“Not Perky, then. I don’t think she’s a shifter.”
“No,” he said, amused. “Shifters spend their time in the human world in human form, hiding. We can sense each other for the most part, though.”
“And there’s some kind of fight going on?”
“From what I understand, it’s under control right now. But the bad shifters who think they should rule over humans are against the good shifters who want to live in harmony with them.”
“And my biggest concern is keeping my shop going,” she said, tucking a blond wisp of hair into her messy ponytail. “Sheesh.” She looked at him warily. “So does that mean at some point you’ll be fighting in this war, too?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “If I do, I’m not in any danger. We’re nearly invincible, except to other dragons.”
“So crazy,” she said. “I mean, it would be crazier if I hadn’t seen you pull a giant axe out of midair.”
“It’s a good axe. That man’s face when I cut up his weapon…” He grinned. “Extremely satisfying.”
“You did look like you enjoyed that fight a little too much?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” he asked, leaning back with his hands behind his head, flashing her a smile. “I was defending my mate and showing her my skills. The best thing a dragon can do.”
“Um, so are you going to show me your dragon form?”
“No,” he said. “I’m afraid I’m pretty much forbidden from doing that in public without Aegis’s permission. People are unlikely not to see it.”
“So I’m just supposed to believe all of this, even though it makes no sense and sounds nothing like anything I’ve ever heard.”
He leaned forward, tilting her chin up, and placed a soft kiss on her mouth, loving the way she immediately sank in. “Do you believe in this?” he asked.
“I believe you’re super hot and super helpful, and you make me feel good. It’s kind of a jump from there to scales and wings. Do you have wings?”
He nodded.
“Okay, and this mate thing you keep mentioning. What’s that and what makes you think I’m it?”
“It’s like marriage but forever. There’s no taking it back,” he said seriously.
“But my parents divorced. What was that about?”
He shrugged. “They’re humans. It’s different with shifters and mates. We’re sure. There are no divorces that I’m aware of. Once a shifter finds their mate, there is no one else for them. They can’t love anyone else.”
“And you just instantly love your mate?” she asked.
“I don’t know exactly how to describe it. Love at first sight, except almost like you know the person even before seeing them. And then as you get to know them, every single thing confirms to you that they were fated to be with you and you were fated to make them happy.” He stretched his shoulders back, feeling tense.
“So what happens to make it official?” she asked. “Some kind of ceremony?”
“We don’t need to talk about that yet,” he said, fingering an old iron chain that hung around his neck and dipped under his shirt. “Right now, we just need to worry about your safety. And making you fall in love with me, of course.”
“Do I have any choice once you think I’m this ‘mate’ thing?”
He snorted. “Of course. You’re the only one for me, but if I fail to win you over, that’s my fault.”
She took another determined bite of her sandwich. “If you put your mind to it, I doubt any woman could resist you. But you have to forgive me for being a little bit paranoid, given everything that’s happened.”
“Yeah, you’ve had a rough time in the past.”
She shook her head. “No, I mean with you telling me about a whole world that didn’t exist, while you’re supposed to be my handyman, while I’m fighting off evil dudes from a rival shop.”
“You won’t have to. I’ll be fighting them off. One of my ways of winning you.”
“You were pretty impressive with that axe,” she said with a grin. Then she sighed. “But I wish everything would just go back to normal.”
“Overworked, alone, and threatened?”
“No, like when I was growing up with my dad,” she said. “Before I had to do everything myself, before I got tricked and lost so much to Ed, and before Roscoe and his boys got his eyes on my shop.”
“But if you do have to deal with all of that, isn’t it nice to have someone beside you?” he asked. He gave her a small nudge in the side. “Someone extra hot and dragony and capable of protecting you? I can’t ever promise I can make things go back to normal. But I can promise to keep you safe while things are going wrong.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I appreciate it. I didn’t intend to get you involved in this much trouble when I hired you. I thought it was just some vandalism. Some vague threats.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “You’re just lucky you’ve rented a dragon.”
She flushed and took a long sip of her drink, making a cute slurping noise. “All right,” she said. “I’ll try to accept that about you, even if it’s blowing my mind. But in the meantime, I want to slow things down.”
“I guess it’s a bad time to tell you I think you should come to my castle now that we know you’re in danger.”
“No,” she said. “Even though they came to the shop, I see no reason they would come to my place.”
“They definitely wouldn’t come to mine, and if they did, there would be half a dozen angry dragons there.”
She rubbed her temples again, something he realized was a common nervous habit. He gently pulled her hands away and made her look at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have too many jobs right now to stay that far away,” she said. “Plus, it’s too much. I guess it’s good I’m not on my own anymore, but I’m not ready to just fall into this and jump into your world. I still need to be in mine, keeping things together, solving the problems there.”
“Hm,” he said. “I see what you mean. I don’t want to disrupt your life. How about this? I stay at your place where I can guard you.”
She eyed him warily, but there was amusement in her eyes. “You aren’t going to settle for anything less, are you?”
He shook his head. “I mean, I could creep around outside while you sleep, but I think we’d both prefer me in there with you.” He gave her a wink.
“Oh no,” she said, putting up both hands and backing him up. “No more funny business. Not right now anyway.”
He laughed. “Oh, really? Just try keeping your hands off me,” he said with a smirk.
“No, I’m serious,” she said. “This is a lot to take in, and I need time to deal with it. Not to mention, with all of this going on, I don’t have time for a normal relationship. Let alone one with a dragon.”
He stuck out a pinky finger, something he’d seen humans do on TV. “Friends, then?”
She stuck out her pinky and wrapped it around his, biting her lip. “Friends. I can do that.”