The Dragon's Scale [COMPLETE]

16.1 || Breaking the Seals

"WELL, I CAN'T say this is entirely unexpected, but wake up."

Josh tried blinking awake a few times before giving up. Sleep weighed on his eyes and muddled his thoughts with fog. A warm presence stirred at his side. He smiled without fully knowing why, a happy buzz stirring in his chest.

A sigh sounded from somewhere above him. "You have ten seconds before I shoot you two love birds in the knees."

The threat rolled over Josh's addled mind, but the next voice jolted through him. "Josh, we need to get up."

He opened his eyes fully to find Mara leaning over him, light shining above her. Memories trickled back as the fog receded. She'd kissed him, and then after he didn't know how long, they'd fallen asleep under the night sky, his arm around her while she lay on his chest.

Night sky. With stars. The light over Mara wasn't stars. They'd slept into the morning.

"Just couldn't wait and let me shoot him, could you?"

Josh craned his head back. Ioana stood over them, arms crossed. The grin on her face spoke of both amusement and exasperation.

"We have company," she said. "Get up and let's go. Oh, and Josh. Wipe the lipstick off your face."

Ioana snickered when he reached for his lips. Mara rolled her eyes and stood. Josh followed, rubbing at his cheek.

"Josh, I don't even wear lipstick." Mara chuckled, but a faint red blush lightened her cheeks.

"Oh." He dropped his hand and averted his gaze. "Right."

"Come along, kiddos." Ioana turned and headed toward the castle. Josh and Mara fell into step behind her.

He chewed on his lip as they walked, hand so close to Mara's but not touching. Did he take it? Had the kissing meant anymore than a night of, well, kissing?

Shut up and just take her hand before I crawl in that tiny hall and tail-whack you, Boomer grumbled.

Josh raised his eyebrows. What's your problem?

You two made sleeping in my usual spot way too awkward last night. Now if you want to grab her hand, just do it already.

Maybe Josh should have felt some guilt, but instead he had to bite back laughter. He gulped, glancing down at Mara's hand as he reached for it and entwined their fingers.

She twitched in surprise and looked down. Then, with a grin, she squeezed his hand.

The nervous worms erupted into fluttering butterflies. He returned the squeeze.

Boomer's eye roll could be felt through the bond. Weirdo.

Instead of stopping in the courtyard, they cut across it to the right side of the Sanctuary. They followed the same path Josh had taken last night, and within moments, they found themselves within Xander's office.

His desk wasn't empty, but Xander didn't sit behind it. A black woman peered down at a book, adjusting her glasses as she leaned closer. She could have been anywhere between her early forties and her sixties. Wrinkles cut the occasional line through her face, but her short, curly black hair didn't have a strand of gray. Even reading a book, she emitted a sense of strength and power.

"I should have invested in bigger text for these books," the woman murmured, not looking up at their arrival. "We forget what age can do to us until our bond is gone." With one last wry glance at the book, the woman sat up and interlocked her fingers under her chin. "So, who have you brought me, Ioana?"