Aspen (The Dragon Kings #2)(4)

Pearl stood up. “I’ve waited long enough. This ends. Now. Enjoy your last days together because when I come back, you’re not allowed to see each other anymore.”

She fled from the room before anyone else could say anything. No one moved for a full thirty seconds. Aspen’s mind was racing with the implications.

“Sid is that true? If I fall in love with you, will they kill you?” She couldn’t let Theo know the truth. Aspen wished they were alone.

Sid shrugged and reached for her. She scooted away.

“I can’t believe you never told me that.”

She crossed her arms and fumed. It wouldn’t have made any difference. She’d fallen in love with him first, but he still could’ve told her. She could’ve stayed away from him. But she shook her head, knowing that would’ve been impossible. Was there really anything she could’ve done?

The news started, and all conversation died. To Aspen’s relief, the story was just as they told her it would be. They watched the rest and the talk show that came on after it, which analyzed the deaths. People were still suspicious of the dragons, but no one was calling for nuking their nests, so Aspen figured it could be a lot worse.

After they turned the TV off, Aspen wanted to talk about everything, but Theo was still in the room, so she asked something else that had been bugging her.

“You said I didn’t have to worry about the news getting my story right because the dragons would take care of that. What did you mean?”

“When the humans became the dominant race on Earth, we had to figure out how to work with them. At first, dragons befriended humans like I did with you, communicating only with our minds, but after the dragon wars, we needed a more efficient mode. Especially because the human population had exploded. We learned how to take on human forms. Now we have ambassadors living as humans in Washington, DC and other major cities around the world. The government recognizes us just as they would any foreign government. Over the last several decades, the king has even gone to meet with the president a few times.”

Aspen gaped at him. “I want to meet the president.”

“Trust me, you don’t. We only meet with her when things are bad. If we hadn’t caught Marcellus, we would’ve had to. It’s not usually a happy meeting.”

Aspen chewed on that information. “Do you think I could be one of those ambassadors?”

“You’re not a dragon.”

“So? I’m engrained pretty deeply into your world.” More so than anyone knew. She hated having to be cryptic. Maybe Theo would leave soon.

Sid shrugged. “I know, but it’s not quite what you think it is. Let’s worry about that later.”

She felt like Sid was leaving out some pretty important details. He was being intentionally vague. She wanted to believe it was because Theo was in the room, but she had a feeling he was intentionally hiding things he didn’t want her to know. She thought of how she could argue with Theo in the room. She opened her mouth to try, but Ella burst in.

“You won. Those newsmen didn’t stand a chance against you,” she exclaimed and plopped herself down next to Aspen. “This calls for a celebration. We should we all head to Bozeman, do dinner, and catch a movie.” Ella, her boss and friend from the Purple Dragon, used any excuse to go out and celebrate.

Sid and Theo readily agreed. Aspen wanted to keep Sid here and talk about his impending death and the human ambassadors, but she didn’t want to draw attention to the situation in front of Ella.

“Okay, let’s take separate cars,” Aspen said.

Ella rolled her eyes. “You get plenty of alone time with that one. Let’s go together. I’ll drive.”

Sid grabbed Aspen’s hand and pulled her close. “Sorry. I know you want to talk.”

She glared at him. “You aren’t sorry at all. You don’t want to talk about it.”

He grimaced. “You’re probably right.”

The air outside was frigid. Aspen was grateful that Ella’s Bronco had warmed up on the way over. Aspen and Sid sat in the back seat, and he had his arm around her. She was a little ticked at him, but she could never resist his affection. When they got to the restaurant, a little steakhouse where Ella knew the owner so they got half-priced steaks, Aspen held Sid back.

“We need to talk,” she said, resting on Ella’s car. The cold metal made her shiver.

“I know,” Sid said, leaning in to kiss her. She moved her head.

“I mean it.”

“So you’re withholding kisses until we talk about this?” He raised his eyebrows.

Aspen dropped her eyes. “No, but I want to know that you won’t just avoid the subject.”

Sid rested his forehead on hers. “I know you need answers, but this is not the place. Let’s enjoy our time with our friends. Celebrate our victory. Then tomorrow I’ll answer any of your questions. I promise. Now can I kiss you, please?”

She thought about saying no but couldn’t think of good reason to.

“Sure.”

He kissed her hard, like he hadn’t kissed her in ages. She forgot all about what she was irritated about and wondered why she would ever deny him a kiss.





It was their first day back to school after the funeral. The hallways were eerily quiet. No longer could Sid hear laughter. Faces all had the same expression. Eyes were downcast, and no one smiled. Sid, himself, was sad. To lose two friends and a teacher in a matter of a few weeks was more than anyone should have to deal with, but Aspen had even more on her mind. Tori still wasn’t speaking to her, and Sid knew Aspen was worried about him. She was knee deep in problems she couldn’t even begin to fathom. Sid managed to avoid the topic over the last couple of days, since someone else was always around. But he knew eventually he’d have to come clean.