Dragon's Secret

by J. D. Monroe

  “Yes,” Charlie crowed. Several of her students looked delighted. She and some of the fifth grade teachers had put together a grant last year to start the robotics club, but they didn’t have the budget to keep up with the growing interest. After restocking her markers, she’d spent the rest of the cash prize from the race on two new kits.

  “Robots are stupid,” Alyssa announced.

  “Robots are as smart as their programmers,” Chloe replied mildly. “It’s okay if you don’t like robots, Alyssa. Some people do.”

  “Then they’re stupid, too,” the girl replied.

  “Hmm,” Chloe said. Alyssa narrowed her eyes, but Chloe simply smiled at her, ignoring the bait. “Fortunately, we’re not learning about robots today. We’re going to talk about the water cycle today. Who can tell me where rain comes from?”

  The lesson went smoothly, but she could have predicted Tropical Storm Alyssa brewing on the horizon. As the class was color-coding their summarized notes in their notebooks, Monica raised her hand. When Chloe leaned down to listen, Monica tilted her head toward Alyssa. “She’s messing up the new markers. I’m not tattling, but I don’t like using the smushed ones.”

  “Thank you for telling me,” Chloe said. Anger trickled down her spine like hot water, as she glanced over her shoulder. Alyssa was nestled in a beanbag in the back corner, calmly jamming markers against her paper and leaving wet blots of ink. Those markers had been paid for by a hard run and dealing with a douche of a race volunteer.

  “Alyssa, what are you doing?” Chloe asked, trying to keep her tone even.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” Alyssa snapped.

  “I think it looks like you’re not following instructions, but I could be wrong,” Chloe said. “Can I help—”

  “Yeah, you’re wrong,” Alyssa said. “I thought teachers were supposed to be smart.”

  Her cheeks heated, and she realized as the class quieted that Alyssa’s voice had carried. “Alyssa, please don’t use our classroom markers that way. You have instructions to write your notes and color code them by underlining or highlighting.”

  The girl heaved a sigh and slammed the marker onto the tile with a resounding clatter. “Fine.”

  “Is there something on your mind?” Chloe said. “If you’d like to talk, I’d be happy to listen.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you. Let me do my work.”

  Heat bloomed in her chest. It had taken her several years of teaching, and a few infuriating encounters, but she’d eventually learned there was a line where you could still back down with a kid. After that, you were in it until the bitter end. Sometimes, you could only win by taking a temporary loss. Chloe took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Okay,” she said. “Let me know if I can help.”

  The girl didn’t respond, but she had started working again, which was all Chloe wanted. Chloe hurried back to her desk and scrawled on a sticky note.

  Alyssa K—Counselor

  She checked the clock then smiled as she returned to the front of the room. “All right guys, it’s time for—”

  “PE!” Aidan bellowed. His eyes went wide. “Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Madsen.”

  Charlie snickered.

  “Yes, it’s PE time,” she said. “Please leave your supplies right where they are. As soon as you come back, we’ll share some of your work and then play a game to see what you remember.”

  As she walked the kids to the gym, she eyeballed Alyssa. Until recently, she was inseparable from Monica and Cheyenne. They walked at the front of the line while Alyssa lingered at the back. She narrowed her eyes. Maybe the other two were being mean and excluding her. They were usually sweet girls, but fourth grade friendships were fickle. She made a mental note to watch them closely and ask Maura if she’d noticed anything.

  After leaving the kids in the gym, she ran copies of an activity for math class then hurried back to the classroom. She sent an email to the school counselor, asking her to call Alyssa up and check on her. With twenty minutes to spare, Chloe sat down to rest her feet and checked her personal email on her phone.

  Her stomach plunged into the floor when an unfamiliar address popped up below a newsletter from a running magazine.

  To: chloe.madsen@gmail.com

  From: taegan.asharin@orioninterfacesolutions.com

  Hi Chloe, we met at the Marigold Park 5K this weekend. I took a picture of you and your friend after the race and spoke to you briefly. I realized I was quite rude to you and would like to apologize and explain myself. Would you be willing to meet me, perhaps for coffee? My treat.

