“Simon, c’mon man. You owe me,” I grumbled, adding a little female whine in for good measure.

He raised an eyebrow at me. I’d considered flirting, but I’d learned a long time ago that strategy didn’t work with Simon. He only had eyes for his boss Odette Alverson, the owner of Fallview Tavern & Grille. The fact that he was a dragon shifter and she was a siren didn’t seem to deter him in the least.

“Seriously, I need a job. I don’t want to live off my father or his money. I need to get back to making my own way before I run out of savings.” My elbow was on the black marble bar, and I placed my chin in my hand and tilted my head. “Please?” I begged.

He nodded. “Fine. I’ll tell Odette you’re the new entertainment. I think she was getting tired of the old act anyway. You can work the off nights for now, and we can phase the other group out in time.”

“Thank you!” I leaned across the bar and hugged him.

Simon blushed. “We’re even now, though. No more bringing up how you helped me settle here and all that noise.”

I nodded. “You got it.” I flashed him a wide smile. “You love me. You know you want me around.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. You didn’t even tell me you were leaving town. I had to find out from your very angry father, when he came looking for you. He was sure I was holding out on him. And then you didn’t bother to let me know once you were in town again?” He shook his head. “Not a lot to love about that.”

“I didn’t say anything so you could plead innocent when Dad came around, as I knew he eventually would. And I did come to see you last night, but you weren’t here.”

Simon sighed. “You’re one of my closest friends. But I need you here like I need a third eye.” He crossed his arms and gave me a stern look. “No troublemaking.”

I nodded in agreement.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You agreed to that way too easy.”

I shrugged. “Maybe Atlanta changed me. Maybe I’m not the rabble rouser you once knew.”

He snorted. “No one will ever buy that. Try to sell me something else.”

“Fine. I need the work, so if I have to be on my best behavior, I’m willing to at least attempt it.” I fidgeted with the silver skull ring on my index finger.

He nodded. “That I believe.” He poured a beer and slid it across to me. “Be here at eight sharp. It’ll be nice to hear some decent music again.”

I took a sip. “Only decent? I must be losing my touch.”

Simon sighed. “You do plan to leave soon, right? I have work to do.” He sounded annoyed, but he winked at me.

“As soon as I finish this beer.” I tilted it back and chugged it quickly.

He shook his head at me. “Ya know, normal girls don’t guzzle booze.”

I slapped some money on the counter. “I’m not normal.”

He let out a full chuckle then. “Damn straight.”

I slid off the barstool and gave him a wave as I strolled to the door. “See you tonight.”

I stepped out into the bright sunlight and allowed my eyes a moment to adjust. I had a few hours before my first set at the bar. It’d been forever since I willingly let my dragon out. I needed to visit the falls.

* * *

I carefully treaded the natural stone steps that led to one side of Smalls Falls. My favorite spot was some distance from the falls near Fallview Tavern & Grille, but this particular waterfall had special meaning to me and my family. Just behind the rush of cool water that spilled over the cliff, there was a small, very dark cave. At least, to the non-dragon eye, that’s how it appeared. In truth, a large cavern that led deep back into the mountainside hid behind the falls. This was the Mills family cave, and my father had had it warded over a century ago so that our private retreat would stay a secret. We felt comfortable shifting into our dragon form in this cave. The large space had been especially great for learning, and I had recently taken my sixteen-year-old niece, Zoey, to the cave to practice shifting. It was scary for her, but she took to it quickly, and I’d been so proud of her.

I pushed my hand through the inky darkness and let out a contented breath as I walked the rest of the way inside. Home. This cave had always felt like home, no matter what else was going on in my life. I pulled a lighter from my pocket and lit the candles that lined the walls of the first room.

For a moment I stood there, basking in the sounds of rushing water while I inhaled the earthy scent that surrounded me. Then I heard soft sobs coming from the larger room.

I cautiously made my way to the next entrance and noticed a single candle sitting on the dirt floor, next to my niece.

“Zoey?” I whispered.

Her head snapped up, and she wiped a tear from her eye. “Aunt Jetta?”

I stepped forward. “It’s me, sweetie. What’s wrong?”

She stood and ran into my arms, wrapping hers around my torso in a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here! I missed you!”

“I missed you, too.” I tilted her face to look at mine and noticed the dirt-streaked smudges on her cheeks. Tears had cleared small trails from her eyelashes to her chin. “Why are you crying?”

Zoey stepped back and inhaled a deep breath. “I had a fight with Jordan.”

I frowned. “What happened?”

“It was stupid, and it was my fault. I got jealous over something petty.” She sniffled. “And now I may have ruined our relationship.”

I pulled her back to me for a hug, and I stroked her hair. “I’m sure you didn’t. You just need to talk it out. Remember what I told you? Relationships only work when there is communication.”

She nodded. Then, as an afterthought, she said, “Where have you been? I came here hoping I’d find you, even though I knew you’d left town.”

Guilt landed like a rock in my stomach. I should have been there for her. At the least, I should have kept in touch with my brother. Tristan was one of the few people not intimidated by my father. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I should have checked in. I just needed to some downtime for a bit. Clear my head.”

