“But youarea man,” she said softly.
“I’m abeastin the shape of a man,” I snarled. “A dragon wearing the skin of a human.” I lifted my hand, showing her the claws that had extended from my fingertips in my anger.
“Still don’t believe me?” I smiled, running the tip of my tongue over the canines that had lengthened in my mouth. Her jaw dropped open at the sight and I stepped closer, making her look up to hold my gaze as her mouth shut with a click. My hand automatically went to her neck, my thumb caressing her tripping pulse point.
“The dragon within me likes you. Very much.” My thumb drifted up from her neck to glance fleetingly over her lips, which parted on a whispered gasp. “He wants me to take you—toburymyself in you and make you scream in pleasure—”
Her amber eyes had grown dark and dilated, and her tongue came out to moisten her lips but caught my thumb instead. The wet heat on my skin made me groan, and I pulled her closer with the hand around her throat.
And she wouldletme, I knew. She would let me do all this, and more. My blood was pounding in my veins and I was hard as a rock—
“But it’s not real.”
Seranni blinked and her eyes, which had been fogged with lust, were now bewildered.
“Whatever you’re feeling right now, it’s not real,” I said, my voice hoarse and strained. My hands twitched at my sides, aching to touch her again, but I forced myself to step back. “The beast within me is calling to the magic within your blood, that’s all.” I dropped her chin and stepped back, doing my best to ignore my body’s reaction to her nearness. My eyes flicked toward the floor, unable to meet hers. The shame was too raw, too heavy. “My dragon has decided that he wants to mate, and the magicin my blood is forcing you to feel the same way.” I turned away, suddenly feeling sick at how close I’d come to hurting Seranni.
The words felt like acid on my tongue, burning away any pretense I’d tried to maintain. Taking a deep breath, I avoided her gaze, hoping that by distancing myself from her, I could quell the storm raging inside me.
“And that’s why I’ve been avoiding you,” I said heavily, feeling hollow. I pressed my hand against the stone wall, the rough surface grounding me as my thoughts spiraled. The silence stretched, oppressive and unrelenting. The warmth of Seranni’s presence behind me was like a pull I couldn’t resist, even as I told myself to stay away. She deserved better than the twisted creature I’d become.
I didn’t want to see her eyes fill with disgust when she finally realized what had almost happened, how I’d betrayed her—
Then something hard smacked into my back.
“What—?”
I turned just as another object flew at me, this time grazing my cheek. I ducked instinctively, looking down to see what she’d thrown. A quill lay on the floor, its feather bent at an odd angle. I stared at it in confusion, my hand brushing against my face where it had landed.
“What are you doing?” I asked, astonished, my voice sharper than I intended.
“You IDIOT!” Seranni’s voice rang out, sharp and exasperated.
I straightened slowly, turning to face her fully. She stood by the table, her hands balled into fists, her cheeks flushed with a fury I hadn’t expected. I blinked, utterly dumbfounded. I had expected heartbreak, despair, betrayal—but not this. Not exasperated ire. She sprang up from her chair and stalked over to face me.
“Isthatthe only reason you’ve been avoiding me all these days?”
I nodded, still too stunned to form coherent words.
Seranni stopped in front of me, her chest rising and falling with indignation. “Listen to me carefully, Kael,” she said, her voice low and deliberate as she reached up to take my face in her hands. Her touch was firm, grounding me in a way that made my chest ache. “Because I need you to understand something.”
I swallowed, her intense gaze rooting me to the spot. I could feel the warmth of her palms against my skin, and I knew that my dragon—my unruly, reckless dragon—was preening under her touch.
“Other people’s magic doesn’t work on me,” she said, her voice steady despite the fire in her eyes.
“What?” The word slipped out before I could stop it.
She nodded, her thumbs brushing gently over my cheekbones. “Magic from others has never worked on me,” she repeated.
I blinked, looking down at her to see if she was lying. But her eyes were wide and earnest, drawing me into their liquid depths.
She shrugged. “When I was a child, a travelling mage from Osmaria stopped by our town. He made his money doing tricks for children, he made the miller’s daughter float in the air, and changed the color of the mayor’s hair and eyes. He did it for all the other children, too, but the only one it didn’t work on was me.” She sighed. “Maybe it is because I have magic, too?” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Her words should have soothed me, but doubt clawed at my chest.
“Do you understand?” Seranni ran her thumbs over my cheeks again when I remained silent. “I’m saying you never affected me with your magic.”
But—
