Destiny got a cloth and a bowl of water from somewhere and he bent his head forward obediently so she could dab at the lump on his head while she murmured soothing words. The touch of her fingers felt so good.
He glanced up to meet Dylan’s amused stare.
“Is there anything left to eat?” Dylan asked.
Destiny shook her head. “No. I’m sorry, we finished the last of the food this morning.”
“Once we’ve had a little chat about what happens next, I’ll head out and see if I can find us something.”
“Like an animal? Will you turn into a wolf and hunt us some food?” Destiny sounded intrigued by the idea. He hoped she wasn’t impressed by the whole changing into a dog thing.
“I was thinking more along the lines of pinching something from one of the other ships.”
“Oh.” She placed her water and cloth onto the table and sat down next to Milo, but she was staring at Dylan. “Does it hurt, changing into a do—” She pursed her lips. “Into a wolf?”
“The first few times. Not now.” He raised his arm and Milo sensed the shiver of magic in the air. Claws extended and black fur sprouted over his knuckles as Dylan’s hand changed into a vicious wolf’s paw.
Destiny grinned, clearly entranced. Hell, he was only a big dog. Though the partial shifting was pretty impressive—only the strongest of shifters could do it. All the same, Destiny didn’t know that—there was no reason to look so impressed. She reached out and stroked her finger over the black fur.
She showed no fear at the werewolf thing. The average human would probably have been running and screaming by now. But Destiny was far from average. He was also a little concerned about the ultimate outcome of this. Secrecy was the way they survived. Would Dylan be happy to leave her here with the knowledge that she was aware of what he really was? While Dylan came across as quite affable, Milo was aware that wasn’t who or what he was. He didn’t think Dylan would kill Destiny without giving her a choice. There were other ways to ensure her cooperation. He was aware that Dylan had changed Logan Farrell—if not by force—then he had made him an offer the other man couldn’t refuse. Be changed or be killed. Would he force the same offer on Destiny? Or would he just kill her? Not if Milo had any say in the matter, but he had yet to work out the best alternative.
And right now, that was the least of their worries. If they couldn’t find a way to contact Rico, then they were on their own and had to somehow find a route off planet. Or they were stuck here. And that was not an option.
“Stop showing off,” he muttered. “I thought we had important things to do.”
Dylan shrugged, but his hand returned to normal. “They want us dead.”
“It certainly seems that way. That was no warning.” He still didn’t understand why, though. Why had things escalated so fast?
“How safe are we here?” Dylan asked.
“Pretty safe. The wards will hold. I think.”
“You think?” Dylan frowned. “That doesn’t fill me with a whole load of confidence.”
“Things don’t work exactly the same here. But we’re good for now.”
“What are you?” Destiny asked suddenly, and he turned to look at her. He’d been expecting the question but at the same time hoping to put off answering a little longer. He didn’t know why he was reluctant. Maybe because the last woman he told had promptly handed him over to the Spanish Inquisition. To save his soul—she had told him. And Maria had loved him.
Across from him, Dylan sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, with that amused half smile still on his face.
“Are you a wizard?” she asked Milo. “You have a wand and you can make things disappear and move things like…” She hesitated as if not wanting to put it into words.
“I think the word you’re looking for is magic,” Dylan said.
Milo cast him a cold look. “No. I’m not a wizard.” Fucking Harry Potter had a lot to answer for. People were seeing wizards everywhere. Pick up a stick and suddenly you were a goddamn wizard. He’d met a few in his time and they were invariably assholes.
He tapped his fingers on the table, then looked at Destiny. She was watching him, a small frown between her eyes. She gave him a