A dragon? Was that code for something? Lyssa looked at Andor for a long moment, unable to comprehend what he was talking about. She must have misheard him, because he couldn't possibly mean what she thought he'd said. He'd never struck her as mentally unstable, so he must not be talking about real dragons.

"I didn't hear you correctly. I swear I just heard you say dragon." She laughed and expected Andor to join in. He didn't. His face remained the same, his expression earnest as he held her hand and waited for her to quiet.

"That is what I said. I am a dragon, Lyssa."

There was a quiet sincerity about him, which told her that he believed what he was saying. Perhaps he meant something other than what she thought he meant. She didn't know what it could be, but there had to be a reasonable explanation for all this, one she wasn't getting. It was impossible that he meant he was a literal dragon. Dragons were the stuff of ancient tales and legends. They didn't exist in real life.

"What exactly does this mean?" Was he talking about some sort of organization, that called themselves dragons? Could this be the secret that she'd sensed since she'd come into this house? If it was a secret organization she'd never heard of it. She only hoped that was what he was talking about, since the alternative was unthinkable.

His expression faltered for a split second, and he tightened his hand on hers. His grip was not tight enough to bruise, and he loosened it after a moment, as if he was forcing himself to relax.

"You know what it means."

He offered no more than that, and Lyssa's heart picked up its pace as cold flooded her body. This could not be happening again. She would not believe that he was the same as Kevin. This had to be some sort of misunderstanding, some form of miscommunication that she simply was not getting.

"I think we have our lines of communication crossed somewhere. When I hear you talk of dragons I think of the statues downstairs, but you must mean something else." It took all her willpower not to pull her hand from his and cross her fingers in hope that what she was saying was true. The dinner she'd enjoyed with him sat in a heavy ball as she waited for him to laugh, grin or do something to indicate that this was all a big misunderstanding.

This moment would be something they would look back on and laugh over. They'd reminisce about how she'd foolishly misheard him and jumped to the conclusion that he told her he was a dragon. They would talk about this someday, and it would amuse them both to think that she'd actually thought he told her he was a real live dragon.

"The stone creatures in the basement are not statues, Lyssa. They are slumbering dragons and they are my brothers. I am not telling you this to frighten you, and once you have had some time to absorb what must seem shocking to you, I am sure you will see that everything will be fine. I have strong feelings for you and I want you to be my mate."

Ice washed through her as she yanked her hand out of his grip and got up off the sofa. Either this was a joke that wasn't remotely funny or he believed what he was saying. She prayed it was the former. She could get over a statement made in poor taste eventually, but she could not get over evidence of his insanity.

"Is this some sort of joke? Are you making fun of me? I told you what I went through with Kevin, how he had crazy notion that he was a dragon hunter and I thought you understood that I didn't find the matter funny. I didn't think you would be so cruel as to make fun of me because of it now." She didn’t think he was capable of such cruelty, and if asked yesterday if she thought he could do such a thing, she would have said no. But the other explanation for what he was saying didn't bear thinking about.

Desperation came into his eyes as his face paled, as if he realized just how much he'd miscalculated this moment. He stood and when he made to move toward her, she took a step back and raised her hands.

"Lyssa…” He remained where he was, as he raised his hands in supplication.

"Just tell me that this is some kind of cruel joke. I don't find it funny, but if you confess it, and end it now, I will eventually be able to forgive you." She squeezed her lips together to keep them from trembling. This could not be happening. The beautiful evening that she'd had such high hopes for, one where she thought he would ask her to be with him on a more permanent basis, shattered around her.

This was a joke. That's all it was. A cruel one, one that she could not understand why he was making, but it had to be that. Otherwise Andor had hidden a delusional personality from her, and she'd been too blind to see it. It couldn't be that.

