Dragon Fever by Elsa Jade Page B

head restlessly against the sheets. She was just going to have to tell him they needed to slow down.
    Except she knew he didn’t have that kind of time—
    He emerged from the bathroom, striding toward her.
    His jaw was set in a determined line, and blood dripped down from the crook of his arm, bright as flames.

Chapter 10
    His mind made up, Rave waited until his pupils had gone from the dragon’s slitted stare to a more human circle before he exited the bathroom. “Piper, there’s something I need to tell you—”
    “Oh my god, Rave!”
    She bolted from the bed and ran toward him. She’d grabbed a bolster from the bed on the way, and for a second he thought they were going to have some sort of porn-tastic pillow fight. But then she stripped the case and reached for his arm.
    “What happened?” She lifted his elbow, catching the stream of blood in the pillow case and wrapping the fabric tight, but not too tight. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
    “It’s nothing,” he said impatiently. Lately, excising ichor had been like digging for buried treasure, except the treasure was halfway to China and only half a gold coin. He hadn’t expected to find it so fast and close to the surface this time. The iron knife he’d stuck in his arm had melted and shocked him at the same time when it touched the ichor surging wildly just beneath his skin, and he’d been so surprised he cut himself more deeply than he thought.
    And then he’d come running to find her.
    “It’s not nothing,” she argued. “That’s going to need stitches. You’re not hurt anywhere else?”
    “No. I…” What? Cut himself shaving? She wasn’t going to believe that. And anyway, he needed to tell her the truth—more of the truth, at least—if he was going to prepare her to be a solarys.
    To save Bale.
    He let out a slow breath. “I was checking my blood.” No sense trying to explain ichor right away.
    She frowned. “Like glucose monitoring? No test needs that much blood outside of a collection tube.”
    “I slipped.” He tried a smile at her.
    But she was having none of it. “Who is your doctor? If we need to get you seen—”
    “Nobody needs to see me.” Except her. She was going to save his liege and give the Nox Incendi a stay of execution.
    Her expression softened. “It must be hard for you. Admitting you need help in this when you have so much power everywhere else.”
    He shook his head. “I can say it. I need your help, Piper. My people will find your friends, but I need you to help me.”
    She looked up at him, her dark eyes luminous above the jade of her sweater. “I’m here for you.”
    So simple, so naïve. No wonder dragons ate innocents.
    He was going to tear her world apart to save his.
    “Come with me.” He wiped the worst of the gore from his arm and tossed the pillow case away before reaching for her clothes.
    “Rave. You need to keep pressure on that—”
    He unfolded his bare arm toward her, flexing just enough to show her the ragged edges of the careless cut he’d made.
    The edges already knitting together.
    She closed her eyes. Then looked again. “What?” Her voice was faint.
    “I know you have questions.” He handed her clothing over. “But it will be easier to just show you. Will you come?”
    She didn’t answer but she got dressed, casting sidelong glances his way as he did the same, yanking on his jeans, t-shirt, and boots.
    He took her down deep to his laboratory. In the elevator, she lifted his arm in her hands, turning it under the light. The filaments of new flesh webbing the wound were tenuous, stretching with her tentative exploration, but there was no more blood.
    She made a soft sound of confusion but didn’t otherwise speak.
    He didn’t blame her.
    His own mind was racing with how he would explain, how he would win her cooperation. And what he would do if the first two failed.
    As they walked into his lab, she made another sound and rocked back in her clogs. She was a scientist too,