Aurum didn’t wait for him to finish his rant. “Good luck, Rorik!” he called, then slipped into the other room and shut the door.
I turned to Saffron and cautiously asked, “What isTitanic?”
Saffron’s demeanor changed, like I’d flipped a switch. His whole face lit up. He sat up straighter, wriggling with excitement and nearly bouncing on the couch. “It’s only one of the greatest romances of all time!” He gasped. “Should we watch it? Should that be the first movie I show you? No, that’s too much. And it’s really long. I mean, it’s nottoolong—it’s the perfect length—but not for a first-timer…”
Saffron went on a tangent, suddenly oblivious to anything else. He talked a mile a minute. His unfiltered passion took me by surprise.
Hearing him ramble on and on was… strangely endearing.
I stopped as if struck by lightning. What was I thinking? He wasn’t endearing. He was a dragon—my mortal enemy.
Although I still hadn’t witnessed Saffron actually shift into a dragon, like he claimed to be able to…
Could I force a shift somehow? But if I did that, I’d be at a huge disadvantage. Killing him in this form was much simpler.
It occurred to me that we were alone again. Just Saffron and me, sitting beside each other on the couch. Inches apart. I was close enough to count the hairs on his fragile head. Close enough to inhale his scent with every breath. It was spicy and sweet, pleasantly tickling my nostrils and making my chest squeeze...
I could smother him with a pillow right now and escape without getting caught.
My stomach clenched. Killing a fire-breathing monster was one thing; killing a cheerful little human who’d invited me into his room was another.
“Okay, Rorik,” Saffron said, chipper voice cutting into my thoughts. “Why don’t you choose?”
Damn. I’d hesitated for too long and missed my chance.
“Choose?” I asked.
“The movie. Duh.”
Saffron held an assortment of rectangular cases in his hands. They all had different pictures and titles, and none of them meant anything to me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand,” I admitted.
Saffron’s smile was patient. “Just pick whichever one you like. That’s the movie we can watch together.”
I wasn’t used to being asked for my opinion—especially not by an alpha.
This was a trick. It had to be.
But if it was a trick, Saffron was a master of deception. He bounced on his heels with barely restrained enthusiasm, eager for my answer, raring to go. Did he actually value my decision that much?
I reached out with my paw and poked a case with colorful drawings. “This one.”
Saffron scanned the title. “The Land Before Time. Awesome choice, Rorik! Man, I haven’t seen this in forever. It’s such a classic. I prefer romcoms myself, but animation is a close second.”
He dashed over to the huge TV. I’d never seen one up close, and it was bigger than the one Sheba and Knox owned.
Saffron swiftly popped a disc into a machine, then launched himself back onto the couch. His elbow brushed my fur again. I ignored the tingly feeling in my chest.
As excitement buzzed around Saffron like an electric current, I suddenly realized something. His intensity hinted at his dragon side. Each dragon hoarded something—jewels, gold, any precious item imaginable. Flanking the TV were rows and rows of cases. Movies must be a precious and valuable item, too.
“May I ask you a question?” I began.
Saffron’s thumb flicked over the controller, his eyes glued to the screen. “Sure.”
“Do you hoard… movies?”
His gaze snapped towards me. It was unnaturally fast. Dragon-like.
