I bit down on my tongue hard enough to taste copper. The sudden pain diverted my attention for a few moments. It afforded me enough time to bolt out of the room and make it outside the hotel.
As I gulped down the fresh air, I already felt the hard ridges of my dragon’s spine bubbling beneath my human back. I gasped, falling forward on all fours on the ground, panting hard. The hot sand spiked into my palms—another distracting bite of pain.
With eyes clamped shut, I breathed through the instinctive urge to shift.
Not yet. Not now. Get to Muzo first.
I hauled myself upright, then ran towards the inlet. Every footstep sank deeper in the sand than normal. My dragon’s weight was still there, a reminder of his bid for freedom.
Blood pounded in my ears as I reached Muzo. He kneeled by the edge of the stream, his arms wet from the elbows down. Poppy was next to him. Upon my approach, I noticed the camera crew edging closer in my peripheral vision. I didn’t want them present for this conversation. I steeled myself.
“Muzo,” I said under my breath.
Muzo jumped excitedly at the sound of my voice. His face lit up. “Cobalt! You came back!”
The pure joy he radiated soothed my dragon’s fury. Slightly.
Poppy’s fur stood on end. He turned around with wide eyes, but didn’t interrupt.
“I need a moment with you, Muzo. Alone,” I muttered. I wasn’t trying to sound angry, but with my towering position and shaky voice, I was afraid I might’ve seemed that way.
Thankfully, Muzo never misunderstood my intentions. He tilted his head. “Sure. Oh, lemme grab my bucket.”
He picked up the handle and followed me towards the edge of the forest. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. My skin felt tight. I didn’t know how much longer I could contain my dragon.
The camera crew toddled along behind us, but as we reached the treeline, I whipped around to glower at them.
“Stay where you are,” I growled.
They exchanged confused glances. I was the big boss. I paid their salaries. They were trying to do their jobs, but now I was ordering them not to.
I didn’t care that the entire show was meant to be filmed—I needed to speak with Muzo privately. The whole world didn’t need to be part of this conversation.
Besides, if my dragon broke free, the crew could easily film from a distance.
Muzo paused, unsure. “Not that I don’t love getting whisked away by you, but, uh, what about the challenge?”
“This will only take a minute.”
“Okie doke.”
The two of us—and Muzo’s bucket—stopped in a clearing in the forest. A chill rolled down my skin. A storm was about to break.
There was no good way to bring it up, so I just started.
“I overheard you talking to Poppy on the live stream,” I said.
Muzo’s mouth pulled into a frown. “Oh.” He hung his head. “You heard, huh?”
I didn’t like seeing him shrink into himself. He was already so small. I stepped closer and put my hands on his arms, clutching him dearly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
Muzo bit his lip. “About the not-having-an-apartment-anymore thing?”
Pain stabbed my heart just thinking about it. “Yes.”
Muzo’s gaze fell to the ground. “I was having such a good time. I didn’t want to bring it up ‘cause I didn’t wanna worry you. Besides, I’d figure it out on my own. No need to burden anyone else with my problems, right?”
