Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

Samantha

I get out on the medical floor, and to my surprise, Granger comes with me. When I give him a look, he just shrugs. I’m guessing he figured I could use some support. Maybe I can.

Without thinking, I take his hand.

I’m already stressed about Dahlia, the enemy dragons, and, well, everything that happened this morning. It’s good to not feel alone. I just need to figure out how to fix things.

Don’t think about that right now.

One of the doctors comes out to greet us.

“I just wanted to see Dahlia, if she’s up for it,” I say, biting my lip.

He smiles. “She’s actually awake and doing quite well. You’re welcome to see her.”

The doctor leads us out of the main area of the medical floor, down a short hall, and to a door. He knocks softly, then opens it up. The door cracks open to reveal Dahlia, sitting in bed eating pudding, a big bandage on her head.

When her gaze meets mine, she grins. “Hey, Xena Warrior Princess, how you doing?”

I release Granger’s hand and hurry into the room, giving her a gentle hug, even though I want to squeeze her tightly. She’s alright. I’m so glad. I was so worried.

“Since you’re some badass fighter now, does that make me Gabrielle?” she asks, followed by laughter.

Without letting her go, I say, “You’re no one’s sidekick.”

Finally, I pull back from her and let my gaze move over her. There are small bags under her eyes, and her skin looks a little paler, but overall, she looks fine.

“Stop it,” Dahlia says, giving me a look.

“Stop what?”

“Analyzing me. I’m fine.”

“Are you?” I ask gently.

She smiles. “Perfectly. I’m being treated like a queen here, which is a hell of a lot better than I’ve been treated since all this dragon nonsense took place.”

“You want to tell me about it?” I ask.

Her gaze moves to Granger, and I see her eyes light up a little. For some reason, I want to step between them, but I know I need to ignore the instinct. Granger is my best friend, that’s all, and he could do a hell of a lot worse than Dahlia for a girlfriend, even if the idea makes me a little sick to my stomach.

“So, you’re here?” she asks.

Granger nods. “Wherever Sam goes, I go. I think it’s my new philosophy.”

“I wish I had a guy following me around like that,” she teases.

Interrupting, I say, “Yeah, I’m lucky to have him.”

She gives me a look. A question. Is he yours? I thought Aydan was the one you liked? All of it is there in her eyes and gone in a flash, which I’m grateful for. I don’t want to try to explain why I’m protective of Granger, when logic tells me he’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Dahlia wouldn’t break his heart… probably.

“So, where to begin,” she mutters, leaning back on her pillows. “The dragons came. Chaos ensued. All of us, teachers and students, hid underground for a while before the main teachers just… took off. Communication was kind of a joke. Were we safe? Were we not? Were the dragons gone or still lingering around? Anyway, I had to get out of there. I felt like I was going out of my mind crammed in a small space with a bunch of ‘geniuses’ completely freaking out. So, I hitched a ride and headed down to meet you… shit, you didn’t happen to see my bag when you picked me up, did you?”

“Sorry, no.”

“Damn it.” She sighs. “Oh well. So, yeah, now I really don’t know what I’m doing. If the professors come back, I want to finish the program at the institute, but I get the feeling it won’t be back up and running any time soon. I also don’t honestly know what’s going to happen with the world going to shit and dragons flying around doing crazy stuff everywhere. I mean, will schools just remain closed? Will people stop going out? And for how long? Forever? Is this the apocalypse?”

I can’t help but chuckle. “I don’t think it’s going to come to that.”

She lifts a brow. “What makes you say that?”

I take a deep breath. “I happen to know several of the dragons.”

“ Know ?”

Granger steps a little closer. “Sam, are you sure we should be talking about this?”

Oh, right. My new identity is super secret. I’m like a masked hero. I need to be careful who I tell. The thing is, I know I can trust Dahlia. She’ll take this secret to the grave.

“I’m sure. We can trust Dahlia.”

“Trust me with what?” She glances between us. “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”

I reach out and take her hand. “Okay, so the thing is, some of the dragons have been sleeping under the ground, and they’re starting to wake up. But other dragons… well, they’re actually just people walking around who never knew they were dragons, but when exposed to other dragons, and having a near-death experience, they awaken and shift into dragons.”

She levels me with a strange look. “You doing the crack?”

“The crack?”

“Yeah, you smoking, snorting, shooting the crack? You doing the crack?”

I laugh. “No, no crack. This is all real.”

She doesn’t look convinced. “And… you happen to know some of these dragons?”

“Yes.” I hesitate. “I also happen to be one of those dragons.”

She stares for a long minute, then sets her pudding down and flops back on the bed. “It’s official. I hit my head and lost my mind. Those doctors need to get back in here and do something before my brain swells and explodes out of my head.”

I laugh. “No, Dahlia, I’m serious. I’d show you, but I don’t think my dragon can fit in this room.”

Granger inches closer to us. “Uh, if it helps, I can verify that it’s true. I’ve seen her go dragon countless times, and I’ve interacted with some of the other dragons.”

Dahlia drums her fingers on her bed, then releases a slow breath. “Okay, I’m going to pretend this is all true. Even though,” she makes a little ‘crazy’ gesture, “why are you going around burning down buildings and attacking people?”

“It’s not me, or the dragons I’m friends with. The ones causing problems are some of the dragons that were sleeping under the ground. They’re kind of crazy, but we’re hoping to get them under control.” Somehow. Maybe after they stop coming after me.

She blows out a loud breath and says, “Alright then. Alright. Totally normal.” Then she starts rubbing her head and wincing.

“Are you okay?”

“Just a headache.” Then she adds on, “And I’ve been pretty tired.”

I’m a total ass. “Of course you are. Let’s get out of here and give you some time to rest. We can talk more when you’re feeling better.”

She looks like she might argue, but then she smiles. “Okay, but we’re definitely finishing this conversation, and you’re going to prove all this dragon nonsense.”

We hug again, holding on just a little too long, but it just feels so good to have her back safely with me. Whatever happens from here, I’m glad we’re together.

After saying goodbye, Granger and I head back to the elevator.

“I’m glad she’s doing okay,” Granger says.

I nod. “It’s one less thing to worry about while we’re dealing with everything else.”

He hesitates. “But should you have told her?”

“About all the dragon stuff?”

He nods.

“Yeah, I’d trust Dahlia with my life.” And, I do. Even if she decides to hate me one day, she’d have too much honor to spill our secrets.

He doesn’t look confident, but he doesn’t argue further.

We get into the elevator, and Granger turns to me. “What do you think will be worse? Whatever the professors have to say? Or how Aydan and Evander are handling this whole thing with Zane?”

I wince, remembering that I’m in trouble with my boys. “Zane. Definitely Zane.”