Dragon Heat by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 21

There was already a small group of males assembled on the balcony. Ice was one of them. By all that was scaled, she was nervous. There was no backing out now. Azure was no coward. She was doing this. By the end of this weekend, she needed to know one way or the other if there was a future for her and Ice. No more games! This was it!

She walked over to the male in question, and he did a double-take when he saw her. “What are you doing here?” he asked as she dropped her overnight bag at her feet. He was frowning heavily.

“I decided that I want to go on a stag run.” She kept her voice even, like it was no biggie.

“You can’t!” he pushed out.

“Why not?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You invited me last time; what’s changed?”

“The whole team was going last time. I thought we could… It was stupid of me.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have invited you. The stag run is no place for a female.”

“Why is that?” She folded her arms.

“We’re going to rut. And some of us are going to find mates.”

“That’s okay,” she lied through her teeth. It wasn’t okay. Not at all. That was why she was there in the first place. “Because I’m going for exactly the same reason as you are.” That part was true, only, not with some random male. Fingers crossed.

“What?” he blurted, sounding completely out of sorts. Asshole! Why were all those things okay for them and not for her? She pulled in a deep breath. Reminding herself of all the things Melina had told her about Ice’s motivations. Namely, he was running away. Of course he wasn’t happy to see her.

“Before you say one more word, Ice, I need to point out that we’re not at work right now,” she quickly added. “Furthermore, it’s normal for a female in her prime to want to go out and to have some fun.”

His eyes widened dramatically. “It’s not normal for a dragon female to go on a stag run, though, Azure. What’s gotten into you?” He looked completely off-kilter. “Don’t do this. It isn’t right.”

“Good thing I’m not your run-of-the-mill dragon female, then.” The more he spoke, the more he pissed her the hell off.

His eyes flared with annoyance. “You’re not on the list.”

“Actually, I am. I went to see Storm, and he thinks it’s a great idea. Infertile dragon females are overlooked all the time. Perhaps there’s a human I’ll click with.” She shrugged.

His jaw tightened. “You said they all have small dicks. All of a sudden, you want to rut one?”

“According to my friend, Melina, it’s not about size, it’s how a male uses what he’s got. I think I agree with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She pulled her dress over her head and shifted, putting an end to their conversation just as Fog sauntered up.

“Hi, Azure. Are you coming with us?” He sounded happy. “Is she coming with us?” she heard him ask Ice, who grunted.

All of this anger and animosity was because Ice was interested in her. Azure had to believe it. This was going to work out. It had to.

* * *

That evening…

Azure tuggedat the waist of her skinny jeans. How did humans wear these tight garments? She walked to the other side of the strange room and then back again. It was nice so far. Not that she’d seen much more than the inside of the chamber at the bed-and-breakfast. Although, they called it a garden suite, not a chamber which was fitting since it was in the garden. Azure looked down at her feet; her high heels were just as uncomfortable as the clothes. They squeezed her feet to the point of pain, and she hadn’t even left yet. How was she supposed to go anywhere for the next couple of hours and actually enjoy herself? Her admiration for humans was growing. Particularly human females. If it weren’t for the fact that she was a shifter, with superhuman balance and agility, she would have broken her neck falling by now.

Azure stepped out of the shoes, slipping her feet into flat sandals instead. Thankfully, Melina had insisted she take a couple of outfits and shoe options. The sandals were much more comfortable. Without the heels, it felt bearable. Azure took a last look in the mirror. She wore a silver top with a slightly plunging neckline and no bra. There was no way she was putting herself through that. It looked good. Made her breasts look bigger somehow, but without showing them off too much. What had Melina called it? “Whispering sexy and screaming sophistication.” She wasn’t sold on the sophistication part, especially since she was wearing flats, but it didn’t matter to her. All that mattered was finding a way to convince Ice to let down his walls and to take a chance on her. And it wasn’t ultimately about how someone looked; it was about how they made you feel.

Azure moved closer to the mirror to check out her face. She’d taken forever to do her own makeup. The first attempt had left her looking like a raccoon. This was good. The very basics with a tinted lip gloss, cherry flavor this time. Her hair was down. She looked good. She had this.

The males had left fifteen minutes earlier. She’d told them that she wasn’t quite ready yet, that they should go ahead of her. Melina had insisted she do this so that she could make an entrance. It all felt like too much. Regardless, she’d followed her friend’s advice. It was now time for her to go and have some fun. Pity her palms felt sweaty and her mouth dry. It didn’t matter that she’d drunk a whole bottle of water. Nothing helped. She’d never been more nervous than she was right now.

Grabbing a small purse, she slung it over her shoulder and left her room, clicking the door behind her. Azure grabbed her chest and gasped when someone walked up to her. “Fog,” she pushed out. “You gave me a fright.”

He smiled at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t. I just wasn’t expecting any of you to still be here.” She glanced around them, even though she knew they were alone. “Where are the others? Were you running late as well?”

“Nah, I thought I would wait for you. This is your first time in human territory.” He pushed his hands into his jeans. “You look absolutely amazing.” He looked her up and down. “Almost better dressed than naked.” He got this look in his eyes.

Crap!

This was bad. Fog was hitting on her.

“Thank you.”

“I mean it…wow!” He lifted his brows. Why couldn’t she have feelings for Fog instead? Why? He was such a nice guy.

She looked down at the floor and then back up at him. “Thanks, and thanks for waiting.” She chewed on her lower lip. “You know that we’re friends, right? That’s how I see you…as a friend.” She didn’t want to string him along and possibly hurt him.

