He returned my smile, but I thought he looked a little strained as he stood up. “Looking forward to tucker,” he stated.
Mari frowned, and then interpreted. “End meal?”
“Supper,” I confirmed as I retrieved the trailing end of Trix’s leash, and we headed to the building. “Need a shower, but it will have to wait.” I glanced at Matt. “Sorry.”
He arched a brow. “For what?”
“I must smell repulsive, and you have a bionic nose.”
He simply waggled his brows as we pushed through the front doors, but when he answered, his voice had a throaty undertone. “Angel, nothing about you is repulsive. Trust me, you smell like heaven.”
The tone, and the words, sent my heart into gymnastic maneuvers that would do an Olympian proud. For an instant, our eyes met, and his glowed emerald.
Oh, man.
I swallowed and pushed my weakened knees to climb the stairs. Between Matt and the freaking Dragon, I estimated my chances of calm, sensible team-oriented behavior to be nearly nil.
My eyes glanced to where a certain tall, graceful form ascended ahead of us, braided gray hair swinging behind him.
Add in Sebastian, and I had no chance at all.
30
Talakai
I took the stairs three at a time, all the way to the roof. My wings were already bursting free from my shoulders before I pushed through the door.
It felt so good to let them loose—I embraced the pain of transformation with a sense of relish. The frustration had been building all day. Frustration, mostly, with myself.
My safety relied entirely on hiding my true identity from these people, and yet as of late, I had done nothing but behave like a fool. Today it had reached new heights, starting with showing off to Tyrez in special abilities class—I shifted lightning fast, and blitzed through the partials. Then the disastrous fighting session. What had I been thinking? Instead of bumbling my way through, Iunleashedmyself. By the time I thought to pull my punches, and let the Dire shifter win, I’d already revealed far more than I wished.
Matt was good—I’d give him that. But even the Emperor’s Legion weren’t trained like I was. I’d learned to fight to win. Those that didn’t—well, there was a reason the Guild wasn’t up to its eyeballs in operatives.
I needed to blend in. So why hadn’t I done so?
It was true that deep-cover subterfuge was not my strong suit. Stealth I could do. I could drift into a situation like an evening breeze, accomplish my goal, and glide out again without anyone knowing I was ever there.
But that was part of who Iwas. Pretending to be something I wasnotwent against every grain of my Dragon being.
I’d thought I could manage it for three months. Most of the training program was nothing more than a rehash for me. The teamwork angle was new, but I figured I’d be able to play along.
I had never been so wrong.
I might have managed it, I suppose, if it hadn’t been for the woman with a heart-shaped face and golden-blonde hair. She’d changed everything. Just byexisting. And it was getting worse. I could pretend otherwise, but my beast knew the truth—and it had driven me to challenge Matt while we fought today.
Ridiculous. Anna hadn’t even been within sight of us, but there it was. The big Dire had a connection to her, and I had to—what? Prove myself worthy?
None of it made sense.
None.
At this rate, I wasn’t going to last a week as a recruit.
I took off before my Dragon body was finished transforming, flapping hard for altitude and seeking the solace flying usually offered me.
But ten minutes in, I knew it wasn’t going to work. Anna followed me with every beat of my wings. Her lovely face and unusual eyes. That determined set to her jaw.
And above all, her scent.
