Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Inside the residential complex, the streetlights cast a dim, yellow glow over the path.

Jacob and Amelia walked side by side through the quiet neighborhood, both their hearts beating a little faster than usual. Even though Amelia had said her brother was home, Jacob couldn't shake a small flicker of excitement. Walking this close to her, the faint trace of her perfume kept drifting toward him, stirring something he couldn't quite name.

Amelia wore a long, form-fitting dress that clung to her figure, and Jacob found his eyes drawn to her more than once — her waist, her posture, the way the dress moved with her. Why had he never noticed before how striking she looked? Combined with her usual soft, innocent air, the effect was hard to ignore.

"It's just up ahead," Amelia said, pointing toward a distant villa.

"Oh… right," Jacob said, and the two continued walking.

Amelia lowered her head slightly, seeming lost in thought, but little by little she drifted closer until their arms brushed. Bundled up against the winter cold, neither of them felt much through the layers of clothing — until Amelia suddenly looped her arm through his and leaned her weight against him.

"You—" Jacob turned, startled.

"I… I feel a little dizzy," Amelia murmured, her voice unsteady. She rested her head against his shoulder, her cheeks flushed. "Just for a moment, Jacob. We're almost home."

She tightened her grip before he could think of a way to pull back gracefully, and the two rode the elevator up in that same close, awkward posture, Amelia showing no sign of letting go.

"We're nearly there — which floor is it?" Jacob asked, trying subtly to free his arm. The attempt only earned him an even firmer hold.

"Third floor," she added quietly, her face still warm with color.

Only once they reached her front door did Amelia finally, reluctantly, let go. She pulled out her key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. "Come on in and take a look…"

"I'll get you some slippers," she said, locking the door behind them before producing a brand-new pair. She knelt down. "Lift your foot."

"Huh?" Jacob blinked, then obeyed out of pure instinct. Before he realized what was happening, Amelia had already slipped off his shoes and socks and eased the slippers on for him.

"You don't need to do that, I can manage," Jacob said, unused to this kind of attention. He bent down to finish the job himself, only to find his view filled with an eyeful of pale skin as she leaned in, and he froze.

"The other foot," Amelia said, already reaching for his remaining shoe, glancing up at him. "Don't be shy."

Unable to argue his way out of it, Jacob gave in and let her finish.

"All set — come take a look around," she said, slipping into her own pair of slippers and leading him through the apartment.

"Not bad. Really beautiful, actually — whoever did the interior design has good taste," Jacob said, genuinely impressed.

"My benefactor found the decorator," Amelia said quietly.

"Your benefactor, huh…" Jacob rubbed the back of his head. "I never would've guessed he was so thorough about it."

"He's a good man," Amelia went on. "He lent us the money for this place to begin with, and he's the one who found jobs for both my brother and my father."

She spoke of Rory with real gratitude — though her deepest gratitude, she added, was for Jacob himself. She'd heard from Rory that if Jacob hadn't asked him to look after her family before leaving for the Imperial Capital, Rory would never have known she existed at all.

"By the way," Jacob said, glancing around, "where's your brother? Didn't you say he was home?"

Now that he thought about it, the apartment was dark and empty. No sign of anyone else.

"He must have gotten held up somewhere. He should be back soon," Amelia said, her voice low.

Something about her answer left Jacob uneasy. Something's off with her tonight.

"I should head back, then. It's late — it wouldn't look good for me to stay," Jacob said, rising to leave. His instincts told him this apartment was more dangerous than it looked.

But before he could take a step, Amelia spoke again. "Jacob, the real reason I invited you up tonight was to give you something."

Jacob paused and studied her carefully, waiting.

"Just sit for a minute and have some tea. Let me go get it — it's something I put together specially, to thank you for everything you've done for me," she said, standing and heading toward her room. "I also finished your manuscript this afternoon. I'll bring that out too. I'll call you in when it's ready."

Jacob settled back onto the sofa and waited.

A few minutes later, her voice came from down the hall. "Jacob, you can come in now."

"All right." He took a breath and walked toward her bedroom, pushing the door open — only to freeze mid-step. He clapped a hand over his eyes and spun around, silently repeating see no evil, see no evil.

"Amelia, what are you doing?" he managed, his voice unsteady.

It wasn't entirely his fault for reacting this way. Amelia had dressed — or undressed — for the occasion with obvious intention, and the sight had been more than enough to catch him completely off guard.

She said nothing. Instead, he felt her arms slide around his waist from behind, her body pressing lightly against his back.

For a moment, Jacob's thoughts scattered completely.

He'd never been in a situation quite like this before — his only real experience was with Raya — and his body responded before his mind could catch up.

He drew a slow breath, forcing himself to focus. Stay calm. You're Giovanni. This is nothing you can't handle.

Lust is the first of the great vices, he told himself. A blade that cuts to the bone.

"Jacob, I like you," Amelia said softly, her face still pressed against his back. "Please be my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry," Jacob said, forcing the words out. "I already have a girlfriend."

"I don't mind," she whispered, and pulled him into a tighter embrace.

Jacob kept breathing, kept repeating the same words in his head like a shield. A blade that cuts to the bone. A blade that cuts to the bone. But my bones are sturdier than that — I won't be so easily cut.

"Your brother," Jacob said, grasping for his last shred of composure, "he'll be back any minute."

"He won't be," Amelia said quietly, and Jacob realized with a sinking feeling that all of this had been planned from the start. "Tonight, it's just the two of us."

"What exactly," Jacob said, his voice unsteady, "do you think you're doing?"

He had, it seemed, run straight into trouble tonight.