The bell rang and Dylan let out a sigh. Freedom. “Hey, you wanna go to the pit?” he asked Aiden. He hadn’t been able to blow off any steam in gym class, and he hadn’t skipped any classes. Well, gym, but he’d been helping Aiden, not actually skipping. He was trying to keep his word about trying harder so they could graduate together. Dylan wondered if they’d let him out even if he graduated and got certified.
Aiden held his bio book against his chest. “No, sorry. I told my parents I’d be home.”
“You could call them and ask. Or you could go home and then meet me at the pit.”
Aiden’s eyes scrunched. “Maybe some other time.”
They walked out into the hall. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been weird since gym.”
“I’m fine, really.” Aiden put on a smile that didn’t look convincing.
A heavy coldness pooled in Dylan’s stomach. “Is it about… the thing that happened?”
“No! I forgave you for that. I know it was an accident,” Aiden said.
That hadn’t exactly been what Dylan meant. He leaned close so others wouldn’t hear him. “Did that whole thing make you afraid of magic again?” Aiden had been afraid of his power when he first came to school. Honestly, Dylan was afraid of his own power now, and he didn’t want to see a fear of magic reflected in Aiden. It would make the whole thing worse.
Aiden sighed. “I don’t know. I think I just need some time. It’s not like I can talk to anyone about this.” Aiden had promised to stay quiet about Morgan’s escape— for Dylan’s sake.
Dylan had never been comfortable talking with others, but… “You can talk to me.”
Something crossed Aiden’s face, and then he plastered on the smile again. “I know.”
* * *
Dylan woke with a gasp, yanking off the blankets to make sure there was no fire. Taking deep breaths, he looked around his room. A dream, just a dream. Sunlight filtered through his curtains. A glance at the clock showed it was just past noon.
It had been three weeks since he burned Aiden. The dreams didn’t come every night, but they came often enough. The look on his friend’s face when fire slammed into him, the panicked feeling, wondering how bad he’d hurt him. It happened in different ways in the dreams, but it always came down to Dylan losing control of his power and hurting Aiden.
Sometimes he dreamed about Morgan cheering him on as he did so. Sometimes Morgan hurt Aiden instead, but it was always Dylan’s fault.
Dylan ran a hand through his sweaty hair and stared at the wall. Aiden might have forgiven him, but Dylan hadn’t forgiven himself. He’d been willing to do anything to be free, right up until the moment he burned Aiden.
He could have killed him. His only friend, the one person who hadn’t been afraid of him even when he found out what Dylan was. Over the few short months they’d known each other, Dylan had gotten used to having Aiden around. They’d made up after that fight, after Dylan had released Morgan from the fae realm. But there was a distance between them now.
Dylan didn’t like it at all and wondered if they could ever go back to the way things were.
Getting up, he walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. Bright sunlight bounced off the snow and he blinked, squinting at the yard. It had happened out there, deep in the woods.
His stomach felt like he’d swallowed a ball of lead. God, he’d been so stupid. The worst of it was that part of him still wanted it. His dragon side ached for freedom, to stretch his wings. To watch the world burn.
Dylan rested his head on the cold glass.