How to Date a Dragon

by Ashlyn Chase

  Fortunately or not, the cameraman managed to get the shot.

  “Hello, Mrs. Russo. Nice to see you again.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Come in. I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.”

  Not realizing what chaos he was walking into, Drake seemed relaxed and let Mrs. Russo pull him across the room.

  “Sit right here next to Bliss.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to be on camera. I’ll just wait until you’re all finished.”

  The host jumped up and said, “Please. It will help Bliss tremendously if we tell the whole story.” She winked. “And I hear you’re a big part of that story.”

  It’ll help the show tremendously. They couldn’t care less if it helps me or not.

  Drake smiled at Bliss. “Okay, then. If it’ll help Bliss, I’ll do my best.” He settled in next to her and took her hand. Malinda perched on the arm of the sofa next to Drake. She patted his shoulder and said, “This is the fireman who saved our daughter’s life.” She sniffed and dabbed at fake tears. “When I think about what could have happened…”

  “Hold that thought,” the director interjected. He checked to see that the cameras were ready and said, “Roll ’em.”

  Judith jumped up, strode over to Drake, and shook his hand. “We have a real, live hero in our midst! It’s an honor to meet you, sir. Bliss, do you want to tell us who this special guy is?”

  “Sure. This is my boyfriend, Drake. He’s the firefighter who saved my life.”

  “Really? How incredible! Did you know each other before the fire?”

  “No. We met in the middle of the smoke. I couldn’t see to find my way out, so he picked me up and carried me to safety.”

  The host slapped a hand over her heart. “How romantic.”

  Bliss couldn’t imagine the embarrassment Drake must be feeling, but to his credit he didn’t blush. She hoped no one commented on his strange red and yellow streaks, but just in case, she shot her brothers a pointed glare.

  Instead her father piped up and said, “You’ve got some punk rock hairdo there, son.”

  “Romeo! Don’t be rude. This is the man who saved Blissy’s life!”

  Oh, shit. I forgot Dad didn’t see him when he came to help me move… and Mom used my nickname. Bliss pinched the bridge of her nose.

  Drake just laughed. “It’s weird, I know.”

  Mr. Russo humphed but thankfully let it drop.

  The hostess returned to her seat and begged Drake to tell his side of the story.

  “You don’t have to do that.” Bliss implored him with her eyes. She hoped he wouldn’t tell them about going in after her computer and getting suspended for it.

  “It was just another job,” he said, and shrugged. Then he looked directly into Bliss’s eyes. “Until I met this beautiful lady.”

  “Awww… Tell us about that,” Judith urged.

  “Oh, don’t make him go through it all again,” Bliss said.

  The director yelled, “Cut.”

  Judith’s eyes narrowed. “Why not? Do you have something to hide?”

  “Of course not! I just don’t want Drake to feel like he’s being cross-examined.”

  “It’s okay, Bliss. I mean, there’s not much to tell. It was a typical job.” He winked at her and she breathed a sigh. He seemed to know she didn’t want him to tell the world what an idiot she had been over her stupid computer—especially when it was too late to save it.

  “Okay, then. Maybe we’ll talk more about that later. Right now I’ll get back to how it impacted Bliss in the competition.”

  Whew.

  The director called for the cameras to roll again, and the host acted as if she hadn’t missed a beat. “So, you saw her through the smoke and knew she was in trouble. Tell us about that.”

  Drake draped an arm around Bliss’s shoulder. “We help anyone we come across in a fire. We have protective gear, so we—”

  The host rolled her eyes and the director yelled, “Cut.”

  Judith looked at Drake as if he were an errant child. “People don’t want to hear about what you do for everyone. They want to know about Bliss… and the romance. Can’t you elaborate on how she felt in your arms or something?”

  “Uh… I guess so.”

  Bliss jumped up. “Look. My family and friends aren’t used to being directed for TV. How about if you cut them a break. Let them say whatever the hell they want. If you don’t like it, you can edit it later.”

