He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it. Then, they started walking, with no particular destination in mind.
They ended up at the park. It was a nice day, not too hot or cold, so it was full of children laughing and calling to each other. Nick and Lana sat down on a bench and watched them play.
“Have you ever thought of having children?” Nick asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Like every woman in the world, I have dreamt of finding my prince charming and having kids—little girls and little boys. Two of each, I think.”
He smiled at her. “That’s quite a passel of kiddos,” he said.
“You know what they say. Go big or go home,” she said, laughing.
He laughed with her, loving the light in her eyes and face as she giggled.
“What about you?” She asked him. “Do you ever think about a family?”
“Every once in a while,” Nick answered. “I never found the right woman that I would want to spend the rest of my life with, let alone have children with. There have been some who wanted to be my mate, but that special connection that you feel deep in your soul just wasn’t there.”
Lana nodded.
On the way back, they headed into a Mexican restaurant. They were reputed to have the best tamales on their side of the country. Lana was hooked immediately.
“Where have these been my entire life?” she asked. “These are the most delicious things that I have ever eaten.”
The waitress overheard her and smiled at her. “Thank you, Miss. Would you like an order to take home with you?”
Lana looked at Nick and he nodded.
“Yes, please,” Lana said.
The waitress looked at Lana’s face, suspiciously. The nasty blistered burn looked more like a huge bruise, as though she had taken a left hook from a prize fighter. Then, the waitress looked at Nick and tightened her lips. She left to put in the order.
“She thinks that I hit you,” Nick told Lana.
“Nah, she is just trying to figure out what happened. People are always fascinated by boo-boos,” Lana said.
Nick raised his eyebrows. “Boo-boos?”
Lana smiled at him. “Yes, that is what I said. Boo-boos.”
“Are all wounds, like broken legs, concussions, and a broken nose considered to be boo-boos,” Nick asked her.
“Actually, they are. There are boo-boos, and there are BOO-BOOS,” she retorted.
Their silly banter was interrupted by the waitress returning with Lana’s order and the bill.
As Nick was distracted by fishing his credit card out of his wallet to pay the bill, the waitress put a piece of paper in Lana’s hand.
The note read, “You don’t have to be a victim. There is a women’s shelter in town that can help you. Their number is 212-555-HELP.”
Lana looked up in astonishment. “You were right. She does think that you hurt me. Should I try to explain what happened?”
Nick shook his head. “She would never believe you. But at least she does have a good heart and is trying to help someone she thinks is in need.”
When the receipt came back, Lana smiled at her waitress. Nick left her a good-sized tip.
There didn’t seem to be anything else amiss when they arrived back at Nick’s place. Just to be cautious, though, he checked out every room, every closet, and any other place that he thought a human or a dragon could hide. Deeming the place safe, he and Lana sat on the couch.
“Tell me about Lucy,” Nick said.
“We had always been close friends as well as sisters. There is only a ten-month difference in our ages. We had our fights, like all siblings do, but for the most part, we were inseparable,” Lana said.
“So, what happened that she came to the human world and you didn’t?” Nick asked.
“While I was the quiet, obedient daughter, Lucy was always rebellious. Once she got an idea in her head, there was nothing in the world that could talk her out of it. She craved adventure and wanted to see what life was like in the human world. Mother and Father begged her to stay, because it was so dangerous, but Lucy was stubborn. So, she came here.”
“Didn’t you want to visit the human world?” Nick asked.
Lana shook her head. “No, I was happy where I was. I felt like I had a duty to take care of the people in our pride, especially the older ones and the very young, who, for whatever reason, had no one else to care for them. I enjoyed taking care of them.”
“How did Lucy meet Dizag?” Nick asked.
“At a party. Lucy had decided that she was going to attend a university here and become a doctor. She always had a love for fixing anyone or any animal that was hurt. She made a couple of good friends. One of those friends invited Lucy to go with her to a party. Dizag was there. He said his name was Brian. Lucy seemed to fall head over heels for him immediately,” Lana said.
She bit her lower lip as though she were thinking. “You know, Lucy is very smart, and she usually is a good judge of character. She can read people even better than I can. Dizag must have been very charming, persuasive, and manipulative if he managed to convince Lucy to be with him and to make her fall in love with him,” Lana said.
“Did she ever talk about her marriage with him?” Nick asked.
“Once in a while, she would come back and visit, or when we would talk. She said that Brian would go on ‘business trips’ once in a while. He must have been out hunting female shifters for a long time. But other than that, everything seemed to be good. She never said anything about him hurting her or being mean to her. She couldn’t have lied about that. I would have known,” Lana said.
“He was just biding his
