Mav’s eyes went wide as he scrambled to back up. Ryu hissed, a frightening sound more similar to a komodo dragon than a cat.
“Whatever you are, stay the hell away from me!” Mav shrieked. He climbed to his feet and ran off. Ryu let him go.
Still in his dragon form, Ryu glanced down at me. “Are you okay, Scar?”
“Yeah,” I said. I couldn’t hide the trembling in my voice.
With a glow of soft light, he shifted back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before offering me a hand up. When I got to my feet, I realized my body was trembling.
“You’re shaking,” Ryu said. The corners of his mouth were turned down in concern.
“I’ll be fine,” I mumbled.
Before this, I’d always thought of Ryu as a small alpha. But now as he stood right before me, I realized he wasn’t small at all—he was almost as tall as I was. Not only that, but his entire aura had completely changed. He wasn’t some weak little alpha like I thought he was.
No, Ryu was a powerful, fierce dragon.
I blinked as he firmly held my gaze.
Had he always been so handsome, too?
“Scar?” Ryu asked again. He gripped my arms just enough to get my attention. I noticed I’d been staring at him.
“I’m okay,” I said, shaking my head.
What the hell am I doing?
My mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts right now, and I needed to leave before it got any worse. Splaying across the couch with a cold alcoholic drink would clear my thoughts, the same way it always did.
“You don’t seem well,” Ryu said. “Let me take you home.”
The instinctive part of me wanted to snap,No, I can do it myself!
But the words wouldn’t leave my mouth. My throat dried up. It was like the sight of the beautiful dragon had shaken me to my core. I was spellbound. All I wanted was to be near Ryu right now.
And that scared the hell out of me.
Ryu seemed oblivious to my mental plight. He lead me gently by the arm to break my daze. “Come on. Let’s take you home.”
Strangely, I didn’t argue. And that freaked me out even more. I’d lived the past fifteen years as a combative antisocial wreck, and suddenly one night with Ryu hadchangedsomething in me. I didn’t like change. Ifearedchange.
Whatever was happening with Ryu, I needed to stop it as soon as possible.