She sniffed again. “I understand.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you.” I released her and stepped back. “It’ll all be okay, though. I bet Jordan is feeling just as bad as you are about the argument.”

“You think? I mean, he shouldn’t. It was my fault.” Her lovely blue eyes were so full of hope, it almost broke my heart. She was such a sweet young woman. So much the opposite of me.

“Maybe, but I doubt he enjoyed fighting, regardless of the cause. Call him when you get home. Apologize if needed. Talk it out.”

“Thanks, Aunt Jetta. I feel a little better.”

“Good. Now, you know what would make us both feel better?” I gave her a sly grin.

She looked up at me, and a slow smile replaced her frown. “Flying?”

I held up my hand for a high five, and she met mine with enthusiasm.

“First one to the top of the cliff is a bloodsucker!” I yelled, as I ran to the back of the cave while pulling my shirt over my head.

“Hey now, my best friend is a bloodsucker,” Zoey said in mock offense.

“Sorry, not the vamp family I had in mind.” I’d instantly envisioned the Roca brothers and their many escapades.

I kicked off my boots and peeled off my jeans, folding them neatly to place beside my shirt.

Zoey stood next to me, undressing as well. “Hey, we need to make ourselves Velcro clothes or something. I’m so tired of having to undress. Wouldn’t it be cool to just shift, and our clothes fall away?” She smirked.

“So, like the Hulk without the tearing?” I asked.

“Yeah! Like that.”

I chuckled. “Sure, we should work on that. For now, we’ll have to be content with undressing so we aren’t running around naked afterward.”

I stepped back, assuring I had plenty of room and had left Zoey her needed space as well. Then I closed my eyes and summoned my dragon. I saw a quick mental picture of my shifted self—white scales with a bluish tint that matched my eyes; large jaws containing smooth and serrated teeth; claws, wings, and a tail at least half the length of my forty-foot-long body. My head crowned with a regal row of horns that started from the back side of my jaw and wrapped around behind my head, meeting the other side in a mirror image. Next, the stretching and popping began. The pain of my limbs elongating and bulking up was always there, but I’d become so used to it that I hardly took notice anymore. I opened my eyes as my vision clouded temporarily, then cleared to an almost telescopic vantage.

I looked down to see my beautiful niece as she began her own transformation. She made a few uncomfortable sounds, but the general act of shifting didn’t appear to cause her a lot of trauma. It had always brought me relief to know young dragons didn’t have the excruciating pain that older dragons experienced. I’d been told a gene evolved over time so that we wouldn’t fear shifting. I’d always equated it to procreation. If the actual act were extremely painful, no one would do it, and the species would die off. I’d believed shifting was the same way. If the process was terrible, our younger generation may purposely choose to avoid shifting. Over time, the dragon gene could die off as we evolved once more. But that was just my theory. It wasn’t like we had the world’s greatest minds trying to figure it out.

When her shifting was complete, I lowered my head to hers and gave her a nuzzle with my snout. Some of my favorite times with Zoey had been in our dragon forms. She was a great kid, but she had a little wild spirit in her too, and that side I resonated with very well. She could be that side of herself when she let her dragon take over.

I pushed my enormous head through the falls, immediately triggering my camouflage so that I blended in with my surroundings. The frigid water felt fantastic on my neck, so I allowed it to run over me a moment before a hard nudge from behind alerted me to Zoey shoving at my tail with her head.

“Okay, I’m going.” I laughed as our telepathic communication took over.

I stepped out, clearing the way for her, and she followed immediately. We both gave our wings a good stretch, then I glanced at her, noting the faint outline of her camouflage and the light puff of frost escaping her nostrils. Without her camouflage, she was a carbon copy of myself, only instead of twenty feet high, she was closer to fifteen. She also had the most mesmerizing iridescent scales. At times, I’d been a little jealous of her coloring.

I smiled, as much as a giant reptile can, and said, “Race you to the top!”

I hit the bank running, pushing my way through the dense forest. Unable to fully spread my wings, I tucked them in close and lumbered up the mountainside toward our favorite cliff. I could hear Zoey directly behind me. She’d gained some speed since our last outing and appeared to have no trouble keeping up.

Just as we’d reached the clearing that led to the edge, she zoomed past me in a blur.

“Holy hell,” I muttered.

Once I reached her side at the precipice, I huffed out an annoyed breath. “So, where’d you learn that speed, kiddo?”

“You’re not the only dragon who can teach me stuff, ya know,” she teased.

“I’m getting old,” I complained.

“Nah, it’s just hard to compete with my awesomeness.”

I chuckled. “So true.” I leaned my head forward and looked down. “Shall we?”

“Let’s,” Zoey said with excitement. She obviously loved the freedom of flying as much as I did.

We both leapt off the edge, letting our wings work as gliders and slow our descent, then we tilted ourselves toward the sun, and with a powerful push from our wings, we were both rising among the clouds.

We spent a few minutes just enjoying the wind rushing past us. The cool, crisp air was invigorating. No matter my troubles, flying had always given me a respite. It allowed me a moment to breathe. That moment was about to be interrupted by Zoey’s incessant matchmaking.

“Hey, Aunt Jetta,” she sang in a high-pitched voice as she zoomed by me. “I met this cute guy at the shop today. He’d be perfect for you.”