Chapter Three

Miranda sat on Andrea's shoulder blowing rings of smoke into different shapes and wondering if she could get away with eating some of Andrea's food. Every so often, Andrea would turn her neck to catch sight of her, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Miranda couldn't blame her. This entire situation was absurd.

Questions flowed through her mind in a constant loop. Why is Andrea the only one who can see me? Will she be able to help me turn back into my human form? Is she my true love? That last question made her heart speed up. If that were true, they'd wasted the past year by not talking to each other. Miranda could admit to herself she'd missed Andrea. If it weren't for the tidbits of information Nigel fed her, she'd have found another way to keep track of Andrea. And yet now she was perched on her shoulder, puffing out heart-shaped smoke rings and hoping one would somehow fit on Andrea's finger. Pure foolishness.

"Six? You okay, kid?" Nigel frowned, his hand covering Andrea's to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, Nige. I'm just worried about Miranda. I know you think she's fine, but has she ever disappeared like this before?"

Nigel patted her hand before he focused on twisting the stem of his wine glass with his fingers back and forth. "She did once, long ago. It was after her first divorce." He looked up. "Her divorce from Stephen finalized last week. I thought maybe it hit her full-force today and she decided to get away for a bit. I wouldn't blame her." He shrugged, eyes slipping away. "Back then we were closer. She told me when she was taking some time away, but…" He shrugged.

Miranda's heart squeezed. It was true they weren't as close. Last year's machinations hadn't helped. She'd made a point of seeking him out and spending personal time with him since the failed coup, but he was right—they weren't as close as they used to be. She'd pulled away as the stressors of an unhappy marriage, demanding children, and work burdens had overwhelmed her. For the longest time she'd felt as if she were treading water, afraid a large wave would come and sweep her away. That had nearly come to pass.

Since her life had fallen around her ears, she'd worked hard to rebuild her relationships with her daughters, with Nigel, with her small circle of friends, knowing that was the only way she could make her life more manageable. If only she'd reached out to Andrea, too. God knows she'd wanted to.

"Didn't you tell me you went to dinner with Miranda last week and didn't discuss anything work-related?"

The soft smile that flittered across Nigel's face reassured Miranda. "Yeah, that's true. We had a great time." He chuckled. "We got into a debate about the newest art installation at MoMA. She thinks it's hideous, but I think the artist has potential." His smile brightened. "We haven't laughed that much in years."

"That's great. I'm glad you stuck with her, Nige, and I'm sure she is, too. She needs friends like you. I can tell you from the implosion of all my relationships last year that good friends are hard to find."

Perking up her ears, Miranda wondered what Andrea meant. Was she referring to when she quit?

"Aw, Six, you deserve better than how they treated you. As soon as you got good at your job, your friends gave you a hard time and your boyfriend dumped you." He stared at Andrea, a gleam in his eyes. "You know, I can still make that call to my friend in Boston—"

"No way. Nate deserves that job." She leaned toward Nigel. "Plus, if he loses that job, he might get the bright idea of returning to New York and trying to resurrect our dead relationship."

Nodding, Nigel grinned. "Right. We wouldn't want that." His cell phone flashed, and he picked it up to read the incoming text. "Looks like it's time for me to get back to the office. The Book is ready, and with Miranda missing, I'll have to review it." He gestured toward the server, who hurried over. "The check, please." He looked at Andrea. "This one's on me, no arguments."

"Thank you, Nigel." When she rose to exchange air-kisses with Nigel, Miranda flew up and circled around to land on the table. She gobbled down some bruschetta and hopped over toward the remains of Nigel's swordfish. Glancing up, she caught Andrea's eye and froze. Andrea sat down and whispered, "Not a ghost, then. That's…that's encouraging." She glanced around her. "It's okay. No one's watching."

Although she felt self-conscious, Miranda hesitated only long enough to look around once more before leaning down to devour the fish. Once finished, she turned toward Andrea, who signified with a wave of her hand that Miranda should eat the leftover porterhouse steak and sautéed mushrooms on her plate. She was pleased to see Andrea had cut the steak into small pieces for her.

Stepping forward, Miranda leaned toward the first piece of steak, her eyes closing in anticipation as the savory aroma tickled her senses. As her teeth chomped down, she was unhappy to discover she'd somehow missed, and she lost her balance. She fell forward, landing on her nose. She rolled to the side, embarrassed. Her eyes sprang open, and she watched with dismay as the server turned away with the dinner plates. She pushed herself up and glared, wishing she could spout fire at the incompetent restaurant employee.

The look of horror on Andrea's face was priceless. She whipped her head around, hand reaching toward the retreating waiter. "Oh, no. I'm still working on those. My companion had to leave before I could finish." Andrea's look of chagrin changed to pleading. "I'm still a bit hungry."