  Taegan

  She reread the message and frowned. Who the hell did this guy think he was? First, he insulted her, and then he looked up her information to ask her on a date? She darted across the hall to Maura’s room. Quiet piano music played as she graded essays. Chloe stuck the phone in her face. “Maura. Read this.”

  Her friend glanced at the phone. “Is this the hot guy from the race?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And he looked up your email?”

  “Isn’t that creepy?”

  Maura sighed. “I mean, a little. But he’s really hot,” she said. “Is it wrong to say that he gets away with it for being so hot?”

  “Yes, it’s wrong,” she spluttered. “He doesn’t get away with being an asshole because he’s hot.”

  “What does he mean, he was rude? You said he just wanted to make sure they had your info right for their records,” Maura said. Her eyes narrowed.

  “Yeah,” Chloe said. Her stomach churned, and she was pissed all over again that he made her feel so bad. “He…kind of cut me off a few times. Maybe that was it.”

  “So. You’re single. Hot race volunteer wants to meet you for coffee and apologize for being rude. Why are you asking me?”

  “Should I?”

  “Obviously,” Maura said. “Meet him somewhere public, and don’t get in a car with him.”

  Chloe groaned. “I was hoping you would say no.”

  “Are you kidding? I haven’t been on a first date in fifteen years,” Maura said. “Let me live through you.”

  “Yes, it’s called being happily married,” Chloe said.

  Maura laughed, a twinkle in her eyes. “First dates are still fun. You know, a couple weeks ago when the kids were at my mom’s, Rick and I pretended we had just met and—”

  “Nope,” Chloe said, clapping her hands over her ears. “I’ve already gotten way more than I asked for. Thank you for the advice and the unnecessary information.”

  “You’re no fun,” Maura called after her as Chloe walked from the room. “I want details!”

  Despite their playful banter, Chloe was nervous as she typed her response. She wanted to tell him off and ask who the hell he thought he was, but maybe he really did want to apologize.

  And he was really hot. Hoping that she wasn’t single-handedly setting back feminism by a century, she took a breath and hit Send on her email.

  Taegan—

  I guess we can meet. How about Buona Bean? I’m off work by 5 most days. What day works for you?

  Chloe

  At least she wasn’t overly effusive. The absence of smiley faces made her email very serious. She wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.

  Her watch chirped with an alarm to remind her that PE would be over in five minutes. Right as she reached the gym doors, her phone dinged with a new email alert. With the thumping rhythm of basketballs to match the pounding of her heart, she opened it.

  Chloe –

  I’m glad to hear that. How about tomorrow at 5:30?

  Taegan

  What the hell was she thinking?

  Taegan –

  See you then.

  Chloe

  First date in two years, and it wasn’t even a real date, but rather an awkwardly scheduled appointment for an apology from a jerk who accused her of cheating. Her life was officially sad.

  Where the hell was she?

  The noisy rattle o
f the coffee grinder had him on edge, ready to jump out of his skin and breathe fire at anyone who looked at him wrong. Maybe caffeine was a bad choice.

  Taegan glanced at his watch. He was seven minutes early. Calm down. First dates were nerve-wracking enough without the added complication of having insulted Chloe’s integrity within ten seconds of meeting her.

  Not a date. Meeting with a pretty girl at a set time didn’t automatically make it a date. Why was seeing Chloe again so daunting? It wasn’t like he was here to find the mother of his children. He’d met gorgeous dragon women before, and he’d handled official business for Izarin plenty of times.

  Keep it simple. Tell her to report to Izarin. That’s it.

  A bell tinkled over the door. His head snapped up. Cast in a hazy glow by the late afternoon sunlight, Chloe wandered into the small coffee shop. Her long, auburn hair was loose and wavy around her shoulders, framing a beautiful, sharp-featured face. Snug jeans accentuated her athletic figure, drawing his eye to her long legs. She shoved a pair of red sunglasses on top of her head and surveyed the coffee shop.

