Chapter Twenty-Three

Sarah

"W ait!"

Levi got there first, sliding his body between the door and me.

"Move." I ordered. "I have to get to my son."

"We will," he growled. "But if the flames are on the other side of the door, you will burn yourself by opening it and feeding it fresh oxygen."

My mouth was already open to protest, but the words died on my lips. He was right. I wasn't thinking.

"Stand back," he ordered, yanking the door open as soon as I did.

There were no flames in the hallway, but smoke was slowly flooding it from under a different door.

"Jakub!" I shouted, fear for my son's well-being breaking through for a moment.

I tamped it back down as we hurried to his door, and once more, Levi went first.

Flames roared higher as we opened the door.

"Mommy!" Jakub cried from the top of the bed, surrounded by flames that were eating at everything, including the sheets.

"Everybody, on the count of three, open your mouths wide!" Levi shouted over the roaring flames. "Okay?"

We both nodded, not that Levi looked at me. He had eyes only for our son. Once he saw the answering nod, he started to count.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

I dropped my jaw as wide as it could go, watching Jakub do the same.

For Levi's part, his head was shapeshifting, covering itself in ruby scales and growing a long snout. As he did that, the air in the room began to whistle , bringing with it a cool breeze.

Then, one by one, the flames were sucked toward him. They leaped from the bed and the floor, the sheets and the walls, hurtling into the massive vortex of his maw, as Levi quite literally swallowed the fire until it was completely out.

Snout closed firmly, eyes twitching in what had to be some serious discomfort, he walked toward the window and flung it open. Sticking his head out, he angled upward. Then, at long last, he exhaled.

A jet of flame erupted from his mouth, stabbing high into the sky as he released all the flames.

I watched for a moment.

"Mommy!"

Hearing the little cry, I ran forward, snatching Jakub from the bed and hauling him toward the corridor and safety from any fresh flames that might pop up.

None seemed to, however. They were well and truly gone . Not out but literally gone. Levi had taken the fire into him and expelled it harmlessly outside. I didn't know they could do that.

When the flames finally expired, Levi closed the window. He took a deep breath in and out, then came toward us. His features slowly melted back toward that of a human. Once he got close, he extended his arms.

"Jakub, come with me," he said deeply, his yellow-brown eyes troubled.

"Why do you need him?" I asked skeptically.

"Because," Levi said, "that fire wasn't a candle or an electrical outlet."

"How can you be sure?"

He glowered at me angrily. "Because it was dragonfire."

I held tight to my son at that pronouncement. "You can't be sure."

Levi sighed. "Yes, I can, Sarah. Now, give him to me!"

He stepped forward, reaching for Jakub.

"No!" I shouted, backing away and twisting my body to keep it between Levi and my son. "Stay back!"

Levi came to an abrupt halt. Slowly, he put both hands out to his side at shoulder height, fingers wide. "Whoa. Sarah. Why are you reacting this way? What's going on?"

"He didn't mean it, Levi," I said. "He won't do it again."

"Yes," Levi rumbled. "He will, Sarah."

"He didn't know any better, okay? He won't do it again. Will you, baby?"

Jakub, for his part, shook his little head, looking confusedly between us.

"See! He's not going to do it again."

"Sarah," Levi said sharply. "Listen to me, and listen to me clearly, okay? I. Am. Not. Mad."

I blinked. "You aren't?"

"No. And nobody is in trouble either, okay? So, can you just drop the protective mama-bear act? I'm not trying to take Jake away from you."

"You aren't?"

"No," he said with a frown. "This is normal . It's one of the first signs they're coming into their powers. That the dragon in them is slowly awakening. But like any new ability or power, a child has no ability to control it."

"Oh." I chewed on my lip. "Then why did you want to take him?"

"Because we're going to go up on the roof, and we're going to work on what he did and how he did it so he can do it again. And again. And learn how he did it so he can begin to not do it by accident. I'm going to teach him how to become a dragon. Dragon 101, if you like."

I stared. "You promise you're not mad?"

"I was never mad. I'm simply trying to help." He looked down. "To be a good dad."

Something sharp stabbed into my heart at the pain in his voice. Pain I had caused.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, stepping closer, Jakub on my hip, still silent, bless his heart. He was probably still half-asleep despite the excitement. Kid could sleep through anything.

Levi didn't open his arms to welcome us in, however, keeping his distance instead.

"I really am sorry," I told him. "I guess I just …"

"You assumed that because I'm a dragon, I meant harm. That I was the bogeyman in the night coming to punish your son for setting fire to my condo," he said.

I opened my mouth to reply. To deny it and tell him he was wrong. That I was simply caught up in the moment. It was circular logic, however. Caught up in the moment meant I was reacting automatically. That my base thoughts and, in that case, fears were exposed. Including the ones about him being a dragon and secretly waiting to hurt us.

There was no avoiding it.

"You two can sleep in my bed tonight," he said with a sigh. "I'll sleep on the couch."

Then he was gone.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?" I asked, surprising myself by blinking back tears.

Did I truly care that deeply?

"Why are you guys naked?"

I laughed. "I guess because we like to sleep naked."

"Can I sleep naked?"

"Not tonight, little buddy," I said. "Come on. Let's get you back to bed. That's enough excitement for one night, don't you think?"

Jakub nodded and yawned, resting his head on my shoulder with his little hands clinging to me.

I wandered down the hallway to Levi's room, pulling the blankets into place and tucking Jakub in.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Did I really make the fire? Am I going to be a dragon?"

"Yes, baby, you're going to be a dragon," I assured him, caressing his cheek. "But only if you get some sleep."

"Okay," he said, yawning.

I bent down and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, my little dragon."

"I love you, Mommy."

"Love you, too," I told him, somehow managing to keep my voice from hitching as my insides completely broke down.

That, right there, was what made motherhood worth it. Every time.

Seconds later, he was asleep. I waited several minutes more until he was good and out, then I slowly lifted myself from the bed, trying not to disturb him.

After another few minutes of watching him from the doorway, I closed it behind me and went in search of Levi.

I had an apology to make.

But the couch was empty. The lights were off, and he was nowhere to be seen.

On a hunch, I headed for the roof. Tiptoeing up the stairs, I peered over the ledge as I'd done that morning.

Levi was on the roof all right. But he was curled up in his dragon form, the usual brilliance of his red scales dulled in the moonlight. His back was to the stairs, and he didn't react to my presence.

"Levi?" I called softly.

Nothing.

I knew he could hear me. But his body language was clear. He didn't want to talk to me right now. The urge to push through, to force him to talk rose, but I pushed it down. I was the one who'd screwed up. If he didn't want to talk just yet, I didn't get to decide otherwise for him.

Besides, I could put the time to good use. A sense of self had reared its head tonight that I didn't like, and I needed to figure out why. Until I did, any apology I made would be an empty one.

I would figure it out, however, and then I would set it right with Levi.

Somehow.