How to Date a Dragon

Oh, great. Someone who admits to conditional love.

He inhaled a deep breath. “Okay. Here it is… I told you before that I was a dragon. You laughed it off because, as far as you know, nothing like that exists, right?”

She smirked. “Well, of course dragons don’t exist. Oh, wait. Maybe they do. Let me go ask my unicorn.”

Drake rolled his eyes. “Okay, not unicorns. We know they died out when Noah couldn’t get them to come onto the ark, but why not dragons? Don’t you think they could exist?”

She stared at him for a few moments. “Are you saying you believe they do?” She reached out and felt his forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.”

He smiled. “I’m fine, honey. There are all manner of beings that have been talked about in legends, but how do you think those legends got started?”

“Um… in the old days people had big imaginations to answer their questions, instead of science.”

“Believe me, people back then were no more imaginative than they are now. And as for science, a lot of folks think that if they haven’t seen something with their own eyes, it doesn’t exist, but science has proven the existence of all kinds of things you can’t see. Tiny molecules, germs, plus planets so far away you’d never be able to see them with the naked eye.”

“Yeah, but… dragons? They’d be kind of hard to miss.”

“Not if they don’t want to be seen. And after all the talk of St. George destroying the last dragon, why would any unknown survivors come forward? Are they going to say, ‘Oh, hey, Georgie… Look, you missed one!’”

Drake thought about how his mother had kept him hidden for years, because they were safer with humans believing the extinction rumor. His great-grandfather had been that “last” dragon—or so the humans of the time thought. Most of his other relatives had been slaughtered long before that. Knights just loved to sneak up on and kill dragons. Then they’d brag about it upon their return to their respective castles.

Bliss faced away from him, as if talking to her furniture. “Damn. And he seemed so normal… even smart.”

He laid his hand over hers. “I can prove it.”

“You can prove dragons exist?” She chuckled. “How?”

“I can show you my alternate form.”

She began to pull her hand away, but he grasped it tighter. “Do you remember seeing my eyes shimmer?”

That stopped her momentarily. “Uh… yeah. I wondered about that. They’re green most of the time, like now, but I thought I saw them turn gold a couple times.”

“It’s what happens when I begin to shift.”

“Shift?” She shook her head slowly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I can change my form. Several centuries ago, as a way to survive, some dragons found a wizard and convinced him to use his magic to help them blend in. I’m descended from those dragons. I understand the Asian dragons found a way to do the same thing, but I’m not sure how. We look human most of the time, but if necessary, we can return to dragon form.”

“Any time now, you can give up and tell me you’re joking. I won’t hold it against you if you admit it— soon.”

Damn, she still doesn’t believe me. But at least she didn’t appear ready to run off, so he blundered on.

“I have a few advantages in my alternate form. As a dragon, I’m fireproof. It comes in handy when fighting fires—I just wish I could let my chief in on that little fact. And my vision improves tremendously. Think about the first time you saw my eyes glow gold.”

“It was during the fire. I couldn’t see you well under all the protective equipment you were wearing, but I did notice your eyes.”

“I had to shift when I was inside the building. The fire was so hot, and flames were everywhere. If I hadn’t taken on my alternate form, I might not have survived, and I certainly couldn’t have seen through the flames and smoke to find my way out.”

She reached out and touched his cheek. Her expression was deadly serious. Maybe he was reaching her, at last.

“You don’t have to go through this alone, Drake. We’ll find you a good doctor. I’ve heard with medication they can treat all kinds of delusions.”

Oh, crap. We’re back to square one.

“Bliss, honey. I’m not delusional. I can show you my dragon transformation, but I don’t want to scare you. If you see me as a dragon you might be afraid, but I can assure you, I’d never hurt you.”

“I believe that. If you didn’t hit back when that awful biker chick was kicking you in the ribs, I don’t think you’ll hurt me for giving you a little ribbing. Although, you might rib me back. I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re doing now.”

He dropped his head and let out a deep breath in a whoosh. I’m still not getting through.

After a long silence, she lifted her chin. “Okay. Prove it.”

“Really? You’ll let me show you my transformation?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Think about it. If you see something you really don’t believe in, it’ll change your perspective forever.”

Bliss flopped onto her back and threw her hands in the air. “Do you want to show me or don’t you?”

“You won’t be scared?”

She rolled back onto her elbow, propped herself up, and looked him right in the eye. “I won’t be scared.”

“Promise? Because it would be perfectly normal to be a little bit nervous.”

“I’m not perfect, nor am I normal.”

“You’re joking again.”

“That’s how I cope.” After a long pause, she worried her lip. “Okay. I guess I’m a little afraid for you, but I’m not afraid of you.”

That was good enough. This is it. Now or never.

Drake got up off the bed and backed away a few feet. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his dragon form. His back vibrated, letting him know his wings and tail were ready to emerge. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bliss still on the bed and not running for the hills. The shimmer he knew could be seen in his eyes colored his vision for a matter of seconds. He transformed briefly but didn’t flap his wings or tail. He truly didn’t want to scare her.

Her eyes had rounded and grown huge throughout the process. Perhaps she wasn’t moving because she was frozen in fear. He’d made his point and didn’t need or want to impress her. All he wanted was her trust—and for her not to doubt him anymore. He quickly closed his eyes and concentrated on his human form. The tingling stopped and the glow faded.

As soon as he could speak with his human mouth he asked, “Are you okay?”

As if she couldn’t quite make words come out, her mouth moved a little before she said, “I… I guess.” She shrugged a shoulder, but he thought he saw it tremble.

He wanted to gather her close and hold her, but he didn’t know if she’d welcome him. He had never let a human see his transition before. Hell, he wasn’t supposed to let anyone see it now.

Maybe if I just tell her that… “I’ve never shown this side of me to anyone else.”

“G—good. I imagine it would scare the pants off most people.” She backed away for the first time since they’d begun talking.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m good.” She grabbed her clothes with shaking fingers.

“Bliss, there’s more I have to tell you.”

She groaned but didn’t stop pulling up her sweatpants or fastening the drawstring. “Uh—can we do it later?”