Malcolm reappeared in the middle of the room, holding Val by the back of the neck. “Where is it?”
Val cowered. “It smelled so good. I had to have it.”
“What did you do with it?” Malcolm growled.
Val exposed his throat to Malcolm, then rubbed his head against him.
“Where?”
“In my cave.” Val’s voice was soft. He trembled and kept his gaze on the ground. He rounded his shoulders, making himself appear smaller, submissive.
Malcolm’s grip on Val’s neck tightened. “Take me there now.”
They disappeared and within minutes returned. Malcolm held my shirt out to me. “Burn it. From now on, burn anything that gets your blood on it. No matter how insignificant it seems.”
I grabbed my shirt and lit a fire in my palm. Blue flames engulfed the shirt. Both Val and Malcolm sniffed the smoke. Val reached forward, and Malcolm smacked his hand down. “Control yourself, Val.”
“I try.” Tears pooled in Val’s blue eyes. “She smells so good. I want to keep her safe, and I want to be close to her. I don’t want to hurt her.”
I dumped the ashes into the trashcan and stepped closer to Val. “It’s okay.”
He put his arm over my shoulder and smelled my hair.
“If you want to protect me, you have to stay away from my blood.” I rubbed his head.
He leaned into my hand and nodded. “You smell so good.”
“Okay, Val.” Malcolm pulled him off of me. “Go back to Aurelia’s room now.”
Samantha looked at Malcolm. “Aren’t you going to go, too?”
“He’s with me.” I put my hand on Malcolm’s arm. “He can keep me from going to Mavros when he calls.”
Dan nodded. “Well, welcome to the club.” He turned to Cody. “You ready? Russ said he’d head over with us.”
Cody pulled me into his arms. “Nothing stupid, okay.”
“Never.” I brushed my lips over his. “Be careful.”
Russ waited in the hallway for them. As soon as they left, Malcolm said, “If you ladies want to shower, I will send Arianna down with you. She should be able to keep Dacia safe from Mavros.” He grinned at me, and I knew he was going to try to embarrass me. “If you’d rather, I can turn invisible and guard you.”
I swatted at him. “We’ll take Arianna.”
“You know”—his features blurred—“I could’ve chosen a female form.” A beautiful black woman stood in front of Samantha and me with long hair braided in cornrows. She put her hand on her hip and winked at me with Malcolm’s eyes. In a more feminine voice, she said, “You could’ve called me Melony.” She laughed and turned back into Malcolm.
“That’s creepy.” Samantha shoved clothes into her bathroom bag. “So, what made you choose this form?”
“Nobody’s ever asked me that before.” He pointed at the chair.
“Sit wherever, whenever.” I pointed to the fridge. “There are drinks in there. If you’re going to be here, you might as well make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you.” He nodded at me as he sat. “This body was the first non-dragon form I ever took. It came to me naturally when I was trying to become something else, so this is the alternate form I am meant to take. It takes less concentration and less magic for me to hold this form than any, other than my own.”
I thought of the first time I’d transformed into something else. I’d unintentionally turned into Mavros as his dragon. Aurelia told me that if other dragons knew I’d transformed into one, they’d kill me. She’d wanted to, and she was protecting me. Since they had no qualms about becoming humans, I didn’t understand why it would bother them so much, but if the first shape dragons took was their preferred form, what did that mean for me? “Would the same be true for me?”
“I’m not sure.” He tilted his head. “But, it seems like it would.”
I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. “You’ll be here when we get back?”
“Until you don’t need me anymore.”
Chapter 14
Watching Me Sleep
Malcolm’s low growl woke me up. “What is it?” I rubbed my eyes. With the campus lights shining in, he was illuminated enough for me to see.
Cody sat up, curling his arm around me, but didn’t say anything.
“Mavros has been calling you for over an hour.” Malcolm didn’t look at me, just stared at the window. His hands clenched the arms of the chair.
The room was chilly. Shivering, I rubbed my hands over my arms as I walked to the window to look outside. Sure enough, a large, black panther paced restlessly, gazing up at my room. “I haven’t felt his call. Thank you.”
Malcolm grinned at me but said nothing. His straining muscles made me realize that it must take a massive amount of energy or concentration for him to do this for me.
“Do you need anything?” I placed my hand on his arm. “Energy? Water?”
He shook his head. “Go back to sleep. I will keep you safe.”
I lay on the couch and snuggled into Cody’s embrace. “Wish Aurelia woulda done this,” he breathed in my ear.
I remembered all the times Mavros had called me to him, all the times I’d come back and seen the torment on Cody’s face, all the times he should’ve walked out but didn’t. “It would’ve been nice, but she wasn’t allowed to interfere.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I know.”
L
Mavros stands in front of me, looking out at the lake. The waning moon is high overhead. His hands are in his pockets with his thumbs sticking out. “Your dragon won’t let you come to me.”
The wind blows across the lake, and I shiver. Mavros takes his coat off and slips it over my shoulders. I nuzzle into its warmth. “That’s the point of having him there.”
“Don’t you want to see me?” He looks genuinely hurt.
Shaking my head, I say, “Not if you’re going to attack me. I imagine you won’t get away with not using your venom again.”
“No.”
