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“You were great.” She watched as the mob tried to reignite the flames. They were idiots for underestimating the power of the Dragon King and his dragons. Dragon Alley was impenetrable. “Deep ice?”

“A small trick I invented, of course.” He seemed to have calmed a lot more than she would have at that point.

“Of course. You are the great and powerful Dragon King. Probably been alive for ages, naming and inventing all the cool magic tricks.”

“The one and only.”

“Come over tonight.” She didn’t know what she was saying. “To my office or home, whichever you prefer.”

“I should focus on how to fix this mess that my Thunder is in.”

Rowan had to swallow her disappointment. “Solid call. Before you go, I’m sorry, the world is full of idiots.”

For a moment it felt as if he had hung up, but then his voice came through once more, “Thank you.”

And then he ended the call without a single goodbye. Rowan glared at her phone and groaned, throwing her head on her desk.

“Was that a groan of longing?” Louisa asked from her doorway.

Rowan refused to pick her head up, and she groaned again.

“Nuh uh, get up, explain yourself. Who made you sound like a schoolgirl on her first call with a boy she liked?” Louisa sunk into the wingback chair across from her friend, a nail file in her hand, heels long lost somewhere in her office.

Rowan glanced up at the TV and saw the glimpses of Alessandro again. She pointed him out to the brunette.

“No fucking way, you hooked up with the Dragon King and kept it from me?” Louisa gasped.

“Things have been hectic lately.” Rowan rolled her eyes.

Louisa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow as she examined the dragon, “He’s kind of a meathead, isn’t he?”

The disrespect! “He is not a meathead!”

“Did I just overhear that you slept with the Dragon King?” It was Kin’s turn to stand at the door, arms full of his laptop, several hardcover books, colored pens and journals.

Rowan crossed her arms. “Yes, you did. Can you believe she called him a meathead?”

Kin sized the man up on TV and pursed his lips. “I suppose I can kind of see where she’s coming from.”

“What? Those eyes totally show he has so much more depth to him than just his insanely gorgeous body!”

Louisa giggled, “My goodness, what kinda skills must he have to make you so defensive?” Then she let out a gasp of enlightenment. “Wait, how long has it been since you’ve known him?”

Rowan shrugged.

“The dragon I smelled.” Kin gaped. “Was that him?”

Rowan leaned back against her chair, a cocky smirk on her face.

“Did you meet him after the attack on Draconis? Youarean easy slut!”

“Worth it,” Rowan grinned as she pulled down the collar of her turtleneck to show the bites and slid the sleeves up to show where he had gripped her.

Kin’s mouth fell open and Louisa’s shaded eyebrows climbed into her hairline.

“Was he hungry?” Kin asked, recovering first.

Rowan waggled her eyebrows. “He was, and he got a full meal.”