The guys jumped to attention as soon as the office door opened. As always, Blaise had a deep scowl on his face. Seriously? I was starting to wonder if that guy had any other setting!
Caspian, Blaise, Terrance, and Elios lead me back down the hallways and out of the building and across the lawn I had been staring out at only moments before. I looked to the left and caught a glimpse of Professor Pyrion sitting in his chair drinking his tea. I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from giggling out loud at the sight. I stopped in my tracks. Something about this place seemed to have released another; lighter hearted, side of me. I could not remember the last time I had almost giggled like a little girl. Something was definitely wrong with me! Don't you go drinking the kool aid, Ari! I really needed to get out of here as soon as possible if I was suddenly letting my guards down! I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about this place that almost seemed familiar. However, there was no way that was possible and it was too risky to stay here if my brain was going to start going loopy on me.
I smiled at Caspian as he held open the door to another building for me. Nice to see that even in a realm of beasts, chivalry still existed. I couldn't name one guy back on earth who had ever done me such a courtesy. I shook my head as I realized I was again, letting my guard down. At any moment, any one of these men could turn into a giant winged monster and rip my body to shreds and gobble me up for a mid afternoon snack. Now was not the time to get complacent; no matter how nice Caspian was being to me. To get my mind back on track, I looked over to Blaise. His scowling expression was exactly what I needed to sober my thoughts back up.
As I continued to trail after the boys, I did my best not to notice the several stares I was receiving from the other students meandering around. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear as I looked down at my feet self consciously. I hated it; but I went shy as a mouse whenever I felt like I was the center of attention. Most of the females I served at the bar loved being at the focus of everyone's attention, but I had never particularly enjoyed the feeling of being watched. I probably would not have as much of an aversion to the limelight if it weren't for the fact that I had been hunted my entire life by people who wanted to kill me, but sadly, such was my life.
Several minutes later, we finally came to a stop. This time it was Terrance who pulled the door open for me with a wink that I tried my best to ignore. The room that met my gaze was another surprisingly human one. It reminded me exactly of every hospital wing I had ever seen. I was starting to think there might be some truth to what Professor Pyrion said about humans being descended from dragons. It certainly would explain all the similarities. Be that as it may, it was still hard to wrap my mind around the idea that dragons had been around for who knows how many centuries longer than humans. How had they been able to exist for so long without anyone realizing they were real? To be fair, most humans didn't like to accept change easily so it was not impossible to imagine that anyone who had tried to speak up about the truth over the years had been quickly silenced or written off as mentally insane. But still...Clearly there had been enough belief in them for the fables and mythology to exist, but I would be curious to know if there had ever been a time where dragons and humans had coexisted peacefully. The way Professor Pyrion had stressed so strongly the need for humans to stay ignorant about the existence of dragons had given me the impression that he was speaking from personal experience.
The door had barely closed behind us before there was a flurry of movement in front of me and I suddenly found myself staring at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. She had long blonde hair that fell in soft curls past her shoulders and sharp distinct facial features that gave her the appearance of being in her mid to late twenties. However, the gleam in her eyes showed a wisdom that spanned several decades.
"Hello, your maje-" she suddenly broke off and I looked over to see Elios and his brothers shaking their heads at her with glares in my direction. Blaise, I understood, I mean he was always glaring at one thing or another, but I couldn't understand why the others were upset as well. As if nothing had just happened, the female turned to me with a sweep of her pearly white dress and strode over to me. "Well, hello there, dear. My name is Hyperiona, but everyone just calls me Peri."
"Geeze, Pyrion, Peri, what's next? Pyrios?" I grumbled softly to myself, already picturing myself messing up with all of these names.
"I know, my husband and I have very similar names. We joke about it all the time," Peri said with a soft laugh. Oh, crap. She must have heard me.
"Husband? Wait, Professor Pyrion is your husband?" I clamped my mouth shut before I could fit anymore of my foot in it. But holy fuck, my mind did not need the mental images that were flashing before my eyes as I tried to imagine the old Professor Pyrion with the stunningly gorgeous female in front of me. Not to say that Pyrion was ugly or anything. In fact, the ages had been kind to him and I had no doubt that he had been quite the heart breaker in his day, but no offense, how the hell had he managed to land such a catch?
