How to Date a Dragon

Drake sank to the floor with his face in his hands. “What can I do to end this? If you can’t find Zina, I doubt I can.”

“I think she’ll find you. I just need to keep Bliss out of the way.”

He sighed. “Yes, I know. It’s for her own safety, but I’d like to tell her what I’m planning to do if I find Zina.”

Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

“Just that I’d turn her over to you. I don’t have any idea what you’ll do with her after that, and if you don’t tell me, I won’t have to lie about it.”

Vulcan paused and tapped his lip. “I think that might work.” Then he started to laugh.

“What’s funny?”

“Man, you really screwed yourself with that total honesty promise. There are so many things you should not tell a woman like her.”

“What do you mean… like her?”

“A woman with a temper.”

The bathroom door flew open and Bliss stood there, looking fabulous. She had changed into some tight jeans and a super-soft-looking light blue sweater. Her hair was still a mess, but with a hairbrush in her hand, she looked as if she was planning to remedy that—or beat him with it.

“You look gorgeous.” Drake got up and strolled over to her. No raised hairbrush. That’s a good sign.

She started to smile, then quickly pasted on a frown. “Is it safe to come out now? Are you two finished planning your super-secret strategy?”

“There’s not much in the way of strategy, hon. If I see Zina, I’ll call Vulcan and he’ll take it from there.”

She stuck a hand on her hip. “That’s it?”

“Well, yeah. Keeping it simple seems best.”

“You aren’t planning to lure her somewhere?”

Drake shrugged. “Like where? And how would we do that? We don’t even know where she is.”

Bliss turned to Vulcan. “Have you checked the warehouse?”

“Several times,” Vulcan said. “She doesn’t seem to be staying there.”

Bliss blew out a deep breath. “So that’s it, then? You just have to wait until she finds Drake?”

“Pretty much.” Drake rubbed her back and hoped she’d let the subject drop. But this was Bliss, and she wasn’t about to let anything drop.

“How will you keep in touch with each other?”

“We have a code. If I yell a particular word, Vulcan will hear it and find me.”

“What word?”

“Taxi.”

“That’s weird. Vulcans can find people from miles away? I never saw Spock do that.”

Vulcan sighed. “I’m not that kind of Vulcan.” He rose and wandered toward the front door. “But, yes, I can find people most of the time. The way I found you in that warehouse bathroom.” He tapped the side of his nose.

Whatever that meant… Did he smell her? She wrinkled her nose but finally stopped questioning Vulcan. Instead, she put her arms around Drake and said, “Well, I guess I’m going out for breakfast with Vulcan and planning my day from there. Will you call just to let us know you’re okay at some point?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.” She let out a deep breath and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I love you. Don’t get killed.”

* * *

“So, are you ever going to tell me who you really are and how you did what you did?” Bliss swirled the dregs of her coffee and set the cup down.

Vulcan glanced around the fifties-style room. “Cute little diner. If you didn’t know where it was tucked away, you’d never find it. And the food…”

“Don’t try to change the subject.” Bliss leaned back against the padded booth and crossed her arms. “I mean it. I want to know.”

Vulcan leaned in and lowered his voice. “There are certain things I’m not at liberty to tell you and, fortunately, I never promised you total transparency.”

Bliss snorted. “Are you really upset with Drake for promising to be honest with me? That seems like an important part of a successful relationship.”

He smirked. “Sure, honey. Tell yourself that. You’ll learn.”

“What?” Outraged, she was about to toss her napkin onto the table and storm out, but she’d promised Drake to let the maddening Vulcan watch over her, so she was stuck with him. Well, Drake didn’t say I had to be pleasant company, did he? She was tempted to toss a snark bomb at Vulcan, but again her mother’s warning chimed in the back of her head. Honey, not vinegar, Bliss.

“Fine. We can agree to disagree on that, but I really want to know what you can tell me.”

He cleared his throat. “You already know too much.”

“Why? Are you in the Mafia? Do I have to worry about getting whacked?”

Everyone in the North End diner immediately fell silent and turned to stare at them. Bliss wanted to slink down until she disappeared under the table.

Vulcan did what anyone in that situation would do. He laughed out loud. Pounding the table might have been overplaying it a bit, but at least the rest of the patrons relaxed and went back to their own conversations.

Bliss tried to think of another tactic to get the information she wanted. Realizing it might be fruitless, the only thing she could come up with was hammering at him until she wore him down.

“Seriously, there must be something you can tell me—just a morsel of information.”

He sighed. “Well, you already know about Drake. That must tell you something…”

“Like what? That there are certain legends that might be true after all?”

“Now you’re getting it.”

“Ah. So you’re something of a legend yourself.”

He smiled. “Something like that.”

Bliss racked her brain for what legendary creature could materialize through solid walls and transport a person from one place to another in seconds. All she could come up with were her memories of Star Trek and the Vulcans with pointy ears using their transport pad—or whatever they called that thing that turned them into a column of bubbles. But does a TV show qualify as legend? Maybe if it’s in reruns…

“Why don’t we finish up here, and I’ll walk you back to your apartment,” he said.

“Why walk? Why don’t you just transport us there instantly?”

He raised one eyebrow. Suddenly, he looked just like the Vulcan on TV who used to do that. Pointy ears, severe haircut, the works.

“Oh, come on. Now you’re just messing with me.”

He chuckled and returned to his former countenance. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

“Believe me, I understand not being able to resist a good joke… but it was a joke, right?”

“Yes.”

She balled up her napkin and gave her fingers a final wipe. “Weren’t you afraid others in the diner would see you change your appearance like that?”

“Like what?” He tipped his head as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Like Dr. Spock.”

“I think you mean Mr. Spock. Dr. Spock was a pediatrician and authority on parenting.”

“Hmmm… I imagine you’d have to have a doctorate in something to run a spaceship.”

Vulcan looked like he was about to burst out laughing. He covered his mouth as if to hold it in, but his eyes danced with mischief.