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My rose?

I’m just really grumpy!

All is well otherwise, though?

Yeah. I’m not stupid. I like you, you know?And his feelings were hurt.

I do. I like you as well. I would walk with you, but your brothers would just come.Hawk gave him a mental caress.

I’ll be back. It’s okay. I’m just going to see my friends.

And he turned left, pushing open the door into a wild blizzard, the blue flakes swirling madly, and he almost slammed the door behind him when he saw a bright red hood, eyes that sparkled with fury.

Shit.

“Cosmo?” That was Arielle’s voice, Devon and Brand’s daughter from the original Estes clutch. She was a teenager now, so fury was her default, but she’d surprised the fuck out of him.

“Hey, sweet pea! It’s cold out here!” He went right to her. They had created a casita in the courtyard with an oven, becausethe dragons couldn’t come into the house, not anymore. “Let’s go into the casita and start the stove, huh?”

“Okay.” She stomped along after him when she let him go. Wow, she was mad, huh? Kind of like him. They had called to each other.

They got the door open, then Arielle started the fire for them.

“Oh. Great job.” He sat, inviting her to sit beside him. “You okay?”

“No. I’m really mad.” She slumped down next to him, crossing her arms over her chest. Her cheeks were bright red under her freckles, and he thought it had nothing to do with the cold.

“I am too! Do you want to go first, or should I?”

“You go.” Her green eyes glinted gold at him, and she tilted her head, clearly curious.

“Okay. I met someone, and my brothers are being asses about it.”

“OMG! That’s what’s happening to me? I met a girl, and they won’t let me go see her!”

“Oh, man.” He didn’t point out they were in a white-out blizzard. “What’s she like?”

“She’s amazing. She’s a sea dragon, and she knows merpeople. Her best friend is a merman named Bubbles.”

“His name is Bubbles?”

She grinned at him, blowing a little steam. “Not his real name. That’s what he goes by. I’m going to go by Sparkle.”

“Sparkle? That’s pretty.” Her fathers had to be losing their minds.

“Uh-huh.”

“What’s her name?”

“Siren.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” And a little scary. “So, how did you meet?”

“There’s a school. Like a traveling school. Sometimes, we meet up on the mountain, sometimes in town, sometimes on the beach.” Arielle glowed, her eyes lit up. “I love it. I really do.”

“That’s great.” Arielle had been pretty isolated most of her life, with just siblings and cousins to play with, so it was good to see her excited. “So why don’t the folks want you to see her?”

“They say it’s because of the snow, but you know they’re lying! You know they are. They just don’t like her.”