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Pearl positively lit up, as if she heard just what she wanted. Shifting again, Pearl leaned forward until her words were a whisper.
“If that’s the case…grab him by his non-existent horns. Clear those questions until you have none. Then you can have fantastic, non-complicated, sexy screwing later—just hot, dirty sex with no doubts on either end.”
It was delivered with such unbridled gusto that Sapphire couldn’t help but chuckle, used to her sister’s perverted mind and enthusiasm when it came to sleeping with the opposite sex. It was the type of sensuality often judged by their peers, but Sapphire had always been proud of Pearl’s confidence and unapologetic nature. She opened her mouth to say so, then stopped when a movement in the clouds distracted her.
“I have to go,” she blurted out.
“He’s there, isn’t he?” Pearl chuckled too. “Good luck. I would also say don’t call me again and waste your energy, but I’m thrilled to hear from you, Saph.”
The sincere words warmed her heart, but their goodbyes were hasty as Sapphire backed away from the window and followed the trail of the flying creature. It would either return to the castle or dive deeper into the clouds, a habit that she was starting to memorize. Maybe it would show off when it realized she was watching, putting on a few acrobatic tricks until she was mesmerized, and he was triumphant.
But Klaus’s dragon did neither. He didn’t even spot her, preoccupied with steadying his wings that trembled now and then. When the dragon dipped dangerously to the side, close to crashing against the trees, alarm and a dawning realization went through her that he was injured. She couldn’t see it, but it was obvious when he hefted his weight back up with slow, sluggish movements. She continued watching as Klaus shakily made his way to the mountains, disappearing into what she assumed was a hidden cave.
When nothing happened for the next few minutes, Sapphire grabbed her cloak and raced out of the castle as fast as she could.
Chapter 8
It hurt as any wound would hurt, but was doubled when that wound festered because of the poison infused into it. Klaus clenched his jaw and tried not to think about it, reminding himself that he had needed to make that trip to fulfill what he had been wanting to do for a while now. He told himself it had nothing to do with Sapphire, either, or how her words had triggered his conscience, which had been complacent for a long time.
Now it was done, and he would have a future scar for it. Inside the cave, he dropped to the ground in his full human form but kept his wings spread out. He limped his way past his mounds of treasures toward a flat platform at the end, unable to find the strength to keep going to the spare bedroom at the back. When he sat down, he assessed one wing first, noting the long slash and the sharp wood wedged at the end.
“Not bad. Just a quick—damn it!”
The curse rang in the air as he glared at the wood, then continued checking out the wing. It was already showing signs of infection, the green ring around it turning darker by the second. He checked out his neglected wing next, where the green ring was even darker. The wood wedged on it would have killed anyone smaller than a dragon, which meant removing it would be more difficult. He braced his feet and gripped the edge—
“No, don’t do it like that. You’ll bleed too much.”
It said a lot about the state of his senses that he hadn’t noticed Sapphire until she was already in the cave marching toward him. Blue eyes took in the glittering treasure around the space before her gaze snapped forward. She removed her billowing cloak, folded it up, and pressed it against his other wing. He hissed.
“Hold your wing up. Let me remove the wood.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Klaus, hold your wing up.”
Her voice held no room for argument. Warily, he held it up.
“There’s really no need—fucking hell!”
“Don’t rouse the depths of demon territory with your curses,” she warned calmly, then stepped back with the wood in hand. She observed the festering green. “That will spread.”
“I can absorb it. It won’t penetrate my hide and the wounds inside will heal.”
There was no need to tell her that before it healed, there would be days of him just hibernating in this cave and battling the excruciating pain. That was just how it was for most of his ventures outside of Oslo, his victories punctured with physical marks. The good thing was that his hide would know to camouflage them so that the world could only see the flawless, untouchable beast.
Sapphire didn’t move, staring at him as if she could see right through that beast. He raised a brow. She crossed her arms.
“Now that that’s done,” she began. “How about you tell me which island you burned this time?”
Klaus blinked, his brow falling back into place. “What?”
“You heard me. You were gone for hours, maybe even days, and I just didn’t notice. Your people are being mysterious and refusing to tell me anything, so I figured it must be something sinister.”
“So, you jump to burning right away?”
“There’s soot on your cheek and burn marks on your claws,” she pointed out, expression unchanging. “The wood I just took out of you is partially charred and you have ashes in your hair. It coincides with your reputation.”
It dawned that she was already braced for the worst but not running away from it—the ever-courageous witch who would face a hundred monsters if she had to. That he was one of those monsters was a given and his stomach clenched.
