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When I gave her a questioning look, she added, "In case whoever comes wants us dead."
"Right." That was something to worry about, but not unless it happened. "Lucky we can look after ourselves."
I crouched beside Knox and peeled back the dragon’s hide while he sliced carefully.
"I don't suppose dragons are good for eating?" Viva asked. "That would keep us for a while."
I glanced back up. I assumed she was squeamish, but it seemed I was wrong.
"They say it tastes like chicken, but I've never eaten it." The irony of eating an animal that wanted to eat us first wasn't lost on me. I wasn't sentimental about dragons, and I certainly wasn't squeamish.
Viva snorted. "Save me some breast meat then."
"That's the best kind." I gave her a lingering look.
Her face turned slightly pink in the most adorable way possible. I'd seen her completely naked, but for some reason this was more endearing. And hotter.
Although, pretty much anything was hotter than the terror of walking into that bathroom to see the would-be assassin holding her under the water.
I hadn't even stopped to think. I just pulled out my knife and drove it straight into the other man's back. Before he even hit the floor, I grabbed Viva and pulled her out of the bath.
For a devastating few seconds, I thought I was too late. My heart stopped.
Then she gasped for breath and my heart started again, this time at breakneck speed. Another few moments and I would have been too late. I would have lost her. I would have wanted my heart to stay stopped. I couldn't, wouldn't, get my head around life without her in it.
Thank Hades I didn't have to.
Wedidn't have to. Dex would have me skinned like the dragon if anything happened to Viva. Knox would share that fate, regardless of who his brother was. Dex rarely got truly angry, but when he did, no one could appease him until he was ready to be appeased.
I worked a few scales loose and waved Viva over. I brushed sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and held one out to her.
"I'm curious to see if you can feel any power from these."
She looked at the scale sideways. "Is that a good idea?"
"You can't bring the Residence down around your head," I said. "Try it." I was certain it wouldn't harm her. I wouldn't make the suggestion otherwise.
She looked doubtful, but took the scale between her thumb and forefinger. When it glowed, she flinched but didn't drop it.
I pressed my lips together to suppress a smile of pride. She was a badass, through and through, even when she was vulnerable.
"How does it feel?" I asked.
Her brow creased. "Warm. I feel power, stronger than with the sand dragon scale, but I can't use this either." She held the scale to her nose and sniffed it. "Not even now." She moved to hand the scale back, but I waved it away.
"Keep it. Buy yourself something nice."
She gave me a look which reminded me that Dex mentioned buying her clothes and things to help her to settle in. Those were his words. If she told him to stop, he would, so I assumed she was okay with it. That was between them, so I would stay out of it.
"Will it pay for that helicopter?" she asked.
I almost smiled. "The whole dragon might. A few scales might pay for a car."
"We could use one of those about now." She looked around like she was trying to choose which car to buy.
"Yeah, we could." I bent my head to slice some dragon hide in the opposite direction to Knox's precise cuts. There was a lot of dragon, and we had to work around the damage, and avoid shards of glass.
I tried not to curse Hades, but if the dragon landed another metre or two to the right, he would have missed the car entirely.