“You never know, because the night is young. We—”

Azure took his hand and squeezed it once before letting it go. “It’s not going to change. I see you as my friend, Fog. Ice mentioned that you were interested in exploring more with me—”

Fog’s expression turned stormy. “He warned you off and threatened your place on the team; is that how it went down?”

“No,” she shook her head, “that’s not it. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you. Trust me when I tell you, it’s got nothing to do with you. I wish I could change how I feel but I can’t.”

“Ouch!” He grabbed the place just over his heart. “You’re already giving the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech, and we haven’t even…done anything.”

“Sorry.” She made a face. “I feel terrible.”

“Don’t. It’s not your fault. I had to try my luck.” He smiled.

“No hard feelings, then?”

“None at all.” What an amazing guy. Any woman would be lucky to have him. Why, oh why, couldn’t she have feelings for him? Why Ice? Her belly churned at the thought of going out now. Of facing him. This was it.

“Shall we?” He pointed to a waiting black vehicle.

“Is that an…U-ber?”

“Yep.” He chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. It’s crazy different from our lives back at the lair. I enjoy coming here.”

“I’ll say it’s different.” She looked to the east, at all the twinkling lights of the city. Their B&B was on the outskirts of town. It was owned by the dragons for them to use during the stag runs. “Is it far? The place we’re going to,” she asked as they climbed into the vehicle.

“Good evening,” the driver said.

“Hi…um…evening,” she muttered.

“I see you’re headed to The Lonestar Cocktail Bar. It’ll be about a fifteen-minute drive,” the driver said.

“Thank you,” she told him before turning to Fog. “What can I expect when we get there?” The car pulled away.

Fog grinned. “Relax. You’re going to have a good time. It’s a fun night away…try to remember that. You look like you’d rather poke your eyes out.”

Azure giggled. “You’re right!” She nodded like mad, then forced herself to stop. “I guess I’m a little bit nervous.”

“I’d say.” He chuckled. “I’ll stick with you until you feel comfortable.”

“Thank you.” They picked up speed, the lights drawing closer.

They talked about nothing in particular. Azure was careful not to mention anything about them being shifters. Nothing to do with the lair. She was under strict orders, as were them all, to keep who they were a secret from the humans.

All too soon, they pulled up to The Lonestar. Azure swallowed thickly. “Come on! You look like you’re about to walk to your death or something.” Fog laughed.

“I’ll be okay once we’re inside.” She prayed that was true. Azure climbed out of the Uber, thanking the driver as she did, closing the door.

“It’s not that bad, I promise,” Fog told her.

“I know.”

“They’re just humans,” he reassured her lightly.

Only, she wasn’t there for the humans. If only that were true. Her life would be a lot less complicated.

“After you.” Fog gestured to the door. “You look amazing and smell even better.”

Azure just stood there, looking at the door. There were two males, one on either side of the door, and a long line of people queued down the road.

One of the males waved at Fog. “Are you one of the hockey players?” They were big for human males, and both wore black suits and ties.

Fog winked at her. “You’ve got this! Yes!” he yelled, walking up to the entrance.

“Name?” The male had a clipboard. “I’m Jack Smith, and this is Tiffany Scott. She’s also on the list.”

The male spent half a minute looking at his list. He then unclipped a rope. “Welcome to the Lonestar, Mr. Smith…Miss Scott.” He inclined his head. “I trust you will have a fantastic evening.”

“Thank you,” Fog said. “We most certainly will. Isn’t that right, Tiffany?”

“Um…yes…for sure.” Hopefully. Maybe. Was she making a mistake? This was her last chance to back out. Melina would have some choice words for her right then. She’d tell her not to be such a wimp; to go in and have some fun, Ice be damned. And that was exactly what she was going to do. She smiled at Fog. “Let’s do this.”

“That’s more like it.”

Shoulders back, head held high, Azure walked into the noisy, smelly environment. Fog put a hand to her back and steered her through the crowd. There was an ocean of people, or at least it felt that way. Bodies gyrated on a dancefloor. “That’s the bar,” Fog said, pointing at a whole lot more people.

The bar itself was all gleaming steel, forming silver stars. The lights were a little brighter on that side of the establishment. Colored lights flashed above the dancefloor section and the booths on the far side were dimly lit. She could smell food, alcohol, and body odor. Azure sneezed into her hand as a human female walked past. All those scents, as well as plenty of different kinds of perfume. “How do you deal with that?”

Fog laughed. “You get used to it.”

“I highly doubt it.” She laughed as well.

“Let’s hit the bar and get a drink.”

“Sounds good.” She almost stumbled when she caught sight of him.

Ice.

Her breath caught in her chest, and her heart hammered faster. He wore a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. How did he look so darned good? How? He looked her way. His eyes were a vivid blue. His hair was dark and slightly overgrown, yet perfect somehow.

Keep cool!

Relax!

She smiled and waved at him. It’s what she normally would have done. Ice inclined his head ever so slightly. If she’d blinked, she would have missed it. He went back to talking to one of the other shifter males. There were females in their group as well. Females who were hanging on their every word. Scantily clad human females. Suck it up! You’ve got this.

“Drink?”

“Make it a double.”

Fog smiled. “Coming right up.”

“Hey, gorgeous,” a human male said to her as she walked past.

Ignoring the male, she kept walking, noticing that many of the males looked at her as she walked past. They really looked as if they were interested in her. Azure wasn’t going to lead anyone on or do something out of character just to make Ice notice her. She was going to be herself and hopefully that would be enough. It had to be.