Page 89 of Dragon Tempted

Sienna closed her eyes for a moment when they came to a stop to give herself strength and to try and convince Veronica to shut up. As she opened her eyes, Ryan landed next to the blanket and furled his wings before sitting on the ground, grabbing his shirt, and putting it on.

A giggle sounded beside her, and she turned to see Lily and Bella dancing.

She smiled down at them. “Are you ready for another dance party?”

Lily beamed up at her. “Yes. We like that song. My teacher taught it to me.”

She glanced at Tessa to see if they had missed something, but she looked as confused as Megan and Ryan.

“What song, sweetheart?” Tessa asked.

Lily spun around and in a clear voice started singing “You Are My Sunshine” in time with Veronica.

The blood drained from Sienna’s face, and she tried to control her breathing so that she didn’t upset the girls. “You hear the voice?”

“Yes,” Lily said.

“What voice?” Megan asked.

Lily smiled. “Veronica.”

Ryan shot to his feet. “Holy shi-oot.”

Veronica started cheering. Yahoo. Lily and Bella are the best girls in the whole wide world! They deserve all the cookies!

“Cookies!” Bella hollered and Lily clapped.

Sienna’s legs wouldn’t hold her up any longer. John grabbed onto her before she hit the ground and lowered her down with him squatting next to her. Megan and Tessa both scrambled to their knees with concern etched on their faces.

“What are they talking about? Who’s Veronica?” John demanded.

She looked up at Ryan, whose pale, shocked face more than likely mirrored her own. “Ryan, can you take the girls inside for some cookies?”

“Of course.” As he wrangled the girls and they danced away, Lily sang again. Megan grabbed her phone and started typing on it.

John wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “What just happened?”

“Give me a second.” Sienna blew out a deep breath and then another, trying to make sense of everything. For once Veronica had gone silent. The back door of the house opened, and Eric and Adam jogged across the deck and over the grass.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Adam asked.

“You might want to sit down,” Sienna said.

Adam and Eric dropped down next to their spouses.

“I don’t even know how to explain what just happened because I don’t understand it myself,” Sienna said, trying to calm her heartbeat.

“Take your time,” Eric said.

Sienna nodded. “When I was little, I had an imaginary friend. I could hear her in my head all the time. As I got older, the voice didn’t exactly go away. I know that people talk about sometimes hearing a voice in their head telling them that something is bad, like their gut instinct. But my voice is more than that. She has no problem voicing her opinions at any time.

“When John and I walked up here a few minutes ago, my inner voice was singing ‘You Are My Sunshine.’”

Tessa and Megan gasped.

Adam looked between them. “What did we miss?”

“The girls started dancing, and Lily started singing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ at the same time,” Megan said.