I grinned. Fin was Royal Reef Adventure’s—Darlington’s world-class aquarium—social media-famous sand tiger shark. Looks like he had another addition to his fan club.
Chapter 22
Meera
Themidafternoonbreezeblewacross the rooftop patio. I sat poolside under the shade of an oversized umbrella next to Tansy and Lillian, who were sprawled out on lounge chairs of their own. It was a beautiful day to hang out by the pool. They’d assured me that no ghouls would reach me on the patio since it was considered part of the penthouse and therefore covered by the wards and spells.
So far, they were correct, and nothing had bothered me, not even a bug. Chicken Nugget, who was currently splish-splashing in a shallow bowl under the umbrella, hung out with us, making a big mess. How did one bird accumulate this many bath toys?
I closed my eyes and tried to tune out the little bird. I thought of something else sitting in a giant egg instead.
I didn’t know what I was trying to accomplish by trying to talk to the dragonlet through the egg yesterday. I’d asked if it was happy at Desmon’s, and I was sure it glowed a little. But then again, it could’ve been my imagination. But I was pretty darn sure that the reaction it had to my next question hadn’t been in my head.
When Elana had been distracted with a text on her phone from Seth, I’d quietly told it I’d dreamt of his father, and I swear, it had gotten warmer. Like it was… excited? Like it wanted to go home.
I didn’t pretend to speak egg, or dragon for that matter, but I felt it all the way down to my soul. Was that cliché? Sure, but I didn’t know how else to describe it. Putting it down had been difficult too. And a part of me screamed that I was abandoning it.
Elana had seen me hesitating and understood. Apparently, she found it difficult leaving it alone too.
“Desmon says it’s how the egg ensures its best chance at survival. Especially useful when older siblings are known to push unhatched eggs out of the nest and down the side of a cliff.”
“Do you think it’s happy here?” I’d asked her. “Or do you think it wants to return to its parents?”
She’d looked pensive and told me she wasn’t sure. I’d considered telling her about the dream, but didn’t want to worry her if it really was just my brain playing tricks on me. I’d had a stressful few days, and Graham had been sure that no magic would be able to sneak through the penthouse’s defenses.
So I’d let it be. Omelet did seem happier than it was when I’d first held it. I couldn’t believe that moment in my kitchen when I’d first laid eyes and hands on it had only been five days ago, six if we counted today.
I’d woken up in the middle of the night again with the same dream. It had gone exactly the same way as the first one, and nothing I did changed any of the dialogue. I couldn’t control the words that came out of my mouth. It was like a recording.
The smell of popcorn and theater-style butter jogged me out of my head and back poolside. I gawked as Lillian produced a large plastic bottle of the liquid gold and started squirting butter-flavored oil generously over her freshly popped kernels.
“You took the whole bottle of butter out here?” I asked, astonished.
“I told you yesterday, it’s going to expire soon. We have to eat it all.”
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll help.”
She held out the movie theater popcorn bag-shaped ceramic container to me, and I grabbed a handful. Tansy rejected the offer, claiming that the baby had had enough butter-flavored oil for a twenty-four-hour period.
I finally understood why the penthouse had so many couches. Last night had been movie night, and there were just enough couches for every couple to have their own.
The girls had won out, and we’d watchedStardust.I’d loved that movie growing up, and it was definitely sleepover movie material. Except it hadn’t been a girly sleepover, but a co-ed one, and I’d spent the movie cuddled up next to Graham under the blankets.
I fit into this group’s dynamic so well that I was almost scared I’d wake up and it would all be a dream. This was just too good to be true.
Despite knowing that, it was hard to keep my heart out of it, especially when I was all wrapped up in Graham’s arms. And when we got to the part where Yvaine confessed her love to mouse Tristan, I swore I’d felt Graham’s arms tighten around me ever so slightly. Or did I imagine it?
Love. Love was a silly thought, especially between us, right? I mean, he was just the gargoyle guard tasked with protecting me until this whole ordeal was over. We had chemistry, and we were a good physical match. No, not merely good, we were explosive. But sex didn’t equal love.
And not to mention, I’d just come out of a long-term relationship. Jumping directly into another one was a recipe for disaster. I’d be dooming the relationship before it even started.
So thishadto be casual because I didn’twantit to be casual. Did that even make sense?
Once this was over, I’d take some time away to find myself or whatever the fuck I was supposed to do after wasting three years of my life. And then, when enough time had passed that it wouldn’t be considered a rebound anymore, I could figure out a way to see Graham again and start fresh.
I could always come visit Shelby, Lillian, and Tansy.
A few days ago, Mateo had come by with the black duffel full of my clothes. He hadn’t been kidding when he said Eva had just shoved clothes into it blindly since they were in a rush to get out of there. She must’ve grabbed things mostly from the top drawer, which were all my sleep clothes and undergarments. At least I had enough pajamas to last me my whole visit.
