Silence fell after she left. Then Riggs asked, “So this Caliel. Is he like another person living inside you?”
“Yes.” My thoughts were chaotic. What if Caliel was—what, fading? My heart ached as though it were pierced right through. In a short time, he’d become like a part of me. The thought of him disappearing was unbearable.
“So—he talks to you?”
I sensed how hard Riggs was struggling to grasp the concept. “Isobel inserted his life essence into mine, so that he could control the other things that live inside me. So he’s all there. At first, he resented it, but lately—lately, we’ve come to an agreement.”
Silence from Riggs. I felt safe and warm enveloped by him in the bath. It was more than that—it was as though Ibelongedthere, with him. But my thoughts were filled with worry about Caliel. Who had, unhelpfully, retreated down deep when I desperately needed words of reassurance.
At least he’d stopped trying to embarrass me in Riggs’s presence. But that thought brought more concerns—why wasn’t he? Was it a sign that Cara was right—he was fading?
“I dreamed of you,” Riggs said.
My attention snapped to him. “You did?”
“Yep. Only when I tried to reach for you—a Gryphon slammed down between us and blocked me.”
My mind spun. That Riggs had dreamed of me… well, I rescued him, so that might make sense. But what was up with the Gryphon?
“I wonder if it was Caliel,” he mused.
“Maybe you conjured him up?” I couldn’t remember when I’d told Riggs about Caliel.
“Maybe,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced. “What does he think of me?”
This was venturing where I didn’t wish to go. “I haven’t asked him,” I hedged. Although considering the involuntary eruptions and the general grumpiness around Riggs, I had a pretty good idea.
My mind returned to my main worry. I had to try to help Caliel. If the crystal dust would strengthen him…
I started to get up. The wet shirt clung to me. It wasn’t disguising much in this condition.
As soon as I thought about them, scales erupted over my lower half. And beneath the shirt, my upper body changed to fur. I didn’t sense Caliel’s influence until it spread to my chin and fingertips.
It was reassuring, in a way. I sighed, and struggled with the shirt. Riggs helped pull it off.
“Neat trick,” Riggs stated as he noted my new apparel. “Here, hold on.” He steadied me as I stepped out of the tub. When I wobbled, he started to rise.
The emerging abdomen streamed water, and my eyes dropped—if I saw what was about to emerge, I couldn’t be held responsible for the consequences.
Better to avoid it altogether. “I’m good. No, really. I will be fine. I feel much better. Stay and enjoy the tub.” I waved him back.
He hesitated, but with what I’d felt poking me in that water, he wasn’t in any condition to stand without considerable readjustment. And I managed to make it to the washroom door without falling flat on my face.
Cara was bustling around in the kitchen. When I emerged, she gestured to the table, and I gratefully lowered myself into a chair. Then she plunked a jar in front of me.
“Take as much as you can stomach,” she ordered, handing me a spoon. She walked to a cabinet on the wall and opened a drawer to pull out a crystal on a cord. Took a moment to add another, and she brought them to me.
When I placed the cord over my head, she said, “I’ll get some food in the oven.”
The fine crystals tingled as they went down. Guilt permeated me. I’d been told to take the dust, but I’d let that lapse since Isobel’s death. I’d never forgive myself if it had affected Caliel.
Cara interpreted my expression. “Worrying about it won’t help,” she said. “We are in uncharted territory.”
“Has the Gryphon inside Marcus gotten weaker over time?” I asked.
The Watcher grimaced. “I don’t know. Iskar seemed strong, last I inquired. But he and Marcus are just friends.”
When I raised a brow, she hesitated, before asking, “Just how close have you and Caliel become?”