The waiter returned, a frown on his face. "My apologies. Of course, please take your time." He lowered Andrea's plate down in front of her as Miranda rolled out of the way and fell off the table. Groaning, Miranda sat up, seeing Andrea's worried face before she turned back to continue her conversation with the server.

"Would you like some more bread?" The server flicked his wrist before Andrea could answer, and another server hurried over with a new basket of warm bread. As soon as she left, a third server stepped forward to refill Andrea's water. "Please let me know if you need anything else."

Once everyone left the table, Andrea exhaled loudly and pretended to drop her cloth napkin. Her features loomed close to Miranda. "That was close. I'm sorry, Miranda. Are you okay? Here." She extended her hand. "Let me help you."

Under normal circumstances, Miranda would show disdain at the proffered help and make her own way back to the table, but her little body was taking a beating today, and she was tired. Flying, climbing, falling—they took their tolls. She hopped on Andrea's hand, and a moment later she was deposited on the table.

"Please, take what you want."

Taking stock of the transient aches and pains she felt, Miranda decided only her pride was bruised, and she hopped forward again. She inhaled the steak, mushrooms, and several pieces of bread while Andrea pretended to eat. Once she was full, Miranda flew over to the water glass, leaning forward to consume the water. She saw Andrea's fingers surrounding the crystal and felt secure with landing on the rim, allowing her tail to act as a counterbalance as she leaned forward to lap at the liquid. This was much easier than when she drank at the Salem restaurant. Once done, she sat back on the rim and gazed at Andrea, who had propped her chin on her palm as she waited. Miranda jumped up and hovered in front of her nose, puffing out a heart, the best thanks she could think of giving. Gratitude flowed through her, and she felt certain that somehow Andrea would help her get out of this mess.

The surprised chuckle Andrea emitted was music to Miranda's ears. She'd missed how pure and genuine Andrea's reactions were. She wanted to make Andrea smile and chuckle more. She wanted to be a part of her life again. Not as her boss. No, certainly not. If the past year taught her anything, it was how to work at personal relationships. She may not be the best, as evidenced by Nigel's words earlier, but at least she was trying. She knew if she tried with Andrea, she would be met at least halfway.

Settling back on Andrea's shoulder, they left the restaurant. She weathered the various smells of the subway, knowing she had no choice, and was unsurprised when Andrea made her way to the townhouse. After a perfunctory knock, Andrea produced a key.

"Sorry. I never did give it back, but I swear I haven't used it since before Paris. I'll give it back once this is all over, if you want. Of course, you'll want that. How stupid." Andrea pulled the door open and walked directly to the beeping alarm panel, inputting the code. "Funny how some things stick in your head, like alarm codes. Good thing, too, in this case."

As Andrea crossed over to the kitchen, turning on lights as she made her way further through the house, it struck Miranda how right it felt to have her in her home. It was as if her spirit energized each room, filling up each space and transforming it. Miranda had always felt pulled toward Andrea, regardless of what occurred in her life, regardless of how hard she tried to maintain a professional distance. Somehow Andrea had wormed her way into Miranda's heart, and no amount of denying it would erase the truth: she'd fallen in love without ever knowing it.

The realization took Miranda's breath away. She floated onto the breakfast bar, watching Andrea flop on a stool. It wasn't enough to know she loved Andrea, though. She needed Andrea to want her, too. She wouldn't be able to see me if she wasn't my true love, would she? She must love me. Or maybe there's the potential of her falling in love with me. Whatever Andrea felt, it was enough for now. It gave her hope.

"So, we need to figure out how to change you back. And why I'm the only one who can see you. Well, that doesn't really matter right now. I'm glad I can see you. I wish you could speak to me, but we'll deal with it. I'm guessing this happened in Salem."

Nodding, Miranda stepped closer to Andrea.

"Let me guess. You pissed off the wrong person."

Miranda puffed out an exclamation point. Andrea sniggered.

"Right. Well, this is a hell of a spell, and you can't even tell me how to break it. Wait, do you know how?"

Miranda shook her head and slouching down in a good imitation of her daughters, wrapping her arms around her torso and tail around her body. This was quite a mess.

"Damn. You know, if this were a fairy tale, I could kiss you and you'd turn back." Andrea's frowned. "Of course, you'd have to be in love with me, too, or that wouldn't work. Then again, I doubt Sleeping Beauty was in love with Prince Charming when he kissed her awake. Not that you're asleep or defenseless. Come to think of it, that might not be the best example, although I can't think of any that showcase empowered women. Fairytales suck."

It was hard for Miranda to focus on anything Andrea was saying, her mind fixated on the idea of Andrea kissing her. Did she say she's in love with me? Her heart skipped a beat, and Miranda jumped up, stopping Andrea mid-sentence. She puffed out a heart, an A, a plus sign, an M, another heart, and a question mark. She held her breath, waiting for Andrea to respond.

