Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,28

may have even had inappropriate dreams about running my tongue over it.

“It was going crazy while he watched you in there.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Just be careful. Whatever’s going on between you needs to stay on the downlow if you hope to join the squad.”

My head whipped back and forth. “There’s nothing going on between us. It’s not like that at all.”

She shrugged and turned toward the door. “Okay. I guess I misread him then.”

I followed her toward the exit, my insides churning. Could she smell him on me too, like Garrix? Heat surged across my cheeks. What if Maxim did? That would be completely inappropriate.

Outside in the foyer, we met Talon. He leaned against the wall, his muscled arms pressed against his massive chest. It was stupid, but knowing he actually cared made me look at the surly dragon in a different light.

“Ready to see Maxim?” Ella asked.

“Guess so.”

She motioned toward the door, and Talon and I fell into step behind her. The walk back to the director’s office was an anxiety-filled silent one. The monster butterflies flapping in my stomach weren’t only mine either. Half of them belonged to the husky dragon beside me.

As we walked, I decided to test our little mental connection to find out if it was two-sided. Hello, Talon? Can you hear me? I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, but he didn’t flinch.

Hmm. Just one way then. I supposed that was good. The idea of Talon having free rein into my dark inner thoughts was enough to send me into a tailspin.

With a few more turns down identical hallways, we finally reached the foyer of the director’s office. Ella stopped in front of the door and gave Talon a smile. “I’ll leave you here. It was good seeing you again, T. If all goes well with your inmate, maybe we’ll get to see more of each other.”

Talon returned the warm smile and again my insides churned. “I hope so. Thanks again, Ella.”

She gave me a quick nod and walked away. I couldn’t help but notice Talon’s gaze trailing her cute little figure as she sauntered down the hall.

My mouth opened and I almost said something entirely out of line, but luckily, Maxim’s assistant appeared at the doorway and cut me off.

“The director is ready for you.”

Talon nodded and returned her tight smile, and I followed him back into the intimidating man’s office. The big tiger shifter glanced up from his computer, his amber irises drilling into me. “Sit.” He pointed to the two club chairs in front of his sprawling mahogany desk.

At least he allowed us to sit this time.

Fidgeting with my fingers, I folded into the supple leather.

Maxim pivoted his weighty gaze to Talon and drummed his thick fingers on the wood. “I was just reviewing the footage and it’s… interesting.” His stony expression didn’t give away an ounce of emotion either way. Did I pass or fail? Come on, spit it out. “While her fighting skills are good, they’re not remarkable. And her powers—well, her demon abilities could come in handy, but they could also be a liability if left unchecked. As for the magic you spoke of, I saw nothing of it in the second trial.”

I opened my mouth to object, but Talon’s hand squeezed my knee under the table. Not only did my jaw snap shut, I also nearly jumped out of my seat at the unexpected touch.

“As I mentioned earlier,” Talon began, “I’m still working with Azara on her magical abilities. As is the case with most half-bloods, they tend to develop a bit later, but I assure you, they’ll be worth the wait.”

The director’s dark brows furrowed as his lips pursed. “I don’t know, Talon. From everything I’ve read about this girl, she seems like more of a liability to the agency than anything else.”

Talon slid forward in his seat, planting his palms on Maxim’s desk. “She’s not, sir, I assure you. You can hold me personally responsible for her. I know I can mold her into a formidable asset.”

The tiger glanced at his screen then back at Talon and a quick look at me. “We were watching the same video footage, right? Though her soul-procuring abilities are impressive, even they seem out of control. She would’ve easily finished off the demon if you hadn’t intervened.”

Talon’s expression hardened. “Isn’t that what you wanted anyway? One less demon in lock-up, right, sir?”

Maxim snorted and sat back in his high-backed chair. He