Magnus. I like it. It suits him.
“Magnus,” I repeat out loud and stare at him.
“We’ve got a lot to discuss,” he remarks, watching me closely.
“I’d say, Magnus.”
“No one calls me that.” Pyro’s eyes seem to shift, and he looks partially amused.
Well good. I’ll keep calling him Magnus orshorten it to Mag. I don’t want to call him what everyone else calls him.
I don’t know why, but I like the idea of having something so personal.
Before either of us can say anything else, a nurse comes in, sees I’m awake, and smiles. “Well, you’re awake just in time. We’re moving you out of the ICU.”
“Um, okay,” I murmur quietly. I don’t know why I’m even in the ICU.
“Because you were hurt badly and had brain swelling,” Pyro’s voice comes through gruffly in my head.
The nurse looks to Pyro. “You’ll have to join the others, but you can let them know we’re moving her to Room three-twenty-five.”
“I’ll let them know.” He nods, gets up, eyes on me. “We’ll talk once they move you. Your brother hasn’t been in. He’s refused to come in here. Said he couldn’t. Not until you were awake.”
I frown at his words only to feel the pain seep in a second later. Cason had been mad at me. Furious more than anything. He didn’t want to see me in here.
“He’s beating himself up.” Again, Pyro penetrates through my thoughts.
“Stay out of my head, Magnus.” I glare at him, earning a smirk in return.
Pyro leaves the room, but I can still feel him close. It’s weird.
Another nurse comes in and the two talk to me like I’m an idiot while getting me ready to move. I can’t stand being talked down to or treated like an incompetent. I’m anything but. Instead of biting their heads off like I want to, I bite my tongue instead.
Thirty minutes pass before they have me moved into a new room with my leg still up in the sling. I must have really done some damage to my leg for it to be in this thing.
Before the door can close behind the nurses, Pyro is stepping through. How in the world did he know they were done?
“I’m able to cloak myself. It’s how I was able to stay with you, and no one saw me.”
I didn’t know dragons could do something like that. I stare at him with wide eyes, wanting to ask how that’s possible, but I can’t seem to think of the words.
“Best way to answer the questions spinning in your head, Carina, is to say, I’m a dragon, but my mother was a witch. I inherited gifts from her that make it so I can use them when I’m not in my dragonform. I can cloak myself and do other things,” he explains.
“Whoa.” I breathe, unsure of how to handle that little tidbit.
Pyro leans in, his nose brushing against my cheek as he moves to whisper in my ear. “We’ll learn more about each other later, right now we gotta deal with you being in here and getting you out.”
A shiver rushes along my spine at the sound of his voice, the huskiness right there at my ear, it all does something to me.
When he pulls back, I make sure to school my features. No way do I want him to see his effect on me. Pyro’s eyes meet mine, and he cocks a brow.
“You gonna be good with everyone coming in here?”
It’s nice that he asks, but my family is always welcome even if Cason hates me.
“Inferno doesn’t hate you, Carina. Man’s tearing himself up with guilt.”
“Can you stay out of my head?” I snap, glaring at him.
