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“Now what?” she asked with bated breath.
Silence. He sighed.
“There’s only me. The real dragon underneath the façade.”
Klaus braced himself against the continuous silence. Then he shed the rest of his scales, hastened the cracking of his hide, and retransformed.
Chapter 11
The dragon Sapphire knew by heart was a larger-than-life creature that was glorious in every aspect, from its physical appearance to the way it moved and functioned. It had terrified her at first, knowing this dragon was a monster who had nearly killed her brother and had trapped her sister into a deal that neither of them could break. But weeks had passed and her view had changed, with the dragon taking on a role that she had never expected to see: a hero, someone who would go to the ends of the earth to save his people and would give his sweat and blood to keep them alive.
The dragon in front of her now was smaller and a bit shriveled, its length intact but its weight significantly lighter-looking. There were still scales, but they were a plain, dull brown and sparse, the skin more prominent and showing glimpses of bones poking against them. The spikes were gone, and the hide—thicker at the dragon’s spine—was cracked and worn out. It was like looking at a different creature altogether…except for the eyes, dark and intense as always and cast down.
“Klaus?”
The dragon didn’t acknowledge her call, stubbornly not meeting her gaze and bracing for…what? Insults? Mocking? Rejection? Indignation sparked at anyone who dared before it dawned that he was waiting forherrejection.
“Klaus?”
When the dragon still didn’t respond, she took a step forward. Sensing it, dark orbs flew up and zoned in on her in disbelief. She noted the defensive stance and the tense shoulders, so she kept her steps slow and light.
“I’m going to approach you,” she announced. “And I won’t stop even if you growl at me. I want to see you closer. Please don’t hurt me. I don’t have any magic left to fight it.”
The snout moved as the dragon’s nostrils flared, and she assumed he was offended that she would even doubt him. But his eyes remained steady on hers, tracking her approach and waiting for signs of disgust. She stopped inches from the dragon’s body, where she could feel an erratic heartbeat and the familiar warmth.
Carefully, she held her hand out and sensed him tense further. She waited until he eased from that state before she placed her palm over a patch of skin, her thumb skimming over a bone. He went rigid immediately but actively fought it, allowing her to coast her hand back and forth over the skin. She continued her slow, languid exploration, touching his hide next and scratching his scales. His tail jerked and his belly heaved.
“You’re ticklish,” she concluded, biting back a smile, and easing into gentler strokes. “You’re beautiful, Klaus, in this form.”
He stilled at her words. When she looked into his eyes again they were darker than ever, and drawing her in like a magnet until she was pressing her body against him. The hug transferred that warmth to her, driving the cold away, but she knew he needed the comfort more than she did. So, she pressed tighter until he softened and gave in, his tail curling around her almost possessively. When he shrank further, she stumbled, but his human form caught her and curled her in on his weight.
“Sapphire…”
“You’re beautiful,” she repeated. “But I get why you hide it. You think it’s a weakness.”
“It is a weakness,” he said firmly.
“I would disagree, but as I said, I get it. Do you want to know why I get it?”
He shook his head, ready to argue, but she was already pushing off him. Klaus reluctantly let her go, baffled. “Saph?”
“I have a secret too,” she stated, then clamped her mouth shut as nerves began to awaken inside her. “It’s a best-kept one, like yours.”
“You don’t have to tell me. It was my choice to share my secret.”
“And this is my choice.”
She didn’t back away that far, just enough so he could see the whole picture. Despite helping him heal, he had taken most of the brunt and there was still energy left inside her for small actions. She let some of that energy glissade toward her fingers now until they were glowing.
“This is my magic.” When she snapped her fingers, the glow was gone. “That’s how far I can go with it on my bad days. On very horrible days, it’s non-existent.”
“What?”
She took an empty vial out of her pocket, then another. She kept going until the floor was filled with empty vials. She was so used to hiding them that the exposed sight had her trembling, but she steeled herself and continued speaking.
“I don’t just use potions to enhance my magic. I rely on them like one would rely on…say, food and air. I breathe potions in like a lifeline because they’remylifeline. Without them, I’m nothing but a weakling, my magic useless against everyone else’s. Because of this, I make as many potions as I can and keep them in stock. It’s the only way for my magic to function the way I want it to.”
Sapphire placed the last empty vial down, balancing it on top of the others. She exhaled deeply and held out her hands.