  Judith and the director exchanged stares. Finally Bo nodded. “That’s fine. We want them to seem as natural as possible.”

  “Good.” Bliss sat down again.

  Malinda wrung her hands. “We should probably eat dinner soon. I turned off the oven, but the chicken could dry out if it’s left too long.”

  Judith waved away the comment. “Oh, I won’t really be eating with you. I’m on a very strict diet and it doesn’t include Italian food. We’ll just smear some sauce on a plate and make it look like I did.”

  Malinda rose and crossed her arms. “Are you saying my dinner isn’t good enough for you?”

  Uh-oh. Them’s fightin’ words!

  “Ma, I’m sure she doesn’t mean it that way.”

  “Then why should we waste my excellent gravy on a plate if she doesn’t want to eat it?”

  Judith rose and looked as if she was going to stroll over to Malinda but thought better of it. “Mrs. Russo, this is TV. I can’t take the chance of smearing my lipstick or having a spot of red sauce on my chin.”

  Ricky spoke up. “Ma, nothing on reality TV is real. Didn’t you know that?”

  Malinda huffed. “No, I did not know that. Why would I? If it’s not real, why do they call it reality TV?”

  “You know what?” Judith said to Bo. “I think we should just finish up the interview with Bliss and her boyfriend. Then we can be on our way.”

  Malinda lifted her nose in the air. “I think that’s a good idea. Everyone else… let’s eat.”

  Chapter 19

  The cameramen, hostess, and director followed the couple into the backyard, which gently sloped down to a private dock. They strolled toward some deck furniture casually grouped together on the grass.

  As soon as they were all seated, Judith said, “So, where are your designs? I’m excited to see them.”

  “They’re still on my computer.” Bliss knew what was coming. This was the part where the host would pretend to be shocked by the news of the second fire.

  Judith halted and faced Bliss head-on. “Still on your computer! But your entire line is due soon. Don’t you have any finished that you can show us?”

  Drake squeezed Bliss’s hand, giving her some much-needed empathy.

  “I know you expected to see some finished products, but I don’t have any.”

  “Well? Why are you so behind?”

  “I had nearly all of them redone a couple weeks after the fire. I even saved the designs on a disk and locked it in a safe-deposit box—that time.”

  “Okay…”

  Judith had said to drag it out for dramatic effect, but Bliss really didn’t feel like reliving the past few weeks in gory detail. Still… when had she ever had a choice when it came to this damn show?

  She took a deep breath and continued. “Well, as you know, I had to relocate, so I moved to an apartment over a bar where my friend worked. She gave me a job there so I could pay the rent without dipping into the money you gave me to create the line.”

  Judith raised her perfect eyebrows. “You were working as a cocktail waitress the whole time you had to recreate your designs?”

  Bliss had to give herself a mental warning not to roll her eyes. “Yes. But it was okay. I was back on track until Friday night. I had printed out all the initial samples and made sure they were ready for the professional company I use to make a be
autiful finished product. Even so, it would have had to be a rush job, but before I could get over to their shop in the North End…”

  Judith pressed a hand over her heart as if she were so nervous she might have a coronary. “What happened? Tell us.”

  “The bar burned down, and with it, my apartment, the CD, and all my samples. I was lucky to get out alive with my computer.”

  Judith gasped. “Another fire? You were burned out of not one, but two apartments in the last few weeks?”

  “Yes, but at least this time I managed to save my computer. It had all my designs on it, and since the bank burned…”

  “What? The bank where you had the safe-deposit box burned too? What the…” Judith looked as if she was about to lose it, then she quickly pulled herself back from the non-scripted edge. She chuckled. “Thank goodness you had everything in two places. They used to say, if you could only grab one thing on your way out of a fire to take your photo albums. Now, everyone’s photos are on their computers along with a host of other things.”

