Page 55 of Fated to the Grumpy Dragon
“To do what?”
“I’m gonna kick your shin so good,” I mock threatened. “I don’t want to tell you how much I’m gonna kick it, but let me tell you this.”
His forepaw beckoned. “I’m listening,” he said lazily.
“You’re going to know you’ve been kicked. I’ll leave it at that. Let your imagination fill in the rest. Mmm hmm. Yep.”
Rhyse laughed. “I’m trembling.”
“I know. I can feel it. I—hey!” I shouted as his shaking started to dislodge me, sending me sliding down the side of his flank toward the ocean.
A massive paw caught me, stopping me from ending up in the drink.
“Oh, dear. I’mever so sorry,” Rhyse declared, his words dripping with false innocence. “How didthathappen?”
“Ha. Ha. Haaa.” I crossed my arms and frowned at him. “You’re so funny.”
“I know.”
His other paw came up, and I lay across them as I’d been instructed. Rhyse kept me high and dry as we moved through the breakers, the waves barely affecting his body besides giving it a slow upward roll as they passed underneath.
Then we were beached, and Rhyse turned onto his side, depositing me in the sand without getting a drop of water on me.
“Thank you,” I said as he padded up onto the sand before shifting into his human form.
I watched the transition, trying to pinpoint the exact moment he changed and somehow always missing it. He didn’t pop in and out of existence, but it just happened so fast it was impossible to truly get a grip on things.
“Now, if you’ll follow me,” he said, heading up to the bluffs.
“Home?” I asked as we ascended.
“Temporarily. Then we’re headed back down. I promise.” He grinned down at me.
“You’re hiding something,” I said, focusing on our link, trying to pin down just what he was feeling.
“Whatever gave you that idea?” he teased.
“You did. You’re terrible at hiding your emotions.”
“Well, I’m glad we’re shit at something together, then,” he fired back with a big grin.
The response was so glib and unexpected that I had no words. My mouth moved up and down, but I couldn’t convince any sound to come out.
“You just made a joke.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not dead on the inside,” he said.
I shrugged. “It seems like it sometimes, to be honest. But I’m glad to have evidence to the contrary.”
When we reached the house, Rhyse hurried to his room, where he pulled something from his closet then came back to where I stood by the entry. “Close your eyes.”
“Fine,” I said, closing them and clapping my hands over my eyes. The soft rustle of fabric reached my ears as he drew near. My anticipation was building, but so was his.
We both really were terrible at hiding our emotions. Was that a bad thing, though? I wasn’t sure. My mind started to go down that path, but Rhyse spoke before I got too far.
“Okay, are you ready?”
“Yes!”