  Her brow furrowed slightly as she approached. Her eyes swept over him. “Took me a minute. Last time I saw you, you were wearing a neon green T-shirt,” she said. Her tone was light, but her expression was still neutral, betraying no hint of a smile.

  Suddenly, he was self-conscious about his button-down and jeans. Not a date, he told himself again, resisting the urge to fiddle with his collar. He rose and offered his hand. “Uh, hi.” He stared down at his hand. What the hell are you doing? He pulled it back, unsure what to do with the offending limb. “Thanks for coming.”

  She nodded. “Sure. Did you already order something?”

  “I waited for you,” he said.

  “Okay,” she said. “I could use the caffeine.” She sauntered to the counter, surveying the chalkboard menu, filled from corner to corner with neatly written descriptions of where every organic, free-trade bean had come from.

  Standing behind her, Taegan breathed deep, tuning into his sharp dragon senses. A heavy, floral perfume surrounded Chloe, a mix of shampoo and soap. Beneath the artificial flower aroma, there was no mistaking the smoky scent of Kadirai blood. Heat prickled in his chest at the familiar scent, the warm bite of wood smoke on a crisp fall breeze.

  “I’ll take an iced coffee, easy on the sweetener, please,” she said.

  Her hand drifted to her pocket, but he stepped up next to her, brushing lightly against her arm. “Let me, please.”

  Her dark eyes widened, and she opened her mouth like she was going to protest. Instead, she nodded. Still no smile. “Thanks.”

  “Caramel macchiato, please,” he said. Chloe’s eyebrow arched. His cousin mocked him for drinking coffee sweeter than she did. If he was going to pay six dollars for a cup of coffee, he was damn well going to enjoy it.

  “Whipped cream?” the barista asked.

  “Oh yes,” he said. After paying for their drinks, he gestured for Chloe to follow him back to the small table in the corner. He stole a glance at her as she sat down, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

  Her warm eyes followed him, but they narrowed like she was preparing for him to pounce. God, how long had it been since he’d had a real date? Not that this was really a date. And had he always been this awkward, or had he conveniently blocked the memories?

  His last relationship had ended more than a year ago, much to his mother’s chagrin. She always insisted she wasn’t pressuring him, but in the same breath, reminded him that he was her only child, and he would make beautiful dragon babies. Reminding her that he was only sixty, and she hadn’t met his father until she was seventy-two, didn’t seem to make a difference.

  “So…” he murmured. “This is weird. Sorry.”

  “Yeah,” Chloe said. “A little bit.”

  “I want to apologize to you for my behavior at the race,” he blurted. “I was very rude.”

  “Yes, you were,” she said, still staring evenly. “On top of that, you realize it was kind of creepy to look me up and email me, right?”

  “It wasn’t…” Horror struck him. “Oh, my God, it was creepy.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. To be fair, my family sponsored the race, so they had everyone’s information at hand. It wasn’t like I went poking around on the Internet to stalk you.”

  “So your family breached my confidentiality? That kind of makes it worse because I’m pretty sure there was a privacy agreement in there somewhere.”

  “Oh, my God,” he murmured. His eyes flitted to the door as he considered bolting.

  Her lips curved into a gentle smile. The subtle bow of her lips and the tiny crinkle around her eyes instantly eased his consternation. “It’s okay. Maybe don’t do that again, though. But I am curious why you thought…” She wrinkled her nose. “Do you smell that?”

  “What?” The robust smell of coffee was all around them, woven through with the pleasantly dry smell of humans. The woman reading in the corner was a dragon hybrid, adding a peculiar note to the mix. And then there was Chloe. Nothing strange.

  “Is something burning?”

  “It’s just us,” he said.

