Fuck. She really was a dragon.
“How did you guys hide so thoroughly that no one knew you existed? Are all the women at your house dragons? What does your dragon look like?”
She laughed at his rapid-fire questions, and he felt his heart swell. The fact that she not only didn’t freak out about what he was, but could laugh just moments later, was everything to him.
And he felt his soul tether even tighter to hers.
“I guess we hid our existence just like your hybrid species hid yours. Yes, we’re all dragons. We met in… unfortunate circumstances. And then once we were finally free of them, we wanted to stick together.” Her face went dark as she said those words, and he yearned to ask her about it, but then she brightened as she glanced around. “As for what my dragon looks like… how isolated is this spot?”
Heart jumping at the implication behind her question, he felt his smile grow a bit, happy he’d chosen this spot. “Very much so. No one ever comes here. It’s close to my troop’s land, and the humans in town know not to come close. And my people never venture to this side of our lands. Only me.”
Her eyes turned questioning as she cocked her head. “How do you manage to keep the humans away from your land?”
“With rumors of monsters and hauntings,” he replied with a wry shrug. “When we started the rumors, it was at a time when people were very superstitious, so it worked then. And it stuck. The legends were passed down from generation to generation, and whether they believe it or not, humans never come here. It doesn’t hurt that there are humans in the know here, and every so often, if someone gets bold, they start circulating the rumors and supposed sightings again.”
Her look was contemplative as she nodded. “Okay. I’m going to shift. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to, so my dragon wants out for a bit anyway.” She must have seen his eyes light up, because she held up a hand. “But only for a few moments. Don’t look while I’m undressing, and when I give the signal, turn away while I shift back and dress. If you can’t agree to the rules, I’m not doing this.”
“I absolutely agree,” he replied quickly. He probably would have agreed to anything to see her dragon. Her stipulations were easy.
“Okay then. But afterward, we need to talk.”
“Agreed to that, too.”
“Let’s go then.”
Anticipation coursed through his veins as they exited the truck. She motioned for him to turn around and he did, waiting impatiently for her to disrobe.
Fuck. He was about to see a real dragon, up close and personal. How was this his life?
And the fact that the dragon would be Olivia… he had no words for how he felt in that moment.
It felt like forever, but really only a few minutes passed when he felt a shift in the air. A brush of magic touched his spine, and when he heard the telltale sound of bones breaking and reforming, he turned around.
Immediately, his jaw dropped open. Olivia was in dragon form, her body as big as a two-story house, and intimidating as all hell.
He’d tried to prepare himself for the impact she’d make, but nothing could have prepared him for this.
And still, he found himself walking around the truck to get a closer look. Maybe he should be scared. Maybe he should be running. The dragon standing so close could eat him in one bite or burn him alive with one exhalation of fire.
But he did none of those things. Because that was still Olivia.
That was still the woman he was falling for.
The admission didn’t surprise him. He just hoped like hell that when all was said and done, he didn’t crash and burn.
Olivia’s dragon was just as gorgeous as she was intimidating. She was the exact same color of her moss green eyes, her scales shimmering with the iridescent blue in the sunlight. Her large eyes blinked, her cat like gaze watching his reaction closely.
She had curved horns at the top of her head, and spikes following her spine from her head down to her powerful tail. She had so many weapons available to her in this form—the tail that could toss him clear across the lake while breaking every bone in his body, large, razor sharp talons that dug into the earth, and knife sharp rows of teeth.
Not to mention, the fire he knew she could exhale as easily as she breathed air, and he felt as small next to her as David next to Goliath.
And still… “You’re fucking gorgeous, Olivia.”
Her large eyes gleamed with pleasure, and she slowly inclined her head. Awe filled him as he took her invitation, touching her scales gently. He wasn’t sure why—everything he knew about dragons said they were nearly indestructible in this form—but the reverence he felt for her demanded he treat her gently.
He ran his hands over her large face, watching as she titled her head and closed her eyes. A loud, deep rumble came from her chest, but it didn’t phase him at all. It was a sound of pleasure, not a warning.
He wasn’t sure how long he stroked her smooth scales, but finally she pulled away and nodded her head toward the truck. Knowing what she wanted, he walked back around it and kept his back turned as she shifted back.