Page 119 of Centaur Bolt

“Havoc might be awhile,” I whispered.

For just a second, his eyes went inky black, and then flashed white. He growled, impossibly low.Yes.I wanted this, ached for this—

He pulled his arm away as if I’d scorched him.

“Not a good idea.” He ground the words out.

“You won’t hurt me, Marcus,” I insisted.

“You don’t know that.Idon’t know that.” He shuffled a little farther away from me.

Dammit.Suddenly, I was angry. His refusal to take the risk—“Is this really about protecting me?”

He frowned. “Of course it is.”

“Are you sure? Because I think this thing between us has you running scared.”

His eyes went jet-black. Freaky, like he was possessed. “How can you say that?”

“Because every time you touch me, you cut and run.” The rejection hurt, and I tossed the ring at him, bouncing it off his chin. “You can shove that where the sun doesn’t shine. I’d shove it for you, but that would mean touching.” I turned my back to him and wrapped my own arms around my folded knees. I shook, but I wasn’t cold.

He was silent for a bit. Then, he said, “If you rest well tonight, you might be able to Jump us out of here. Iskar says once we are back with Cara, we can work on controlling what is inside me.” His voice was hoarse.

It was a peace offering, of sorts, but I wasn’t in the mood. “I’m not sure this will clear up by morning.” I fought to keep my tone noncommittal, and to hide the hurt. “I feel like I have a fever. Cara said time Jumping might cause issues because I exist in two places at once.”

He stiffened. “Time Jumping?”

“I went back in time to get to you, by the pond.”

He didn’t respond right away. Then, he said, “That was one hell of a risk, Riley.”

I suppressed the flare of anger as I rolled to my knees, moving farther away from him. “I did it, though. And I’m sick of people telling me what I can and can’t do.”

“Those people care about you.” He sounded angry now.

“There is a difference between caring and controlling,” I snapped back.

He didn’t reply, merely huddled closer to the stones. I immediately felt guilty, but dammit. This dude would take control in an instant if I let him. With everything except what I wanted him to do.

And the way I felt right now, I wasn’t about to let him. I was exhausted and dizzy, but also restless as hell as well as flushed with heat. If this was due to existing in more than one place at a time, I was going to swear off time travel for the foreseeable future.

Marcus paused again, before he said, “Why did you start to turn into a Dragon?” The question came out stilted, as though it upset him.

“What?” I froze, and turned to stare at him.

He frowned. “When you Jumped, you arrived with scales. And you smell like a Dragon. You didn’t smell like that before.”

Scales. I’d had scales on my wrists only minutes ago. “I’m not a Dragon,” I said. “And you aren’t supposed to tell a girl she smells.”

His entire forehead furrowed. “You hadscales, Riley.”

“Yep. And I’ve had them before. I had fur, too. Became a Dire.” I left out the manly bits. This conversation was upsetting enough.

His eyes widened. “That—isn’t possible,” he said

I stared at him, the knot deep in my gut twisting a little tighter. But then I continued, “I think it has something to do with the Jumping. Like I’m absorbing things from my surroundings.” Vali had clung to me for a few moments longer than Kiko, when we’d come through the gate. Not long afterward, I’d Jumped to Marcus.

The scales must be from her.

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