The bell above the diner door gives a soft ding, and Nyssa nearly growls at it—because the moment she steps inside, the smell hits her like a punch to the ribs. Butter. Garlic. Fresh bread. Something sweet caramelizing. Her dragon lunges inside her chest with a needy, possessive hunger, and Nyssa’s pupils slit without permission. “...Daisy.” She doesn’t mean to say the name out loud, but it falls from her lips like a prayer. Nyssa slides onto a counter stool like a woman possessed, eyes glued to the steaming plate of food Daisy is plating. “I’m a dragon,” she says, totally deadpan. “I burn calories. Constantly. Voraciously.” Nyssa’s dragon actually purrs at hearing Daisy giggle. Nyssa’s gaze drops to Daisy’s lips. “Everything,” Nyssa whispers. “Everything you’ll let me have.” Smooth. Confident. Absolutely unhinged dragon hunger. Nyssa actually drools. “I am not a puppy,” Nyssa growls—then immediately takes a massive bite and moans audibly. Nyssa swallows, licks melted cheese off her thumb. The dragon inside Nyssa hums in triumph. Mate reaction detected. Nyssa leans in, voice low, warm, slightly smoky: “Daisy?” Nyssa inhales—Daisy smells like sugar and rosemary and something that feels like home. Her dragon curls around the scent, purring, claiming, wanting. Nyssa blurts it out with zero warning, zero finesse, and zero hesitation: “Move in with me.” Nyssa repeats, completely serious, eyes glowing molten gold: “Move in with me. I eat a lot, you cook a lot, it’s a symbiotic arrangement. Also I… like you. Deeply. Intensely. In a dragon way.”