“Start with whatnot exactly a dragonmeans,” Paul suggested, settling against the cushions like a kid at story time.
“Okay.” I hesitated again but wasn’t sure why. I mean, Paul had already seen my monster and he hadn’t been scared, but that was in the heat of the adrenaline filled moment and he hadn’t really mentioned it again. Bracing myself, I decided to tear the scab off. “I’m a basilisk,” I said and held my breath. Whatever response I’d expected, it wasn’t for Paul to burst out laughing. “Um, that’s funny?”
“Telling me that you’re a fictional creature fromHarry Potter?” Paul snickered. “Yep. That’s funny.”
I had no idea how to respond to that so I just sat and looked at him, my brow furrowed in confusion. It took Paul a minute to realize I wasn’t responding.
“Wait,” he said, coughing to clear his throat. “Are you serious?”
“As a cat in a pack of dogs,” I confirmed.
Paul frowned. “Does that mean yes?”
I held back a laugh and nodded.
“Basilisks are real?” Paul asked incredulously.
I nodded again.
“That’s why you were able to freeze that prick that grabbed me,” he said slowly. “And my stepmother.”
“Technically, I partially turned them to stone, but yes,” I admitted, still watching him closely.
“Wow.” Paul was staring at me in amazement. “Will they die?”
This time the chuckle broke free. “Eventually, but not because of what I did.”
Paul’s eyes widened and then he realized what I meant and he laughed, too. “You’re such a jerk,” he huffed, shoving me gently. “So, what happens after you turn someone to stone?”
“It depends,” I said with a sigh. “If the transformation is complete, they die. If it’s only the first layer of muscle like I did to those two and your father, it actually wears off after a day or two. They’ll feel like they were run over by a truck but they won’t have any real damage.”
Paul’s mouth dropped. “You got the Senator, too?”
I winced. “Yeah, I meant to tell you about that when you were feeling better,” I hedged, standing up to retrieve a large manila envelope from the kitchen counter. I watched as Paul opened it, nodding with understanding as he read the enclosed document.
“Why did he bring the parental rights waiver if he was going to try and kill us?”
“No clue,” I admitted. “And I didn’t really bother to stick around once I knew you were hurt. I turned him and booked. Rafael stayed to make sure that they survived, but I haven’t heard from him. So, I have to assume all is good.”
Paul cocked his head, but when his next question came, it was on an entirely different topic.
“You said you didn’t want any secrets, but you never did tell me why such an amazing Alpha was still available when ODI needed your help,” he said.
I drew in a deep breath, suddenly wondering if it was really better to flay myself wide open than it was to give in and distract him with sex, but from the glint in Paul’s eyes, I was pretty sure we’d just be circling back to the question once the endorphins had worn off. One more deep breath and then I started talking.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter
Sylas
“How much do you know about dragons?” I asked, trying to gauge where to start.
Paul shrugged. “Not much, I guess,” he admitted, scrunching his face. “You know, other than they’re big and fly and breathe fire.”
I held in a laugh. “Okay, they also live a lot longer than humans.”
“Oh, yeah,” Paul agreed. “I guess I did know that.”
