“Intensity,” Matt rasped. “You were right aggro when you cactused the feral Dire. And we—well, we were intense, too.”
I gritted my teeth, wishing the Dire would speak proper Formal. But he might be on to something. “So as long as she stays calm, the talent is leashed. That—makes sense, actually.”
“But we don’t know that for sure,” Anna protested.
Before I’d thought it through, I walked right up to her. “Test it then. Touch me.”
Her eyes widened, and she backed a step away. “No. No way.”
If she didn’t explore the parameters of what she could do, she’d be forever crippled by fear. “Anna, you have to know. As a Dragon, I am sensitive to life energies. I will know right away if you pull any of it from me.” I gazed down at her. “Touch me.”
Her beautiful eyes flickered up at me, and she caught her lip in her teeth. Then she licked them, a flash of her pink tongue.Shards, did she have any idea what that did to me? But there was no acknowledgment in her eyes—she was totally unaware.
Which was, I told myself, a good thing. “It’s okay, Anna.” I kept my voice calm, matter-of-fact.
“Do it, Angel.” Matt’s voice was a shadow of its usual self.
Anna reached trembling fingers up to my jaw, hesitated, and then touched me.
The lightest feather trace of her fingertips. My heart did a complete flip, and electric tingles shot from the contact straight through to my core. My Dragon shrieked, clawing at me.
I’d never had it do that—before now.
Shards.
Her eyes sought my own. “Are you okay?”
I reached up and seized her hand, flattening it against my cheek. When she tried to pull away, I held it there. Her citrusy scent wafted over me, and my heart accelerated. A tremor ran through me as phantom wings beat through my mind.
“Talakai,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”
No.No, I wasn’t. I swallowed and scrambled for what she needed to hear. “What I feel has nothing to do with you pulling energy from me. Rather the opposite, in fact.” The honesty of my assessment shocked her, but it did the same for me. I hadn’t intended to tell her that.
And it wasn’t entirely true. I sensed that something within her reached for what was deep within me. Dark. Seductive.Hungry.But it didn’t frighten me. Rather, I wanted more.
Much more.
She gazed up into my eyes, searching them for the truth. And the truth was, I didn’t want her to let go.
“Stay at the academy,” I said, not recognizing my own voice. “This is the only place where you can learn control.” Reluctantly, I removed my hand from hers. Did my best to ignore the pang—a sharp piercing yank on my heart—as she pulled her fingers away.
“Do I tell Amadeus? The instructors?” The fear trembled in her voice, and I shared her distress. The academy headmaster did not have a flexible mind.
Matt had another idea. “The Watchers would be a better first bet. They can go to bat for you with Amadeus.”
Anna rubbed her temples with trembling fingers. “Why would they do that?”
“Because they believe in tapping into the powers offered by the hybrids,” Matt replied. “The council needs that power. They get it. Amadeus is an administrator—he’s all about things operating smoothly.”
I had to agree with that assessment, and said so. “That’s a sensible approach. I believe the Watcher named Bess is staying at the academy until Cara returns.”
Anna stiffened. “I’d rather wait for Cara.”
Matt’s mouth straightened. “We don’t know when she’s coming back.”
Her reluctance was obvious. “If she isn’t back in a day or so, maybe I’ll talk to Bess. If it is only surfacing when I’m emotional, then all I have to do is stay calm until then.” She pulled her elastic out of her hair and rebound all the loose strands.
I breathed a little easier as she pulled herself together. “We have Night Games tonight,” I reminded her.
