I made a mild protesting noise, remembering the heat, the metal on hot stone…
“Except to their mates,” Ignatius continued with mild amusement. “This game lends itself to ice dragons—”
“There’s more than one type?” I interrupted again.
“Yes, but not in regard to you two. Not all dragons can produce fire and ice, or regulate their body temperature. We sense something in other species—”
“Taranis Rees,” Keegan said confidently, and Cole didn’t look surprised.
“Baelor Varga,” Cole guessed, and Keegan nodded.
“I think Coach is, but I'm not sure,” Keegan mused.
“And are all hockey teams like this?” I asked.
Ignatius shook his head. “We have maybe three hundred dragons worldwide. I believe, although there isn’t any proof, that like calls to like, even when it isn’t understood.” He fixed his steady gaze on Cole. “And it could be a complete coincidence.”
Cole squirmed. “You don’t think it’s cheating? Even bound I can outskate so many.”
Keegan chuckled. “If it was cheating, I wouldn’t still be a rookie and trying to prove myself.”
“And if my father wasn’t obsessed with business deals and the money I can earn him, I’d be locked up,” Cole said, sadness in his voice.
“Which is why you’re staying here,” Ignatius decreed. “I know Keegan will take care of you on the rink. I can make sure your father cannot access you elsewhere.”
Cole’s lips twisted. “How?”
But Ignatius smiled. “You’re not on your own anymore, Cole. And we’re very protective of our own. Besides.” He smiled and glanced at me. “Mates are also very protective.”
Sure, I thought. Except the ones that were being blackmailed and likely to screw you over. But we’d go with that.
We finished eating, and it was clear that Cole was exhausted, and Doryu showed us to our room. He never suggested we sleep apart, but after he left, it was awkward. I had a million questions because I felt like I was stuck in an episode ofStranger Things, but the five thousand dollars was still weighing everything down, and I had no idea what to do.
“You don’t have to do anything.”
I jerked in shock and for one sick moment thought I’d said all that out loud, but Cole continued, and I took a breath. “I mean, I don’t want you to feel obligated to be involved in my problems. I’m not your responsibility.”
Wasn’t he? But then why did I feel like he was? I didn’t wait for him to finish. I just stepped in front of him, close enough that he’d have to look at me or turn away completely. My heart was pounding, and I hated that I couldn’t hide it, but he didn’t flinch. He just stood there, all hunched shoulders and haunted eyes, like he was bracing for a hit.
“You’re not a problem,” I said, and I tried to make the words soft. “And I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you tell me to.”
He didn’t answer at first. He just stared at my hands, like he couldn’t figure out what to do with his own. The silence stretched, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Not really. More like we were both waiting for something to shift.
I reached out,slowly so I didn’t spook him, and put my hand on his arm. Just a touch. Just enough to say I was here and I wasn’t going to leave.
He let me. He let out a shaky breath, and some of the tension drained from his shoulders. I squeezed his wrist gently and waited.
“I don’t want you to get dragged into this,” he whispered. “My father…the council…it’s all fucked. You saw what happened on the ice. I can’t control it. I don’t know if I ever will.”
I shrugged. “You don’t have to. Not tonight. You just have to get through tonight.”
He looked up at me then, really looked, and the exhaustion in his eyes made my chest hurt. “You’re ridiculous,” he said, but there was a smile in it, somewhere under all the pain.
“Yeah, well,” I answered, “so are you.”
He huffed out a breath. “I’m so tired, Phoenix.”
I swallowed. “Then let me take care of you.”
