Page 66 of To Ignite a Dragon's Desire

“Just hurry up and say your piece.” I didn’t want to move away from Lucan’s bike.

“Don’t be like that, babe.” Drew relaxed in the chair. “We used to have great conversations. Now you don’t want to talk to me anymore.”

No, I don’t.I reached into my purse hanging at my side and wrapped my hand around the pocket knife. The weight of it in my fist helped me feel steady.

“You have five minutes until I leave. Speak.”

“What’s the hurry? It’s not like the world is ending today.” Drew crossed one ankle over his knee.

He looked so calm. Here I was tense and sweating, full of nerves and acting crazy as I stood alone in the parking lot. He gave me a sad smile like he knew what I was thinking.

Pissed off, I marched over to the second chair and dragged it a few feet away before taking a seat.

“Was that so hard?” he asked, still smiling.

“Four minutes left. Start talking.” I flinched, realizing who I was speaking to this way. Twice now I’d been direct and he hadn’t corrected me. Not even a single jaw tick.

I was so confused.

Am I losing my mind?

Had he changed or was this some sort of trick?

Drew sighed. “Portland is crazy since you left. I told you they were going to shut it down. The military came rolling up the freeway in tanks, going door to door and enacting a curfew. You know Jimmy and Wilson who own the Airstream at the trailer park? They tried locking up the fence to keep the government out, but they just bulldozed through.”

I stared at Drew, wondering why the hell he was telling me all this. Like we were two old friends discussing the weather—or I guess the apocalypse.

“I hope they’re okay…” I said slowly.

Really, I liked Jim and Will.

It was Drew I didn’t care for anymore.

“They’re all right.” He waved it off. “But I had to get out of there before they started locking us all up in FEMA camps.”

And there he is.

“Right, the FEMA camps.” I nodded, trying not to laugh. He and his friends had all these conspiracies about the government, but they didn’t know the half of it. I don’t think anyone did.

There are literal dragons out there.

I glanced at the sky, feeling a sense of peace wash over me.

And I’m in love with one.

Drew kept talking without noticing my distraction, “But you’ve got your setup out here. I should’ve known how smart you always were.”

I stared at him, waiting for the point. This was right out of his standard playbook, buttering me up with compliments before laying the request on thick.

“You’re not coming to Ember’s cabin.”

Drew waved me away like he’d done all my concerns. “I know you don’t want me there now, but I bet you don’t have great security. I’m not trying to scare you. It’s just that things are going south, fast. You’ll want more manpower protecting you and the girls.”

“More manpower?” I smirked, thinking of how big dragons could get.

There it is.A vein throbbed in his temple as he wiped sweat from his brow. It was quick enough to miss if you weren’t looking for it.

Drew turned up the charm on his smile. “Let’s be real, Riley. You’re no match for a full-grown man. I can protect you out here.”

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