The Dragon’s E-Mail Order Menage

That was what she was trying to give Damon. Hell, who knew? Maybe he and Cali could even get something going after she had been out of the picture for long enough to let bruised egos heal. Stranger things had certainly happened.

“Maggs? You still here with me, baby?”

“Sorry, yes. I’m here. I’ve just, well, I’ve been thinking.”

“I’ve been thinking too. I’ve been thinking a hell of a lot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time for me to do a certain something. Been time for a long time, if you ask me.”

Oh god. No! No, no, no, this could not be happening. She had seen enough movies, watched enough TV to know what that meant. That meant the little velvet box, and there it was being pulled out of one of his jacket pockets, and that was the exact opposite of what she was looking for. She would have laughed if it wasn’t so awful.

If this wasn’t proof of how far apart they had moved from each other she had no idea what was. She had grown up hearing her grandmother talk about signs that would periodically crop up over the course of your life to show you which direction was best for you to take. She wasn’t sure that she believed in all of that, but if there was any truth to it, then a sign had to be what this was. She was right. It was high time for the two of them to part ways.

“Wait.”

“Wait? Come on, Maggs, I’m kind of in the middle of something here.”

“I know. I know you are, but I’m asking you to stop. I’m asking you to put that little box away and listen to me for a second before you say something you won’t be able to unsay.”

“Something tells me I’m not gonna like the way this thing is headed.” He spoke with a soft, dangerous voice and eyes that were now clouded and black, but he put the box away just as she had asked. Good. That was good. It was a start, and now that she had started she wasn’t going to be able to stop.

She told him everything: how much she cared for him and how important it was for him to be happy, how sure she was that that happy wasn’t going to be with her. Just words. Empty, stupid words that she knew didn’t do anything to make him feel anything but sh*tty. She wanted to make him feel better, but how could she do that when she was the one doing him harm?

Then, before she could do a thing to stop it, she watched as he let out a low, throaty growl that just kept growing and growing as his body expanded up and out, his massive black wings unfolding and carrying his large dragon form away. There was nothing she could do. Even wiping a tear away, even after how awful what she had just had to do had been, she felt lighter than she had in what seemed like forever. It was time. It was time for something new, and she had the perfect idea of where to find it.