"I am far older than I look, dear. But yes, Pyrion is my mated." I frowned at the unfamiliar term but decided to worry about that later. I just wanted to get this over with. I had never liked human hospitals and had a feeling I would not like dragon ones any better. Peri ushered me over to one of the large empty beds that lined the sides of the room. I sat nervously at the edge as I tried not to notice the fact that the bed was large enough to fit a dragon body and my tiny human frame was but a small blip in the white canvas. Hyperiona hovered over me, tutting every so often as she examined the many, many, scrapes and bruises that adorned my limbs.
"You poor dear. What happened to you? What manner of mischief have these young rascals gotten you into? You look like you took a tumble off a cliff!" Peri commented as she went to grab a bottle of strange looking liquid.
"That is precisely what happened," I hissed softly as she started spreading the purple liquid over my arms. "Fuck, that stings like a bitch! Whoops, pardon my french," I exclaimed as she looked at me reproachfully. I grinned at her as everyone but Blaise laughed loudly.
"I knew there was a reason I liked her," I heard Elios comment as I clenched my teeth against the pain as Peri moved down to cover my legs in the strange purple goo. I chose to ignore his words and shut my eyes. I didn't want to appear weak in front of these dragons - well, any weaker than they must already think me to be judging from the way Blaise was looking at me. I didn't need to be a mind reader to see his clear disdain for me. And while the other brothers were treating me far better than he had so far, I could still sense their mistrust and suspicion as well; they were just better at not being so open about it as Blaise was being.
My eyes opened wide as I suddenly felt as if my body was on fire. I looked down at myself and screamed. Flames had erupted all over my body wherever the purple slime had been smeared; which was almost everywhere...was this supposed to be happening? Or were my powers out of control again? I glanced up in fear at Peri and opened my mouth to ask, but before I could, I was overcome by a stabbing pain worse than anything I had ever experienced; and that's saying something, since I'd already been shot and stabbed enough times to be familiar with pain.
"It's working...it's actually working? It should not be working! That should have killed her as soon as the healing started to take effect! No human has ever survived a dragon healing!" I vaguely heard Caspian exclaim in shocked awe as my vision swam and stars danced in my eyes. My body started to convulse and I screamed again as the fire within me begged to be released and join the flames that covered every inch of my exposed skin.
"I would not call this a bloody healing!" I managed to grunt out as I squeezed my hands into fists. It felt like I was being burned alive. As my body continued to spasm against my will, the small part of my brain that was still working caught onto the fact that this stupid purple substance was supposedly meant to have killed me already. That confirmed it! I was right not to trust anyone around here. One minute they were claiming that I had the right to leave whenever I wanted and the next, claiming to want to take care of my wounds while in reality, covering me with toxic chemicals that were about to kill me. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Peri's face hovering over me with a worried expression.
C'est la vie, world, I thought as I shut my eyes once more. This is what you get for trusting a dragon, Ari. Never trust a dragon.
I woke up to the sound of hushed voices. I blinked blearily around me as I struggled to sit up. I moved slowly, expecting to feel my muscles ache in protest, but nothing of the sort happened. I frowned as I reached my arms above my arms and stretched them as far as they would go. Yup, nothing. In fact, I felt completely revived and more energized than I would have thought humanly possible. I guess that was my mistake, since nothing about any of this was human.
"Silence, you four should know better than to squabble like little hatchlings in a place of healing! She's waking up and if you know what is good for you, you will let the matter rest for now and focus on doing as my husband requested and get the girl fed." I glanced over to see Hyperiona towering over Caspian, Terrance, Elios, and Blaise like a mother hen as she scolded them. I laughed to myself as I watched the four men cowering in the face of her fury. It was definitely a sight that I found entertaining to watch.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, little one," Peri said as she helped me back to my feet. I stretched and yawned loudly as I checked myself over. My previously marred skin was completely flawless now. Not only had whatever healing process I had just been through healed my injuries from the other night, but every single injury I had ever had. Just to be sure, I lifted my shirt up and ran my fingers across my stomach. Gone were the bullet and stab wounds that had always irritated me so much.
"They're gone..." I commented in surprise.
"What's gone, sweetie?" Peri asked. I blinked up at her, not realizing I had spoken out loud.
"My scars. All of them are gone. Look!" I said as I pointed out where my scars should have been.
"Oh, that. Yeah, dragon healing gets rid of any blemishes no matter how small. There aren't many things that can permanently scar a dragon," she informed me as she looked at me with pity. "It's a shame you haven't been healed before now, those bullet wounds could have easily been taken care of." I looked at her as I shrugged, deciding not to remind her that I wasn't a dragon.
