“They didn’t know.” I set my food down. “I had to leave quickly, and only Cody knew where I was because he was with me.” I didn’t want anybody to know Malcolm and Cash had helped me. There was always the chance the wrong people would overhear, and they would have to face the consequences of their actions. I’d protect them as long as I could.
Bryce pulled out a chair for Cassandra, then sat next to her.
“Why’d you have to leave?” She pointed at the Nephilim. “Them?”
“Yeah. They decided it was time for me to go with them, but we got it worked out.”
She lifted one narrow eyebrow at me. “If it’s worked out”—she did air quotes around the last two words—“why are they still here?”
“They’re just keeping an eye on me to make sure I stay safe.”
“Or so they say.” Cody shoveled food into his mouth like he’d been starved since we’d been gone. “Don’t trust them.”
“Me either.” I looked at them and wondered if, like the dragons, they could hear what we were saying.
“Where did you go?” Dan asked.
I pressed my lips together, debating what to say.
“Can’t say.” Cody saved me from making the decision. “Might have to disappear again.”
“I can tell you that I’d’ve rather been here.” I took a drink of my water. “I felt just as trapped as I would’ve been in their sanctuary. I had to stay hidden at all times, so they couldn’t track me. It wasn’t a vacation.”
“And now you’ve got so much homework to catch up on.” Samantha fiddled with her bracelet. “That’s not going to be easy.”
I shrugged. “If it gets done, it gets done. All we can do is our best.”
“I’d be so stressed.” Samantha’s face paled at the thought. Grades were more important to her than they were to me these days. In high school, I would’ve gone crazy at the thought of getting less than an A on any assignment, but now, I was more concerned about surviving and keeping my friends safe and saving the world. Grades had slipped several notches on my list of priorities.
Cassandra flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t give her more to worry about. She’s got enough.”
“Oh.” Samantha’s cheeks reddened. “I don’t mean it like that.”
“It’s okay.” Dan grinned at her. “I’m sure Dacia understands.”
As soon as I swallowed the bite in my mouth, I said, “I do. I used to obsess about grades, too. Now, I’ve got dragons, demons, and Nephilim to worry about.”
“Dragons?” Bryce stopped with his sandwich halfway to his mouth.
“Yeah.” Mentally, I slapped my forehead. “I forgot you didn’t know.”
“There are dragons here, and you weren’t going to tell us?” Cassandra practically yelled.
Samantha held her finger up to her lips, but Cassandra wasn’t paying any attention to her.
I pushed my plate forward, doubting I’d have a chance to eat any more. “They were more of a concern last year when they were under Draconian’s control. Now—” I shrugged. I didn’t know what I should say.
Malcolm stood up, came to our table, and held his hand out to Cassandra. “We won’t even eat you.” He flashed his fangs at her and allowed his pupils to turn to slits.
She leaned away but placed her hand in his. “All of you.”
“All of us.” Cash turned in his seat and smiled at her, and the others waved. “Dacia freed us. Now we’re here to protect her.”
“So, what are Nephilim?” Bryce asked.
I nodded toward Diana and Olivia. “Half angel and half human.”
Cash growled, and Samantha, Dan, Bryce, and Cassandra all backed away from him. The last Samantha and Dan knew I’d been terrified of Cash. They didn’t know that he’d been one of my protectors, and I couldn’t really tell them in case I had to leave again. I couldn’t risk one of the other creatures reading their minds and finding out. As far as I knew, only Cody, Malcolm, and Aurelia knew the truth.
“Sorry.” He breathed in deeply and grinned at me. “They get under my skin.”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t blame him, and after what he’d done for me, I couldn’t be mad at him for having a little fun.
“So, your bodyguards are dragons in human form?” Amazement filled Bryce’s voice. “Will we ever see you as dragons?”
“We have.” Dan pointed his fork at Samantha, Cody, and I. “We were even dragged off by them. I’d say we had the scars to prove it, but Dacia and Aurelia healed them.”
Cassandra’s mouth hung open slightly as she looked from each of our faces. “You’re kidding, right?”
“They’re not.” Malcolm lowered his head. “We were under the control of a madman and had no choice but to do his bidding. Unlike the demon, we weren’t strong enough to rebel.”
I grabbed hold of his hand. “You were under his control much longer than Mavros was. You also didn’t care about me.”
“You’re right.” Malcolm pulled away and wiped his hands over his face. “But we should have. We knew Draconian was evil. We just didn’t care. We thought all humans with magic would be like him.”
“Live and learn.” Cody shrugged. “We survived.”
Samantha drank the last of her tea, stood, and picked up her tray. “And now we have new friends.” She turned toward Cody and me. “You want to get to class early. Don’t you?”
“I suppose we better.” I grabbed my tray and stood. “See you in class,” I said to Bryce and Cassandra.
The dragons walked amongst us, not surrounding us like they had in the past. Olivia and Diana followed us, keeping further away, not watching us quite so closely.
Dr. Cedar wasn’t in the classroom when we got there. We took our usual seats in the back and waited for class to begin. As soon as he entered the room, he started talking about Psyche and Eros. For once, I actually managed to listen and take notes.
When class
