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  He walked away, leaving me to wring my hands in anticipation as I started from my cubicle and marched down the hallway. I ignored some of the pointed stares my gossip-obsessed coworkers gave me and even ignored the sympathetic looks. There was no need to give me weird looks like that.

  When I got to my boss’ office, I knocked on the door just below the copper name plate. A gruff, guttural sound was my cue to enter, so I came in and gave my boss the friendliest smile I could muster. And he, in return, simply stared at me, his pudgy fingers locked tightly together. His tie was a bit crooked, and I usually would have said something, but I figured now wasn’t the best time.

  “Lily,” he said.

  “Boss,” I said.

  “You’re fired.”

  I don’t think I blinked for a good few minutes. Wait. That couldn’t be right. I just got to my boss’ office, didn’t I?

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I think you might have mumbled a bit…”

  My boss rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mumble, Lily. I didn’t stutter. And I sure as hell didn’t speak in a different language. You’re fired. There, I said it again.”

  “But why would you—”

  He clicked his tongue and waggled his finger in front of me. “I didn’t make this decision. No one in my position would be in their right mind if they fired you. You’re one of our best and most consistent employees.”

  Rubbing my forehead with my palm, I closed my eyes. “Wait, no, let me guess. Adam is the culprit, isn’t he?”

  My boss fiddled with the wedding ring on his finger. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I’m afraid so.”

  I began to laugh, waving my hand around wildly. “You know, when Adam offered me an easy position at his company when I met him, I thought, ‘What could go wrong? There’s no possible way this could ever backfire on me!’ Hell, I never imagined a single kiss could change my entire life so quickly.”

  My boss looked up at me, and I sat up straighter. “Of course, you know about that whole debacle too, don’t you? Where I got so drunk that Adam’s best friend whisked me away to make out, and then suddenly everyone thinks I’m the biggest whore on this planet.”

  He offered me a sincere smile. “For what it’s worth, Lily, I know you aren’t like that. I know your husband is overreacting, but there’s nothing I can do about stopping him from firing you. But you’re smart and capable. You’ll find another job in no time.”

  Suddenly my head was beginning to pound again. My heart throbbed, and I felt nauseous. Standing was difficult but bursting out of his office and charging down the hallway wasn’t. People stared at me and jumped out of the way as I reached my desk. I cleared off anything that was my personal belongings, and then I kicked the desk. I shouted with each kick, causing the whole room to step away and watch my meltdown from a distance. I picked up my chair and slammed it on the desk, cracking the monitor.

  Stopping to take a breather, I bent over and clutched my knees, staring at the wreck I’d made. Standing up straight, I picked up my work bag, making sure everything was neatly stuffed inside, and stormed to the elevator. Unsurprisingly, no one tried to apprehend me for that little outburst.

  Before I knew it, I was in the lobby, briskly ignoring the security lady’s greeting at the front desk. I stumbled out into the quiet street and turned the corner into a back alley, which led to the company’s parking lot. My rental car was stowed there.

  But as I sniffled crossed into the parking lot, my head down, I slammed into a bulky body. Yelping, I fell back, some of my things clattering to the ground. I closed my eyes to wait for the inevitable crash against the pavement, but an arm snapped out and closed around my shoulder. Peeking up at my savior, I let out a surprised breath. “Hunter!”

  The man I had just bumped into was none other than my ex-boyfriend from college. He was a wolf shifter, a little wild and a heavy partier back when I knew him. I had broken up with him because he became a bit too territorial with me...but now I was ecstatic to see him again.

  “How’s it hanging, girly?” Hunter said, pulling me back up to my feet, but not letting go. “Hot damn, I didn’t expect to see you around here! And, my oh my, you’re still as gorgeous as ever.”

  I couldn’t help but blush, though I was very aware of his arm wrapped around me. His grip was tight, and even though I tried to step away, he didn’t seem to want me leaving just yet. “It’s hanging good! You know, just got out of work, is all...um, so, what are you doing in San Francisco?”

  Hunter shrugged, his curly black hair matching his dark eyes. I could feel his biceps beneath his striped shirt. If this were any other man, I might have swooned over those muscles, but now, memories of his obsessiveness from our college days were resurfacing. Damn, could this day get any worse?

