His Adam’s apple bobs. Seeing him vulnerable like this, it stirs something deep inside me. I was turned on this afternoon when I hugged him, but Goddess, him standing there with his hair mussed gives me the strongest urge to run my hands over his silk pajamas. I bet they’d be soft. Silk over hard muscle. I wonder if his skin would taste as good as he smells. Mmmm.
His nostrils flare, and he looks at me, his eyes widening. He clears his throat. “The ring. Tell me about it.”
With a start, I refocus on the page and start drawing again. “Right. It’s the most complex and dark magic I’ve ever seen.” I add what I remember about the second layer of magic. I use labels to break out the details: the symbols, the smells, the taste at the back of my throat, the tingle on my skin. Everything. “Honestly, I’m not doing it justice, but it’s impossible to record in a two-dimensional drawing. And I can’t remember all the details. Was it a lambda or a nu? Shit, I can’t remember. I hate that I can’t record what I see while I’m there.”
“Why can’t you record what you see? I thought you used it to write music before. You would have had to take notes while you were using. Hell, you did entire concerts while using.”
I finish sketching and lean back. “Yes, but I need both hands to pull apart the enchantment on this ring in order to see the moving parts.” I show him how I do it, even though now, without the gold dust, nothing happens. “It’s as if I’m holding open a window. I’d have to close the window to take notes. Or record my voice. Maybe if I narrate what I’m seeing.” I shake my head. “I didn’t know what I was dealing with before. I’m going to have to go back in, and when I do, I’ll be ready.”
He scowls, looking concerned. “You came down hard, Zoe.”
I shrug, rotating my drawing a quarter turn on the desk. “I have maybe a third of what I observed. There’s no way I can analyze it or even start to experiment with antidotes to the magic unless I get this right.”
When Seb doesn’t say anything, I look up at him. “Are you okay?”
“Did my dragon…interact with you while you were studying the ring?” he asks, but his voice sounds funny. Almost strangled.
“Not exactly.”
“Specifically, then.”
“Huh?”
“You said my dragon didn’t interact with you exactly. What does that mean, specifically?”
I frown. “He watched me and seemed to watch the aspect of the goddess I was communicating with. Honestly, it was nice having him there. I’ve never had anything conscious on that plane with me.”
“Oh.”
“Why? Is this still bothering you?”
He swallows hard, his hand tugging at one ear like the question makes him nervous. Is he sweating? “You should know, my dragon has taken a particular interest in you.”
“Hey, are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.”
He laughs. “Don’t worry, it’s not catching.”
I squint at him. “What do you mean that your dragon has taken an interest in me?”
He sighs, his silhouette cutting an enticing figure against the shadowy hallway. “It’s just a thing with my species. Sometimes dragons can become…fixated.”
I put the pencil down and stand from the chair, moving toward him. “Hey, you literally changed my piss-stained clothes. I think I can deal—” My head starts to spin before I reach him, and I sway on my feet.
He lunges forward and sweeps me into his arms before I can fall.
“I keep ending up in your arms,” I say, blinking up at him. I mean it to be funny, but it falls between us, oddly intimate. The awkward moment is made even more awkward when my stomach growls.
“You’re hungry.” His brow bunches.
“Gold dust burns a ton of calories. And I could really use some water. Can you point me in the direction of the kitchen? I haven’t had a chance to give Patrick that list yet.”
“Point you in the direction…” He laughs. “Like I’d trust you to make it there without cracking your head open.” He starts walking down the hall with me still cradled in his arms. “No. I’ll give you the full-service treatment.”
I can’t resist laying my head on his chest and closing my eyes.
Chapter Sixteen
SEB
