He takes the shirt from me and pinches the material between his fingers.
“Perhaps I should remain behind to watch the feline,” he says.
“Oscar’s okay on his own,” I say.
Bastian’s gaze shifts around the room. He’s looking for a way out. The little spark sizzles out and I grab my phone.
“You don’t have to come, it was just an offer,” I say, opening a text to Renee.
Cait:Want to get lunch at the Chubby Radish?
“I want to go,” Bastian declares. “I would just be…”
I hold off on sending the text. “Would be?”
His throat rolls as he looks up at me. “Vulnerable.”
“How do you mean?”
“When I’m away from my hoard, I’m cut off from magic replenishment. Consuming food can help sustain me, but I would be weak.”
What is he worried about?
“You’re not going to be in danger out there. I mean, unless you start a fight or something, so don’t go grabbing people who approach me.”
His lip curls back. “I wouldn’t let anyone terrorize you, so perhaps I shouldn’t go if that’s a common occurrence.”
“Trust me, it isn’t,” I say with a scoff. “And no one’s going to approach me with you at my side—oh, as long as you look human. You shouldn’t walk around looking like a lizard.”
“Dragon,” he snaps. “Not lizard.”
I chuckle. “Put your shirt on and look human so we can go get lunch.”
He sighs. “If the feline touches the books while we’re gone, I’ll have stern words for him.”
fifteen
The Chubby Radish
Bastian looks over his shoulder every few seconds as we walk down the street. His milky eyes follow every passing car, and he fists his hands at his sides. He’s spring-loaded, like the first sign of danger and he’ll explode.
I touch his forearm gently and he flinches. “Why are you so nervous?”
His lip curls back. “Dragon hunters.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me and he glares me down.
“I’m sorry, you’re serious?” I ask.
“Deathly.”
If the supernatural is real, if this fantastical dragon exists—along with those evil dust mites—then of course it’s possible there’s more. So much more…
“Have you encountered hunters before?” I ask.
He pulls his hands out of his pockets and gestures to the long scar running up his left arm. “You think I did this reading?”
The other scars on his body take on new meaning. He’s beenhuntedall this time. Of course he doesn’t like humans and he wants his solitude.