"Those were nothing. The stab wounds were worse; but all manageable," I said with a shrug as I lowered my shirt back down.
"You've been shot and stabbed before? Why does that not surprise me?" I heard Blaise comment with a snort. I wasn't the only one who turned to glare at him this time.
"Shut up, Blaise. Don't worry, Sammy! We won't let that happen again. No one is hurting our Sammy again, right guys?"
"Our?" I asked, raising my brows at Terrance as he received nods from Caspian and Elios; though I noticed Blaise crossing his arms. Not that I cared. I didn't belong to anyone. "I am not yours, Terrance, or your brothers. I'm not some dragon treasure you four can squabble over!" I stomped towards the door and opened it widely before realizing I had no idea where I was or where to go.
"I beg to differ, sweetness," growled Elios as he left the room and walked ahead of me. I rolled my eyes. What was with these guys! Were all dragons this possessive over random strangers they picked up at a bar? Or was that just me and my unfortunate luck?
Once again I found myself trailing after the four boys as they lead me to what I assumed would be the kitchen. Despite the sudden rush of energy I seemed to have after being burned alive, I still felt exhausted and just wanted to grab a quick bite before going back to sleep. No, I was not stupid to pass up on a free meal, but that didn't mean I wanted to linger any longer than necessary.
I groaned loudly as my plans for a speedy meal were dashed. The guys had led me to what passed as a dragon's version of a college cafeteria. There would be no way I was going to get in and get out like I had intended. Not to mention all the eyes that I found suddenly pointed in my direction; everyone wanting to know who the human girl was.
The five of us joined the line at the front of the room as I did my best to ignore the whispers of everyone around me. What, has no one here ever seen a human before?
"No," I heard Elios say.
"What?" I said, looking over at him.
"You are the first human to ever be let inside these walls. Most of the dragons here have never even been to the human realm." I turned sharply to him. Had he just read my mind? No Way! "Before you ask, yes, I heard your thoughts just now, but no, I am not a mind reader," Elios said with a wrinkle of his brows at the idea. Yeah, because he's the one who should be troubled most by the thought of him being able to read my mind! Never mind how I might feel...these men were irritating me more and more with each passing second. The level of arrogance and inconsideration was astounding.
"Seriously, I can't read your mind. Your facial expressions are quite easy to read, princess. My abilities allow me a certain level of access, but it's more complicated than it sounds. Rest assured, I don't go around violating people's minds willy nilly. Scout's honor!" he said with a wink as he held the palm of his right hand up to me. Right, because that is so reassuring...
"Wait, if no one ever goes to the human world, then what were you four doing at the bar?" I asked, my curiosity piqued as I let Elios pile my plate high with human food. Along with burgers, sandwiches, soups, and salads, there were several strange meat dishes that I didn't dare go anywhere near as they were oozing with blood and barely looked cooked. Eck!
"I didn't say no one ever goes, just that most of the dragons here never have. My brothers and I love to visit the humans. You all are so entertaining with your petty squabbles, alcohol, and short lifespans." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as he grinned wickedly at me as he showed me over to an empty table in the middle of the room and pulled out a chair for me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw several girls glaring at me as he did so and this time I did roll my eyes. He is all yours ladies; stuck up ass and all.
I moaned with joy as I bit into the sandwich Elios had snatched for me. It had been such a very long time since I had last had anything to eat.
"Damn, that's hot," I heard Terrance say as I finished scarfing down my food and slowly licked my fingers clean with a sigh of content as my belly thanked me. I blushed a brilliant shade of red as I finally looked up from my plate to find all four dragons staring hungrily at me; their meals untouched.
"What?" I said, grabbing a napkin and wiping my face quickly. "Is there something on my face?" As if I needed any more reasons to be embarrassed.
"No, you look as gorgeous as always, doll," Terrance said as he nudged his brothers to start eating.
"Will you please stop with the nicknames already?"
"Never."
Before I could respond, the chair next to me was pulled out abruptly and a body slammed down next to me. I looked over to my right and stared at the girl in front of me in surprise. What was with everyone around here looking like they walked out of some sort of modeling magazine!
"Heyya, I'm Blair. Who are you?" She said, cheerfully sticking out her hand to me.