Nim held Joanne. She was grateful he had come to her rescue. He was simply grateful for her. He was still amazed that she loved him, that she even gave him a second look. He’d never thought of human women as attractive. It wasn’t that they were ugly. It’s just they didn’t have scales or wings. Skin doesn’t glitter like scales do. And he’d always appreciated a nice pair of wings. Then, he met Joanne. Sitting in the darkened room, talking, looks didn’t matter. He found she was beautiful on the inside. The next morning, when he saw her in the light again, he discovered humans could be beautiful physically too. He was also captivated by her unusual eyes. He’d asked about them. She’d said that her grandmother was part of a group of people who all looked that way. He’d gotten the impression it was something she didn’t want to talk about. He’d asked Andy about it later. He explained that on Earth there were different races of humans that all had different features. Jo’s grandmother was part of a race called Asian, and one of the characteristics was the different eye shape. He also explained that Jo wasn’t really that sensitive about it but that she may have not understood that he’d had no experience with other races of humans. That she found him attractive also amazed him. He had drawn many human men. He knew what human women liked, and he didn’t have those features. And, as a dragon, he was bigger than most, and he was copper. Large was not attractive to women dragons. And copper had to be the least desirable color. If he had to be metallic, why couldn’t he be silver or at least gold? But, Joanne didn’t think like a dragon. She was attracted to his muscularity. She said he was ruggedly handsome. She also liked his copper scales. She lay in his arms. He thought she was falling asleep. She hadn’t moved for a while but then, she looked up and kissed him. “Joanne, will you be my chosen?” He asked. Of course, she didn’t understand. “It’s kind of like being pledged,” he explained. “We want to be mates, we’re planning on it. We just haven’t yet.” “Like being engaged to be married?” Joanne asked. “I think so. I think Andy used that word in place of pledged sometimes.” “Nim, I would love to be your chosen.” She kissed him again. “I think we're bonding,” he said. “I felt you getting upset earlier.” “Is that bad?” “Only if we can’t be together.” “Then, we’ll be together. We’ll find a way.” “We will,” he agreed. “What kind of investing do you do?” She asked. She seemed uneasy. “Oh, I just said that because it would sound impressive to your mom. The only investing I’ve done was a long time ago. One of the kings needed some money for some expedition.” “Where did you get that kind of money?” Was it the money that was making her uncomfortable? “I inherited it. This was not long after my parents died. It sounded like an important trip, and I didn’t need the money.” “The expedition wasn’t a success?” Nim shrugged. “I’m not sure. That king died before they returned. It’s not a big deal. The only thing I need money for is parchment.” “I like that about you. You keep things simple. You don’t seem to be tied down to things. Here, at least, too many people who have money focus more on it and what it can buy rather than people. You’re the opposite.” He squirmed. “Would it bother you if I had money?” “How much money?” She eyed him. “I don’t know the exchange rate.” “Are you serious?” It was definitely the idea that he had money that made her uncomfortable. “I used to sell my art. Some of the commissioned pieces I was paid nicely for. I was also paid for being Ann’s mentor, and I was paid to be rear entrance guard. I don’t have a lot of expenses, so I guess it’s adding up.” “You guess?” “I’d have to check with the bankers. They handle most of it.” “You trust them?” “I double check stuff once in a while. They know about my memory and that I’ll notice if they change something, so they are honest. Besides, they know I’m a dragon. You don’t mess with dragons.” “Really?” “We breathe fire you know.” “So I’ve been told.” She sounded skeptical. “Let me know if this gets too hot.” He sat up and took hold of her hands. He held them close to his mouth. He grimaced and then breathed on them. His breath got warmer and warmer. Pretty soon it was quite hot. Joanne pulled away. He lay back down, grimacing and holding his chest near the scar. “Are you okay?” Joanne asked, concerned. Nim nodded. “It’s just from the scar tissue. It makes it painful to breathe fire.” “What happened when you went mad-dragon? You said that lasted for hours.” “I hurt for a week. I don’t remember much about while I was mad, but by recounts, it didn’t slow me down much. It probably made me worse. Intense pain can do that.” “You’re all warm.” “I’m supposed to be. It’s a good way to keep warm, curl up near a dragon’s belly. I get really hot when I actually breathe fire.” “I think you’re already hot,” Joanne said. Nim smiled. “I think I know what that means.”