She knew the sound meant the end of their little bubble of sex and teasing. Even if it was only a short call, it didn’t matter. Interacting with the other dragon-shifters might snap Tristan back into his grumpy self. Her fear was only made worse when she heard him say, “Dragon hunters? She stopped breathing, sat up, and listened with every cell in her body to Tristan’s side of the conversation. Would talking about the dragon hunters bring back his hatred of humans? Or, his initial hatred of her? After all, he’d been familiar with his hatred for far longer than he’d known her. And if, indeed, talking about the dragon hunters undid all her hard work in getting Tristan to give her a chance, Melanie wasn’t sure she could start all over again. She wasn’t about to trap herself into a repeated cycle of niceness and hate. Even her resolve and stubbornness had limits. Tristan kept his gaze away from her face as he finally said into the phone, “I can be there in forty-five minutes.
