“Great. Knew you would.” He stretched with a content sigh, letting his free hand fall over the edge of the raft to mingle with the water. “That omega really likes you, you know.”
“Why are you talking to me about this?” I barked.
“Because you’re childish,” Gaius said through a grin.
“Watch your fucking—”
“Mouth, I know, see? This is what I’m saying. Always so quick to anger. I don’t blame you, though. Sometimes the world and the people in it just piss you off. I get that.”
I felt like I was going crazy. Why was Gaius lecturing me? I’d had enough of his crap.
“Why don’t you write a fucking memoir instead of bothering me with your worldlywisdom?” I snapped.
Gaius stroked his chin. “That’s not a bad idea. But it’s way more work than having a simple conversation.”
My lip curled in frustration. “Well, this conversation feels pretty one-sided.”
“And whose fault is that?”
My jaw dropped. How dare that feathered asshole talk to me like that? I cooked up a nasty retort, ready to lob it at him, then suddenly paused.
Gaius wasn’t the one freaking out. I’d been the fool for taking his bait every single time. I was so worked up and tangled in my feelings that I wasn’t really hearing him. I just wanted to argue because I was already pissed off.
Releasing a sharp exhale, I downed another gulp of the soda. The cold drink and fizzy bubbles helped me focus on a sensation that wasn’t my own irritation.
“Fine,” I conceded. “Let’s talk, Gaius.”
“On my raft?” he asked, excited.
“Hell no.”
He looked ready to shed a single, TV-perfect tear. I snorted. He should’ve been an actor instead of... whatever the hell he was. Our Dragonfate Games host, sure, but beyond that, he was just a weird guy who hung out with us dragons. He’d always been around with no rhyme or reason.
Gaius halfheartedly paddled to shore and joined me on land. He hiked the inflatable raft over his shoulder and held his fancy drink in the other, then nodded at a patch of shade nearby.
“Then let’s do it where we won’t get burnt to a crisp, eh?” he suggested.
I didn’t argue. I followed him to a small rock outcrop hanging over the gentle waves, shielded from the oppressive sun by a canopy of palm trees. I shimmied out of my leather jacket. As much as I preferred to keep it on, the heat was too much, even for a dragon.
“So.” Gaius took a loud, obnoxious sip of his drink. Now that he was closer, I saw the stupid silly straw he was using. “What’s up?”
“I thoughtyouwanted to talk,” I grouched.
“How long are you going to avoid Poppy?”
His blunt question hit me like a truck. I stared at him, too jarred to speak until I stammered, “I’m not—”
“Avoiding him?”
“Stop doing that,” I barked.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing right now. Why else would you be here talking to me instead of spending time with him?”
The words died in my throat. When he put it that way, there was no avoiding it. Iwasignoring Poppy.
“I have to,” I mumbled. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Gaius swirled his straw around, clinking the ice in his drink. “So, tell me the tale. You met him on your world travels, right?”
