“I don’t like to make assumptions.” Bethany looked up, far up at the man she now knew to be a dragon in human form. Shifters weren’t particularly rare as supernaturals go, more common than vampires or divines but less so than witches. Wolves and bears were the most common shifter subtypes, followed by lions, tigers, cougars, dolphins, and wolverines. Rare, mythical shifters like dragons and phoenixes almost never walked through natural society because their powerful magic could draw too much unwanted attention. “And I’ve never met a dragon before.”
Math the Dragon stuck out his hand to shake hers, which appeared to be a perfectly normal human hand, except perhaps that it seemed larger than usual. He was a bit larger than usual, towering well over six feet tall, and perhaps closer to seven. His fingernails, while blunt and clean, had an unearthly black-silver sheen to them, like dragon claws.
Bethany lifted her chin and reached for his hand, determined to shake as if she were a confident and competent witch. Yes, she could. Positive attitude was everything.
Heck, she had managed to conjure up those cleaning genies in the HR office without any mishap whatsoever. Maybe Ember was right about attitude.
Bethany couldn’t quite look away from Math’s eyes as their hands neared each other.
She had thought his eyes were hazel, but his irises were flecked with light that looked almost like sparks. They looked like sunlight shining on a dragon’s hoard of gold.
They were brilliant, really brilliant, and she felt like she was falling into them.
As their palms touched, a ripple of magic surprised her. Gentle power flooded from where their hands clasped, skin against skin, and through her flesh like a calming wash of warmth.
Holy cow, she’d heard dragon shifters held a powerful magic, but his touch was like placing her hand in the center of a conjuring circle.
Bethany said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Math the Dragon.”
He rumbled, “Ah, Bethany, the pleasure is all mine.”