Falling Dragons (#3 Moon Shadows) by Angela Castle

I’ve ever met.”
    Her brow rose in surprise. “You’ve met a few dragons then?”
    “Not female ones, but I’ve got a few dragon friends. Kaden DeKerr owns a huge arsed cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia. Oh, and recently a big red dragon by the name of Brimstone moved out that way, with a few others, you know, to guard the portal between realms. Oh, and Slade the Sly does jobs for the agency every now and then.”
    Opie’s back stiffened at the names and took a step back. “Brimstone the Crusher, and Slade the Sly?” A sudden panic seized in her chest.
    “Oh, you know him too?”
    “He is a part of King Firestrong’s army.” Must get out, must run, they’ll find me!
    “Uh yes, are you alright? You look kind of pale, are you a diabetic or have low blood pressure? Have you eaten today? I think you should sit down so I can look you over. I’m a nurse you know.”
    “Opie?” She hadn’t noticed Simon move from his pow-wow party, his brow dipped in concern as he stared down at her.
    “Uh, can we go?”
    “Not until we get the scroll translated.”
    She saw Slazzamar move to Darren’s side. “Been causing trouble, my love?”
    “Me? Of course not, just talking about our fellow dragon friends. And she likes our t-shirts.”
    “Opie, what’s wrong?” Simon placed his hand on her shoulder.
    “I want to go, now!” She gripped onto Simon’s arm, thinking of the fastest way out before her panic consumed her. She teleported them out.
    Blinding bright sun shining on her and hot sand under her feet made her squeeze her eyes shut and sigh as sweet heat seeped into her skin.
    “What the fuck, Opie!” Simon grabbed her shoulder, his other hand shielding his eyes from the hot sun. “You can’t just pop us out of an important meeting, take us back, now!”
    “No...can’t...they...they’ll find me!
    “Who’ll find you, what did Darren say to you?”
    “Remember when I said my father had sold me off to a dragon lord? I would have been married to him on my fourteenth winter.”
    “I don’t understand. What does this have to do with Darren? He is human, and Slazzamar is not a secret peddler anymore. You’re safe with them—safe, Opie.”
    “Darren is friends with a dragon from the Firestrong Kingdom, my father’s kingdom neighboured theirs. My father sold me off to a Firestrong Lord,” she hissed.
    “Oh, now I see. Sweetheart...” He gathered her against his chest. “No one’s going to take you from me. Trust me to protect you, even from other dragons. If the human and Slazzamar know dragons, they are probably like you—have left the Dragon Realm, and wouldn’t care who you are or where you’re from.”
    “You promise to protect me?”
    “On my own immortal life.” He tilted her chin up, bending down to place a kiss on her lips. “You can’t just pop us off to this desert every time you have a panic attack. We need to face our problems or they’ll forever haunt us.”
    She swallowed, her heart still pounding, the need to confess on the tip of her tongue. “Simon, I... I need to tell you something.”
    “What is it, sweetheart?” Expectantly, he waited.
    “I...I...I really love coming to this desert.” Opie, you coward!
    Simon snorted. “So I noticed.”
    “The sand polishes my scales, and the heat feels amazing.”
    “We’ll come back for a holiday after the mission. Can we go back now?”
    Opie charged her power and popped them back into Jonah’s office.
    The other three men stood waiting, Slazzamar with a half knowing smile on his face.
    “Sorry about that.” Opie shrugged, dipping her head, aiming for her ‘cute’ look. “I needed some urgent vitamin D.” She’d blame the heat from the Gobi desert for her pinked cheeks and not her panic attack.
    Simon got straight to the point. “You three, the knowledge of who Opie is will not to go beyond this room, especially to other dragons, got it?” Simon glared at the three men.
    “Hey, man, chill, my lips