Ashlyn Chase - How to Date a Dragon

Hallelujah! There is hope for the dragon species .

Fathering children was something he really wanted to do someday, and because that was only possible with another dragon, he had to at least look into it. This was the whole reason he’d moved to paranormal-rich Boston. If there was a single female dragon anywhere…

Suddenly, he thought of Bliss. He’d been willing to give up the dragon search when he met her. More accurately, he’d change his search from a female dragon to a female he could fall in love with, one who wouldn’t run from him in terror. A human couldn’t bear his children, but if that wasn’t important to her, perhaps…

He still didn’t know if she had actually seen his alternate form, and he was driving himself nuts trying to figure out a way to ask her… without asking her. If he ever saw her again.

Maybe this was a sign he should keep his options open a bit longer—at least long enough to meet the lady dragon. Don’t think beyond the immediate task at hand, Cameron… for once.

Ignoring his ambivalence, he began typing his answer.

“I’d like to meet you. There’s a place called the Green Shamrock near Quincy Market. Do you know it?”

A few minutes later, she emailed him with her answer. “Yeh, I can meet you dayuh tomorrah. Whah time?”

Wow, she seems anxious… and barely literate. Drake chastised himself. Maybe she was just a terrible speller.

If all dragons had such a difficult time finding other single dragons, it made sense that she wouldn’t want to wait—and he shouldn’t either.

He typed, “I’ll be there at four o’clock. How will I know you?” And just to be doubly sure he was talking to another dragon, he said, “What are your distinguishing marks?”

“Mi family has chaka black hair wit a streak ah silvah growin out ah da widah’s peak.”

That was his confirmation. She mentioned her family’s marking. All dragon families had some visible way to identify their clan. Silver growing out of pure black, only in their widow’s peaks, sounded odd enough for a dragon’s markings.

On the line right below that, she asked, “An yas?”

Something didn’t feel quite right. His fingers tingled and shook slightly as he typed, “Sandy hair with yellow streaks. Side part.”

Am I about to make a mistake?

Some dragons, himself included, had a type of sixth sense alerting them to danger.

He thought about Bliss and figured he must be feeling a twinge of ambivalence. What possible danger could a blind date entail? Ugh. Don’t answer that, Drake.

Without questioning himself further, he hit “send.”

She responded with a quick, “See ya den.”

And he typed, “See you tomorrow.”

He was just stepping away from the computer when Benjamin appeared in the doorway. “Lunch is ready, Drake. Any luck on the dating front?”

“Uh, maybe.” He hadn’t mentioned his desire to find Bliss. The guys would probably think he was nuts to get involved with the woman responsible for sending him back into a burning building for her computer—and getting him suspended.

“Hey, that’s great. Maybe we won’t have to worry about our sisters after all.” Benjamin returned to the kitchen without further comment.

That’s what Drake liked about the guys he worked with. They could joke around and leave an opening if a buddy wanted to share his personal life. The others would listen and maybe sympathize or offer an opinion, but no one pushed or prodded. Drake wasn’t about to volunteer any information. Not yet.

He was very glad the female dragon wanted to meet him tomorrow. A little more than twenty-four hours suddenly felt like a long time.

“No, no, no! Not her! Anyone but her!”

Mother Nature stared into the bright sky, gathered two fistfuls of her long, white hair next to her ears, and squeezed. “Gahhh!”

Apollo abandoned his poker game and joined her near the window. The entire top floor of the office building was covered in a glass bubble, so essentially the entire perimeter was a giant window that allowed the Supernatural Council an unobstructed view of Boston.

“What’s wrong, Grandma?”

“I told you never to call me that,” she hissed through gritted teeth.

“Sorry, Gaia. It’s just that you gave birth to Zeus, who’s my father, so therefore…”

She glared at him and a violent wind ripped through the room, blowing cards off the table and rippling everyone’s long, white gowns.

“Sorry, Goddess. Forgive me.”

She sighed. “I’ll forgive you this time, but only because you’re my favorite.”

The other gods gaped at them, several with raised eyebrows.

“Oh, relax,” she called out. “You’re all my favorites.” Then she rolled her eyes.

They looked away, although some of them still appeared tweaked. A moment later, the cards were magically back in their hands and they resumed their game.

“So what’s wrong? How can I help?”

“That fucking Caribbean dragon, Zina,” Mother Nature muttered. “What’s she doing up here?”

Apollo shrugged. “You probably have a better idea than I do since I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

Gaia pointed her long finger at a motorcyclist cruising down Storrow Drive. “That bitch right there. Thanks to a voodoo priestess, she’s run amok for two centuries and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.”

“What’s she doing that you need to stop?”

Gaia threw her hands in the air and whirled away from the glass. “Everything. That creature does whatever she damn well pleases and cares nothing about the consequences. I understand she has a lair where she keeps sex slaves. She finds men vacationing alone, and suddenly they’re never heard from again.”

“Why haven’t we been supplicated? Beseeched? Prayed to for help?”

Gaia chortled. “Come on… Do you really expect men to complain about being sex slaves?”

Apollo shrugged.

“But that’s not all. Humans have almost spotted her in dragon form, either through her carelessness or because she’s tempting fate on purpose. It’s happening more and more frequently.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I swear she’s goading me. She’s a spoiled brat, and the last time I caught her flying, I paid her a little visit. I thought she understood my stern warning. After that, I decided to take a nice walk on the beach and she zipped past me, singing, “Neener, neener, neener.”

“Don’t let her get to you.”

“Oh, sure. Be the bigger goddess, right? Ignore her, right?”

“Exactly.”

“I can’t! ” Mother Nature shouted so loudly the gods jumped and dropped their cards. “She’s coming into her fertile cycle. If she mates with another dragon, I’ll have to deal with more of them.” Mother Nature crossed her arms and muttered under her breath, “I was almost rid of them too.”

“Why do you want to get rid of them?”

“I don’t make mistakes, but sometimes… Never mind.”

“So, what should we do?”

“We shouldn’t do anything, yet. There are barely any dragons left, so chances of her finding one are slim. But just in case, contact the Balogs and ask them to keep an eye on that bar where the paranormals hang out. If she shows up there, we’ll need to know right away.”

Bliss sat at the family dining table, trying to concentrate on her work despite constant interruptions. For some reason, her mother could not understand that talking while Bliss was trying to think was the same as interrupting.

“Is it so terrible to be back home? You’ve done nothing but mope for days.”

Her mother stirred the pasta sauce bubbling on the stove. The tangy tomatoes mixed with garlic and spices smelled like home. Under other circumstances, it would be wonderful. If Bliss were in her own apartment, she would have simply opened a jar. Try to be nice.