Garret blinked. His hands lightly gripped my arms, rough, calloused fingertips warm on my skin. Slowly, he slid them up my shoulders, raising goose bumps and leaving a trail of heat. “Maybe you’re rubbing off on me,” he mused, serious again. “Or maybe…I’ve come to the realization that everything I know is wrong, and I’m starting not to care anymore.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“I don’t know.” He drew closer, looking thoughtful. His gray eyes were still intense, piercing, as his fingers brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. “But I’d be willing to find out.”

My heart turned over. He was giving me that look, the look of the boy from Crescent Beach, the one who had danced and surfed and kissed me in the ocean. The boy who didn’t know I was a dragon, not yet, who saw me only for me.

I swallowed hard. Ever since the night we’d faced each other on the bluff, dragon to soldier, I’d known that whatever we had over the summer was gone. Garret was part of St. George, the Order who saw all my kind as evil, soulless monsters. He might not believe that anymore, but I was still a dragon. Very much not human, despite these crazy humanlike emotions urging me forward, to reach up and pull his lips down to mine. I’d never thought we would be here again, face-to-face, with Garret watching me like I was the only person in the entire world. A ripple of doubt filtered through the happy longing. If I Shifted now, if I stood here in my real form, wings, scales, talons and all, would he still look at me like that?

The crowd at the table erupted once more, this time with loud groans and gestures of disgust. I swallowed a growl as Rude Guy hit me in the ribs with an elbow, and saw a dangerous light pass through Garret’s eyes as his attention shifted to the oblivious human. I didn’t think Garret would knock Rude Guy on his ass right here, much as I’d love to see that, but it was definitely getting crowded. I suddenly didn’t want to be surrounded by bright lights and mobs of humans. I wanted a nice dark corner to see this—whatever this was—through in peace.

“Come on,” I told Garret, backing away from the table. He followed me, that same bright, intense stare making my insides dance. “Let’s find someplace quieter.”

Garret

Garret

What are you doing, Garret?