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The thought of never being at peace with her dragon again was too much. She had to do all she could to talk with her, work with her, and learn to be the dragon-shifter she always should’ve been.
But she was still afraid, so very afraid, of being betrayed yet again.
Violet leaned down until their eyes were level. “My dad is an amazing male. He saved my mum’s life, you know. She found a safe space here on Stonefire and, by all accounts, was happy for the short time she lived here.” Violet tucked some hair behind her ear before adding, “Just give him a chance is all I’m asking. You have me to rely on too. And before long, I’m sure half of Stonefire will be clamoring to help you. Well, provided you’re not a spy.” She raised her brows. “Are you?”
Percy blinked at the abrupt change in conversation. “Pardon?”
“You know, a spy. Trying to be nice to us so we give you information to pass on to the people who held you captive because you learned to like them. What’s it called? Oh, that’s right—Stockholm Syndrome. I learned about that recently, and you might’ve formed attachments to your guards.”
She spit out, “No fucking way. I hated those bastards and what they did to me.”
At the venom in Percy’s voice, Violet took a few steps back. “Right, well, I believe you.”
Realizing she’d just shouted at a teenager, she scrambled for what to say next. “I’m sorry, Violet. The doctors said I’ll probably suffer withdrawals, and my moods might get strange. I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”
Violet shrugged. “No worries. For a few days a month, I’m an absolute bear.” She walked closer and put out a hand. “Let’s be friends, Percy. I know maybe it’s weird being friends with someone my age, but I think you need as many as you can get. So you’re stuck with me.”
Percy stared at Violet’s outstretched hand. It should have been easy to shake it, and yet, doing so would be a monumental step for her. It’d mean letting down her guard, even just a little, with someone else.
The flickering light in her head flashed even more this time before dimming. It had to be her dragon. And maybe being someone’s friend, even if she mostly maintained her distance, might be a step closer to her ultimate goal of being reunited with her inner beast.
She gingerly took Violet’s hand and shook. As soon as she released it, Violet grinned. “Brilliant. Now maybe we can take sides against my dad sometimes.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Just because. I have loads of male cousins—even more now that Uncle Hudson is with Sarah and her two sons—and it’ll be nice to have another female to even the numbers. Especially since there arealwaysmore male dragons than female ones, and I know we’ll never outnumber them.”
Percy had never heard that before. “Really? Is that true?”
Violet nodded. “Yes. But it’s not the most important thing to know. Well, as long as you’re not thinking of having kids anytime soon, because knowing you’ll probably have a male over a female might help you prepare better.”
She blinked. “Um, no. No children for me.”
“Right, well, I’m sure my dad is waiting for you. He said to find him after lunch, although he must know I’d stick around to chat a bit with you.” Violet went to the door. “But don’t forget about dinner and telly later. It’ll be loads of fun, just wait and see.”
With that, Violet left Percy alone. It took her a second to process what had just happened.
Had she really one, agreed to be Violet’s friend, and two, decided to not view every move she and Bronx made with extreme skepticism?
She brushed her hair back and touched the scab again, a reminder that she might not be able to do this completely alone.
So yes, yes she had agreed to those two things.
Panic crept over her, and Percy’s first impulse was to find Violet and maybe tell her to fucking mind her own business. That way, she could reinforce all those walls around her heart and emotions.
But then she remembered all the purple light flashes inside her head, which were probably related to her dragon. Being around people seemed to make them happen more often.
In other words, she needed to do more than sit alone in her room and tell the world to fuck off.
With a sigh, she washed her hands, picked up her books and the plate, and exited her safe space to look for Bronx. Now that she’d decided to ask for help, she was impatient to get started.
ChapterTwelve
Bronx was sitting at the kitchen table, going over the latest notes from Dr. Rossi about both Percy and his training in general, when Violet walked in, wearing a grin.
Since that always spelled some kind of trouble, he asked, “What did you do?”
Her smile broadened. “Oh, nothing. I’m going to work on my schoolwork in my room, although I’ll keep the door open, and Percy can call for me anytime.”