  “I’m here to see you, of course!” he said, chuckling. “I figured if I walked around enough, I’d bump into you, and what do you know, exactly that happens.” He leaned in closer, the same, intoxicating scent filling my nostrils. His hot breath blew down my neck. I gulped. “How about we grab some dinner? Maybe some Chinese, or something down on the pier?”

  I tried again to wiggle my way out, but his grip only tightened further. “I’d love to catch up with you, Hunter, but I gotta run! I’m supposed to meet my...boyfriend for an early dinner, actually, so…” For a third time, I tried to wrench myself free, but he held me back. The smile on his face faded, and he just stared at me, his eyes wide. I maintained a half-smile as I continued to push against his strength. “Hunter…? Are you okay?” Wolf shifters were often unpredictable, with many being wilder wolf than human. It was one of the reasons I was attracted to him all those years ago, and a reason to fear him now. “Please, let go. I need to leave. You can’t hold on to me forever.”

  “You have a boyfriend?” he asked as if everything else I had just said went in one ear and out the other. His nails dug into my arm, making me wince. “How long?”

  “Why does it matter?” I barked. “Hunter! Let go!”

  He growled and gripped my other arm with his free hand, shaking me. “What the hell, Lily? I came out here for you, and yet you’d betray me like this?”

  Suddenly there was another man at our side, half a head taller than Hunter. His locks of brown hair swayed in the breeze, and his light brown eyes flicked from me to Hunter. “I’m guessing this isn’t exactly mutual?”

  Hunter didn’t let me go, but instead, he tightened his grip and snarled at the newcomer. “Back off, dragon! This one is mine.”

  Did he just say...dragon? I met the man’s eyes again. His irises glowed like tiny brown fires in the sunlight, and when he grinned, I noticed the natural arrogance of the most powerful shifter race. “It doesn’t look she’s anyone’s mate, if that’s what you’re trying to imply, wolf. I’m not gonna tell you again. Back off. Now. Or things might get ugly for you.”

  Hunter hunched over...but then just as quickly released me, the tension gone from his body. He threw the dragon shifter a lazy smile before turning around to wink at me. “We’ll meet up later, sweetie, okay? I can’t wait to catch up with you.”

  I hugged myself as he walked down the street, not able to take my eyes off of him. My heart throbbed with all kinds of messed up emotions.

  Then I remembered the dragon shifter and turned to him. “Thank you…”

  “Felix,” he said, smiling wide. His smile was the kind to woo women immediately: wide, with adorable dimples, pearly white teeth, and a jawline to die for.

  “Lily. Seriously, thanks again. He, uh, was an ex-boyfriend—”

  Felix held up a hand as if he were commanding me to shut up. Suddenly I felt the urge to punch his handsome mug. “You don’t need to tell me...but I assume you wouldn’t feel safe going home alone?”

  “I, uh, well, I have a rental car, but…” I searched around in my bag, my hands touching everything that wasn’t a key. Panicking, I dropped my bag and searched my pockets, coming up with nothing. I gave him a nervous smile. “Looks like I dropped the ke
y somewhere.”

  Felix watched me fumble around one more time with a look that could nearly melt my heart. Suddenly, I was wondering if this strange, dragon shifter hottie had a girlfriend, or wife, or lover or whatever. But I quickly snapped out of it when my second search came up empty. He laughed, placing his hands in his dress pants pockets. “If you’d like, I can drive you home. My car is just parked down the way. I could buy you dinner too, so you don’t have to worry about making some later. I bet your nerves are frazzled.”

  I gulped in nervous excitement. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

  He smiled wider. “Not in the least. Follow me.”

  And so I fell into pace beside him, forgetting that there was a raging beast inside of this guy.

  Chapter Four

  Felix

  It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch to call the woman I was walking with beautiful. I mean, the way she smiled at the small jokes I made, or how her voice carried down the street like an intoxicating song. We could have stopped at a coffee shop to grab some joe and chat for hours, and I probably never would have spoken because listening to her voice was just that relaxing. Even my inner dragon seemed at ease around her.

