Page 9 of Dragon's Flame
Cliff stood, his grin stretching into a full-on killer smile as he stepped back. “Be right back with the latte.”
Kenna watched him go, taking in the way his jeans clung just right. As soon as he disappeared into the line, she whipped out her phone to text Sarah:I might make my shift at the muffin factory!,which was their girl-code for whether or not a guy might have game.He’s not a murderer!she added afterward, more definitively.
Sarah sent back a laughing emoji and one word:Yet!
Cliff was justas easy to talk to in person as he had been online. Three months of late-night chats had already covered everything. Now, in person, it felt just as natural—and she could tell he felt it too. His hand rested on hers atop the table, a little possessive but not overbearing, his thumb brushing hers now and then. His eyes stayed on hers the entire time.
It was good. Almost magical.
And when the date segued into him meeting her friends at Chelly’s place—and they all liked him—Kenna realized he might even be worth turning her O-chem homework in late.
Sarah elbowed her side, whispering, “Good job.”
She’d recently rolled up with Nathaniel—this week’s man, possibly just tonight’s.
Cliff stood a bit away, beer in hand, holding his own with Nathaniel and another friend, deep in conversation about something Kenna didn’t quite catch. But she liked the way he seemed to fit in, as if he’d always been part of their group.
Then he caught her watching. His grin flashed across the room, and Kenna felt something warm and dangerous melting in her chest.
“That look says you’re not coming home tonight, right?” Sarah said, leaning in close. The scent of beer clung to her breath. “Promise me.”
Kenna shot Sarah a mock glare, before clinking her beer bottle with hers.
“Good girl,” Sarah said, smirking as she leaned back in her chair.
7
TARIAN
It had taken Tarian several hours of canvassing to find Seris again.
She’d been on the move, but eventually, his magic caught up when she stopped long enough to be found.
He parked his Jaguar in a nearly full lot in front of a building with many doors—a place where people lived, he realized. Perhaps her home?
The thought sent a thrill through him.
What would that be like? What kind of place would she make for herself here on Earth, far from the palace they had shared? Would it still carry her special touch—the unique warmth and beauty he’d adored?
Tarian stepped out of the car and stilled, scanning himself for the pull of their shared bond that would guide him to her. The pull whispered to him, faint but steady, guiding him toward the stairs. Rocky padded at his side, his small paws beating a steady rhythm against the pavement.
“Do I look presentable for this planet?” Tarian had asked the dog earlier, back in the hotel room, once he’d donned the suit.
He’d chosen it because his brother, Rax, always seemed so at ease wearing one. It was part armor, part uniform—an unspoken signal that Rax belonged, even among humans.
Tarian wasn’t so sure it would work for him. Finding a suit that fit had been its own challenge. The man who sold it to him hadn’t been reluctant, but he’d spent a long time searching the racks before emerging with something that could accommodate Tarian’s broad shoulders and tall frame.
“Quite distinguished,” Rocky had said confidently, his tail wagging as if he were a proper judge of fashion.
And so, armed with nothing but a small dog’s opinion, his brother’s influence, and eight hundred years of hope, Tarian mounted the stairs.
When he reached the door he knew was hers, he hesitated for only a moment before raising his hand to knock.
He recognized the blonde from earlier when she opened the door.
She was drunk—he could scent it on her breath. That, combined with his shower and shave, might have been why she didn’t place him immediately.
She stared at him, brow furrowed, tilting her head slightly—like she was working through a puzzle. Then, she twisted back toward the party. “Who the hell ordered a stripper?”
