Viol grinned. “I like this one already.”
“Not cool. Edgy and unnecessary,” Cobalt grumbled. “If you’ll excuse us, Viol.”
Viol sauntered out of the way. He grabbed the railing, casually leapt over it, then shifted half-way down.
Cobalt huffed and marched down the hall before I could see the rest. “Don’t mind him.”
“Who’s minding? I think he’s cool,” I said.
I felt the immediate rumbling growl in Cobalt’s chest.
“Not cooler than you, obviously,” I corrected, grinning up at him. “I’ll always think you’re the best, Cobalt.”
He paused. “Do you mean that?”
“Duh. You’re only the biggest, nicest, most thoughtful and awesome dragon I’ve ever met.”
His maw curled into a smile. For a dragon, he was oddly expressive.
When we reached a nondescript door, Cobalt finally shifted back to human form. I still felt as safe and warm in his arms as I did in his paws, but now he was noticeably naked. Too bad I couldn’t check him out properly since I was curled up bridal-style.
Cobalt carried me into a shockingly simple room. A king-sized bed, a dresser, and a desk were the only pieces of furniture. The back wall was a window that overlooked the ocean. There was nothing overt in the room that screamed ‘Cobalt.’
“This is your room?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Before I could probe further, he plopped me on the bed while he rummaged through the dresser. He threw on a simple white T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms and a pair of dark blue jeans that showed off his shapely ass—I mean, nope, definitely wasn’t checking out his butt.
Dressed now, Cobalt walked towards the far wall. “Come with me.”
“Sure,” I said. “But, uh, where exactly are we going?”
I only saw three plain walls, plus the huge glass window. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t anywheretogo.
In any case, I followed Cobalt. He stood in front of a wall. Was he going to meditate into another dimension or something?
But then I noticed a subtle handle blending into the wall. There was a door right in front of me and I hadn’t even noticed it.
“Whoa,” I said excitedly. “Cobalt, you have a secret lair?”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Kind of.”
He pushed the door open. Blue light flooded into the room like a beacon.
“Welcome to my hoard, Muzo.”
Sixteen
Cobalt
I had never before letanybody into my inner sanctum.
But now, it was time.
Muzo’s jaw dropped as he stepped into the chamber. His pupils dilated as they adjusted to the difference in light. He looked like a statue as he clutched the bucket and stared into the water-filled glass enclosure surrounding us. It spanned from floor to ceiling, stretching across all four walls.
My hoard wasn’tinthe room—itwasthe room.