  “Yeah.” Bliss didn’t quite know what to say to that, so she just waited for Judith to talk again.

  “So, it sounds like Boston has had more than its share of fires recently.”

  “Yes,” Drake interjected. “It’s not usually like this.”

  Psychotic, jealous dragon in town and everything…

  “And were you there to save your girlfriend’s life again?”

  The cameras both focused in on Drake.

  He chuckled. “I was there, but Bliss saved herself that time. I was helping other people.”

  “Oh my. You must have been worried about her…” Judith prompted. “I’ll bet you wanted to leave those people to the other firefighters and run right to Bliss. Didn’t you?”

  “Well, of course I was worried about her and called out to her as soon as I was inside—but leaving people in trouble isn’t what we do. I was cut off from my fellow firefighters when the ceiling caved in.”

  Judith sucked in another deep breath. “The ceiling caved in? And you knew Bliss was living on the second floor of that very building?”

  She’s just loving this.

  “Yeah. And there was a family on the third floor too. They all got out together. Until I saw my girl and knew she’d made it out okay, I was a little frantic.” He squeezed Bliss’s hand and they smiled at each other.

  Yup, that’s the bit they were looking for.

  “I can’t imagine what that must be like. To put yourself in harm’s way for people you don’t even know… the whole time realizing your own loved one could be in peril…”

  Judith leaned back in her chair as if stunned. Meanwhile, something big and dark swooped over them.

  “Cut,” the director yelled. “Where the hell did that shadow come from?”

  Drake scanned the sky and muttered, “Oh, crap. It couldn’t be…”

  A horrible feeling of dread made the hairs on Bliss’s arms stand up. No way… Zina? Had she found them somehow? What kind of exposure would she risk to cause trouble?

  Drake rose from his chair and excused himself. He jogged toward the front of the house, despite the protests of Judith and the director.

  “How can he just get up and leave?” Judith shouted. “How are we going to make a sensible segue out of a sudden exit like that?”

  The director shrugged. “Say he got called to a fire. Maybe we can get him to film the call as soon as he gets back.”

  “Nice save,” Judith said. “What an exciting moment that would make.”

  Bliss jumped to her feet. “There won’t be any more filming. We all need to get inside and lock the doors.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Bliss?” Judith demanded.

  “Roll ’em,” the director called as he fled.

  “Trust me… and run!” She grabbed Judith’s arm and dashed to the house with the cameramen on her heels, capturing every second.

  As soon as they were inside and the dead bolt was locked, Judith exclaimed, “This is insane!”

  “No,” said Ricky’s voice from the living room. “What’s insane is Bliss’s boyfriend running down the street yelling, ‘Taxi!’”

  “This isn’t the city,” Mr. Russo said. “We don’t have taxis trolling the streets looking for a fare.”

  Oh, no. Bliss led the others into the living room to see her brothers peering out the side window, while her parents parted the lace curtains and stared out the little window on the front door.

  “What did you do to scare him off, Bliss?” her mother asked tearfully.

  How am I going to explain this one?

  Emilio chuckled. “She probably mentioned the M word… marriage.”

  ***

  Vulcan gauged the right moment to appear without being detected by humans. He snapped his fingers, and his white robe turned into a business suit. Drake had just rounded the corner out of sight of the Russo residence and halted, letting out a huge sigh of relief when he spotted him.

  “Thank God, you heard me.”

  Vulcan chuckled. If you only knew how true your words are. “Yes. I assume you’ve located the delinquent paranormal?”

  “She just swooped over the area. I don’t know precisely where she is at this moment.”

  Vulcan sniffed the air. A faint sour scent tinged the fresh ocean breeze.

  “You can smell her?”

  “No. I’ve never been close enough to catch her scent. What I’m detecting is smoke.”

  Drake’s eyes widened in shock. “No… not again! I should have picked up the familiar smell. Are you sure?”