"I am not joking. I would not be so cruel to you to put you through this for some sort of twisted amusement. I fear I have miscalculated and have not sufficiently prepared you for this evening. I thought if you got to know me as a man, to know what manner of man I am, that you would understand what I'm telling you." His hands dropped down to his sides, and an ache settled deep in Lyssa's stomach as her body grew hot.

"How could you think I'd understand any of this? You're not being rational. I didn't think you were the kind of man who would harbor such deep delusions, but what else can I think? Please tell me that you don't believe what you are saying is true, that this is a joke, and we'll try to put it behind us. Chalk it up to an evening of too much wine." She knew that she grasping here, that he'd not drunk nearly enough wine at dinner to be making some sort of drunken statement. At this point she didn't know if she could put his behavior in the past and go on as if tonight had never happened. But she didn't want to face the alternative.

"I know this must come as a shock to you." Why was he talking as if what he was saying was true? Why was he so insistent? "I can prove to you that what I'm saying to you is true. Once you see me in my dragon form, you will know that I speak the truth."

Lyssa let her head fall forward for a moment. This was really happening. He was losing his mind in front of her and she could do nothing to stop it. She didn't believe in indulging in someone else's delusions, but perhaps if she called him on his statement he would see that what he believe about himself simply wasn't true.

"Fine. Turn into a dragon right here, right now and I'll believe you." She crossed her arms over her chest as she hardened her heart. She didn't know why she was letting him continue with this farce, but a part of her didn't want to let him go. She wanted to weep over the loss of a relationship that she'd had such high hopes for.

He looked around the room, as if calculating something in his mind. She braced herself for him to make some excuse as to why he couldn't transform here. It was the only logical thing that could happen.

"I can't take my dragon form here, there isn't sufficient room."

"I've heard enough. I can't do this anymore, Andor." Lyssa raised her hand to stop him saying anything further. Her lower lip trembled and she took a deep breath in through her nose as she pressed her lips together.

"Come with me to the clearing and I can show you what I'm saying is true. Please Lyssa, just come with me and I'll show you I am a dragon." Before she could react, he took a step forward and took her arms in his hands. There was a desperate light in his eyes, one that frightened her. Her heart pounded as she pulled away from him and stepped back.

"Andor you need help." There were tears in her voice as she looked at the beautiful man she'd grown so close to, had grown to love. A tear slipped down her cheek and she swiped it away. "Please, promise me you'll get some help."

He drew himself up to his full height and red suffused his face as he looked at her with disbelief.

"I am not mad. I can prove what I am saying. If you come with me to the clearing I will show you. Lyssa, you must come with me."

He wasn't going to stop. As long as she was standing here, listening to this, he would not stop. She hugged her arms around her middle as she realized what she needed to do. He would not get the help he needed while she stayed here, listening to his fantasies. She would have to leave.

"Andor, I care about you and I truly believe that you need help. If you don't get the help you need I will have no choice but to leave here." It wasn't a clean break, but a part of her cared enough about him to want to support him in getting his life back on track. This had to be a momentary lapse, a blip that he would get over with time and counseling.

"I am not insane." He looked her in the eye when he growled his response and the muscle worked in his jaw.

He was not going to acknowledge that he had a problem and she could not stay here watch his insanity destroy him.

"I am leaving. Please don't call me or contact me in any way.” She looked at him for one last moment as her heart felt like it was ripping out of her chest. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly?

"You do not need to worry. I'm not the same kind of man as Kevin. You have always been free to leave any time you wish. I will let you gather your things." He turned on his heel and walked from the lounge. She stood there for a moment, not sure what she should do. Was this some sort of trick, to get her to think that she was free to go before he sprung a trap to keep her here?

She shook her head as she darted out of the lounge and made her way across the foyer as fast as her feet would carry her. Andor may be in the grips of some sort of madness, but he'd never hurt her before and she didn't think he'd do so now. She was moving quickly so she wouldn't change her mind about this, so she wouldn't talk herself into staying with him under the delusion that someday he might get help. He would not acknowledge that he had a problem and until he did, there was nothing she could do for him.

