix that.”
“And you think I’ll fix that?” Liana crossed her arms again.
“I don’t know,” Timothy said honestly. “Finding your mate isn’t a recipe for instant happiness, you know. You’ll s
till have to work to make it work, just like any other relationship. But if it does work...”
“You don’t even know me.” Her hazel eyes were suddenly wary. “Last night was fun—and I was looking forward to dinner, but—”
Timothy swallowed, already missing her touch. “I know it’s all happening way too fast. I thought you’d be able to get to know me before I told you that I’m a shifter. I know how weird and scary everything must look. But when those fire dragons attacked—I don’t want you to be left in the dark, Liana. You’re in danger now, because of me. You deserve to know everything.”
“Why did they come after me? How did they know—”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Timothy admitted. “I assume they were spying on me last night. If they saw us together leaving the club, they would have known.”
“Known what? That I’m your—”
“That you’re my mate.” Timothy sighed, slumping back against the couch. “I would have been more careful if I’d known that they had spies here. We’ve been trying to track them down, but they’re surprisingly hard to find. You’d think it would be easy to see fire—but fire causes smoke and shadows.”
“Stop.” Liana held up her hand. “Sorry, but none of that makes sense. I like my dragons to stay in my games. I don’t want any of this—”