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“Yes, go ahead. After all your help lately, you deserve some treats.”
Despite how Violet liked to state she was basically an adult now, at the promise of scones, she whooped and raced inside.
He chuckled and met Percy’s eyes. Amusement danced there, and it took every bit of control he had not to act surprised at it.
She asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need to eat something more substantial than scones?”
He licked some clotted cream from his thumb. “I’ll be fine.” He looked at Percy again, only to find her staring at his mouth.
Yet another bolt of lust rushed through him.
Needing a distraction, any distraction, he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Thanks for helping Violet with attaching the dragon foot. Putting it on is the biggest hurdle since I can’t do it myself in my dragon form.”
Her gaze snapped back to his. If her cheeks were pinker than usual, Bronx did his best not to notice. She replied, “It was nothing.” She bit her bottom lip, but again Bronx had the fortitude to maintain eye contact. She added, “Thank you for showing me your dragon. You’re beautiful. Or, wait, Violet said to use words likefierceandruggedandmuscled.”
His dragon grunted, but Bronx laughed aloud. “My dragon appreciates the latter descriptions.” He tilted his head and said, “Was that the first time you’ve ever seen a dragon up close?”
He’d been afraid to ask that earlier, not wanting to spook her and risk postponing this outing.
Percy shrugged, looked at the table, and played with the cutlery. “I’ve only ever seen them from afar. No one was allowed to shift inside the orphanage, and none of us could do it inside the facility.”
Violet’s voice cut in, from the door leading to the outside seating area. “Dad, is it okay if I eat with Scarlett and Valerie inside? I haven’t seen them in ages.”
He replied, “Of course. Just make sure to come home by dinner.”
After saying she would, Violet disappeared into the café.
Percy still played with the knife in front of her. Hoping he could bring her back to the topic, he asked, “You never tried to change a small part of yourself, like a finger, when you were younger?”
He held his breath, hoping his question wouldn’t make her regress or send her running. He’d sensed something had shifted between them earlier, that things were a little less distant, and he hoped he was right.
She finally whispered, “No. I was too afraid of being discovered.”
Moving his hand, he nearly covered hers but instead made a fist with his fingers and kept it in front of him. “Well, if you’re up for it, we can try other techniques to entice your dragon out.”
Her gaze rose to his. “There are some? Why didn’t you mention it before?”
“It’s like anything—you have to lay the foundation before you can construct the house. It was more important for you to learn the basics of being a dragon-shifter before going over suggestions for how to communicate with your inner beast.”
She frowned. “More like you wanted to wait and see if my dragon was rogue.”
Bronx wouldn’t lie to her. “Partly.”
Crossing her arms across her chest, she asked, “Then when can we start? Can we do it here? Or do we need to head home?”
He didn’t point out her use ofhome, although it was the first time he’d heard it. “Maybe not at the café, but we could stop by the school before heading back to the cabin. Even though the younger students will soon be dismissed for the day, we can use the practice area and maybe even get some extra help from the teachers.”
“I suppose.” He could tell something else was on her mind. So he waited until she asked, “There’s something Killian told me that I wanted to ask about first. Is that okay?”
“Ask me anything, Percy. Any time.”
She looked dubious but still replied, “Killian mentioned a kiss had brought his dragon out—at least for one of them—and I was curious about how that worked. I’ve read about true mates.” She stopped, looked to the side, and added, “Do you think I’ll have to find mine and kiss him to get my dragon back?”
He blinked at her question but recovered quickly. “I don’t know the particulars of Killian’s case. But with Dr. Sid, finding her true mate helped with her dragon troubles. I doubt it’s the only way, though.”
She still didn’t look at him. “How does someone know another person is their true mate?”
He cleared his throat. “Well, a male dragon-shifter can usually recognize their true mate after they turn twenty—that’s the age dragons are considered mature—and if they’re not an arsehole, they let the other person know.”