  Was it love at first sight? No, of course not. But I wasn’t the type to pass up giving internal compliments where they were due.

  Pushing my way from the Chinese pickup counter, I held open the door for Lily to scamper out. She held a bag of steaming Chinese for the night. The sun was already starting to fall, turning the sky a vivid purple, bleeding red over the ocean. She turned to me as we walked down the street, her natural, light green eyes sparkling in the twilight. “Thank you again for buying me dinner, Felix...you don’t know how much it means to me.”

  I laughed, throwing her an easy smile she seemed to soak up. “It’s no problem. When I see a girl in need, I come to help. Simple as that.”

  “Oh, yes, because I bet all you dragon types are noble like that, aren’t you?”

  I made a show of placing my hand over my bruised heart. “If only there were more studs like me! Woe is me!”

  She burst out laughing, causing another couple passing us to give us odd, but friendly looks. She burned up at the attention, but when I pointed out my Bugatti Veyron just a few feet away, her eyes lit up and all that embarrassment was gone. She hurried over to it, prompting me to leisurely take my time strolling up to the driver’s side while she leaned close enough to fog up the windows.

  “Wow! Nice car! Don’t tell me; you’re rich or something?”

  “Bingo!” I said, winking at her. “It helps when I pick up pretty girls like you.” She rolled her eyes but gave me a small smile. “Seriously, though, I’m the CEO of a publishing company.”

  “Well, damn,” she said, still eyeing the car like it was candy. “Not even Adam was this rich…”

  I raised an eyebrow at that comment. A second passed, and then she realized what she had said and shook her head wildly. “Uh, it’s nothing! Just thinking out loud.”

  Nodding, I unlocked the car and climbed inside, with Lily following suit. “Wouldn’t a dragon shifter like you feel stuffy in here? I’ve never really met a dragon shifter before...and I’ve always wondered.”

  “Well, sometimes, but we get used to it. I mean, if we want to stay integrated into human society, we just have to live with some things, you know?” I said, grinning as I started up the Bugatti. “But this? Well, this is just a personal thing.”

  “What does—oh!”

  I pulled out onto the street and immediately zoomed down the road, causing Lily to hold on tight to whatever she could. Her reaction only made me smile wider. “So, where are we going?”

  “Uh, the Marina Motel…”

  I raised a brow. “You live at a motel? Oh...I get it. You don’t want me to know where you live, huh?” It looked like she was about to argue, but instead, she settled back into her seat with a sigh cradling her Chinese against her stomach. “No, it’s cool, Lily. Completely understandable. If I were you, I’d probably do the same thing. Just...as long as you get home from there, okay.”

  She shot me a look too quick for me to figure out what it meant, and then she went back to staring out the passenger window. My fingers tapped the wheel as it suddenly became too quiet for my liking...too stuffy, as she pointed out before. My inner dragon growled inside of me, and when I glanced out at the surf again, I found myself wanting to stop and run down, throwing off my clothes and shifting to fly out into the evening air.

  But instead, I kept my cool. Arriving at the motel, I smiled at her as she climbed out and ducked her head back down to grin at me. “Thanks again, Felix. Seriously, you’re a literal lifesaver.”

  She went to leave, but I quickly pulled out a pen and slip of paper from my pocket. “Hold on, Lily!” I scribbled my number, knowing full well what I was doing. When she looked back, I placed it in her palm. “My number...not because I’m asking you out, though I wouldn’t mind that either. If that Hunter guy shows up, and you need help, just give me a call and I’ll run to be your Prince Charming once again.”

  She snorted adorably with a smile and pocketed the slip. “If he shows up, I’ll call. Have a good night.”

  She shut the door before I could say it back, and I watched as she marched around the front bumper and up onto the curb. I didn’t leave until I saw her safely get inside a room.

  My smile dropped the instant she left me behind. Lily was downright beautiful, a woman so attractive that an obsessive old boyfriend was trying to attack her in broad daylight. And while I felt something for her there, something small, like a new crush maybe, the hole in my heart still flared brighter than ever. I realized I wanted a mate...but there was also something else I wanted too. But what was it?