"Are you asking whether I love you?"

Miranda nodded, puffing out another heart for good measure.

"I do, so much." Tears glistened in her chocolate eyes, and all Miranda wanted to do was kiss them away. "Do you, do you love me?" Her lower lip trembled, and she shook her head. "Don't answer that. What a stupid question. Of course, you don't. There's no possible way—"

Miranda interrupted Andrea the only way she knew how, by darting forward and kissing her, melting into the feeling of warmth spreading through her once their lips connected. She felt her body grow heavy even as she felt weightless. Her eyes sprang open when she felt her body land on top of Andrea, who grunted.

Miranda started to roll away, but strong arms wrapped around her, holding her still. "You're back. Holy Scaly Forelocks. The kiss worked." Andrea's eyes were black and shiny as they jumped over Miranda's face. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Kiss me. Please."

Moaning, Miranda showed she could, in fact, take orders when motivated. She tasted wine on Andrea's breath, her senses overloading when soft lips parted and a tongue darted forward to brush against hers. Miranda made a desperate noise in the back of her throat, as she chased after that bewitching tongue, eager to explore every inch of Andrea's mouth. She lost herself in the different textures and tastes, loving the moans and sighs and breathless groans. She felt Andrea's fingers grasping her back, sifting through her hair, and it was only when she realized she was grinding into Andrea's thigh that she realized she might be getting carried away.

Heart pounding in her ears, Miranda pulled back. She took stock of their position, eyes widening. She had one hand wrapped in the front of Andrea's shirt while the other one was snaked around her lower back. Miranda was straddling Andrea's leg, their bodies flush against each other. Their breasts brushed together as they fought to catch their breath, sending bolts of arousal through her. When Andrea opened her eyes, Miranda felt tenderness steal through her, and she smiled. "I do love you, Andrea, and if you give me the chance, I promise to prove it."

Andrea's tremulous smile pulled at her heartstrings. "I know you will. I've waited so long for you. Nigel kept telling me to be patient, that the right time to contact you would present itself. And then last week, he told me the divorce was final and it was time to take a chance. I was planning to contact you once you came back from Salem." She bit her lower lip. "And here we are."

"Probably not quite what you imagined, but I won't complain." Miranda went to get up, but Andrea held her fast. She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not ready to let you go." Andrea's eyes welled up.

Cupping Andrea's cheek, Miranda delivered a kiss on each eyelid. "I have no intention of letting you go. We're merely relocating. I have an extremely comfortable bed, and I want to hold you." She extricated herself from Andrea's curves and righted the stool Andrea was sitting on before the kiss. Andrea sat up, looking breathless and breath-taking. Miranda extended a hand.

"No pressure, darling. I can be patient when it counts, and I want you to be comfortable. I know we must talk about all this, but can we start that conversation in the morning? I'd like to hold you."

"The morning's fine with me." Andrea intertwined their fingers as she stood up, and she pulled Miranda into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I feel like I've been given a second chance. I don't know what I would have done if you'd been hurt or couldn't turn back from being the cutest dragon I've ever seen or disappeared."

"Just how many cute dragons have you seen?"

"Oh, right." Andrea chuckled. "Good point. It was the forelock that gave you away." She brushed back Miranda's signature lock with gently fingers.

"I knew as soon as I saw you it would all work out. But we can discuss all that," Miranda waved her hand in the air, "tomorrow." She tugged at Andrea's hand, pulling her toward the back staircase next to the pantry. "Let's go to bed, darling."

"What if I'm not tired?" The coquettish tenor of her voice made Miranda pause.

She looked at Andrea, noting her flushed cheeks and glistening lips. "Well, I can think of some ways to tire you out." She took her time raking her eyes over Andrea's body before allowing their eyes to reconnect. Her lips quirked upward when she saw how she was affecting Andrea. Stepping closer, Miranda whispered, "I can assure you I desire nothing less than losing myself in the pleasure of your body. Your taste, your scent, the sounds you make—I want to explore every inch of you with my fingers, my lips, my tongue." She stared into dark eyes. "Do you want that, too?"

"You have no idea how much." Andrea swayed toward her, and Miranda captured her lips in a heated kiss. When it broke, Andrea whimpered. Her eyes were heavy with want. "Please, Miranda. I don't want to wait another moment."

Humming, Miranda pulled her up the stairs. Patience is overrated anyway. Or maybe she'd proven her restraint by allowing Andrea to decide what would happen between them. It no longer mattered. As she pulled off Andrea's shirt and jeans and bra and panties, all that mattered to her was proving to her true love that she needn't ever fear the dragon. No, this dragon's heart belonged to the beauty in her arms.

The End

Author Note: If you enjoyed the story, please take a moment to leave a comment. My Muse is looking a bit skinny, and receiving your warm words is healthier than eating all that Halloween candy.