“I do get it,” Julius said at the same time, ignoring him. “I’ve never thought you were weak. I just…”care for you, love you, want you to be safe, “worry.”
“And I appreciate that,” she said with a wide smile. “But I’m not going to stop doing what I need to do just because it makes you nervous. I’m not some pet you can keep safe in a tank, Julius.”
He knew that. From the very beginning, he’d steadfastly avoided thinking of Marci as his—his human, his treasure, his weapon—any of the classic draconic possessives. But while he was determined she’d never behisin the dragon sense, she was still his trusted partner, ally, and friend. For a dragon who’d grown up constantly alone and afraid, he didn’t have words for how much all of that meant to him. How could he not freak out when the consequences of his gambles landed on her head? The need to keep her safe from his mistakes was overpowering, and yet, Marci was right. Unless Julius was ready to send her away, lock her up, or give up on his push for change within his clan—none of which he was willing to do—then he was just going to have to accept that Marci would always be in danger. At this point, his only options were to continue worrying himself to death, or trust her to take care of herself.
Julius being Julius, he was sure he’d end up doing both. For now, though, he sighed in acceptance, reaching out his hand. To his continual amazement, she took it, sliding her warm fingers around his with a smile that made his heart pound.
“There,” she said happily. “Was that so hard?”
“Yes,” he muttered. “But I’ll get over it.”
“Well, you’d better do it fast,” she said, letting him go to check her phone. “Because I have to be at a meeting in town in fifteen minutes.”
Julius was so busy being disappointed that she was no longer holding his hand, he almost missed that last bit. “What meeting?”
Marci shot a poisonous look at Fredrick, who was waiting discreetly up the stairs. “While you were busy with your very important whatever it was, I got a visit from the Raven spirit.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“A spirit washere?” Justin yelled, hand going for his sword.
“He’d hardly be the first,” Marci reminded him, patting her bag where Ghost was sleeping. “But yeah. He found me less than half an hour ago to invite me to a meeting withSir Myron Rollins!”
She was practically squeeing by the end, and Julius cursed silently. So much for his big surprise. But while he wasn’t at all shocked to hear the UN humans had gone behind his back, Raven’s involvement was a new and far more disturbing development. “So Raven is working with the UN now? Isn’t he a big spirit?”
“That was my impression,” she said, giving him an odd look. “But you don’t seem nearly as surprised about this as I’d thought you’d be.”
“That’s because he already met with the UN humans earlier this morning,” Justin said, cutting in. “The Rollins guy in particular seemed pretty interested in you.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Is there something you want to tell us?”
Julius winced at the hostile question, but Marci’s jaw was hanging wide open. “Sir Myron Rollins washere?” she cried, whirling on Julius. “Thatwas your important business?”
He shifted awkwardly. “Part of it.”
“And you didn’t bringme?”
He would have if Ghost hadn’t stopped him. But Julius didn’t want to cause trouble between Marci and her sleeping spirit, especially since Ghost had just saved her life, so he told her another truth instead. “I didn’t know he was that important. I just thought he was some mage the UN sent to talk to Mother about Algonquin.”
Marci gaped at him. “Sir Myron Rollins is the greatest living human mage. How do you not know about him?”
“Because I’m neither a human nor a mage,” Julius reminded her. “He wasn’t even on my radar until a few hours ago. But I still don’t understand what Raven has to do with this, or why they all seem so desperate to meet you. Not that anyone wouldn’t want to meet you, of course, but it just seems odd.”
She smirked at his quick recovery. “Well, Idohave a Mortal Spirit fifty years ahead of schedule. That seems to be a pretty big deal, and Sir Myron does a lot of work with spirits. I bet he just wants to have a look. I know I would if I were in his position.”
That made sense, Julius supposed, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy about the whole thing. Maybe he was more of a dragon than he realized, because the thought of Marci going to a meeting with people who might try to steal her away from him put his teeth on edge. Unfortunately, it was a feeling he was going to have to suck up. He’djustdecided to trust Marci to handle herself. He couldn’t very well turn around now and try to convince her not to meet the mage she was having a fangirl freak-out over just because he was feeling antsy. So what if they tried to “free” her from her dragon? Marciwantedto stay with him. If they said anything about her being a dragon’s servant, she’d just laugh in their faces and set the record straight.
Right?
He clenched his fists. He trusted Marci, he really did, but it was just sohardto believe she’d pick him over someone else, especially someone as apparently famous as Myron Rollins. But just as the old insecurities started to rear their heads, Marci looked up at him again, and suddenly, Julius didn’t feel so bad. It was hard to feel like a worthless failure when she was smiling at him like he was worth everything. He had to remember that she’d had a choice, and she’d chosen him. Over and over again, she’d chosen to stick by his side, even when things had looked impossible. She’d even chosen to kiss him when he was positive she could have had any dragon she wanted. And while Julius still didn’t think he deserved any of that, he was determined to prove to Marci that she hadn’t chosen wrong.
“I guess the only way to find out for sure is to go to the meeting,” he said at last, forcing a smile so she wouldn’t see how hard it was for him to let her go. “What can I do to help?”
The moment he offered to help, her whole face lit up like a sunrise. It was so lovely, so happy and excited andMarci, it made him giddy. He could have stood there soaking it up forever, but in classic Marci fashion, she’d already burst into motion, rummaging through her bag with both hands.
“I mostly need directions. The signage in this place is severely lacking. I’m trying to get here.”
She pulled a white business card with an address written on the front, and Julius nodded. “That’s in town.”
“I know,” she said, giving him a sheepish look. “But I can’t even find the front door. If you can get me outside, though, I can probably find my way from there.”
