Page 87 of Feathers and Scales

“Dragon fire. I need to harness it into a bullet.”

He shook his head as if in disbelief. “Give Nia yourkeys and get in my Jeep.”

A bag of food hung from Izzy’s arm, and a thermos warmed her hand as she walked with Silas toward the infirmary at the end of the hallway. Silas had allowed her to bring Serephina food from their mess hall—a peace offering Simon suggested. As for her Coheart, Silas had locked him in the library with two full-time guards.

“I’m surprised you haven’t asked about Daxton,” Silas murmured.

Her mind yearned for her to ask, but she reminded herself it was a moot point. There was no way Daxton caught up to Fotios. That he wasn’t there, and the other dragons didn’t seem worried told her enough not to ask.

“I came here for dragon fire. Nothing more.”

Silas stepped in front of her, cutting off her entry. “You being back doesn’t matter to me. But it matters to Serephina. We’ll help you with your dragon fire—no question. Just don’t walk in there and treat her like leverage. She deserves more than that.”

His words slapped reality in her face. She’d been treating this whole encounter like a professional transaction—an emotional shield to keep her pain at bay. Silas was asking her to break that wall down for Serephina.

But she couldn’t afford that, and so stared him down.

Silas sighed and moved out of her way. “I’ll be here when you’re finished.”

She walked through the double doors on the opposite side of the barracks. A small hallway opened to an auditorium-sized room with curtains separating the beds.

Serephina lay in the bed of the first cubicle she entered. Laying with her eyes closed, Serephina had cuts and bruises blemishing the left side of her face and down past a neck brace. Her right arm lay in a sling across her chest. Silas’s words weren’t needed. There was no way to combat the guilt that collected at the back of her throat.

“Is that coffee I smell?” Serephina perked up, nose lifting slightly before her eyes fluttered open. “I wasn’t expecting you to visit.”

Izzy’s neck heated. “I can leave if you—”

“No. No. Stay. You just surprised me. Especially since you brought me coffee, and something else?”

Izzy set the thermos on the tray table suspended over the bed and pulled out one container. “Pancakes. One for you and one for me.”

Serephina’s eyes widened. “Wait. You’re going to eat with me? I should get injured more often.”

Izzy placed the open container next to the coffee. The mound of whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate chips on top made Izzy’s stomach gurgle.

Serephina gasped. “You know my favorite?”

Izzy shrugged. “You eat this every morning.”

Serephina flashed her tongue at Izzy and dug into her pancakes using her free hand. Izzy opened her container and enjoyed a buttery bite, thinking it might be her last one for a while. One of Serephina’s red curls almost dipped into the whipped cream, but she swatted it back.

“Jamal and I missed the Tattered One’s trap,” Serephina said, staring at her plate.

Izzy sat in silence, letting Serephina know she was there, but not pushing her for more.

“When Jamal petrified the Tattered One, it set off the bomb.” Her face scrunched with focus. “All I remember was racing toward him.”

“Jamal said you saved his life.”

“Yeah.” Serephina offered a small smile as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Izzy’s stomach twinged. “How are you doing?”

“I’m sick of lying in bed. I want to fly.” She gazed up and swallowed. “But Sarah said…”

The pain in Serephina’s voice ravaged Izzy’s insides, especially when she too understood what flight meant to beings like them.

Izzy touched Serephina’s stiff arm. “Would you let me heal you more? At least attempt to get your wings in better shape?”