Wait. I was a dragon. What the hell was I doing?

Breaking the kiss, I pulled back and peeked up at Garret. he stared at me, his expression hovering between confusion and shock.

His hands, still gripping my upper forearms, dug somewhat painfully into my skin.

“Um.” Wincing slightly, I drew away, and he let me go, letting me slip from his grasp. His arms dropped to his sides, and he continued to watch me, metallic eyes suddenly unreadable. I might’ve been embarrassed, if I wasn’t slightly freaking out on the inside.

I just kissed a human. I kissed a human. Oh man, what is wrong with me? Raking my hands through my hair, I tried to sort through my jumbled thoughts, but it was hard when I still felt the heat of his gaze. I have to go home. This has gotten too crazy.

“Sorry,” I muttered, backing away from the still motionless human.

“I…uh…I should probably go. Hang on to the board if you want, I’ll pick it up some other time. See you later, Garret.”

Garret finally moved, shaking himself as if coming out of a trance.

“Didn’t Lexi drive you here?” he asked, and his voice, normally so calm and self-assured, shook a bit at the end.

Crap, she had. Damn him and his logic. “It’s okay.” I waved it off, though I still couldn’t look at him. “I can walk back, it won’t take too long. Or I’ll call Lexi to pick me up. If all else fails, I can stick out a thumb.” I just have to get home, right now.

“Ember, wait.” His voice, low and compelling, stopped me in my tracks. Even though I knew I should keep moving, head up the beach without looking back, I couldn’t bring myself to walk away from him.

I heard him pick up the surfboard, then splash through the water after me. My dragon instincts growled and shied away as he caught up, even though my stupid traitor heart leaped in my chest. “You can’t hitchhike all the way back,” Garret murmured, though he couldn’t bring himself to look at me, either. “I’ll drive you home.”

Garret

The drive back was…awkward was probably the word for it. Ember remained silent, gazing out the window and studiously not looking at me. I kept my hands on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead, though I could still see the girl from the corner of my eye. Neither of us spoke or looked directly at each other, which was good because my mind was churning like a tornado.

The simple truth was that I’d been dropping my guard around her. She was fun and disarming and easy to talk to. Potential target or not, I…liked spending time with her. But that wasn’t the most disturbing thing.

No, what was most troubling was the fact that when the kiss ended and Ember drew back, I’d almost stepped forward to kiss her again.

And now, with her sitting just a couple feet away, she called to me.

I was acutely aware of everything she did, every little motion, shift, or sigh. Even when I wasn’t looking at her, I could feel her presence, prodding against mine. And it was driving me crazy.

When we pulled up to her street, Ember was reaching for the door handle almost before the Jeep stopped moving. As her door opened, I wondered if I shouldn’t try to stop her, or at least talk to her. But the door slammed before I had finished the thought, and the moment was gone.

Numb, I watched her cross the street and stride up to the beach villa without a single glance in my direction, her surfboard bobbing under one arm. With every step, I wanted to call to her, go after her, but something held me back.

As she neared the front door, I felt eyes on me, and I glanced at the top window of the house. A figure watched me through the glass, the late afternoon sun gleaming off his red hair, before he turned away and vanished from sight.

Tristan wasn’t home when I returned to the apartment, which was a blessing, as I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Instead, I went to the freestanding heavy bag in the corner of the living room and hit it hard enough to rattle the chains. I didn’t want to think. I needed to find my focus, calm this strange, restless energy coursing through my skin. I slugged the bag again, trying to drive the image of a red-haired girl from my system, erase the feel of her lips on mine.

I wasn’t even aware of how much time had passed when Tristan walked in. Stopping short of the living room, he regarded me with a half-amused, half-concerned look. Panting, I let my arms drop, my knuckles raw from pounding the bag, feeling sweat running down my face and into my eyes. With a start, I realized over an hour had passed from the time I’d walked into the apartment, and I hadn’t stopped or slowed down since I’d thrown that first punch.

“Soooo…” Tristan began, raising an eyebrow at my sweaty, exerted state. “How was your day?”

My mind still hadn’t calmed down. This whole time, I could still see Ember, still feel her hands on my shoulders, the instant when her lips touched mine. I gave the bag one last, resounding punch, then leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, breathing hard. For a second, I considered not telling Tristan what had happened on the beach that afternoon, but quickly decided against it. I’d never kept anything from my partner before. Absolute trust was required when someone held your life in their hands.

“Garret?” Tristan’s voice was cautious now, and I heard him step farther into the room. “What happened?”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “This afternoon,” I muttered, dropping my arm. “On the beach. Ember…she…she kissed me.”

Tristan’s eyebrows shot into his hair. “Come again?” he asked, as though unable to believe what I just told him. “Ember Hill, the girl we’ve been following all this time, the one we’ve pegged as a potential sleeper… kissed you?”