the panic that overwhelms me is so complete that there's a clarity to it. My senses sharpen until I'm seeing the dust motes floating in the air, smelling the ash and fire of this stranger's skin, hearing the low,steady thumping of his heart.
I blink rapidly, lifting my hand to shield my eyes from the sun.
He's handsome, of course--all dragons are. His complexion is a rich, medium brown, his lips full and his nose broad. His black hair has been buzzed short, and a serpentine tattoo snakes up his neck and over his head. More dark ink decorates his bare, muscular arms. He's dressed in a black leather vest and loose, copper-colored pants, and a part of me wants to climb him like a tree.
The other part is more reserved. There's something about him--some aura that tells me to keep my distance
