Good one, I say.
Her half smile tells me she thought so too. “Look, with Gideon and Mom and Dad coming back with us later, you really need to get things cleaned up before they come.”
“I don’t want Rufus and Gordon to have to sleep outside while they’re here,” Sammy says. “Why can’t Asteria do it?”
“She is, too,” Jade says. “Remember? Gideon will be with you, and Mom and Dad will be with me.”
Hyperion, like me, flatly refused to leave the premises with Thunar prowling around. I can’t blame him for that.
“But it’s not fair that Hyperion and Azar don’t have to go,” Jade says.
“That’s why you shouldn’t have bonded a crappy old strike blessed,” Coral says.
“My dragon’s prettier, more polite, and listens better than yours,” Jade says. “And she smells better.”
“That’s enough,” Liz says.
But Coral and Jade continue to talk.
“Enough,” Liz shouts.
Shockingly, the small ones listen, all except Fluff Dog, who starts barking as if she’s responding to Liz’s command. Liz scoops her up with a smile, petting her on the head like it’s totally fine for the little ball of fur to throw a tantrum.
“It really seems like you reward her bad behavior,” I say.
Liz frowns. “Well, maybe I do sometimes, but she’s so small that she can’t get into much trouble.”
Fluff Dog scowls at me, like she understood what I said and doesn’t appreciate the criticism. When Liz isn’t looking, I glare back. She whimpers in a very satisfying way.
“We won’t be gone long,” Liz says. “So go clean up, please. Hyperion will stay nearby to make sure Thunar doesn’t get any stupid ideas.”
When Liz tosses her head, I walk to the edge of the room, hop off the shelf-like overhang and shift into my flame blessed form before reaching the ground. I’m liking my human form more every day, but it’s still undeniably weak.
What did I just witness? Thunar’s voice is the least-welcome thing I could imagine.
He circles and lands just as Liz exits our home.
You can take a human form? Instead of being angry, he sounds. . .curious. I was told the earth blessed could no longer do that since their power upgrade.
“I’ve been able to give two dragons that ability,” Liz says, “with the help of the heart, but it was tiring, and I’m not at all sure I can replicate it.”
Thunar stares at Liz for a moment. Then he exhales loudly. Try it with me. I want to see whether I can forgo the human bond.
I refuse, I say. It’s dangerous and draining for Liz, and we have plenty of humans now for you to bond. That makes the risk unnecessary.
Thunar’s glare isn’t full of fury. He looks irritated, more than anything. I don’t care whether it tires her. She’ll attempt this modification for me before we attack the vanir.
“We aren’t attacking them,” Liz says. “We’re going to defend the humans when they next attack.”
Thunar’s expression of irritation deepens. Words, words, words, but they mean the same thing I just said. You will give me this power, or I won’t aid you.
You can’t change the deal. Liz already?—
But Liz cuts me off. “Sure, I’ll try.” She glances my direction. He needs more understanding and empathy. His dad tried to kill him. I mean, it was his fault, because he challenged his dad on his wedding day, but still.
Thunar looks as irritated about her comment as I do about being cut off.
Fine, I say. But not now. Later.
