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I jump back fast.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but it isn’t funny,” I snap. “You’ve got some kind of smoke machine, right?”

“Wrong,” Legend says. “This is all us.”

His eyes gleam green. The first time I can really see them in the dark. They have vertical pupils.

Fuck.

“Some… some kind of contact lenses,” I say.

“Shine your flashlight right here,” Day says.

My hand is sweating so much I’m sure the phone will slip from my hand. I shine it onto his wrist. Dark green scales erupt from his skin, smoothly covering the back of his hand. My throat gets tight.

“It’s a trick,” I insist. But my voice is getting weaker.

“It’s not, bro,” Day says steadily. “And you know it.”

I can’t answer. Because I’ve seen this before. Seventh grade, and another kid was shoving me around in the school bathroom. He picked on me constantly for no reason. I’d finally had enough. I shoved him against the wall, opened my mouth to yell at him. Instead of words, dark smoke came out. In the mirror, my eyes shone blue with vertical pupils. My bully burst into shocked tears. I was even more terrified than him. After he ran off I stayed in the bathroom for a long time, sitting in the corner with my arms wrapped around myself, holding myself so tight, like I could stop those monstrous elements from bursting out of me again.

No one believed my bully when he told the tale. They thought he was lying to make me unpopular. That’s what I tried to tell myself too, but I knew what I’d seen. I never tried to breathe smoke again. I decided that day that the monster would remain deep inside me. It would never again get the jump on me. I put the whole thing to rest ten years ago. Or so I thought.

I look up at Legend and Day.

“How is this possible?” I whisper. “I’m still not sure I believe you.”

Day leans close. Closer than a bro usually would. I’m surprised, but I don’t move back. Under the smoke, I smell sporty cologne. His lips brush mine. Shivers run up my spine.

“How do I taste?” he says.

Hot and smoky. Greedy and powerful.

Like a dragon.

It was only a fleeting touch; I sensed he was holding back. Hiding something deep and dangerous—wells of inhuman power. He wanted more than a kiss. Like he wanted to add me to his hoard. Stash me away somewhere private and own me. Okay, maybe I’m getting carried away by the spooky atmosphere out here. Or maybe not. My chest is tight with panic. But underneath, a sense of freedom unfurls. A sense of something elemental that I’ve crushed away coming back to the surface.

“What about me?” Legend’s voice.

Legend has softer lips, like he’s a chapstick aficionado. He has his own smoky taste, a little different from Day. Still nothing like any human kiss I’ve ever had. He’s more aggressive, licking along the seam of my lips. Demanding entry. His tongue slides deep. His hand clamps my hip, pulling me close. I fold myself into him, grabbing at his insane biceps. Heat rushes up my back like lightning. Much too soon, he steps back. I open my eyes, heart pounding. Whole world turned upside-down.

I cross my arms, trying to calm my heaving chest.

“I need to see you breathe fire,” I say. “I need proof.”

Legend throws back his head. A plume of blinding flame shoots straight up into the sky. From its light, I can see that it comes directly from his mouth. There’s no flame thrower. No trick. It’s enough to snap me back to reality. These guys might be hot and sweet and weirdly happy to kiss me, but they’re fucking dragons. And I’m not. I can’t be. I’m just Ash, paralegal… human. I’m not a monster.

I run.

This time, they let me go.

Chapter 2

I’m exhausted by the time I stumble through the door of my apartment. But sleep is out of reach even after half a bottle of wine. I lie in bed staring at the strip of streetlight through my curtains. Thinking about that plume of flame that ripped through the black night. Legend and Day have opened up a part of me that I sealed shut ten years ago. I’m horrified by the idea that I could turn into a monster. Yet I can’t stop thinking about it. I want to know how it feels to breathe fire. To grow scales and claws. To fly. I can still taste their smoky kisses. I don’t know which is driving me crazier. The ridiculous idea that I could be a dragon, or how they made me feel.

Why am I still thinking about them anyway? Okay, so they could fucking kiss. But I don’t even know them. It’s embarrassing; they’ve gotten stuck in my brain like a clinging weed. No one gets under my skin like this. No one gets close to me. I don’t have a roommate or close friends. My boyfriends bail after a few weeks or months, always with the same complaint: I never really let them in. How can I? If I let my guard down, if my emotions get too strong, I won’t be able to hide what I am. My dragon will overcome me like that day in seventh grade. The fences have been up for so long, I didn’t even realize how lonely I was. Until tonight, when Legend and Day found me.

There’s a sudden scratching sound. It’s coming from my front door. I bolt upright, heart thudding. Now what? Someone trying to break in? I put on my glasses and grab another can of deodorant. I really need to invest in some better weapons. Tomorrow. Assuming I even survive the night. I’m painfully aware of my skinny, five feet seven frame as I creep down the dark hall. Fear claws at my throat. The apartment door opens. Slowly, calmly. Like the intruder has a key and feels perfectly welcome. A huge white guy stands there, visible in the corridor light.