Page 12 of Secrets of the Dragon's Heart

“Oh my, I can see why you’re so upset,” the woman said, shaking her head. “It’s this island. It does strange things topeople. I thought it was only Max’s friends, but maybe it’s spreading.”

“You think it’s the island,” she said, looking over at the woman. “I heard some rumors, but I don’t usually pay attention to that kind of talk. Besides, what could an island do? It can’t affect people or anything like that.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Max would kill me for talking about this with a guest,” the woman said. “But I thought it might make you feel better.”

“Thank you, I don’t know if it helped,” she said. “I’m Kennedy, by the way.”

“Stella,” the woman said. “My husband and I are in charge of building the new staff quarters on the other side of the island.”

She knew instantly who Stella’s husband was; her research had told her that much, and she realized with a start that she had a reliable source for the other story. “It’s nice to meet you, Stella,” she said, truly meaning it. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now, but I do feel better. It was all just such a shock.”

“I’m glad. You had me worried there for a second,” Stella said, smiling at her. “I probably should get back. Everyone will be looking for me. If you need someone to talk to, I’d be happy to listen. I know how hard it can be to be a woman in a man’s world. Come by anytime you want, we’ll have coffee and bitch about men.”

“That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse,” she said. “I’ll bring something sweet with me.”

“That’s a deal,” Stella said, getting to her feet. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

When Stella was gone, she slowly sipped the rest of the water bottle, outlining the questions she would ask when they met for coffee, relieved to have something to distract her. In only a few minutes, Cameron had managed tocompletely distort the line between personal and professional, and she wasn’t sure how to go from there. Just kissing him had ruined all her creditability as a journalist. It would cloud anything she discovered in her investigation, and on top of that, she was beginning to think that she might have gotten it all wrong.

The sound of laughter from over by the bonfire interrupted her thoughts, and she got to her feet, her stomach growling. Cameron had already ruined her story, and she wasn’t about to let him ruin the rest of the night. There was crab to eat, and she didn’t want to miss out. The mess her life and career had become could wait until morning. All wasn’t completely lost. If she could get Stella talking about the island, she might be able to salvage her career.

CHAPTER 8

***CAMERON***

After a nearly sleepless night, Cameron was in no mood to go traipsing around the jungle like a boy scout, but he’d made a deal with Max, and he wasn’t going to back out even if he already felt like he’d run a marathon. He’d spent half the night berating himself for kissing Kennedy and the other half wishing he could do it again; now he just wanted to forget about the woman for a few hours. She’d completely captivated him, making him forget everything else, including Max and his increasingly worrying belief that the island was magical or mystical or something.

Pausing in mid-step, it suddenly hit him that what was happening to him was exactly what Max had said had happened to their other friends, at least in the beginning. His heart began to pound, his breath came in short gasps, and panic made every muscle in his body tense up as a strange sense of inevitability slowly settled over him as if his future had already been decided. Forcing himself to slow his breathing, he reminded himself that he was in control. He made the decisions about his life, not the island, not the dragon inside him.

Love wasn’t in his future. He’d known that he was destined to take over for his father from a young age. That had been written in stone the first time he shifted. Falling for Kennedy would be a huge mistake, even if he’d never felt anything like what he felt when he was with her, even if he could sense that being with her would be one of the most incredible experiences of his life. He wasn’t free to have that experience, he was tied to the clan and the family business, restricted by the rules and traditions of both, a man unable to make his own choices.

Realizing that he was still standing in the middle of the trail leading to the village, he sighed and started walking again, wishing he could just go home and forget about the island. When he arrived at the meeting point for the hiking trip, he scanned the eight or ten faces in the group, relieved to find that not one of them was Kennedy, and began to relax.

“Welcome, everyone. I hope you all got a good night’s sleep because we’re going to cover some miles today on our hike,” the instructor called. “I’m Matt, and I’ll be your guide for the morning. I know some of you are seasoned hikers, so all I ask is that you be patient with the rest of us. I also want to remind you that the jungle is a much different place than you’re used to, and while we don’t have any predators or poisonous snakes to worry about, there are still things that can hurt you, and we’re going to talk about some of them now.”

Matt was halfway through his speech when a familiar scent drifted to him on the breeze. It only took him a second to identify it, and his heart began to beat faster. A second later, he spotted Kennedy sliding into the group, her cheeks pink from rushing, her hair still wet from the shower. He let out a groan as warmth spread through him, making thewoman standing next to him look over. He flashed her a smile and then looked back up at Matt.

When they finally set out, he slipped into line in front of Kennedy so he wouldn’t have to watch her while they hiked. He told himself that he could survive a couple of hours if he stayed away from her. The first hour they hiked passed more quickly than he’d hoped, and he managed to keep his distance when they stopped for a break, hiding himself in the shade under a big tree. Kennedy seemed to be happy to keep her distance as well, even if he did catch her watching him a few times, and he told himself that it didn’t bother him, that it was for the best. But he caught himself staring at her as she laughed and talked with the other hikers.

By the time they got back to where they’d started the hike, Cameron was having an even harder time ignoring the pretty blonde who’d wormed her way into his life. “Wasn’t that fun?” Matt asked the group. “There’s nothing better than getting out in nature and taking advantage of what she has to offer. I hope you’ll all sign up for another guided tour, but if you’d rather strike out on your own, I’ve got maps here for anyone who wants one.”

The last thing he wanted was more nature, but he waited patiently as several people in the group took a map, including Kennedy. “I guess that’s it then,” Matt said. “I just want to remind you to use the buddy system, especially if you’re going to tackle one of the harder trails. If there aren’t any questions, you’re all expected in the village for lunch, and I’m sure you’re all starving after our hike.”

There were murmurs of agreement and groups began to head down the path to the village, but he found himself hanging back watching Kennedy again as she chatted with Matt about something on the map. When she finally walked away, he told himself to go the other way, but instead, his feettook him over to her and there was nothing he could do about it.

“I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know what got into me, well, I kind of do, but that’s not what I’m trying to say,” he said, shaking his head, knowing he was screwing up. “I shouldn’t have come on so strong, I shouldn’t have kissed you, I shouldn’t have meddled in your life, but there’s something about you that makes me do stupid things.”

Horrified that he couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts private around Kennedy, he snapped his mouth closed, feeling like an idiot and wishing he’d just stayed away. “Are you blaming it on me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “Because then I’d have to remind you that you kissed me, not the other way around.”

“I wasn’t blaming you,” he said, holding his hands up in front of him. “It was completely my fault. Honestly, I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve barely even kissed anyone, and I’m not exactly the kissing type.”

This time, a groan escaped when he realized what he’d just said, and he waited, embarrassed, as Kennedy studied him. “Well, you sure could have fooled me,” she said, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “But it can’t happen again. It will mess everything up. It probably already has.”

This time it was his turn to study her. “What does that mean?” he asked. “Do you have a boyfriend? You never said anything about a boyfriend.”

***Kennedy***

Kennedy froze for a second, silently cursing her choice of words, then quickly tried to decide if she should lie to him, but in the end, she couldn’t do it. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend,” she said. “That’s not what I meant.”

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