Grody whimpers and stands up, narrowly avoiding my pencil-lined limbs. He must sense where I am. An animal thing, no doubt. He retreats as far as possible in the small room. I expect the floor to shake under his gargantuan mass as he sits, but he’s surprisingly graceful.
When his big, puppy-bear eyes gape stupidly at me, I can’t help feeling a touch of awe mixed in with my annoyance. He truly is stunning, and while powerful, I can’t imagine him ever using that power maliciously. I’m glad he’s on my side.
Conversing with the creature is problematic. Bright side: he can’t argue or stop me from saying something he doesn’t want to hear. Dim side: he can’t concede to me. Still, I’m confident the animal cares more about easing hunger than withholding. I’m prepared to take advantage of his conflicted emotions and vulnerability. Shameless. That’s me.
“You have to let me help you. I need this as much as you do.”
He stretches flat on the floor, letting out a long whine followed by a series of grunts.
“Please,” I beg him, tears pooling in my eyes. “Let me help you. I know full well the time is coming I’ll need you. I already do. I always do.”
He scoots closer.
“I’m not strong enough to do this on my own.” I run my hand along the length of his snout. “I need you to be ready and able to help carry me. I’m tired.”
He chuffs more snot on me. Gross infinity.
“You won’t hurt me. Whatever happens can’t be as painful as watching you suffer.”
He roars, and the sad sound of it splinters my tinder heart. My chest aches for what I’m asking of him. Whether for his own sake or not, I’m asking him to let down the guard he promised me.
“Just enough to sustain you.”
While I’m still not convinced the creature and he aren’t two separate entities joined into one magnificent being, I see the man in his eyes. Not once does he dodge my gaze.
His snout presses into my hand, followed by the coarse grains of his tongue thoroughly sliming my palm. He’s trying to make me smile. He’s nailing it. Grodily.
I wipe my hand on my jeans—Sorry, Tally—and sniff away my sadness. “You’re lucky I don’t snot back on you,” I scold.
He barks a laugh, forcing me to join in his amusement.
I pull myself to my feet. “Ready?”
To be truthful, I’m hoping he doesn’t stand up. He’s taller than me sitting down. If he rears up on his hind legs, he might make an unintentional skylight.
“Like this?” I gnaw my lip. “Do you want to shift back or something?”
He picks up a piece of shredded cotton from my feet, where he burst through the seams in his transformation. He basically spits it at me. Yeah, helping a naked Brody probably won’t go over well with my boyfriend, who’s displaying impressive patience by remaining on the other side of the door.
Stolen story; please report.
“Solid point.”
I rub my palms together, the friction warming away my nervousness. I’m not really scared of my flame anymore. While I’m not ready to take myself off the national threat list, it’s contained since I burn the excess fire fuel before it can grow large enough to do any serious damage. There’s no shortage of Sumairs in need.
When Grody shutters his dark, endless eyes, I know he’s ready. Me? Not so much. Lack of confidence has flooded my lower limbs, liquefying my bones. Again, it’s not pee. I swear.
My hands slide over his smooth pelt. He smells the same in both forms. Acacia and Ash is my anchor point. Grody is Brody, and he needs my help.
“Shh,” I soothe him. “I’ve got you.” His chest rumbles, but not in a threatening way. He’s content to have me caressing away the shakes.
When Phelan slurped the flame after our failed fire-starting experiment, it was at a dangerous level. His extraction was strategic and pain-reducing. Helping Connor was a collaborative experience. I calmed his cravings by opening myself up to him. Phelan was taking while Connor was receiving. Both were supplementing earth with fire energy.
Augmenting is what I was trying to do with my mother. It’s what I do with Derry. Fire to fire. Or did, rather, until he started abstaining. Problem for another time, albeit a big one.
Current problem: sufficient supplementation. Mismatching elemental energy has to be transformed for use, meaning a significant loss of potency. Grody feeding from me is like drinking through a filter. The strongest portion of the energy is wasted. I’ll have to take care not to expel my limit, as he’ll automatically want more than I have on tap.
“Do you trust me?”
He rears back, fidgeting a little before placing his muzzle in my palms again. What if he involuntarily bites off a hand? An arm? My head? Having his sharp teeth so close to my hands isn’t an ideal placement, but I can’t see any other option.
I concentrate on what he’s feeling. His natural reactions are lessened, oddly subdued by the creature’s instincts. Still, I sense his desire to quiet the raging beast that wants to consume me. His addiction is more a monster than Grody. Fighting it is a constant battle with no winner.
I let the fire circle inside me, building a steady pulse before releasing it throughout my body. Generally, there’s a slow, oozing lava flow. Right now, it wants out nearly as much as Grody wants to accept it.
I question my flame’s presence, just as I questioned if Brody and Grody are one being. It almost seems alive, though that’s impossible. It’s part of me, an ability needing to be held under lock and key by me. If I’m the caretaker, the gatekeeper maintaining strict admittance rules, is it something outside me? Or is it what I’m destined to become? Will we unite in the transition?
Like someone basking in the sun on a gloriously golden day, Grody sighs contentedly, relaxing entirely. While doing a stellar job keeping cool, I accept how close he came to the edge. He would’ve taken me with him if he fell. He might yet. His impulse is to draw every last drop of my fire fuel. Regardless how much I give, it won’t be enough. It just leaves him hungry for more. I’m merely an appetizer, and he’s famished.
Grody fights the pull, and I understand now why Brody shifted. The creature has far more control than the man. It’s also better prepared to utilize the magic it receives. It only takes a few minutes to save my friend from his wicked withdrawal.
Grody and I have established a bond, but Brody and I have strengthened our existing bond. Orders or not, he’ll forever be my ride or die. I’m part of him. In turn, he’s part of me. Friendship max level.
When Derry can’t stand the separation any longer, he cautiously opens the door to find me sitting cross-legged on the floor with Grody’s head in my lap, patting it gently. While he didn’t venture two steps away the whole time we were alone in the bedroom, I still appreciate the feigned privacy he allowed us. The look of relief on his face is enough to warm me through.
Oh, that’s not relief. It’s irritation. He wants to reprimand me for my petulant behavior now that I’m safe. Hey, would you look at that? So cute. The flush flooding my cheeks is contagious. It’s spread all the way across the room to his face. He glares at my grin. Derry Connell is super hot. Even when he mad blushes. Especially when he mad blushes. Burn, baby, burn.