She threw her clothing into the bag she'd brought with her. She didn't look at the bed, where she and Andor had slept and made love. It was too painful to think about those times with him. She needed to get out of here and put this whole fiasco behind her.

She didn't bother taking the dress she wore off, but she removed the earrings and set them on the dresser. She just wanted to leave before she lost her nerve. There was no one to stop her as she went back down the stairs and out the front door.

Once in her car, her hand trembled as she put the key in the ignition. Her body felt shaky all over, and as the engine started she wondered if she would have the strength to get home. She had to. She couldn't sit here in this driveway for the rest of her life.

The trip home passed in a blur, and she remembered none of it as she pulled her car into her driveway. The adrenaline that had gotten her this far deserted her, and she grabbed her bag and walked to her home on weary feet. Once inside she locked her front door and her body sagged against it. Her legs slowly dissolved beneath her until she was sitting on the floor. She buried her face in her hands and wept.

* * *

Of all the possible outcomes of this evening, the one where Lyssa thought he was a madman and left him was the one he had not considered. Andor cursed under his breath as he walked away from his home and made his way to the clearing. As soon as he had left her standing stricken in the lounge, his only thought was to come here. If he stayed in the house, he would give in to impulse and stop her from leaving. That would only hurt her more, and he would not do that. She had been subjected to enough hurt already.

Tonight’s outcome was one he should have had the intelligence to foresee. Lyssa was with him because she had not believe that her former boyfriend had been a dragon hunter. What had possibly made him think that she would believe him when he said he was a dragon? How foolishly he had deluded himself into thinking that the love he had for her would be enough to make what he wanted most in the world happen. The world did not work that way, and now it was too late to go back. He would give anything to reset the clock, to share what he was with her a different way. He had wanted this evening to be romantic and special, but he failed to consider that she would not take what he said at face value. He should have taken her outside, and shown her what he was. Surely she would believed what she saw with her own eyes.

He got to the clearing and walked slowly over to a large oak tree, sank down to the ground and rested his back against the rough trunk. He buried his face in his hands and cleared from his mind the images of her chasing through it.

There had to be a way to come back from this. He had to find a way to convince her that what he said was true. If only she had come here with him, if only she had allowed him to change to his true form, then she would have believed him.

He tipped his head back and looked up at the stars. She thought he was mad, there was no way she would let him near her again. He would not be in her company long enough to take his true form, and where exactly was he going to do it anyway.

She would not want to go anywhere private with him, and he could not take his true form in the middle of her front yard. He could take the chance that Rickman could lure her somewhere, but such underhanded dealings were not what he wanted to do. He had taken a gamble in telling her the truth, and he had lost more than he had been prepared to lose.

Lyssa was lost to him. She would not accept him for what he was. In her mind he was no better than her crazy ex boyfriend. The irony was that if he was a dragon, then Kevin was a dragon hunter. If Lyssa had believed Kevin when he had told her the truth about himself, she would not have run from him and Andor would never have met her.

He should have done more to prepare her, but how could you prepare someone for a truth as fantastical as his reality. he had miscalculated her reaction, because he had assumed she would be like Rickman. After his initial shock and denial, Rickman had accepted that the man who emerged from the bowels of the house he took care of was in fact a dragon. Lyssa was not like Rickman, who had been raised with tales of dragons and of his family's involvement with them. Lyssa had no such knowledge given to her. It was true that she loved dragons, but to her they were a creature of myth. He had mistakenly thought that she would trust him enough to go with him to this clearing and see for herself that he was not mad.

A snap of a twig sounded, and he turned his head quickly, with hope making his heartbeat pick up. Had she changed her mind? Had she come to see for herself that he was telling the truth?

