me it doesn’t sound like some kind of exotic fish.”
The suggestion of a diet plan put her on edge. Were they suggesting she needed to lose weight? Did they even get that she was naturally a big girl and most of her bulk was pure muscle?
They didn’t mention it again as she gathered up her bag and faced them. All three men stood in the exit, looking at her with a weird intensity. Whatever flavor of animals lurked within those big bodies looked hungry, but was it merely food they needed?
She was starving too.
“I’m ready to go,” she said, gesturing toward the door and trying desperately to shove aside those confusing desires.
“You don’t want to change?” Teague asked.
“Into what? I have fresh underthings, but these are my clothes.” She couldn’t exactly explain that she’d opted to pack light when she left home. She’d chosen rations over clothing, since her leathers were pretty much good for all occasions, but evidently one needed multiple outfits on the surface nowadays. Shit, was she going to keep making mistakes like this? If her dragon would chill out, maybe she could approach the whole situation with a clearer head.
“No worries,” Teague said, waving a hand. “It’s not like there’s a dress code where we’ll be. You can eat naked, if you prefer.”
She raised both eyebrows at that, because she got the sense that he wasn’t exactly joking. Maybe Teague liked her the way she was, but she decided she’d keep her mouth shut for a little while until she got the hang of things.
Jacob took the lead then, with Teague falling in beside her and Gunther just behind. When they reached the door leading outside, Jacob held it open for her and Teague stepped to one side, bowing his head slightly. He rested a hand gently against her low back as if to urge her ahead of him, and the touch sent a jolt of awareness through her, rousing her dragon again. Never had a man’s simple touch done so much to get her blood pumping, and it left her a little dizzy.
She recovered quickly and walked through, hyperaware of all three of them around her, their gazes following her every move.
Jacob was the first to tear his eyes away and gesture toward a trio of sleek vehicles lined up several yards from the door. “You can ride with me,” he said.
Ksenia silently marveled at the contraption that hovered a few feet above the ground. It had an oblong body that glowed faintly, but no wheels, though it wasn’t unlike the lead engine of the cargo-transport vehicles they used in the caves. Evidently this was something you were supposed to ride on rather than haul things with.
Jacob swung his leg over and the other two followed suit on their own transports, then he looked back and patted the seat behind him. “It’s safe. There’s a forcefield that protects us when we’re in motion.”
Ksenia smiled and climbed on, finding it weirdly natural to slip her arms around his middle to hold on. He patted her hands and urged her to lock her fingers across his belly before tapping a button to bring the motor to life beneath them.
He felt good, his bulky torso taut with bunched muscles beneath his shirt. Yet again, his size gave her the pleasant illusion of feeling delicate and feminine for a change, the way he touched her hands conveying a sense that he would happily be her protector.
He also smelled amazing, like earth and stone and the aromatic roots her clan used to brew the heady liquor they drank. Even simply smelling Jacob made her feel a little drunk, and the feeling only intensified once he started driving and a translucent bubble of energy snapped into place around them, locking her inside with his warmth and that intoxicating aroma.
It made her wonder again what kind of animal lurked deep inside him and his friends. She believed they were all the same, but she hadn’t encountered anything but dragon shifters in her life, so couldn’t put a finger on what they were. Something big, no doubt, but all she knew was that they weren’t dragons.
Their ride didn’t last nearly long enough before Jacob pulled to a stop in the driveway of a big house built of hewn purple logs. Teague slipped off his transport beside them and reached out a hand to her. She took it and allowed him to help her dismount. Before she could reach for her things, Gunther grabbed