Emma (Dark Fire) by Jodie B. Cooper

crouched closer to her.
    Her chest tightened. His protective attitude made her hesitate in her resolve.
    After a few minutes, the men turned around, heading back to town.
    Lydia stopped growling. Emma would’ve taken that as a good sign for a dog, but she didn’t know about dragons. She was just the dumb mortal stuck between two mythical growling beasts.
    She sighed, trying to reign in her temper. At least she had enough common sense to realize why she was angry. His flippant words had hurt and when she hurt, she got angry.
    Tyler’s fingers slid across her bare shoulder, feathering across her smooth skin in a soft caress.
    She jerked away from his touch and did a very good imitation of a growl. She turned. Glaring at him, she slowly emphasized each word. “Don’t touch me.”
    As the heat in her words registered, his eyes widened in surprise.
    “You want a vampire? Then I wish you good luck in finding a freaking vampire! I want absolutely nothing to do with you, Mr. Arrogant Jerk-of-a-Dragon, not ever!”
    “Emma?” Keith asked weakly.
    She quickly turned her attention back to her uncle, noticing Lydia was acting odd. With her head close to Keith, she sniffed and started growling.
    “Don’t move, Uncle Keith,” Emma ordered softly. “Lydia’s in wér form and is hovering over you. I think she’s trying to protect you, but she’s really upset at the moment.”
    “Tell her…”
    “Keith, please don’t anger her,” Tyler said, quickly cutting off the older man’s sharp words. “Lydia’s dragon instinct has taken over. It just happens. It isn’t always an age thing. She could protect you or rip you to pieces. Try talking to her. Calmly, just don’t speak or move aggressively.”
    Keith focused on Lydia, as if really seeing her for the first time. His hands clenched. The look on his face turned into shock. For several seconds, he sat rubbing his fingers against his palm.
    When Lydia slid her fingers down his temple, he turned his face toward her, rubbing his cheek against her scaled wrist. The harsh lines of his face softened and he gently whispered. “Lydia, are you going to change to human so we can talk about this?”
    At her uncle’s abrupt change of attitude, Emma felt her mouth drop open. Understanding hit an instant later. If they were mates, Keith had to be feeling what Lydia was feeling. It was the only reasonable explanation.
    Moments later, Lydia shifted from wér and they spoke quietly for a few minutes. She watched the pair with longing. Lydia’s instant acceptance of Keith as her mate, and her obvious love for him, was impossible to mistake. The dragon wore her heart on her sleeve.
    She sighed, if anyone deserved happiness it was her uncle. She was very happy for him, but she still felt a touch of envy. His mate wanted him, while her mate detested her. She knew Tyler would never look at her, never adore her, the way Lydia did Keith.
    That simple fact hurt.
    She dreaded the moment Tyler returned home, knowing he would seek out his current girlfriend. For all she knew, he might have two or three girls. The first time he went out on a date, she would feel, and maybe even hear, how much he wanted another girl.
    Life sucked.
    It would’ve helped if she didn’t like him so much. His words had hurt her, but like a moth to a bug zapper, she was still attracted to him. She couldn’t seem to help it. Talk about pitiful.
    She briefly wondered how she would react if she felt love pouring from Tyler instead of anger? Yeah, dumb question. She’d probably be acting as love struck as her uncle.
    Watching Lydia made it obvious the dragon adored her uncle. If Tyler acted that way toward her, it’d be hard not to show him how much she liked him. She snorted to herself. Right, she needed to get her head out of the clouds because that was not a weapon she’d willingly give him, not when he’d eventually turn on her.
    It was clear her uncle didn’t agree with her assessment.
    She couldn’t stop her