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We travel forty-five minutes south to Lake Erie Metropark. I don’t ask questions until Nick parks the car in an empty parking lot and leads me to a deserted, frozen lakeshore. Clouds block the light of the moon, and the park is big enough that the light pollution from the city is dimmed. It’sdarkout here. The little light there is reflects off the ice and snow. It’s just enough to let me see where I’m stepping.
It’s also freezing. January nighttime temperatures are a bitch to begin with, but standing on the shore of the lake with the wind whipping in off the ice makes me feel like I only have minutes left before I freeze to death.
“Okay, I give,” I say, staring around at the deserted park. “What are we doing here?”
Nick points out at the massive lake. “Fastest way to the crime scene.”
My mouth falls open. “The lake?”
Nick nods. “North Bass Island.”
I blink. North Bass Island. I’ve never even heard of it. But it’s not hard to figure out that he’s talking about an island out in the middle of the freaking lake. Not to mention, the lake’s frozen over. We can’t exactly take a boat out. “What are we going to do, cross the ice on foot?”
Nick shakes his head, still distracted and staring out at the lake. “We’re going to fly.”
I don’t get it at first. When I don’t respond right away, he finally pulls himself from his thoughts. “You said you wanted to see my dragon.”
It takes a couple seconds for it to click, and then I gasp. “Fly? As in, you want me toride your dragon?”
Nick smirks but passes on the opportunity to make a sexual joke. Something is definitely wrong with him.
“Are you serious right now?” I ask. “You’re going to shift into a massive flying dragon, and I’m supposed to climb up on your back and hitch a ride out into the middle of Lake Erie?”
Nick lifts both his eyebrows. “Is that a problem?”
I’d like to say I’m excited by the prospect of flying dragonback. I’ve read several fantasy books before where it’s happened, and it’s always been described as exhilarating. But honestly, I’m just terrified. Do I want to see Nick’s dragon? Hell yes. But fly on his back? No, thank you. “I’ll freeze,” I say, scrambling for any excuse I can to get out of this.
“No, you won’t. My dragon is like a furnace, and I can control my body temperature. You’ll be warmer than you are now. Now, stand back. I’m not exactly small.”
I look out at the lake, and my stomach rolls. “I’ll fall.”
“Not if you hold on tight.”
I frantically shake my head. “I can’t. I’ll—”
“Stop being a wuss, Jacobs.”
Before I can argue further, Nick’s body blurs, and in a blink he’s standing in front of me as a massive black dragon. Dark and sleek, with horns on his head and spikes on his tail, the creature looks deadly in a beautiful way. He’s absolutely breathtaking.
He swivels his head my direction and stares me down with his large reptilian eyes, as if he’s waiting for me to do or say something. I can’t move—my limbs seem to be frozen—but I manage to breathe out a few words. “You’re beautiful.”
He puffs his chest out, preening at the compliment, and his lips curl back, exposing a mouthful of long, sharp teeth. I think it’s supposed to be a smile, but it’s terrifying. The monster could swallow me whole. I can hardly believe this creature is my friend. No wonder everyone in town is afraid to get on his bad side. I’ll definitely think twice about pissing the man off from now on.
You ready?
I squeak as the voice enters my mind. It’s a deeper, rumbly version of Nick’s voice. “You can speak telepathically?”
Only in this form. Convenient, isn’t it?
“Warn a girl next time. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Nick’s chuckle rolls through my mind while the dragon makes this coughing sound and smoke puffs out of his nose.Come on, little spitfire. We’re in a hurry.
I look up—way up—at the gigantic beast and shake my head. “Uh-uh. No way. Nope. Not happening.”
Stop being a baby.
“You’re as big as a house! I wouldn’t climb up there even if I could figure out how to do it.”