  I growled at nothing, pulling onto the road as my inner dragon breathed fire into my veins. I’d heard of shifters losing their mind in the past over not finding their mate, but I’d never thought that could happen to me. Maybe I was susceptible, no matter how many women I picked up and brought to my bed.

  I jolted at the sound of my ringtone and my smartphone’s vibration in my pocket. Keeping my eyes on the road, I snuck it out of my pocket and brought it up to my ear, pressing the call button. “Felix speaking.”

  “Felix! I hope I’m not calling at a bad time. It’s Andrea!”

  Suddenly a smile was on my face. “Hey, sis, how’s it hanging.”

  “Hanging better than ever! Actually, I’ve got some news for you…”

  “Go on.”

  “Wait for it...wait for it...I’m pregnant!”

  I burst out into laughter as I pulled into my driveway. “What, really? That’s fantastic! I know you guys have been trying for so long.”

  “Longer than you’d know,” she said. I could practically hear the pride in her voice already. “Listen, obviously this is a bit early, but Mom and Dad are already putting together a party. It’s set for a month from now, I think. The whole dragon family is going to be there! And, of course, I expect you to come.”

  Walking inside, I was hit with the silence of my house again. For a split second, I imagined Lily sitting at my kitchen table, reading a paperback, her hair falling in clumped, damp locks after a morning shower. She would look up at me and smile devastatingly. I nearly felt my heart leap out of my chest.

  “Uh, Felix? You there, kid?”

  Shaking myself out of that illusion, I walked to my couch and plopped down, turning on the TV. “Yeah, sorry about that. Was just thinking about somebody—uh, about something.”

  “Oh...somebody, huh? Don’t tell me; you have a special someone now?”

  “No, sis, not yet.”

  “Well, you better hurry up, or Mom is gonna come burn down that little box house of yours.”

  I scoffed. “It’s not that small!” Suddenly, whatever soap opera was on flipped to commercials, and the one that was playing caught my eye. A real-life dragon was flying through the skies above San Francisco, landing on the beach where a human
woman stood with a baby in her arms. The baby breathed fire whenever it exhaled, and so the woman quickly handed it over to the dragon once he’d shifted back into his naked human form. Tastefully, they only showed the top half of the guy as he held his baby, and then gave the camera a flashy, charming smile. Suddenly, a narrator popped up.

  “Are you a dragon shifter, or regular human, and want a hybrid baby but are unsure of whether you want that long, frustrating relationship that goes with it? Then the Hybrid Baby Hearts Service is for you! We’ll match you with either a surrogate human or dragon shifter mother and then all you have to do is wait for your baby to be born! Give us a call at…”

  I was on my feet and rushing to my office. “Look, sis, I gotta go. But I’ll be at your party. I swear it.”

  “Calm down, little bro. I know you will. Anyways, just wanted to let you know. Have a good night.”

  “Night!” I said, ending the call as quickly as I could.

  My heart pounded wildly as I flopped down into my office chair and flipped open my laptop. Why hadn’t I considered something so simple before? It wasn’t just that I wanted a mate; I wanted to leave a legacy.

  I wanted to have a baby. A hybrid. My mind went into overdrive as I searched for the Fiery Hearts website, the parent company to the Hybrid Baby Hearts Service.

  After I made an account and set up my profile, I leaned back, staring at the screen illuminating my dark office. Now, all I had to do was wait for an agent to match me with someone.

  I couldn’t help but grin like it was my birthday.

  Chapter Five

  Lily

  After Felix dropped me off at my motel for the night, I slunk back to my room as quickly as possible, very aware that Hunter could have followed us. Or maybe Felix was a bad guy too, trying to butter me up with food so that he could find out where I lived.

  Or...maybe I was paranoid. Felix was beyond just handsome. He was caring, charming, hilarious as hell. He made me forget the recent events in my life, even if it was only for a half-hour. Honestly, I didn’t know what to think of him. I liked him, but even if he gave me his number, I wasn’t prepared to call him. Not given the situation I was in. I needed to find another job, an actual apartment to rent. I needed to find stability in my life before I called a beautiful man like him over.