Page 50 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

He had that alpha PNR vibe meets smalltown country boy thing going on. I should’ve known he was too sexy to be a human.

Kieran watched me watching him with an amused grin on his face. “You think I’m a werewolf?”

“No.” My eyes shot up to his.Crap.It was probably super insensitive to lump all shifterstogether like that. “I just meant a human body that shifts into other things.”

“Yeah, into animals that actually exist,” Riley mumbled behind me, loud enough to be heard.

I bit down on my lip as I waved my hand behind my back, trying to get them to shut up.

Kieran seemed to be having fun though.

“I’m a dragon that can take human form,” he explained like anything else didn’t make sense. “And I can assure you that my species absolutely exists. We’ve been on this earth longer than most.”

“How old is he?” Harper’s gasp was muffled by the sound of her mother’s hand.

“Ignore them.” I stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind me, blocking out the rest of their commentary.

Kieran leaned against the porch post. “You’re taking this remarkably well.”

“Am I?” I frowned. “How do people normally react?”

“With pitchforks.” He shrugged, still keeping his hands in his pockets.

“That’s not very neighborly,” I said. “Though I can see why people might be scared.”

“And you’re not? Scared, I mean.” The rawness in his tone did something to my heart.

“Now that I’ve had time to process? Not really. Honestly, the hits have just been coming for the past few years. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t that bad.” It was my turn to shrug.

The wonder that lit up his face had me smiling for no good reason. “Who are you?”

“Just Ember.” My smile dropped, thinking of all the people I should’ve been, could’ve been, and who Iwas now. But my dad always taught me to admit when I was wrong, so I raised my hand to shake Kieran’s hand. “We didn’t get off on the right foot. I’m Ember Thurman and I guess I’m on your land now.”

Kieran looked at my hand for a long moment and I realized his hands were in his pockets purposefully, almost as if he was holding himself back.

From what, I didn’t know. But slowly, his callused hand reached out and clasped mine.

Despite the books I read, I didn’t believe in love at first sight. And I was too old for fairy tales. But something about his firm grip and the way his hand perfectly encased mine made my heart skip a beat.

Kieran’s nostrils flared as the muscles of his forearm flexed. Heat raced through me as my heart resumed its pacing, starting to flutter faster.

“I… Um…” I pulled my hand away. “So, I guess you work for the government. Oh wow. Does that mean they’re really lizard people?”

“Ember—”

“It’s okay if you can’t tell me or anything. I’m sure that must be top secret.” I placed my hands on my hips awkwardly, not sure where else to put them, and glanced down at my side. “Ah, the venom thing. I’m not going to turn into one of you. Am I?”

“What? No.” Kieran stepped forward.

I took a step back. “Good. I mean, not that it would be bad. I’d sure love to fly. But I don’t think I’m cut out for the fire breathing thing. I can’t even handle jalapenos anymore.”

“Ember, please.” The way he said my name made my core clench with need.

I blinked, looking up at him through my lashes as my breaths came faster. “I’m sorry for being so rude when we first arrived. Do you mind if I take a few days to get my things together before we leave? I need to figure out where we can go.”

I tried to laugh it off and take another step away as Kieran moved forward, but my back hit the door.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Kieran growled as if the idea personally offended him. “This is your house. Your land. You’ll be safe right where you are.”

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