“I shifted in the bath and the water got really hot.”
“Yes, our body heat during a shift seems to be especially high. You’ll eventually be able to control your body temperature with your internal fire. It’s magical; you’re not literally on fire inside.”
“Riley described it as being on fire inside. She said she can see her flames inside her body.”
“That’s how she controls her magic. She must be a, how do you say it… seeing person? She uses pictures to learn and process information.”
I laughed. “Visual. Where I’m more of a do type. I have to physically do whatever it is to learn it.”
“Exactly. I’m the same.” He grinned. I was pleased that we had something in common as well.
Before I knew it, the light in the windows darkened, and Roan stuck his head in the door. “You two getting hungry yet?”
Doryu grinned. “Starving.”
Roan jerked his head out the door. “Come eat.”
I turned back to Doryu, who was standing. I had to take a moment to appreciate his bulk and the vivid shades of pink of his scales. “Should we change back first?”
He shrugged. “Sure. I get a lot of stares when I’m pink. It’s known as a very feminine color here?”
I nodded. “Yeah. They’re beautiful though. You should never feel weird about them.”
“I don’t. I am what I am. In Galdiart colors don’t have a certain gender assignment. People come in all different colors, so it would be silly to say that pink is only for women or blue only for boys.” He pointed at my arm. “Look at you, you’re half purple half black, what’s that mean here?”
Twisting my arm, I replied with a big smile. “I guess I’m the devil.”
He chortled. “You don’t seem evil to me.”
“Ahhh, you don’t know me well enough yet.”
I walked over to the piano and sat down, ready to sink into my form of musical meditation so I could change back.
“You shouldn’t need that.”
I twisted on the bench to look at Doryu, who had already transformed back into himself. “What do you mean?”
“You should be able to focus on the small spot near your heart that you described and change at will. It’s a little different for everyone, but eventually you’ll be able to do it.”
“Worth a shot.” I sat on the bench, hands on my knees, and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. Nothing happened. I couldn’t find it. I opened my eyes and shrugged. “Oh, well.”
Within minutes of beginning my song, I was in my skin again and pulling my shirt back on. “Ready?” He nodded, and I walked him down to the formal dining room.
CHAPTER FIVE
The room was designed for entertaining dignitaries, from the gold damask wallpaper, to the plush red carpet. As I often thought of the upper crust’s decorating, it was overdone. The wood chairs were carved in intricate designs, and the massive mirror on one wall was, based on the look of the edges, centuries old. Its frame was gold and also intricate. Any of the décor choices in the room would’ve been beautiful as an accent piece in a less busy room, but all together they overwhelmed.
But then I’d never watched a British television program that didn’t represent the richest of the United Kingdom in such a way. Apparently that’s how it was done. I giggled to myself and sat down, Doryu stepping forward and pulling my chair out before I had a chance to.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “That was very gentlemanly. Did you learn that here or was that something that would be done on Galdiart?”
He cleared his throat. “It would be done on Galdiart, but it wasn’t necessarily something a man would do for a woman. It was something the stronger would do for the weaker.”
I arched one eyebrow. “And how do you know I’m weaker?”
“Oh, no, it’s a sign of respect. Not that you’re a weakling in any way.”
I spotted Alexander entering the room behind Doryu. He paused to listen to our little argument.
