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Belatedly remembering he’s just said something to me, I pull my gaze back up to his face. A shiver races down my spine as I’m pinned in place once more by those fire-bright eyes.

“W-why?” I stutter.

“He kissed you,” Blair says, voice still deep, but with more of a hiss than his usual graveled timbre. “Without your consent.”

Oh, so that’s what we’re doing out here? Letting Blair play white knight?

I shake my head, trying to sort through my racing thoughts. “And what?Kidnappingme is somehow better?”

A harsh, rumbling sound echoes in his chest, and I freeze up again. Maybe it’s not a great idea to antagonize the snarly dragon man.

But… fuck that. I know monsters, and they don’t act like this. Blair is a rational man when he’s not in this form. A cold bastard, yes, but rational. Not like this.

“I’d like to speak to the human version of you, please.”

A flash in those golden eyes, but he doesn’t answer me. Which… perfect. Just great. Back to making an ass of myself in front of this dragon and getting absolutely nothing in return.

Well, almost nothing. Because even though he doesn’t speak, Blair leans closer to me, and I swear I can feel the heat of him radiating across the distance between us. His wings flare wide, blocking out the light of the moon and reminding me just how far from human he is right now.

I can’t make myself move away.

I can’t doanythingas he inhales deeply, leans closer still. And when I impulsively follow his lead, swaying into him, I know I’m in trouble.

I need to snap the fuck out of it. Now’s not the time to realize I’m still attracted to him when he’s half-reptile, and I need to remember I’m beyond pissed at him right now for pulling this stunt.

“Where are we?” I ask, taking a step back.

Still no answer.

“I need you to take me back to Seattle.”

Nothing.

I’m not sticking around for this. We didn’t flythatfar, and there’s got to be a road around here where I can flag down a car for help.

“Fine,” I tell him. “Don’t talk to me, then. I’ll find my own way home.”

Turning on my heel, dread rises in my stomach over the fact that I truly have no idea where I’m going or what I’m about to do. But even though I’m probably standing on more pride than I should be right now, I head toward the cover of the trees.

“Kenna.” That harsh, hissing voice stops me in my tracks. “Come back here.”

9

Blair

For the first time in my existence, I’m not able to pull out of my shift.

Not fully, at least, and even in my half-shift, I still feel half out of my mind, half lost to the dragon. It’s making it difficult to put my thoughts into words, difficult to do anything but keep my eyes trained on the woman walking away from me.

“Kenna. Come back here.”

She freezes, but doesn’t turn around right away. As I wait for her to decide what she’s going to do, hot shame washes through me.

I didn’t mean to do this.

I made it almost all the way home. I parked in my condo’s garage downtown, got out of my car, and caught the scent of her somewhere nearby.

Even then, when I followed that scent to a little plaza across from a block of busy bars and restaurants, I didn’t mean to approach her. Stalking her to where she was walking down the street with her date was bad, but seeing the male she was with push her up against a wall, kiss her even though she was struggling, it broke the very last threads of my restraint.