Page 16

Milo

Milo had seen countless dragons shift in front of him. It was nothing new. But Rowan’s size, his color, the suddenness with which it happened… He hadn’t known all that was possible.

All the other transformations Milo had seen looked smooth. Seamless. As if the person breathed in their humanity and exhaled a winged beast to fill the space. Rowan’s shift looked nothing like that. His dragon ripped its way out of his body as if it was beyond his control, bursting out of his skin like a supernova.

His bright, ruby red color made looking directly at him almost painful. His claws shredded the bar top, and the massive wings that stretched out on either side of him knocked barstools and drinks and people out of the way. They were leathery and so bright it looked as if they were on fire. The ends sported sharp bones similar to Rowan’s claws, and while thin, they looked nearly indestructible. Rowan was breathing hard, his scale-covered chest heaving and snake-like eyes blazing.

Milo watched as he leaned forward, the rumble in his chest making the floor beneath their feet vibrate. They sucked in a breath in sync, but while Milo did it to steady himself, Rowan was gearing up for something else entirely.

His elongated jaw opened, rows of sharp teeth backlit by the flames rising from Rowan’s throat.

Oh…

Oh shit…

Milo snapped his head back around, realizing Rowan was about to spit fire. Right into Jackson’s face. He jumped into action, watching in horror as a column of fire licked its way across the bar toward Jackson.

He reacted before he could think about what he was doing.

The fancy silver bucket of half-melted ice was right there, so he picked it up and chucked it directly into Rowan’s face.

The fire went out.

Steam rose with a loud hiss.

Jackson squealed and scampered away, tab unpaid…yet again.

And Rowan stood, drenched and confused, tiny puffs of dark gray smoke escaping his nostrils as he blinked those blazing eyes in shock.

One of his wings came forward to swipe across his face, brushing the water and the chips of ice stuck to his scales away.

He turned toward Milo slowly. It would have been menacing if he hadn’t looked like a drowned housecat.

“You.” Milo pointed a finger at his stupid nose. “Come with me.”

He marched toward the staff bathroom behind the bar. He didn’t turn to check if Rowan was following. He fucking better be.

He heard wings scraping along the floor dejectedly and it made him feel slightly better. Rowan should feel dejected. He should feel ashamed. And he should be sorry. Motherfucker was ruining Milo’s life left right and center.

Milo heard Rowan shuffle his gigantic form through the narrow bathroom doorway and then the door closed behind them.

Milo spun on his heel, absolutely enraged. “What the fuck is your problem?” He pointed at Rowan, rolling his eyes when he found him clawing at an ice chip stuck under one of the scales on his nose that wasn’t melting as fast as the others against his fiery skin. He was almost cross-eyed, focusing on the chip, and his large dragon mouth was hanging open in concentration. “Oh for fuck’s…”

He strode toward him, swatting the claw away and hooking his finger around one exposed fang to bring his head lower.

“You run an entire company?” Milo asked, pushing his pinky underneath the scale, gently enough not to break it. “You manage a bajillion employees? YOU? It’s wild. You barely seem competent enough to breathe without explicit instructions.”

He finally managed to reach the ice chip and melt it with his finger before coaxing it out. It slid down Rowan’s nose and into the tattered remnants of his collar, and Milo absolutely did not follow it down his chest. His massive, ripped, hot—absolutely not.

“There,” Milo said. “Are we okay enough now to actually change back and explain what the hell you think you’re doing?”

He watched Rowan shake himself off and pull back his dragon features until they disappeared. His wings retracted, the nose drew back in and reshaped into a human one, the fangs disappeared.

The claws stayed though. The red scales still burned on his skin. And those blazing eyes were now focused on him entirely.

“What am I doing?” Rowan asked, and Milo saw the fury in his eyes. The fuck was he mad about? He was the source of all the mess and he was the one getting angry? The absolute nerve of him was astonishing! “I’m trying to do my job!! I’m trying to meet my deadlines and deliver results and all you’ve been doing for months now is making it impossible.”

“Well excuse me for not wanting to live under a bridge!” Milo screeched. “For trying to save a gaggle of geriatrics from living under one with me. Gee, it must be so difficult for YOU to earn all that money by ruining people’s lives and destroying their homes. However will you survive?? Oh I know…by blowing fire IN MY PLACE OF WORK!”