“Oh. Well, Marcus says that after I perform this rebellious act, we can break the elements and free me from the tattoo’s control. But to truly bind the spell and make sure the tattoo is never repaired, I need to tattoo over it—like he did. He calls it sealing. But it takes some special compound that’s hard to find. He got his done in Mexico and is going to take some of his Merry Men there so they can do it.”
“I see.” Adrian’s smile had vanished. “So. Are you joining them?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Marcus wants me to.”
“I’m sure he does.”
I ignored the tone. “I’ve thought about it . . . but it’s a big step. Not just for the tattoo, either. If I did that, there’d be no going back. I’d be turning my back on the Alchemists.”
“And us,” he said. “Unless you really are only helping Jill because of your orders.”
“You know it’s not about that anymore.” Again, I didn’t like his tone. “You know I care about her and . . . and the rest of you.”
His face was hard. “And yet you’d run off with some guy you just met.”
“It’s not like that! We wouldn’t be ‘running off’ together. I’d be coming back! And we’d be going for a specific reason.”
“Beaches and margaritas?”
I was speechless for a few moments. It was so close to what Marcus had joked about. Was that all anyone associated with Mexico?
“I see how it is,” I snapped. “You were all in favor of me breaking the tattoo and thinking on my own—but that’s only okay if it’s convenient for you, huh? Just like your ‘loving from afar’ only works if you don’t have an opportunity to get your hands all over me. And your lips. And . . . stuff.”
Adrian rarely got mad, and I wouldn’t quite say he was now. But he was definitely exasperated. “Are you seriously in this much self-denial, Sydney? Like do you actually believe yourself when you say you don’t feel anything? Especially after what’s been happening between us?”
“Nothing’s happening between us,” I said automatically. “Physical attraction isn’t the same as love. You of all people should know that.”
“Ouch,” he said. His expression hadn’t changed, but I saw hurt in his eyes. I’d wounded him. “Is that what bothers you? My past? That maybe I’m an expert in an area you aren’t?”
“One I’m sure you’d just love to educate me in. One more girl to add to your list of conquests.”
He was speechless for a few moments and then held up one finger. “First, I don’t have a list.” Another finger. “Second, if I did have a list, I could find someone a hell of lot less frustrating to add to it.” For the third finger, he leaned toward me. “And finally, I know that you know you’re no conquest, so don’t act like you seriously think that. You and I have been through too much together. We’re too close, too connected. I wasn’t that crazy on spirit when I said you’re my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. Our backgrounds don’t matter. What we have is bigger than that. I love you, and beneath all that logic, calculation, and superstition, I know you love me too. Running away to Mexico and fleeing all your problems isn’t going to change that. You’re just going to end up scared and confused.”
“I already feel that way,” I said quietly.
Adrian moved back and leaned into his seat, looking tired. “Well, that’s the most accurate thing you’ve said so far.”
I grabbed the basket and jerked open the car door. Without another word, I stormed off toward the dorm, refusing to look back in case he saw the tears that had inexplicably appeared in my eyes. Only, I wasn’t sure exactly which part of our conversation I was most upset about.
The tears seemed like they were going to stay put by the time I reached my room, but I still had to calm down. Even once my emotions were settled, it was hard to shake his words. You’re my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. What did that even mean?
At least smuggling a dragon into my room provided a pretty good distraction. I brought the basket inside, hoping demonic dragons weren’t contraband. No one stopped me when I went upstairs, and I was left wondering how I was going to confine him if I did summon him back. The basket didn’t seem all that secure, and I certainly wasn’t going to let him run loose in my dorm room. When I reached my door, I found Jill standing outside, her pale green eyes wide with excitement.
“I want to see him,” she said. The bond was strongest in moments of high emotion, and judging from Adrian’s face when the dragon had been chasing us, his emotions had been running pretty strong. I wondered if she’d witnessed our argument too or if that hadn’t come through the bond. Maybe the tension between him and me was second nature to her now.
“I can’t let him out yet,” I said, letting her into my room. “I need something to keep him in. Like a birdcage. Maybe I can get one tomorrow.”
Jill frowned in thought, then brightened. “I have an idea.” She glanced at my alarm clock. “I hope it’s not too late.”
And without further explanation, she took off, promising to be back soon. I was still a little shaky from today’s magic but hadn’t had time to rectify the situation after all the other excitement. So, I sat at my desk with a spell book and ate the rest of the now-soft coconut cream pie, careful to first cut off the part where the dragon had eaten. I didn’t know if callistanas had communicable germs, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Jill returned an hour later, bearing a rectangular glass aquarium, like the kind you’d keep fish or gerbils in.
“Where’d you get that?” I asked, moving a lamp off my desk.
“My biology teacher. Our guinea pig died a couple weeks ago, and she’s been too sad to replace him.”
“Didn’t she ask what you needed it for?” I examined the tank and found it spotless, so someone had apparently cleaned it after the guinea pig’s unfortunate passing. “We can’t have pets.”
“I told her I was building a diorama. She didn’t question it.” Jill eagerly brought the aquarium over to the desk. “We can give it back when you get your own.”
I set the quartz crystal inside and slammed on the tank’s lid, making sure it was securely attached. After more entreating from Jill, I spoke the summoning words. A bit of smoke appeared, and the quartz transformed back into the dragon. Mercifully, he didn’t make any more of that screeching, so I guessed he was still full. Instead, he scampered around the tank, examining his new home. At one point, he tried to climb the side, but his tiny claws couldn’t get traction on the glass.
“Well, that’s a relief,” I said.
Jill’s face was filled with wonder. “I think he’ll be bored in there. You should get him some toys.”
“Toys for a demon? Isn’t it enough that I give him pie?”
“He wants you,” she insisted.
Sure enough, I glanced back at the tank and found the callistana regarding me adoringly. He was even wagging his tail.
“No,” I said sternly. “This isn’t a Disney movie where I have an adorable sidekick. You aren’t coming out.”
I cut off a piece of blueberry pie and put it in the tank in case he wanted a midnight snack. No way would I risk a late-night wakeup call. After a moment’s thought, I added a stress ball and a scarf.
“There,” I told Jill. “Food, a toy, and a bed. Happy?”
The callistana apparently was. He batted the ball around a few times and then curled up on the nest I’d made with the scarf. He looked more or less content, aside from the fact that he kept watching me.
“Aww,” she said. “Look how sweet he is. What are you going to name him?”