Chapter 2

2

N eve glared at the holiday display at the entrance to the store. The blinking, colorful lights were probably going fast enough to give someone a seizure. And was it close enough to block the exit in case of a fire? The fire marshal might want to look into it.

Bah humbug.

Though her fingers twitched to put in the complaint, she forced herself to do her shopping and leave the store without spreading her holiday misery to everyone else.

Christmas sucked.

Her parents were no doubt in the middle of planning the big holiday bash, the guest list ranging from the mayor to every minor celebrity in the tri-town area. That mostly meant one reality show wannabe who got kicked off their dating show after three episodes and a perennial national athlete who never quite made it to the finals.

Neve wouldn't be there. She hadn't bothered to RSVP. Last year she'd forced herself to put on a sparkly dress, paste a smile on her face, and play nice. She hadn't even seen her parents the entire night.

No use wasting time this year.

She passed by houses decked out in enough lights to be a fire hazard and pulled into her own driveway where the only light was the security floodlight above the back door. Neve grabbed her mail and shouldered her way through the door, her hands burdened with envelopes and groceries.

She needed a vacation.

But there were chores to be done, and Neve didn't let herself collapse onto the couch until the food was put away and she'd dealt with the dishes that had been sitting in the sink for two days.

Finally seated, she flipped through the mail. Junk. Junk. Bill. Junk. Ju—what?

At first, she thought the embossed envelope had to be a scam. But something made her open it and pull out the finely printed card inside.

YOU'VE WON AN ALL EXPENSES PAID WINTER GETAWAY!

That couldn't be right. The last time she'd tried to win a contest was for concert tickets off the radio back in high school. But Neve kept reading. The card looked legit. But it couldn't be. People didn't just win random contests they didn't enter.

It nagged at her the rest of the day, and after a while, she finally went online and started digging. Someone would confirm it was a well-known scam, and then she'd be satisfied.

Except the opposite happened.

There were social media posts and articles and websites all confirming that the company behind the contest: IDA Worlds Travel was legit, even if it sounded like a typo. And the contest had been happening for years.

Could Neve have entered without remembering? Maybe it was some sort of credit card benefit?

She looked at the card again, and before she could give it a second thought, called the number.

Two days later, she was on a private plane.

It was a whirlwind, and it still didn't feel real, but Neve had decided to go along for the ride. This way, there'd be not temptation to go to her parents' holiday party. There'd be no guilt about not putting up a single decoration or pretending she cared about the holidays. She was going to a snow-capped resort where she would care about nothing but relaxation and rest for an entire week.

Paradise.

At some point, Neve fell asleep. It was strange. She was never able to sleep on planes. But maybe that had to do with being cramped between people who hogged the arm rest and reclined their chairs so she was wedged in with barely enough space to breathe.

She woke with a jolt and was disoriented for a moment, her ears popping and head going fuzzy.

Where was she?

On the plane. Right. Headed for a winter paradise.

She realized they weren't flying anymore when the flight attendant greeted her with a smile and urged her off the plane and ushered her into somewhere that definitely wasn't an airport.

Damn it. This had always been too good to be true.

Was she being kidnapped? What kind of kidnappers used a private plane for just one person? That couldn't be financially feasible.

Neve was panicking. She could feel it in the shape of her thoughts. Who had time to care about criminal finances when they had to run?

The flight attendant had disappeared, probably off to do some nefarious task. She was in a huge empty room, the walls a dark gray, light coming in through a large opening in the ceiling. There were no signs, nothing telling her where to go. And she didn't see a door.

She needed to get out of there. Wherever there was.

"Ah, you made it." A man's voice cut through her panic like a warm breeze on a cold day. "I hope your trip was comfortable." He had a slight accent, something she couldn't place.

She turned around and had to stop in her tracks.

Damn.

He was hot.

Hotter than hot.

Dark hair, cut short, with a slight curl that made her want to run her hands through it. Piercing green eyes. Broad shoulders. A chest that stretched the fabric of his white button up shirt.

If this was a kidnapper, maybe she didn't need to be too eager to run away.

"Who are you? Where am I?" It came out desperate, but she sounded more angry than scared. Angry was good. She could use that.

The man placed his hand on his chest and gave a shallow bow. "Of course, my apologies. My name is P—" he cleared his throat, "Lord Pine, and we're at my hangar on Vemion. I'm so glad you've agreed to all this. I hear it's difficult to find humans who know about dragons and are willing to leave their planet. I hope this will be a pleasant experience for the both of us."

Dragons.

Planet.

What?

Neve's mouth fell open, and she tried to speak, but she couldn't think of a single word worth saying.

The nervous breakdown that had been chasing her all season had finally caught up.