“You, too.” I looked at the others. “Have fun. I’ll see if you’re still playing when I’m done.” I brushed my lips over Cody’s and walked off with Malcolm.
When we were halfway between Sedum Hall and Quartz Building, Malcolm said, “Be careful what you say. Dragons can hear quite well.”
“I know.” I resituated my bag on my shoulders. “I was trying to word it carefully. The trouble is they’re always around.”
“You can make an area soundproof if you want.” He guided me away from some other students. “I can show you after class. It might not hurt to do it to your room to keep Marcy from overhearing Cody and for times when you want to be intimate.”
Heat flooded onto my cheeks, and I looked away from him.
Malcolm chuckled. “It is too easy to embarrass you, and the scent—” he sucked in a deep breath “—is intoxicating.”
Feeling exposed, I folded my hands over my stomach. “Does it …” I broke off and tugged my hand through my hair. “Never mind. Do you know if Val tasted my blood?”
“No.” Malcolm flashed his fangs at me. “I have enough willpower not to be tempted. If I didn’t owe you a great debt … maybe.”
“How’d you … Never mind. What about Val?”
“He says he did not.” His pupils elongated before turning round again. “Do not let him. He has no willpower.”
“I didn’t realize what he was doing last night until I pushed him away.”
He nodded. “What did you do with the bloody shirt?”
“Tossed it in my trash can.”
“Burn it when you get back.” Keep your blood away from all of the dragons until we figure out who is controlling Mavros. Trust no one.
“Yeah, Mavros and Tye have both told me that.” I chewed on my lip. “What did Aurelia say?”
He shook his head. “She hasn’t yet. I will tell you as soon as I hear from her.”
D
When class ended, we found the others in the gym. Justin Serpent, one of the guys Cody had played basketball with when we first started going to Phlox University, had joined their game. Cassandra sat against the wall reading a book.
I walked up to her. “Not a basketball player?”
“I don’t like to sweat.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Want a couple more?” I asked when Tye was throwing the ball in.
He looked at me and said, “You better join my team. They’re skins.”
Malcolm pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it on the floor, and ran onto the court to join Cody’s team. While I took my hoodie off, I let my eyes rove over Cody, Malcolm, Cash, Val, and Justin. The dragons were built like bodybuilders, and Cody and Justin were lean, sculpted muscle.
I shook my head and ran in. As I did, Tye threw me the ball. He ran alongside me as I dribbled down the court. Dan cut through the lane, and I passed to him. He turned and shot. Cash jumped up, swatting the ball out of the air.
I raced down the court after it, but Cody got there first. “All right?” he asked.
I nodded. “You?”
“About to score.” He smiled mischievously.
I planted myself in front of him and stretched my hands straight up into the air.
He crashed into me, and I fell back, sliding across the court on my butt. Cody looked like he might break. “Sorry, Dacia.”
“Part of the game.” I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet.
Dan and Bryce ran up to us. “Definite charging foul on that one.” Bryce smiled at me. “Welcome to the team.”
Samantha and Arianna came in and sat by Cassandra. I held the ball out. “Want to play?”
“No.” Samantha looked at the teams and shook her head. “You’re on the wrong team, Dan.”
He blushed and pulled his hand through his hair. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” She held up her book. “Homework.”
I looked at Arianna. “Do you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ll sit this one out. Make sure nobody’s cheating.”
Since everybody else in the game was six to twelve inches taller than me, I let Bryce throw the ball in. Even though the dragons had more stamina, the teams seemed fairly well matched.
The physical activity helped release some of my tension. Malcolm kept Val away from me as much as possible, stepping in to guard me or sending Val to block Tye or Russ. When Val neared me, he breathed in deeply and moved as close to me as he could. His eyes widened with pleasure, and one of the other dragons knocked him away.
Sweat must have been an intoxicating smell to dragons, too. I wondered if there was anything that wasn’t or if everything I did amplified the scent of my power.
After our game, we all went to Sedum Hall for ice cream. We pulled two tables together and sat compatibly. Bryce, Cassandra, and Justin sat with the dragons laughing and joking, and I wondered how they’d feel if they knew what they were. Bryce and Cassandra suspected they were other, but they had no idea that they were the top of the food chain.
When we got back to the dorm room, I walked straight over to the trashcan to burn my shirt. I dug through it twice, not believing it wasn’t there.
Malcolm. My thought was frantic, and he appeared in my room within a second of my thinking his name.
Cody, Samantha, and Dan looked at him, then at me. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open. Malcolm held his finger to his mouth. “Are you okay, Dacia?” He looked confused. You were panicked.
I pointed at my trashcan. “It’s gone.”
He walked over and sniffed the air. “Val.” He disappeared.
“What’s this about?” Dan asked.
“Last night, Val licked me.”
Samantha stared at me with a dazed look. “Why would he do that?”
“Okay.” Dan chuckled. “That’s weird.”
“I had blood on my arm, and apparently it’s powerful and tempting.” I paced away from them. “Malcolm wanted me to burn my shirt when we got back”—I pointed at
