Prologue
Damrian stared at Zara, trying to memorise her face. It was hard to believe he wasn’t going to see her again for months, possibly a whole year. How much would she change in that time? Would she still be his best friend when she returned?
“I’d better go, they’re waiting for me.” Zara swung her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the loaded ferry at the jetty, which was, indeed, waiting for her.
“Let them go without you,” Damrian said, trying to keep his tone light and teasing. Trying to pretend that this was just another line in the running joke they’d had going all year, and not a desperate plea.
He knew she had to go. Knew this was what she wanted. And he didn’t want to be the one to stop her. But he couldn’t help wishing that this was enough. That he was enough.
Zara punched his shoulder lightly. “You can come with me. I think I could squeeze you into my luggage.” She pointed to the ridiculously small suitcase at her feet.
Damrian couldn’t help a laugh at the ludicrous idea, even as he felt tears prick at the back of his eyes. How was he supposed to do this? How was he supposed to say goodbye to his best friend?
There was so much he wanted to tell her.
He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t who he appeared. That he was secretly a dragon. That his family were the only ones left in his clan.
That he loved her.
Oh, he really wanted to tell her that.
As if guessing the direction of his thoughts, Zara’s expression softened a little. “I’m going to miss you, Damien.”
Damrian hid a wince at the name. A human translation of his dragon name, Damrian. The one on his human birth certificate, true, but every time she used it, it just reminded him that she only knew half of who he was. He much preferred it when she shortened it to Dam, the way his brothers and mother did.
He wanted to tell Zara, but he’d been lying for so long, he couldn’t make the truth come out. Especially not now, when there was so little time.
“I’m going to miss you too,” he said instead.
She looked up at him, her eyes a little teary too. “Well, if you’re not going to jump into my suitcase, I guess I’d better go.”
His mind screamed at him to do something, to say something, before she was gone and it was too late. He wanted to pull her into his arms and declare his love for her right there and then.
An idea hit him. A silly, crazy, exhilarating idea, and before he could dissuade himself, he acted on it.
“I know the perfect way to convince you to stay.”
Then before he could lose his nerve, he bent and kissed her.
Her lips parted as she gasped softly, but her hands against his chest didn’t push him away. For one, glorious moment, she was kissing him back.
Then her head jerked back, and she stared at him in disbelief. “Why did you do that?” she stammered, her eyes wide. “Why?” Her voice was anguished.
Damrian’s heart thudded in his chest. “I…” The truth hovered on the tip of his tongue, but her agonised expression stopped the admission.
He’d made a mistake.
He floundered for words to explain it all away. Anything to wipe the horrified expression off her face. But he found none. His mind was blank.
“I have to go.” Zara whirled around, grabbing the handle of her suitcase and hurrying up the gangway onto the ferry before Damrian could stop her.
He wanted to run after her, to shout out for her to wait. He wanted some way to make everything right again.
But he suspected that anything he did at this point would only make it worse.