  She frowned, giving him a look like he’d pointed out a pink elephant doing tricks in the corner. “What?” She lifted her arm, sniffing at her sleeve. “It’s not me. That’s so weird. It smells like a wood fire.”

  “Yeah, we—” He froze as the blue-haired barista delivered their drinks. She put the large mug topped with whipped cream in front of Chloe, who shook her head. The girl shrugged and swapped them.

  Chloe didn’t know. But that was impossible.

  “Thanks for the coffee,” Chloe said. She took a sip,and let a soft sigh. “I needed that. Long day. And I’ve had a headache that won’t quit.”

  He was ready to ask do you know what you are, and equally ready for her incredulous answer that would make him feel stupid for asking, but at least reassure him. But at the last second, he chickened out. How was he supposed to tell her something so monumental?

  “What do you do?” Coward. He stirred the whipped cream into the coffee then licked a dab of it from the spoon. Her warm brown eyes drifted to his lips, then back up. Her pupils dilated ever so slightly, sending a warm thrill down his spine.

  “I teach fourth grade,” she said. “Math and science.”

  “Bless you,” he said. “Why in the world would you put yourself through that?”

  She laughed, forming a small dimple in her right cheek. “I like kids. Most of the time, at least. And they need someone around who likes them. What about you?”

  “Software engineer,” he said. “I work with a small firm. We mostly do interface development. Very exciting.”

  “And do you regularly volunteer at races to accuse the winners of cheating?”

  His cheeks flushed. “I was—”

  “I’m kidding,” she said. “You look more like you should be running than volunteering.”

  He couldn’t tell if she was flirting or just being nice, but her words were rapidly inflating his ego and restoring his shaken confidence. “My cousin owns Ironscale Fitness, so any time they put on events, I get roped into helping. They do a lot around town.”

  “Seems like,” she said. “I got a free membership for winning, but I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. Do you work out there?”

  “I do,” he said. “Not as often as I should.” Most of the Kadirai in town worked out there because they had a second huge space next door with reinforced equipment built to handle dragon strength.

  “I’ll have to go sometime,” she said. “So, do you have a lot of family here?”

  He nodded. In addition to his blood family, there was a sizable dragon population living in Portland. They were one huge, extended family, with all the drama and petty squabbles that came along with it. “You?”

  The faintest flinch crossed her pretty face. “No. It’s just me.” Her smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes were solemn.
<
br />   “Where is your family from?”

  She stared down at her coffee, absently tracing swirls in the condensation on the side of her cup. “I’m going to sound like Eeyore here. I never met my dad, and my mom died when I was three. I was raised by a family friend who passed two years ago. If I have extended family, I don’t know them.”

  His stomach lurched. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” He couldn’t imagine being an adult and not knowing what he was on a fundamental level. It made him inexplicably sad for her.

  She shook her head. “Sorry. I made that super awkward.”

  “Don’t apologize, please. I asked,” he said. “I’m really sorry. That must be difficult.”

  “It can be,” she said, finally meeting his eyes again. She forced a smile. “So, how about something less depressing? Have you always lived here?”

  “Well, I…” His phone vibrated, and he glanced down to see Tellana on the screen. He ignored it, but her name reminded him of why he’d met with Chloe. “Yes, I’ve always lived here. So, Chloe, this is going to sound weird.”

  He glanced down and groaned when he saw Tellana’s name again.

  Tellana: are you anywhere near the gym? My car won’t start, and I’m supposed to be downtown to meet with the venue staff.

  “Ah, hell,” he muttered, instantly feeling guilty for ignoring her. Chloe regarded him over her coffee. “Will you excuse me?” He called Tellana, switching into the native tongue of their people as he spoke rapidly. “Hey, I’m meeting with someone. What’s up?”

  Tellana sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry to bother you. I stopped at Target on my way to the venue, but when I got back out, the battery was dead. I would call someone else, but Rihv is already downtown—”

  “Hey, it’s no problem,” he said. “I can be there in about ten minutes. Can you wait that long?”