Disappointment hit him like a hammer when he saw Rickman emerge from the woods and walk into the clearing. His minion had a sad and serious look on his face, and it was an expression that Andor had never seen his minion wear. Through this whole hunt for a mate, Rickman had maintained his optimism and had believed that the hardest part of the whole thing was finding the right woman for Andor. How foolish they'd both been.

"Lyssa is gone. I heard a car pulling away and went to investigate. Things did not go as planned, did they?" Rickman's voice held quiet understanding, and Andor shook his head and looked away from him. He did not want to rehash the whole evening for his minion's benefit, and was grateful that Rickman was smart enough to put the pieces together.

"Okay, so maybe it was not a good idea to lock her out of the basement. Perhaps if she'd seen the changes happening to Iszak, then she'd be more willing to accept the truth. How are you going to get her back?"

He didn't get it. Rickman thought that there was still hope for him and Lyssa. Andor sighed and scrubbed his hand across his face.

“I will do nothing.” Let this be the end of it. He did not want to talk about his failure, he did not want to talk about her. There was a ache in his chest, and he knew that it was his heart shriveling now that she was out of his life. Very soon he would not care about anything, and he would fall into the grip of the curse. Lyssa's disbelief would not stop the Hunter's Moon from coming, and would not stop him from falling into true madness. There was only one thing left to be done, and he only hoped his minion was as loyal as he needed him to be. "When the time comes I want you to make certain that I do not hurt anyone."

"What are you saying? You aren't going to hurt anyone because you are going after her. I'll go with you and together we will convince her that you are telling the truth." Rickman crossed his arms over his chest, and he glared at Andor. Under normal circumstance, such boldness would test Andor's patience, but now he was just too tired and heartsick to care. His minion would soon learn that the situation was hopeless and there was no remedy for it.

"I have hurt her enough. She has asked that I not go to her, that I not contact her and I am going to respect her wishes."

He did not think he could see her again without begging her to understand that what he said was the truth. He was not prepared to do that. Begging would tarnish all that had gone on between them, and there was no guarantee that she would respond to such desperation. She had already lumped him in with Kevin in her mind. Going begging to her, after she had told him to leave her alone, would be something that Kevin would do. The best course of action was to do nothing and let his fate unravel as it was meant to.

"I'll talk to her. There has to be a way to convince her that what you're saying is true." Rickman turned away, as if he intended to go after her in this moment.

Andor sprang to his feet and grabbed him by the arm, halting him. He spun his minion around, and grasped the front of his shirt, lifting him off his feet.

"You will do nothing. She wants to be left alone, and you will obey me when I tell you that you are not to go near her. Am I making myself clear, Rickman?" The anger at her leaving, which he had suppressed when she was there, came roaring to life now that it had a target. His body temperature soared and he narrowed his eyes at Rickman as his hand tightened further on the cotton of his minion's shirt.

"Why couldn't you get pissed like this when she was here? Your eyes are on fire, and if she'd seen that there is no way she would not have believed you. Why don't we go to her house, and you can get good and pissed and show her."

Andor gave Rickman a shake as if he was a rag doll to be thrown around and toyed with. "You are not hearing me. We are not going to go to her and show her anything. She has made her choice and I am going to respect that. Face it, if she doesn't believe it now, she will not believe it if I show up on her doorstep. All that will do is cause her to fear me more than she already does. Leave it alone, Rickman."

"So you are just going to give up? You're just going to curl up and wait to die?"

"It is my choice. You will leave her alone." Andor lowered Rickman to the ground and straightened his crumpled shirt. "Rickman? Do you understand that you are not to go anywhere near her?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Rickman would not look at him as he made a noise of disgust. "I think you're being stupid and you can punish me for saying so if you want. It's not going to change the fact that I think you are making a big mistake."

Rickman turned away from him and stalked away. Andor believed he made a mistake as well, but not in the way that Rickman thought. His mistake was embarking on this course at all. He should have known that there was no way that the woman he loved, that Lyssa, would believe he was a dragon when she didn't believe in magic at all.