Page 24 of The Dragon's Mate

Sika was almost vibrating with excitement.“It’s so cool to meet you.”

“Sika, did you hear me?” Kaida took aquick glance at Bren.

“I heard you.” Sika walked toward them,smiling at Bren when he stood and shook her hand. “Hello, human!”

“Hello,” Bren said. She pumped his hand rapidlyand he grinned at her, making her smile widen. Her enthusiasm was weirdly infectious.

“Bren, this is my best friend Sika. Sika,this is Bren.”

“It’s so awesome to meet you,” Sika said. Shewas still holding his hand, her bright gold eyes with their flecks of orange staringinto his eyes intently.

Did everyone in their clan wearcontacts?

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Bren said.

“Sika.” Kaida stared at their joined handsand Sika dropped his with a soft giggle.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never touched a humanbefore,” she said.

“Seriously?” he said.

She nodded and, ignoring Kaida’s grunt ofprotest, plopped down in the empty seat beside him. “Yeah. Our clan doesn’tinteract with humans very much. I rarely go to the city and it’s not like Icould just touch random humans, is it? Besides, my mate Jarvis would have afit if I started touching humans. He says they carry all sorts of diseases andwho knows what I would catch. Which is silly because we have healing powers.We can heal ourselves of any of your gross human diseases.”

She paused. “Not that you have gross humandiseases. I’m sure you’re very clean.”

She leaned forward and inhaled deeply, her nosealmost buried in Bren’s throat. “You smell clean.”

“Oh my God, Sika,” Kaida said.

“What? He does. You smell really goodactually,” she said.

“Thanks,” Bren replied.

“Do all human males smell as good as you?”Sika turned to Kaida without waiting for a reply. “Have you smelled him, Kaida?”

She leaned forward to smell him again, makinga squeak of surprise when Kaida’s hand wrapped around her wrist. “Sika,enough. You are making the human uncomfortable.”

“Am I?” Sika’s expression was suitably chastised.“I’m sorry, human. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You’re not,” Bren said. “I’m totally usedto random women smelling me.”

“Really?”

“No, not really.”

Sika stared blankly at him before laughing.“You’re making a joke, human.”

“I am,” Bren said.

“You’re funny. You’re funny and you smellgood. Do all humans smell as good as you?”

“It varies,” Bren said. “Teenage boys – oryearlings as you like to call them – do not smell good.”

“I smell fine,” Tyler hollered from the couch.

Bren shook his head before leaning forward tosay in a low conspiratorial voice, “Don’t believe him. Hormonal teenagers rarelysmell good.”

Sika giggled. “It is the same with ouryearlings.”

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