I grin up at him, relieved to see that he's himself. But he doesn't miss how I'm starting to shiver in the cold of the night. He quickly scoops me into his arms, heading inside.
“Welcome back,” I murmur, brushing dirt off one of his broad, golden shoulders. “Did you hunt?”
“Actually, I don't remember what I?—”
Baelfire cuts off with a loud snarl, whirling to face Silas and Everett, who are waiting in the hall that leads to the mother-in-law’s suite.
“Relax, dragon,” Everett begins with an eye roll.
But Baelfire is getting hot. Literally hot. His skin is almost uncomfortable to touch, and when I peer into his face, I see how on the brink he is, a feral gleam in his eyes as he bares his teeth.
He’s extremely on edge.
I pat Bael's shoulder as comfortingly as I can. “How can I help?”
He frowns, backing up from the hall and taking a deep breath. “I don't know. My territorial side is going fucking crazy. I just…I need a second alone with you.” As usual, his shifter emotions swing drastically, and he beams down at me excitedly. “Hey, wanna see my old room?”
I nod. Maybe this will help his beast calm down more, but I’m also interested to see what his old room looks like. I look at the others over his shoulder as he turns to stride away.
“We'll come back to bed soon,” I assure them.
Tell your pet to mind himself. If he loses control again and hurts you… Silas warns telepathically.
He won’t,I assure him.
Baelfire turns down a dark hallway I haven’t seen yet.
Don’t stay up too late. You need a lot more rest,Everett grumbles.
I grin to myself. My perfectionistic ice elemental doesn’t like having our beauty sleep getting interrupted.
“Poor fuckers are going to awkwardly lay on opposite sides of the bed in total silence while they wait for you to get back,” Bael laughs, opening a door to the right.
He slips inside, still carrying me. I should probably remind him that I like to walk on my own, but fuck it. He's warm, and I’m enjoying his slight singed cedar scent. When Baelfire flips on the light, my brows bounce up.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, I used to be into photography. Hey, I’m gonna shower off this shit really fast, if you don't mind.”
I nod, distracted by his old bedroom as he sets me down.
It’s simple—a big bed, a dresser, a desk, and a small bookshelf. The bookshelf displays a few books beside mementos like sand in a bottle, souvenir shot glasses, magnets, and so on.
There’s also a dreamcatcher by the door, which explains why I can no longer sense Crypt’s presence in Limbo nearby—he can’t get into this room.
But my attention quickly returns to the walls of Bael’s room.
They’re covered in breathtaking photos of remote landscapes. Awe-inspiring mountains, a tempestuous ocean, a desert glowing in rich sunlight, dazzling lightning storms, towering red rock formations, and countless others. Most of them are taken from staggering heights, which I guess is an option when you have wings to get to the very tops of mountains.
I’m so caught up in admiring scenes unlike anything I’ve ever experienced that I nearly bump into Baelfire’s desk. On it is a camera case, a brochure for Everbound University, a pile of old homework, and a small jar full of…
“Are those your scales?” I ask, knowing the dragon shifter will hear me just fine from the small attached bathroom where he's just stepping out of the shower.
“Yeah,” he says, toweling off as he walks up behind me. “Weird fact, dragon shifters treat their first shed scales kind of like humans treat…” He scratches his neck. “Shit, I don't know enough about humans. It’s like baby teeth, I guess? They're sentimental, so my siren dad stuck them in that jar.”
I examine them, remembering my conversation with Silas about why he wants Baelfire's scales.
But when I turn to broach the subject, I again getveryfucking distracted. Mostly because Baelfire is studying me with a startling intensity, and he is clean, naked, and completely erect.
