“Your dragon has some kind of upset belly.” He rested his hands on his hips. “The vet’s office keeps a stash of medicines. We’ll go after we’re done. It’s an easy fix.”
How easy would getting medicine to a dragon you couldn’t find be? I didn’t ask; I couldn’t.
“Mm-hmm.” I swallowed whatever tried to rise in my throat. Turning around and speed walking out, I yelled back, “Sounds good.” No more words were coming from me until we were far enough from those woods. We nearly raced for the door to be able to breathe again.
The door shut behind us, Laken closed in inches from me. I walked right to Blaze’s little home and dragged out his bowls. Filling one with water as Laken made himself at home in the kitchen, I took care of the little baxlin and Gordon, who thankfully swam in his bowl. I slid their food back against the wall; Gordon’s fish food stayed in a saltshaker and Blaze’s in a tin jar.
“Ah,” Laken sighed. “Well, that was fun.”
I scoffed, pouring in food for the baxlin. “That was fun for you?”
He leaned back against the counter, crossing his boots while sipping his coffee. “More than I’d like to admit. I’ve missed toying with you.”
My eyes darted up at him from under my brows. A mischievous tone danced on his tongue, telling me something was up. I slid the bowls back into Blaze’s home. “Toying with me?” I pried. “You weren’t toying with me, you were teaching me.”
Laken set his coffee down. “Well, yes, of course I was.”
Staring at him for another brief moment, I made my way around the counter and into the kitchen with him. He watched me with an amused gaze and my gut twirled in a bad way. I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t get the chance.
“I mean, for the most part I was teaching.”
“For the most part?”
A sly little “Mm-hmm.”
Feet away, I raised my brows and crossed my arms. “And the other parts?”
Laken grimaced. “The other parts I may have exaggerated a bit…” His voice trailed off, and he awaited my reaction like a child waiting to be yelled at.
My insides boiled. My own heartbeat thundered in my ears, waiting for the right time to explode. “And by exaggerated you mean… what exactly?”
The smothered laugh that came from his lips should’ve been shameful. But it wasn’t. “Benedict’s tricks were true, Phoebe, too. And Indo.”
I’d kill him. I’d kill Laken Augustus for this. “And the others?” I asked, knowing what his answer would be but needing confirmation before I blew a fuse. Before I turned into a hellblazer.
His answer came in the form of bursting laughter. Confirmation enough.
I stood with my hands on my hips as he bellowed with his satisfied entertainment. He tried to stop and failed. I didn’t move. “Let me get this straight: I squatted, bobbed, and walked like a chicken, baaed like a goat, squawked like a bird, and crawled like a bear… for your pure enjoyment?”
Laken calmed down, leaning back once again. “Not just my enjoyment.” He nodded outside. “I think they enjoyed it, too.”
My face burned. “You really think this is funny, don’t you?” I faked a laugh, already plotting my revenge. I’d been wrong about Benedict; he wasn’t a walking trash can.
Laken Augustus was.
Grinding my teeth with a clenched jaw, nodding, I bounced my foot. Even my fingers tapped my arms where they crossed. I became vaguely aware of the words he uttered, the excuses he gave. Because watching him grin and snicker and mock, I saw only red.
As I pushed closer and closer to him, an alarm went off in my mind saying,You are about to enter uncharted territory. The pulsing of my heart pounded so hard it bounced like a jackrabbit ricocheting off my ribs.
“It was funny,” he insisted, but his words drifted. He studied my every move like he could unravel my every mysteryby observing each line and sharp breath. “I…” he whispered, then swallowed. “I only meant to give you a hard time.”
The air between us buzzed with a fiery magic, hot and dangerous. I felt his hands twiddling by my hips, struggling to stay put, struggling not to touch me. Leaning in as much as possible, our bodies hovered miserably close yet refused to cross that line. The muscles in his throat faltered. His heated breath brushed my mouth. I glared at him with everything in me, and whispered, “Fuck you, Laken Augustus,” against his lips.
Laken did not yield, and I thought the fire between us might cause the world around to implode into nothing, ceasing to exist until a fish flopped onto the floor.
And still, he remained, staring at me with a ruinous loathing. “You going to get that?” His voice sounded hard, sharp like a blade aimed to wound and eager to draw blood.
The damned fish.
