Page 12 of Dragon's Flame
8
KENNA
“Oh my Goooooodddd,” Sarah groaned dramatically once the hulking man was gone. “Who the hell let him in here? Jamie—you’re fired!”
“So? You’re drunk!” the other girl shouted back.
“No, I’m high! There’s a difference!” Sarah shot back, her voice rising above the murmuring crowd.
Kenna was frozen, trying to process what the hell just happened. It was that man from the coffee shop again. But somehow, he was...hotter. And he smelled good. And he’d brought a yappy dog?
“You okay?” Cliff asked gently, his eyes scanning her face.
That snapped her out of it. “Yeah—are you?”
He nodded. “Are all your exes professional wrestlers?”
Kenna sputtered. “No! That was not an ex. I...I don’t even know what that was.”
Cliff raised an eyebrow. “Because he seemed like he knew you.”
“He’s just some stalker we met earlier today,” Sarah chimed in, leaning in for backup. “But that’s creepy, K. Like, how did he find you?”
Kenna hugged herself, her mind racing. “I don’t know. My phone? Maybe?”
“Maybe he put an air tag on your car?” Cliff suggested.
“But we were in my car earlier!” Sarah protested, then turned to him, eyes wide. “You’re smart! No wonder she likes you!” Then, not so quietly, she added to Kenna, “Guess you can’t go home with me, then—it’s not safe.”
“Nice, Sarah,” Kenna said, lightly shoving the other girl, who dissolved into snickers. She turned to Cliff with an apologetic look. “Really, I’m sorry about all of this.”
He shook his head quickly. “You have nothing to apologize for. That—whatever that was—was all on him.”
Kenna let out a breath, some of the tension easing from her shoulders. “Thanks.” She shook her head, still bewildered. “So strange.”
“Definitely,” Cliff agreed, his lips curving into a smile. Then he leaned closer, his voice low and warm. “Want to go someplace else and finish that kiss?”
Kenna’s fingers fluttered to her lips, remembering the way his had felt just moments ago. A shy smile spread across her face. “Yeah. Give me a few minutes to say goodbye, though, okay?”
Cliff’s grin turned wicked as he tipped his chin. “I’ll be waiting.”
9
TARIAN
Tarian drove back to the hotel, let himself and the dog in, and collapsed onto the bed—shoes and jacket still on.
What was left for him to do?
He stared up at the ceiling. Maybe instead of chasing Seris, he should plot a course away. Maybe if he pushed himself far enough—reached one of this strange world’s meridians or its magnetic poles—her hold on him would finally snap.
He would be free.
And then what?
For centuries, dreaming of her had kept him alive. Now, without her, he was untethered—adrift in a sea of nothing.
“Hey,” Rocky said, hopping up onto the bed beside him. “Hey!”