  “There.” Vulcan pointed back toward Pleasant Street. A gray spiral rose into the air.

  “Shit.” Drake dashed back toward the Russo home while Vulcan tried to keep up. He wasn’t used to running since he could transport himself just about anywhere with a thought.

  The house didn’t seem to be burning, but smoke was billowing from a short distance behind it.

  “Around the back,” Drake shouted.

  Sure enough. The dock was on fire. If no one’s watching, I can put that out with one wave of my hand.

  But at that very moment, several people rushed out the back door. Even a camera crew!

  “Stay back,” Drake yelled. “I’ve got this.”

  Two young men stood with their hands in their pockets, looking on and wisecracking. “I thought he ran off. Now he’s back?”

  “Bliss has that effect on some people,” her father said.

  Mrs. Russo elbowed her husband in the ribs. “And you wonder why she never brings her friends home.”

  A metal bucket sat on the dock, enveloped in flames. Drake dashed into the blaze and grabbed the handle. The heat of the aluminum would have burned a human hand, but a dragon’s skin was so thick, it wouldn’t even make a mark.

  Drake leaped over the flames to the part of the dock closest to shore. He filled the bucket and tossed the water where fire met dry wood.

  Bliss appeared in the doorway, waving frantically to catch Vulcan’s attention. He started toward her, but then she pointed to the shed in the next yard. Apparently she’d spotted Zina.

  Bliss started dashing toward the neighbor’s shed at a flat run.

  Vulcan sprinted across the lawn and tried to catch up with her.

  As he rounded the shed, he saw the female dragon zipping up her leather jacket. Her surprised gaze snapped to Bliss’s face, but before she could do or say anything, Bliss opened the shed door, shoved Zina inside, and leaned against it.

  “Can you zap her out of here quick? Maybe to outer space?”

  Vulcan chuckled. “I know just what to do with her.”

  He transported himself inside the shed, grabbed Zina before she could get away again, and in a flash they arrived on the top floor of the office building that hou
sed the Council. Zina gazed at the glass-bubble dome, openmouthed but silent.

  His god cronies looked up from their poker game, but where was Gaia?

  “Is she here?”

  He didn’t have to tell the other gods who he meant. Apollo pointed to the forest in the corner. “She’s been in there all day… chanting.”

  “Chanting?” That’s new. “Should I disturb her?”

  “At your own peril.”

  Zina ripped her arm out of Vulcan’s grasp. “Where the hell are we? And how did we get here? Who are you anyway?”

  “I’m out.” Apollo tossed his cards into the middle of the table, rose, and strolled over to them. “Is this the dragon she’s after?”

  “And who are you, pretty boy?” Zina gave the sun god a grin that was probably supposed to be alluring. Instead it made her look like the predator she was.

  “This is she,” Vulcan answered. “Zina.”

  “I think Gaia would want to know. I’ll get her.” Apollo strode off to the forest and spoke softly. He made a reverent apology for disturbing her and stepped away.

  A few moments later, a bleary-eyed Mother Nature emerged. “Who dares disturb me when I’m deep in meditation?”

  Vulcan appeared before her quickly so she wouldn’t blame Apollo. “That would be me. Meditation? I’ve never known you to meditate before.” He immediately wondered if he should have said that out loud.

  “I understand it might make me a little calmer. Believe me, I could use some serenity.”

  Oh, I believe you.

  She glanced over at Zina and frowned. “Is that who I think it is?”

  “Yes, Gaia. Zina is the dragon who’s been setting fires to your beloved city.”

  “And risking exposure of her kind… not that I’m fond of dragons, but the human population really can’t handle the knowledge that they exist—or ever existed. We’ve finally managed to convince them that the whole race was a myth. She almost single-handedly undid all that work.”

  “Yes, Gaia.”

  She reached out and touched his arm. “You did well, Vulcan. Now, leave her to me.”

  “Can I watch?” he asked impulsively.