Firestone Hot Springs Texas heat

Your first paragraph made me chuckle heartily.

She seemed to have pushed the right buttons. He looked surprised for a beat, then a thundercloud darkened his brow. Koontz felt a little disconcerted—he was a stranger and she had no idea if he might have a temper (My guess is yes, she thought)—but she stood her ground. Her ears tipped ever so slightly backward as he fired several sarcastic questions at her. The heat still prickled along her shoulder blades, yet she somehow felt calmer when he referred to them as Dragonswatters. Not only was the word funny in its own right, it sounded ridiculously puerile, especially in his deep voice.

"The idea is that we are the dragon and that we watch over our treasure: our members and our lands," Koontz answered. "My name is Koontz," she reminded him as he snidedly referred to her as Miss Metaphor. "Or Ms. Redleaf-DiSarinno, if you're going to go that route." She paused, then: "Do you have a name?" She resisted randomly assigning him some childish nickname. Koontz's voice was light but her pale eyes were bold as she looked straight at him.