Mrs. Ivanov's gentle face was pale and bewildered, her wrinkles falling in on themselves as though they'd given up trying to hold on to any expression other than sorrow.

So, Sheriff," she said. "How do you feel about a life of crime?

It's about damned time," he said in a husky voice. "If I had to wait five more minutes to kiss you, I think I probably would have turned into a dragon myself.

What do you envy?"
Liam gestured around the Airstream. "All this. You travel around the country , no roots, no ties, having all sorts of adventures and meeting new people. It must be nice not to constantly have folks tugging at you, expecting you to solve all their problems for them, knowing everything about you down to whether you wear boxers or briefs."
Baba raised an eyebrow, and he flushed a little.
"Briefs. But that's not my point.

You were thinking about the hunky sheriff. I don't blame you. If I weren't a dragon, and a male one at that, I'd be drooling over him myself." He lifted his muzzle to look at her. "So what are you going to do about him?"
Baba sighed. "Probably something truly unwise."
"Excellent," Chudo-Yudo said. "About time. No one should be wise all the time. Not even a Baba.

I love you," he said, holding her close and running his fingers through her tangled hair as if he couldn't believe she was still in his arms. "I think you've cast a spell on me, wicked witch that you are."
Baba thought that if this is what it meant to be wicked, she was all for it.