“Yes! On your arms. Like jewel-colored water rippling from your shoulders down to your hands.” She suddenly stilled. “Oh, Jesus. Your skin…Kohl, you were turning.”
“But I didn’t,” he said quickly. “I controlled it. I would never put you in danger by letting the beast out if you’re anywhere near me.”
Devon gave him a strange look. “The beast? Why do you call it that?”
His upper lip lifted in a disgusted sneer. “Because that’s what it is.”
She was shaking her head before he finished his sentence, her loose curls flowing around her face. “No. No, Kohl. Not a beast. A dra—” She cut off what she was about to say when the waiter returned with her soup. But as he set it down in front of her, she paid no attention to the shell of an actual onion sitting in a bowl with the soup inside, not even when he lit a lighter and flambéed it. Instead, she stared at Kohl through the top of the flames, and something about the sight of her, seen through the fire, seemed rather symbolic to him. But then they burned away, and the feeling was gone.
Uncomfortable being under such close scrutiny, Kohl smiled his thanks to the waiter as he presented her spoon on a tray. “You should try the soup. I hear it’s really, really good.”
Devon blinked. Taking the spoon from the tray, she smiled her thanks at the waiter. Perhaps sensing he was uncomfortable, she blew out the last lingering sparks and then dipped her spoon in for a taste. “Mmm. This is really good!”
Kohl relaxed as she dug into her food. Half of it was gone before she seemed to remember what they were talking about.
“I want to see it.”
Kohl couldn’t have heard her correctly. “I’m sorry?”
“I want to see it, Kohl.”
Ah, if only she were talking about something other than the beast. “That’s not possible.”
“Why not?” She set down her spoon. “Kohl, do you realize how rare you are? I mean, come on. A dragon. You’re a fucking dragon.”
If there was one thing that would stay with him about this night and make him glad he’d told her, it was the fact that by revealing what he was, he’d managed to suppress the ever-present layer of melancholy that enveloped her spirit and saw—really saw for the first time—the strength of the light within her. His skin fairly burned from the intensity of it. And he despised himself for having to be the one to distinguish it again. “No, Devon.”
She opened her mouth, no doubt to try to talk him into it, but then she paused, and really looked at him. Her eyes fell to the table and the animation left her face. With a sigh, she picked up her spoon, took a sip of her soup, then set her spoon down and sat back. That look was on her face again. The stubborn one. “Why not?”
Kohl leaned forward, closing the distance she’d created between them. “Because it’s not safe for you. The beast has a mind of its own. I can’t control it when it’s released. The only thing I can do is try to keep it buried deep down inside where it can’t hurt anyone.”
“That must be difficult.”
“More so when I was younger. The vampire side of me, now that’s a little harder to hide. It’s so easily stimulated.” He smiled, showing her his fangs.
After a pause, Devon laughed, the melodic notes soothing him more than the music. He wished he could always hear her laugh.
“I really am sorry. I wish I could show it to you, if only to bring back the light in your eyes.”
Her food came, and the conversation came to a halt for a few minutes while Devon ate. Kohl refilled their wine glasses, enjoying the sight of her pleasure with each bite of lobster wrapped in a flaky pastry. After a while, he changed the subject, talking about anything other then the thing inside of him. He asked her about her family, and found out her parents were both deceased.
“They were older when they had me. I was kind of a surprise, or so my dad liked to remind me. He said I was the best anniversary gift mom ever gave him.” She smiled at the memory.
“What about brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. It was just me.” She took a sip of her wine. “I was in college when my dad passed, and mom followed him a little less than a year later.”
“I’m so sorry.” And he meant it. Kohl had lost many people in his life. People he cared greatly about.
She gave him a sad smile. “Thank you. But I believe they’re still together, wherever they are now. It’s comforting. And I’m glad they weren’t around when everything went down at Parasupe. My father would’ve been so furious. I would’ve had my hands full trying to keep him from trying to take out the entire company. It would’ve put all of us in danger.”
“Your parents sound great, Dev.” He reached across the table and took her hand, and as they stared at each other, the easy companionship they’d enjoyed throughout dinner was replaced by an electric tension that shot straight from their hands, up his arm, and straight down to his groin. It slammed into him with unexpected force, taking his breath and feeding his hunger.
Kohl was suddenly ravenous.
And by the way her eyes darkened and her lips parted, she felt it, too. “Are you sure you’re not hungry?”
Chapter 10
