People dashed past me, almost running. I didn’t really think much of it, because drakcol jogged along the halls all the time.They were all obsessed with fitness to an extreme level—maybe even to an unhealthy level. This time, most people who rushed by were wearing uniforms, not workout clothes.
My pulse picked up as sweat slid down my spine. I felt, all of sudden, like all these running people knew something that I did not. I looked over my shoulder, but the drakcol had disappeared from sight. When I faced forward, I had a split second to see something hurtling toward me.
I shrieked when something smacked into my face and wrapped around my head, sending me to the ground. Pure terror knifed through me, cutting off my breath. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t react. Something had gotten me. Memories assaulted me and sent my stomach up my throat.
“Pookie,” Teddy yelled, yanking the thing off me.
I flipped over and puked. What little I’d ingested this morning splattered the blue moss. Trembling, I vomited again, bile burning my nose. A hand touched my back, and I flinched away, crying, “No!”
“Vince,” Teddy whispered. “It’s me.”
“No,” I repeated before puking again. “No.” I shook my head. I couldn’t do this. I was done. I wanted to be done. I needed to move past this. Why the fuck couldn’t I?
“Vince,” a deeper voice said, and I looked up.
Don was in front of me, his hair mussed and his scales shiny like he’d been running. I felt my chin tremble, but I fisted my hands and willed my burning eyes to suck the fuck up. He crouched and cupped my cheek, waiting.
Please, I thought. I didn’t want to lose it here.
Calm descended, and I took a shuddering breath. My eyes closed, and I instinctively shifted toward Don, needing reassurance from him. His other arm slowly slid around me, then pulled me until I was nestled against his chest with hishand holding my face. His warm scent seeped into my lungs, and finally, I was safe.
“I have you,” Don whispered. “I always have you.”
I took another intoxicating inhale and shifted back enough to see Teddy, who was holding a literal monster. It was white with floppy ears like a rabbit, eyes that went in two different directions, a pig snout, snaggle teeth, and six spider legs that hugged its body, though each one had tiny paws, complete with toe beans, on the end. It was like a mad scientist had jammed all the spare parts from other experiments together and called it good.
“What the fuck is that?” I asked.
“What the fuck isthat?” Teddy asked, gesturing to Don and me.
“Oh, yeah. Me and Don are friends with benefits.”
Teddy stared at us for a minute, then said, “Okay.”
I grinned. “That’s it?”
He shrugged. “Am I supposed to say something else?”
I laughed, pushing out of Don’s embrace, and stood. I snagged his hand, keeping him close. I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye. “No. Now answer my question.”
Teddy held out the monster, whose tongue lolled as it snorted. “This is Pookie. We are currently running from Mindy.”
My pulse thrummed. “What? Why? What did he do?”
“It’s a sex thing, I believe,” Don replied, tightening his hold on my hand.
A deep flush spread over Teddy’s cheeks, extending down his neck and up to his ears.
I laughed. “I see. He hunts and gets to keep his prize.”
“Something like that,” Teddy muttered.
“So, Pookie?” I asked, and when it heard its name, it snorted and its legs thrashed. I flinched and pressed closer to Don.
“She won’t hurt you,” Teddy said, squeezing her and making her snort. “She loves everybody and wants to play. She didn’t mean to scare you. Though that’s how she terrified Seth. Caleb finds it funny. He wears her like a hat.”
My eyebrows raised. I didn’t believe I’d ever heard Teddy talk so much in one go.
“She’s not in trouble,” Don said, gesturing to the writhing creature in Teddy’s grasp. “While many have complained about your pet, Bartholomew, I see no merit in taking her from you.”
