Page 41 of Surge of Heat

His mouth pulls into a thin line. “This doesn’t change anything.”

I won’t lie to him. “Oh, it definitely does, doesn’t it?”

FIFTEEN

Samantha

I’m freshly showeredand sitting on my bed with Aydan and Granger. Aydan is perched on the edge of the bed, his wounds cleaned up by the medical staff and already mostly healed. Granger is laying across the bed, looking completely comfortable. It reminds me so much of when we were kids, except that we’re not diving into a bunch of snacks.

Snacks do sound good though.

“So, Aydan is a dragon too,” Granger says, looking thoughtful.

Aydan flashes him a grin. “I guess so.”

Man, he’s way too excited about this. It’s like the one way he felt Evander was superior to him has disappeared, and he feels like the big man on campus. This can’t possibly be good for his already swollen ego.

After a quiet minute, Granger sighs. “How is it that I’m not a dragon? This whole thing seems unfair. Literally, my two best friends can go all scaly, and I’m stuck here like this.”

Aydan pats his leg. “Tough luck, buddy.”

Granger’s gaze meets mine. “Do all dragons have to be tall, good-looking guys? Is that like a requirement?”

I laugh and lay down beside him. His arm goes behind my head, and I snuggle in against his body. “If all dragons were tall, good-looking guys, you’d be a dragon too.”

“You’re just saying that,” he says, in anah shuckskind of way.

I squeeze him tighter. “No, I’m not.”

Then I snuggle in more tightly against him. It’s weird. With Aydan and Evander touching them makes me feel all tingly and wild, like I’m on fire. With Granger though? It’s soothing in his arms. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket. And his scent, books and soap, makes me feel safe in a way that’s hard to explain. It’s like I’m home in his arms.

I’m so grateful to have him as one of my best friends.

“I guess we’ll have to change our name,” Granger says.

Aydan lifts a brow. “Our name?”

He nods, his face brushing my hair. “The Wolf Pack doesn’t sound nearly as cool as the Dragon Pack.”

I glance up at him. “Are you going to get a dragon tattoo then?”

He winces. “Maybe some temporary ones? I don’t think the permanent ones are necessary. I mean, a thousand pokes with a needle? I can handle it, but why would I want to when one week I could have a dragon tattoo, and the next something awesome like a unicorn?”

“You have a point there,” Aydan says, grinning.

“He’s a true bad boy,” I add on, trying not to laugh.

“Do you want me to be a bad boy?” Granger asks, smiling.

I smack his stomach. “Not one bit. You’re perfect the way you are. Temporary tattoo or not.”

“Speaking of needles,” Granger begins. “How did you hold up to all the tests, man?”

Aydan’s smile falls away. “They were fine. I just hope with information from the three of us, they’ll actually be able to find a way to keep Sam safe, and maybe control the green dragon in some way.”

“That would be nice.” Okay, it’d be more than nice, but I don’t know what else to say. I’m tired of being terrified of the green dragon. I’m tired of wondering when he’ll pop up next and how we’ll be able to take him down, even though I’ve been promised that there’s all kinds of security now at Specter Inc. against dragons. Apparently, the last attack taught them something about the way we work, and they adjusted their air targeting systems.

Whatever that means.

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