Oh Lord, it couldn’t be. Could it?
“Jared?” She tentatively touched the dragon, running her fingertips over the red wings, noting that the texture was identical to the swatch back at her room. The beast burrowed closer and nudged her with the tip of its mouth. She’d heard of werewolves and werecats, but never had she heard of weredragons before.
She squeezed her eyes and then opened them again, wondering if she was caught in some wild and crazy dream. When her gaze locked on his, she knew it better than she knew her own name. The dragon and Jared were one and the same. “Jared, it’s you, isn’t it?”
Her entire body began shaking, hardly able to believe that fairy-tale creatures were true, and she was in love with one. She stared at him slack-jawed, and could see the sadness in his eyes and the fear lingering in the depths. As reality dawned, it occurred to her just how alone in the world Jared really was, unable to forge relationships or have anything long term. Sure he was a fairy-tale creature, but he undoubtedly believed he could never have happily-ever-after.
In a silent communication, his eyes blinked and his forked tongue came out to taste her skin. When his wings fluttered, she noticed the gaping hole. Although the tear had started to close and mend itself, she had no doubt that the swatch in her possession for a little over a month now had come from his wing, and that he’d recently been hunted. Good Lord, she could only imagine how the world would react to such an amazing discovery.
Chloe knew if she unveiled the truth, it would take her from obscurity to making her mark in the research world. Isn’t that what she’d always wanted? As she contemplated her discovery, she studied the dragon and wondered how he’d stayed hidden from humans for so long.
With a million questions going through her mind, she rested her head against him, feeling his chest move with his heavy breathing as he drifted off to sleep. With no way to escape, and feeling completely safe and protected in his arms, or rather wings, she eventually drifted off as well. Upon first light, Jared lifted her from the cave, gently placed her on the ground, and nudged her forward, loving and trusting her enough to keep his secret.
After Jared’s body had recharged, and he was able to morph back into his human form, he used his underground tunnel and made his way down the mountain. Last night, with the change coming on rapidly, he’d been in too much of a hurry to take the long winding passageway to his lair, which was likely how Chloe had found him. She’d obviously been watching him, watching where he’d gone after leaving her bed. She must have spotted him slipping through the fence. Christ, he’d been around long enough to know he couldn’t afford to make such mistakes.
Jared surfaced in the bowels of the hotel and walked to the lobby. He looked around for Chloe, wondering and worrying how she’d react to him today, and how she planned to handle his secret. He knew enough about her to feel confident that she’d never divulge his cover, but would she be completely repulsed by the dragon in him? He strolled to the beachside bar and helped with the morning-hour shift. Catching him by surprise, Chloe grabbed a stool at the bar. The two men from yesterday—the same two who’d questioned him about hunting the beast—also made an appearance.
Chloe’s inquisitive blue eyes caught his and held. “Good morning, Jared. Sleep well?”
So she was going to make small talk was she? He nodded. “You?”
“Pretty good. I’m a little stiff though. My mattress felt like a bed of rocks.”
Summoned by the men at the other end of the bar, Jared wiped his hands on his bar towel and turned his attention to them. “What can I get you two?” he asked.
Despite the early hour, they both ordered vodka and orange juice, then one guy nodded toward the mountain. “So come on, tell us what you know about the dragon?” he coaxed.
Chloe switched stools to move closer to them. “Good morning, Blair, Trey. I can tell you all about the dragon,” she assured them.
Jared’s head jerked up with a start. What the fuck was she doing? “Chloe, don’t—” Jared bit out. Adrenaline pumped through his veins so hard he thought he’d black out.
Chloe pulled the swatch from her pants. Jesus Christ. Jared’s nostrils flared as his mind raced. “You know what this is, boys?” she asked playfully. Their eyes lit up with interest and Jared just about leapt over the counter to take the swatch from her once and for all.
She gave a light, easy chuckle. “It’s nothing more than the mutated caruncle from a wild turkey. Trust me, I’m a zoologist so I know. Some guy who’d recently visited here had been trying to pass it off as a dragon’s wing. Of all the stupid things.” She puckered her lips and flirtatiously touched her finger to one of the guy’s chest. “Now I just know you two are far from stupid.” She looked heavenward and laughed. “Neither one of you would fall for such a hoax.” Jared watched their chests puff up as she played them.
“Now if you really want to hunt something, take a look over there.” She pointed toward two bikini-clad beach
