mouth.
“Ooh,” I gasp in delight. I’ve never tasted anything like these. There’s so much flavor in just one little berry, somehow tasting both incredibly sweet and just a little bit tart. I look closer at the bowl full of them. They sort of look like blackberries or raspberries, but the shape is slightly off and they’re all different shades of purple. My thoughts turn dark for a moment, and I wonder if maybe they’re poison.
Reule grins and says something that sounds like a question, picks a berry from the bowl and pops it into his mouth. I feel terrible for thinking he’d feed me something poisoned, and I smile back at him shyly. We share the rest of the berries in a much more comfortable silence than before, and I quickly finish off the drink as well.
As soon as I’m finished with my breakfast, Reule moves the tray and sets it on the floor beside the bed. I feel nervous and uncertain about how the rest of the day will play out, but I watch Reule with interest as he crawls to the other side of the bed and grabs some of the books from the bedside table.
First, he opens the map book from last night to the page he’d originally shown me, and sets the moving photograph of him and his friends in their uniforms on top of the page. Reule appears slightly nervous, and I raise my eyebrows as he points to the photograph, the tiny dragon-things scribbled onto the map, and finally opens another book.
On the page, there’s a colored illustration of a creature I’ve never seen before. It’s large and grotesque, appearing to be a mix between a dragon and a leopard. Its body is covered in scales, and it has the legs and head of a large cat, impossibly sharp teeth and claws, and demon-esque horns protruding from its head. It also has wings that are almost as large as its body with sharp spikes on the tips, as well as spikes on the end of the beast’s long, reptilian tail.
The illustration shows the creature foaming at the mouth, blood dripping from its teeth and claws. It’s almost impossible to imagine a creature like this existing in real life, and even crazier to imagine sweet Reule shifting into something like this. But I know that’s why he’s showing this to me.
Reule’s cheeks are red when I look up at him, and he won’t meet my gaze. It’s honestly heartbreaking that he’s so ashamed, and I don’t want him to start thinking I’m afraid of him. I reach forward and take his hand, threading our fingers together. He appears surprised when he looks up, and I give him a reassuring smile.
His eyebrows furrow, and he points at the illustration and then himself as he says something in his language like he’s sure I must not be understanding.
I laugh and nod. “Yeah, I got that.” I turn my head to the window and point outside. “You should just shift in front of me!” I make several more gestures, trying to get this point across.
Reule’s jaw goes a bit slack as he stares at me in pure shock. I realize most people must react fearfully when they see him, and I think of the Monk-guy who dropped me off here and the way he took off running after Reule threatened him.
I squeal in surprise when Reule pulls me into his lap and wraps his arms around me tightly. He mumbles something into my hair, and his voice is so full of emotion that I feel my heart drop into my stomach. I don’t hesitate to hug him back. The awkwardness between us from earlier this morning has all but disappeared.
He pulls back slightly to rest his forehead against mine, and cups my face between his large, calloused hands. He keeps mumbling things I don’t understand, repeating the word ‘krásná’ several times. My heart races at the intimacy of the moment. God, I hope he didn’t reject my advances earlier just because he worried I’d be afraid of the creature he shifts into!
When he sits up, he appears even more distressed than before. I thought he was happy that I seemed so accepting, so I’m more confused than ever. He won’t stop staring at me either, his eyes traveling over my face in a way that makes me feel breathless.
“Reule,” I whine pleadingly. I hold my hands up in an exaggerated shrug and shake my head, silently begging him