Um, what?
“Yes, I’m…why are you here?”
“We’re a team, aren’t we?” Canto says gruffly. “We have each other’s back.”
My mouth hangs open; I wish I could see his face because, surely, he is joking. He must be. Maybe I’m dead.
“What are you saying?” I spit defensively. If this is a test or a trap, I’m not falling for it.
“We’re saying we’re sorry for what happened at the village. We want to be a team with you. Five of these bad guys, and we’re all free. We all get what we want. This is just logistics, a temporary thing,” Canto says gruffly. “Also, no one gets to kill you but us.”
I think Canto might choke on the words, but they come out sincere and honest, if awkward.
“What changed?” I say in a low voice.
“You were right about the child. It wasn’t human, and we missed that. We were wrong,” Canto says, and I hear a deep well of regret in his voice. He doesn’t like to be wrong.
Leaf slams into me, picking me up and cuddling me close.
“Don’t ever do that again,” his furious growl slams into me.
It’s almost like he cares. I blink several times because, surely, I’ve gone insane. This must be a dream.
“You want to work with me?” I ask hesitantly. “Honestly?” I hesitate a beat. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, we’ll just prove it to you, then,” Brio says evenly. “We don’t have to like each other to defeat our enemies. This is mutually beneficial, it’s logical. There are no emotions in it. Nothing complicated. We can be enemies again when we are done.”
I consider Brio’s words and decide that perhaps he’s got a point. It is, after all, only five.
I shake my head and struggle out of Leaf’s hold, but when I put weight on my feet, I wince and fall.
He snatches me up again, and my leg is caught in one massive hand.
“You’re bleeding, Mei,” my dragon grumbles. His thumb strokes gently over the arch of my foot.
I hate that I’m starting to love the way he’s saying my name.
I said I was leaving. That I was done. The part of me that was absolutely committed to that action, I suddenly can’t even remember. It just evaporates as Leaf gently tends to my cut feet.
“Look,” Ronit says softly. “We can use each other. Let’s find these creatures, defeat them, and get what we want. But you can help us hunt them, and we can help you fight that…whatever it was.”
“That’s Deux.” I say, furious now that I don’t have to be scared. There’s something about the way Ronit says things with absolute command that has me wanting to walk exactly the opposite waythat he says I should. I grit my teeth and snarl, then remember I’m still in my other form and shift back to the human version.
“Deux?” Ronit says with a lack of interest.
“Yes. Take note of him; he’s an ambush predator, he will come after us again. Smell the decay in the air, that’s him. Do you remember the sound of his voice? The way he moves? Don’t forget it.”
“Noted,” Ronit says absently.
Leaf grunts. “We need Diablos to look at your feet.”
“They will heal,” I say dismissively and struggle, but he tightens his grip until my ribs ache. I snarl, but he growls louder and ignores me as he starts walking.
“Leaf-”
He snaps his teeth and lets out a low, throbbing growl that has me sitting perfectly still in his arms.
“You sent me away. I could have helped,” he explodes in a harsh mutter. “I am the Leviathan.”
