Kieran watched as Emma finished combing Drake's hair, then immediately sent another message to the group chat. He wrote, 'Ms. Tibarn is combing Drake's hair to hide Remy inside.' Meanwhile, Remy was asking Emma in confusion. "Mommy, why are you hiding me?" His adorable, sweet voice came muffled from within the hair. "Shhh." Emma gently coaxed him. "Remy, your daddy has to go take care of something soon, and I don't want any strangers to see you. What if some bad people notice how adorable my little Remy is and try to steal you away? "So please, for my sake, be quiet and take a little nap in Daddy's hair. Once the bad people are gone, I'll let you come right out." "Awoo!" Remy let out his fiercest roar, but it sounded so babyish it wasn't intimidating at all.Emma's lips twitched. Sweetie, you're a fruit, not a dragon. Is that really the sound you should be making? Oblivious to her thoughts, Remy puffed up proudly and declared in that same babyish voice, "Mommy, I'm super tough! I'm not scared of bad guys at all. But if Mommy wants me to hide, I'll do it. I'll make sure nobody finds me." "You're such a good boy, Remy!" Listening to his adorable little voice, Emma had to fight the urge to kiss him right then and there. "Emma, I'm a good boy too." Drake looked at her, eyes bright with anticipation. The message was clear: Praise me. Emma's fingers tightened around the potion in her pocket. She couldn't help wondering—once Drake returned to normal and remembered everything he'd done, would the humiliation hit so hard he'd lose it and try to kill her? "Emma?" When she didn't answer right away, Drake pressed, a nervous edge in his voice.Why isn't she praising me? Haven't I been good enough? Emma met his gaze and finally nodded. "Yes, you're being good too." After all, Drake had a good sense of honor. He probably wouldn't go as far as killing her out of humiliation. She handed Drake the potion Thero had given her. "Drake, drink this before you head out." As she pressed it into his hand, she quickly stepped back, putting a safe distance between them. Drake noticed her rapid retreat, a hurt look flashing in his eyes. Emma really doesn't like me. "If I drink this, will you like me then?" he asked as he uncorked the bottle. "Yes!" Emma nodded without hesitation. "Just drink it." Like him? Whether he drank it or not, she wouldn't dare. Reassured by her eager nod, Drake tipped the potion back and drained it in one go. Emma held her breath, watching the last drop disappear. After drinking, he just sat there in the chair, showing no reaction at all. I forgot to ask Thero how long the potion takes to kick in, she thought, anxiety twisting tighter in her chest. "Drake?" She looked at him, her voice cautious. "How do you feel?" He didn't answer. He simply lifted his head, shot her a quick glance, then shot to his feet and bolted out of the room like the place was on fire. Emma stood frozen. Is he back to normal? Relief washed over her. Just as she'd hoped, Drake was decent at heart. Even after regaining his senses, he hadn't flown into a rage or tried to kill her out of humiliation. Watching Drake stride away, Emma grabbed Kieran's arm and hurried after him. As they walked, she asked, "Any word from Lucien and the others? When will they get here?" Kieran answered right away. "Lucien said he and Marcus are coming ahead. They should arrive in about an hour." An hour? Emma nodded, filing the information away. Up ahead, Drake noticed Emma and Kieran following him and immediately quickened his pace. Thinking about everything he'd done, everything he'd said to Emma while he hadn't been in his right mind, he felt his whole body burn with embarrassment. He'd actually spoken to Emma so intimately—something he'd apparently picked up from one of those ridiculous books Corvin had sent him. With his mental power in pieces, he'd mistaken himself for a character in those stories. Drake couldn't bear to think about it. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Emma. … In the main hall, as soon as Drake arrived, he heard Theodore Mason's arrogant voice boom through the hall. "What's the holdup, you Drakonids? Why hasn't Drake shown his face yet?"Thero tried to placate him. "Mr. Smith is occupied with an important matter. Please wait a moment. He'll be here shortly." "What important matter?" Theodore snapped, glaring at Thero. His tone cut with menace. "Is it more important than seeing me? A Rank 11 powerhouse? "I heard Drake was badly injured in his fight with the Chitinids. Don't tell me he's still too wounded to show his face. Is he afraid to meet me? "If that's the case, tell him not to bother coming out just to get himself killed." "Bullshit!" Thero, who had been holding his temper, finally exploded at Theodore's words. "Theodore, don't think you can run your mouth in our domain just because you're Rank 11!" Theodore looked at Thero, whose face had gone red with anger, and laughed arrogantly. "Then bring him out. If Drake won't show himself, we'll do things my way. From now on, I, Theodore Mason, call the shots in these three domains—yours, Aquadome, and Ashenfall. Every therian clan will hand over half the treasures they gather each year to me."