Aspen (The Dragon Kings #2)(9)

She bristled. “That is none of your business. Now show me your mark. I’d like to see it before you get rid of it.”

“No.”

“Why?” She pulled her legs out of his lap and tucked them underneath her.

“Well, for one thing, I’m not getting rid of it. For another, I’m not showing you.”

Skye paled. “Sid, that could only mean—” She was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

Sid looked at the clock on the wall. It was quarter to eleven. “Who’s coming here this late?”





Aspen wasn’t sure why in the world she was standing at Sid’s door at eleven at night. Her parents had gone to bed after their fight, and she couldn’t sleep. She had to figure all this out. She had to know where she stood with him. Where their relationship was going.

“We need to talk,” she said when Sid answered the door. If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t let on.

He nodded and moved aside for her to come in.

Aspen made a beeline for the theater room, and Sid followed. She stopped dead in the doorway. That girl. Skye. She was sitting on the couch with her bronzed legs curled underneath her.

Aspen turned back to Sid. “Is she like you?”

Sid nodded.

“What kind of dragon are you?” Aspen asked the girl.

Skye gasped. “She knows?”

“Aspen knows a lot of things. It’s another reason why Pearl is so upset by all of this. Aspen, meet Skye, the dragon who rescued you from being eaten by alligators.”

Aspen’s eyes bugged and she covered her mouth. “You’re that dragon? You’re the reason I love dragons.” Aspen felt her resolve shatter. She couldn’t hate this girl even if she really wanted to. She knew she should sit down, but she stood in front of the couch, unable to move.

Skye grinned at her. “You’ve grown up. It’s nice to meet you. I do want to apologize for kissing Sid earlier.”

Aspen’s anger came back. She crossed her arms and glared at Sid. “She had no idea you had a girlfriend. But you knew better. Why’d you kiss her back?”

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. She’d hoped he’d have a good response, but he didn’t say anything. She kicked off her shoes and ripped of her sock.

“Doesn’t this mean anything to you? I thought you said it meant you’d never be able to love anyone ever again.”

Skye squeaked from the couch, and Aspen looked over at her. Skye’s face had gone white.

Sid pinched the bridge of his nose. “Skye didn’t know about that.”

He sat down next to Skye, and Aspen felt jealousy blossom in her chest. He took Skye’s hand.

“No one knows, except maybe Theo. Please, you have to keep this secret for me.”

Skye nodded. “Don’t be mad at Aspen for showing me. I’d figured it out already when you wouldn’t show me yours, but I hadn’t really thought it was real. We’ll deal with that problem later. Pearl is more likely to stay off your case if she thinks you are listening to me though. I’ll help you hide your relationship, but it’s going to have to be a secret.”

Aspen raised an eyebrow. “Who said I want to stay in the relationship after today?”

Sid looked up, his face a mix of emotions. “You don’t mean that.”

“Maybe I do.”

She backed up. She wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. She ran from the room, seeking fresh air, when a new voice entered her head.

He never looked at me the way he looks at you.

Aspen hesitated just long enough for Sid to catch up with her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. She thought about running again, but Skye distracted her.

I know you can’t feel his guilt, but I can. The second after I kissed him, he felt awful, and he hasn’t stopped feeling that way since. He’s got a long road ahead of him. The dragons are facing things they haven’t had to deal with in over a thousand years. He needs you by his side. If you leave him now, he’s as good as dead, and the dragons need him as their leader, even if no one else sees that.

Aspen tried to make sense of her words but couldn’t. Especially not with Sid holding her against him. She became aware of his breathing and the warmth of his body. He traced his finger across her face, and she shivered. He lifted her chin so that she was looking right up at him.

“Aspen Winters, I love you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”

She didn’t even think. It was like they were on the side of the road again that day when Aspen first kissed him. She stood up on her tiptoes and crushed her lips against his. He responded immediately this time, wrapped his arms around her waist, and lifted her up. She lost all sense of space and time in that kiss. In that moment she knew she could never give him up.





The next day at school, Skye met Aspen outside their homeroom. They agreed that the best way to keep the dragons out of their business was for Skye and Sid to pretend to be together. But in order to keep Aspen close, she would befriend Skye. Aspen knew Tori wouldn’t buy it, but she had plans for that too.

Skye and Aspen chatted for a few minutes before Tori walked up to them.

She looked at them dubiously. “Hey,” Tori finally said.

“You were right, she is super sweet,” Aspen said.