“So you haven’t been able to introduce Mykie to them?” I felt somewhat guilty for how satisfying that felt. I was his only riding partner; other than the mystery individual he wasn’t ready to talk about. Given he was largely my sole companion, I was grateful to have an exclusive role in his world.
“The scales of her kind seem to cause confusion in the dragons; they look like their prey. It made it difficult for my species to befriend hers during The Redevelopment. Pyran dragons caused some trust issues after preying on Arielna townspeople.”
“TheRedevelopment?” I cocked a brow, absent mindedly spooning food to my mouth.
“Are you not growing tired from so much learning?” He grimaced sheepishly before taking his first bite.
“Learning new things is all I have,” I muttered with a shrug. “Otherwise, I’d remain a naïve blank slate.”
He nodded, resting his bowl on his thigh. “The Redevelopment was a movement that began millennia ago. As you know, there are many species on Trebianna. Some look like us, while others don’t.”
I recalled the seven species:Pyrans, Arielnas, Mercurians, Lychan, Thornians, Sirens, and Quadmos. Each one existed on varying levels of the human-looking spectrum, with Pyrans and Lychan occupying either polar end.
“During The Redevelopment, standards were set on how to cohabitate multiple intelligent species safely within a region. With all of us being traditionally predatory, some species learned how to mask the ‘scary’ features to express docility. Treaties had to be made to take each other off the menu. Neutral lands were formed, and slowly, they formed the society you see now. My people were early converts who attempted to spread the word of the movement. As I said, this created an unfortunate introduction when they flew into Arielna territory.”
“Is that why your body changes?” I tried not to remember the way his bronze eyes had burned into me this morning too vividly, lest mysmellannounce my reminiscing.
“Yes. Sometimes the natural features slip.” He watched me closely.
“I don’t mind. I’m not scared if that’s why you’re still hiding them.” I wanted to remove another brick from his wall, and knew I could be comfortable with the fangs, glowing eyes,and any other anomalies. If it was more authentic for him to let those features show, then I was team predatory Graysen.
“That’s very kind.”
“No really,” I insisted. “I’d rather you be comfortable.”
He grinned, flashing his fangs. “I appreciate your reassurance more than you know, but I don’t feel the desire to change forms. If somebody told you to stop wearing clothing, you’d still cover up, yes? Once etiquette is established, it’s somewhat unnatural to unlearn.” His teeth were already returned to their rounded state.
“But it slips when your focus does?” I tried to read between the lines. I couldn’t imagine where to begin transfiguring myself into a new shape, much less how to have control over its maintenance and removal.
His head tilted side to side uncertainly. “Something like that. You eat with a fork, but you might use your hands if you were starving. I mask being feral, but it happens when the situation demands.”
“Feral?”
“Feral is when your features slip without your control.”
“Is Mykie always in her…feralstate?” I laughed but quickly cut my voice off to measure his response. Hopefully that wasn’t an offensive question. The term “feral” in this context felt gross on my tongue. Was there a negative connotation if it was associated with losing control and primitiveness?
I assumed with relief that my intentions were clear when Graysen cackled.
“Mykieis always feral, butArielnas are not,” he joked. “Arielnas didn’t agree to mask their features, so there’s no real slipping up to happen. Same with Lychans who haven’t figured it out despite their efforts, and Sirens who are separated enoughfrom the rest of us to not bother. But Pyrans, Mercurians, Thornians, and Quadmos did learn to change themselves to one degree or another in the name of intermingling.”
“I like that Mykie is so unique. I think the scales suit her.” I tossed a twig into the flames, lazily contributing to its burn. “She’s an unexpected best friend to see with you.” Mykie had been blunt, unapologetically herself, and bold since I met her. It was a stark contrast from Graysen’s calculated demeanor of outward calmness and presumed inner chaos.
He shrugged in agreement, taking his last bite of dinner. “Nobody’s perfect. We just have different demons.”
“What are yours?” The words left my lips before I could second-guess them. I had intended to be more discreet with my personal prodding, but it was out there now. The best I could do was attempt to appear casual, like it was any other conversation. Like I wasn’t holding my breath for a piece of his puzzle to be handed to me.
As I feared, neutrality washed away his engaged expression immediately. He wasn’t going to let me read anything in his eyes. “I’d rather not discuss the past. It distracts from what’s right in front of me.”
“If you ever want to talk about it—” I softly smiled with arched eyebrows, hoping my genuine desire to support him was evident. It was the least I could do to repay him.
He remained stone-faced, but I faintly heard the strike of his finger against his palm in his lap. “Let’s just say that I wasn’t a very happy person for a while. The chaos in Mykie’s life complemented my own.”
I nodded deeply, hoping to express I was listening and trying to understand. Hell, I was trying to read between the lines desperately. “Are you feeling better these days?”
“Slowly, but surely, my dear.”
“Between Mykie and me, you seem to have a taste for drama.” I tried to lighten the mood—anything to crack the returned façade.
