Sometimes, dragons are a girl's best friend.

Aer was my best friend in high school. Okay, I had a huge crush on him. Then he disappeared. But, now he's back and he's in some kind of trouble. He needs my help. I should say no, just on principle, but he's too cute to resist.

Did I mention Aer is a dragon?

Having a dragon for a boyfriend might not be a bad thing. Of course, first I have to help him rescue his brother--and save the Rikashi, an entire race of dragon shifters.

Excerpt

There was a dragon on my kitchen table. A real live, wings folded, scaled dragon. Aer called himself Rikashi, but he certainly looked like a dragon to me.

I'd guess he was about two feet from nose to tail. His wings were carefully folded along his sides. The scales covering his body were the same beautiful navy blue as had covered his chest before and, I realized, the color of his hair when he was in human form. His deep purple eyes shone with the same intelligence as when he was human.

He looked up at me expectantly. I guess he thought I might scream or run away, and to tell the truth I'm very surprised I was sitting there calmly -- not entirely calmly but still I wasn't freaking out as much as I thought. I had an overwhelming urge to touch him, wondering what a dragon felt like.

"Can...can I touch you?" The question came out as a whisper.

He dipped his head and slipped it under my fingertips, allowing them to brush his navy scales. They were cool to the touch, smooth, the edges a little sharp. He leapt from the table to my shoulder, draped himself around my neck, and rubbed his snout against my cheek. He was a lot lighter than I expected.

"Your brother is the same size?" I asked and then wondered if he could talk to me in this form. His answer came not in words but as an image in my mind. I saw Aer in this dragon form and next to him another dragon, bigger by about a foot, with violet scales and brilliant blue eyes.

"That's your brother?" Aer leapt back to the table and nodded. "I should be able to carry him if I have to."

Good God, was I stupid? I was actually beginning to think this crazy plan could work. And not only was I thinking that it could work, I was thinking about going along with it.

Another image formed in my mind, this one of me turning around. I gave Aer a questioning look, and he walked over to the other side of the table, lifting his clothes in his mouth. "Your clothes don't just kinda shift with you, huh?"

He stamped one clawed foot impatiently and hissed. Even though he couldn't speak, I could almost hear a "Damn it, Phi."

"All right, all right, I'll turn around."

I turned around and noticed the shiny, new, stainless steel toaster on the counter across from me. I was pleased to see that the mirror bright finish provided a nice reflection of Aer. From the waist up only, but that was better than nothing.

"No peeking."

"Of course not," I said, grinning to myself as I admired his well muscled chest. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Reviews:

* "An entertaining tale that's obviously been well though out..." - Romance Reviews today

* "The pages of this book contain imagination and adventure..." - 4 stars - Ghostwriter Reviews

* "The Quickening is wondrously written, humorous and sweet urban fantasy." - 5 stars - E-cataromance

* "...the words seem to leap off the page; the writing is so vivid and imaginative..." - You Gotta Read - You Gotta Read Reviews

* I found The Quickening a pleasure to read, one of those books that is a torment to put down..." - Best Book - Long and Short Romance Reviews

* "This shifter/romance is light hearted and quirky. - 4 Paw Prints - Howling Good Books

* "The Quickening by Antonia Tiranth is one of the best new books I've read in months." - Manic Readers

* "...this book reels you in from the first chapter..." - 4.5 Delightful Divas - Dark Diva Reviews

* "It's a charming romance story with a little twist of intrique and mystery." - 5 Pixies - Dark Angel Reviews