“No,” the blond said, folding his arms and leaning back into his chair lazily. “Not that kind of partners.”
She choked. “What?”
“Not the quickest, are you?” Ran said, tilting his head curiously. “I’ve read your mind at last a half dozen times now and you still haven’t picked up on it.”
She tightened her lips in irritation. “That’s because it’s not supposed to be possible!” she burst out. Then she sighed and went back to her food, hoping an explanation was forthcoming.
“Your name’s Melissa, right?” Ran asked, folding his arms. “I got that from your mind.”
“Ran,” the one called Draven said, “stop playing and get it done.”
Ran simply sighed. “Fine.” He turned to Melissa. “Keep eating though. The last thing I need is you fainting on me before I can get it all out.”
“Why would I faint?” she asked, putting a hand to her head to stop the swirling feeling ebbing and flowing through her. She hoped he was right that she’d feel sharper soon.
He reached forward to open a takeout container, spooned chow mein onto a plate, and handed it to her with a fork. The smell made her lightheaded, and she sighed in relief as she took the first bite. After she’d finished her first plate, she set the food down, waiting for more information from Ran.
“Why would I faint?” she asked again, feeling fortified by the food. Now she just needed some water.
“Draven, water,” Ran demanded.
She bit the inside of her cheek. She’d never get used to that, feeling like her mind wasn’t her own anymore. At the same time, it was a little nice to get her needs met without asking.
But could she really believe this man could read minds? Or that she’d somehow survived a tussle with a huge gang and ended up in an upscale apartment with two unbelievably gorgeous underwear models?
No, she’d probably died and gone to heaven. Luckily, the chow mein tasted great there.
“You aren’t dead,” said the blond figment of her imagination. “And I’m not a figment of your imagination.”
She bit her lip and stared openly at him. The unbelievability of the situation brought back something else that had shocked her that she’d forgotten until now. “Last night there was a wolf cub, and she turned into a girl… Is she okay? And what was that?”
“That is what you’d call a shifter,” Ran said. “Maybe you’ve heard of werewolves?”
She nodded. “Only in books.”
“Well, werewolves are a kind of shifter. There are other species. Some of them are in the wild, some are out around you in plain sight, but you’d never know.”
“So what happened to her?” she asked worriedly.
“We saved her of course,” Ran said casually. “It’s what we do. We’re the enforcers of that world, the ones they call when things go wrong. We’re dragons.”
Her heart pounded. “Um, so by dragons, what do you mean exactly?” Somehow it was easier to believe in werewolves than in huge, mythical creatures. “Do you actually expect me to believe you can turn into great fire-breathing beasts?”
Ran looked at Draven, who shrugged. “Don’t ask me,” Draven said. “You’re the one who decided to do this.”
“When I heard them call you dragons, I thought it was some kind of gang reference or something…” she said, trailing off.
Ran let out a hearty laugh, looking over at Draven, who was shaking his dark head. “Hear that? She thinks we’re part of a gang.”
Draven rolled his eyes and turned to the window, staring out.
Ran leaned toward her. “No, sweetheart. I’m afraid what we are is much, much more dangerous than that,” he said, taking her chin with one finger and tilting her face to look at his. Heat sizzled through her. Attracted wasn’t the word for what she felt for him. It was so much more. She felt pulled to him beyond reason, beyond rational thought.
“Ran, for the last time, quit playing and tell her,” Draven snapped.
Ran sighed and released her, sitting back in his chair. Then he pulled a box of matches out of his pocket and held one up. “Dray? Can you help me with this? We both know my fire’s not appropriate.” He walked to Dray at the window and handed him the match.
Draven gave her a reluctant look and then breathed on the little stick. Fire shot from his mouth in a thin stream and lit the match instantly, bringing it to glowing life.
She’d never have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own two eyes.
Ran shook out the match and walked toward her. As he approached, she saw his eyes had changed. Instead of the deep emerald of before, they were now fluorescent green, with a single slit from top to bottom.