I turned and slid my arms around his waist, hugging him to me. My fingers brushed the smooth metal of the gun beneath his shirt, and I wasn’t afraid. He was a soldier, a former dragonslayer, but I felt safe with him. I trusted him completely. It wasn’t the fierce, fiery longing my dragon had for Cobalt. It was…simple. Easy. When I was with Garret, it was like we just clicked.

Riley’s voice echoed in my head, angry and accusing. Humans and dragons aren’t supposed to be together! Their lives are a heartbeat compared to ours. What kind of future do you think you could ever have?

I tried to shove it down, even as part of me agreed. I was a dragon; what was I doing with this human? My instincts raged at me, edgy and restless. I shouldn’t be here; I should be with Riley right now. Why did I keep resisting? Cobalt and I were the same, split down the middle. Not only in species, but in everything that mattered. His dragon called to mine, and I knew he felt the same about me. If Garret wasn’t here, it wouldn’t even be a question.

But, Garret is here, I thought rebelliously. He chose to be here. We gave him the chance to leave, and he chose to stay.

For how long? the dragon whispered back. How long did I think a former soldier of St. George would remain in the company of his enemies? How long before he realized we had no future, that a dragon and a human were two vastly different creatures, and had no business being together?

“Garret?” I asked, making him shift to look down at me. In the face of those solemn gray eyes, my throat went dry, and I swallowed to clear it. “Is this…? Are we…?” I exhaled and pressed my face to his shirt in embarrassment. Garret waited patiently for me to go on, his arms still looped around my waist. I ducked my head, closing my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at him. “Us,” I whispered. “What we’re doing… Is this wrong?”

Garret went very still. I counted his heartbeats, listened to the rise and fall of his breath. “I don’t know,” he finally said, his voice just a whisper between us.

I gave a bitter chuckle, stifling my disappointment. “That’s not exactly the rousing assurance I was hoping for.”