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“Huh. Interesting.” A fresh ocean breeze whipped over us, lifting the corner of the blanket and sending a couple of napkins flying out of the basket. The sun inched toward the horizon, reminding me of how late it was getting. “We should probably start heading back soon.”
“Let’s have ten more minutes up here. It’s so peaceful.”
“It really is,” I said, eyes shutting as I inhaled some of the sweet ocean air, filling my lungs with it. It brought me back to the days when I’d come to the beach as a kid. Rarely did my parents ever bring me out as far as Manticore Beach, sticking more with Santa Monica, but the few times we did come, I would always ogle at the massive leaning stones. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I’d be lying down on top of one, relaxing naked with a dragon who happened to be the sexiest fucking man I’d ever laid eyes on.
“Life’s crazy, huh?”
Damien stirred. I wondered if he had dozed off in those minutes of silence.
“I never imagined myself being… important.” I continued on with my train of thought, unsure exactly where the station was located. “That sounds weird, but it’s true. I just thought I was a regular guy struggling with regular problems, and I’d go on living my boring and regular life. I never daydreamed that I was some famous actor or rock star. I never picture myself discovering some big miracle cure or solving some huge political crisis.
“And that was all fine with me… but now? I feel like I’m at the center of something I don’t want to be in the center of. This curse, the dragon fall—Damien, I just can’t stop thinking about it.” The postclimax glow began to fade, making way for the dull and constant tug of anxiety in my chest. As if every breath I took had been weighted down by bags of heavy lead.
“I haven’t stopped thinking of it either.”
I sat up, looked down at those worried green eyes. “Damien, what if it really is my death that stops this curse? What if—”
“No.” He said it with a certainty that made my lips snap shut. “I don’t think we need to think about what-ifs right now. We need to focus on solid, evidence-based answers. An old poem in a dusty book isn’t the be-all, end-all.”
“It’s just… I don’t want you to ignore a very real possibility. If my blood is the key to saving the dragons, then you need to spill it.”
Now Damien sat up. His brows furrowed in anger, jaw clenched. “Robby, that is something I refuse to do. Ever. I can’t explain it fully—I don’t even understand it fully—but protecting you is something as natural to me as breathing. Just as necessary too.” He shook his head and let out a huff. I half expected to see smoke rise from his nostrils. “No, I refuse.”
His answer made me, well, happy. Which also made me feel guilty… If I was the key to saving all the dragons, then should I be pushing him harder to… to kill me?
Fuck. What the hell do I do? And why is this even happening?
The worries rose inside me like toxic vines, reclaiming the space that had been emptied and hollowed moments after my release. This was so fucked-up. Should I really just hide out while the curse ravaged all of dragonkind? How selfish would that have made me?
Made us?
“I don’t think we need to tell others outside of the family either.”
My head dipped to the side, brow arching as if tugged up by an invisible string. “Why?”
He chewed on his cheek before saying, “Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because my family won’t harm you, but I can’t make that promise of every dragon on this Earth. Desperation could lead to craven acts. I don’t want anyone getting any ideas until we can solve it ourselves.”
I sighed, shoulders slumped. “So now I have to hide from the vampires and the dragons? I’m getting so tired, Damien. So fucking tired.”
“I know,” he said and grabbed my hands in his. A pair of seagulls flew past, squawking their content at seeing two naked men perched up high. I let his hands encase mine. “It won’t last much longer. We’re all working to stop this. Just trust me. Okay?”
… Fucking hell. What did this all mean? And why did Damien’s touch alone reassure me more than anyone’s words had ever done? Even though he had the potential to set me ablaze and end it all right here, I had never felt safer.
“Okay,” I said. He leaned in and kissed me again. I could still taste myself on his lips. Fuck. His hands went to my chest, over my shoulders. Heat spread through me again, slowly, burning back the fear and worry.
Damien’s phone started to ring, vibrating inside his discarded jeans. “It could be Claire.”
