I grabbed his wrists gently and removed his hands from my face. "Apollo. I'm okay." 
                          
He shook his head, "I'm so sorry." He swallowed hard, "I'm so sorry."
                          
"It's fine..."
                          
"No it's not." He said sharply but kindly. "I hurt you when I promised you I wouldn't." He looked me up and down again, "Where did I hit you?"
                          
I stared up at him for a few seconds before lifting my night shirt to just above a bruise that had already turned black and blue. I looked down at it, it was the size of a fist and it hurt. It hurt really bad, but I couldn't show it. Not when Apollo was looking at it like he might throw up. "Where else?" He whispered his fingers hovering just above the bruise. I lifted the other side of my shirt to reveal a purple and red welt. That hurt the most, and I winced as my shirt brushed over it. Apollo's eyes turned sad at my wince, and he said, "I'm so sorry."
                          
I looked up at him letting my shirt fall and shoved my pointer finger into his face, "Listen. I know you're sorry, but it's not your fault..." He tried to interrupt me but I cut him off with a look, "You were not awake to know what you were doing. If you knew what you were doing, then you'd have a reason to be sorry. But you didn't. I know you didn't mean it, so it. Is. Fine." I sighed bringing my hand back down, and whispered, "I'm not upset." I took a deep breath and looked down at my side. I pulled my shirt back up and gently pocked the bruise. Pain rippled through my side and I winced.
                          
Apollo reached out his hand and gently rested it on the bruise. "Here. Let me."
                          
I didn't know what he meant, but then a blue light lit up at his chest, and I figured it out. I reached up and pressed his necklace with my pointer finger, its metal warm beneath my touch. I watched as the small pearl –visible because of the gaps in the small dragon- light up blue.  I looked down at my side and saw the same blue light erupt under my skin. I watched in awe as I could see my bones as the light shined from inside me. I looked up to smile at Apollo and found him already smiling back. 
                          
I turned my gaze back to my side just as he removed his hand. No sign of the bruise left. I lifted up the other side of my shirt and he placed his hand on it. Pain sent prickles through the whole left side of my body as his hand rested gently on my wound. The blue light flared up again and I stared mesmerized as I looked at my hip bone glowing in the blue light. I snapped my gaze to Apollo and asked, "How is that possible?"
                          
He smiled kindly at me and said, "Dragons are known for our quick healing, it was part of our magical abilities. Now, that magic is inside my pearl."
                          
"Is there an end..." My breath hitched as a throbbing pain spread through my body. I swallowed and continued, "An end to the magic you can use in there? Is all your magic in there, or just some?"
                          
"Yes and no, we can use as much of it as we please, but there is a price to it. After a while of using our magic, it leaves us exhausted and weary. All of our magic is inside, yes, but because of our human forms, we can't use it all."
                          
I nodded, "I was thinking earlier, my grandfather had one of those right?"
                          
He nodded, "Yes, he had one."
                          
"So where could it be then? I don't remember ever seeing it."
                          
He sighed, "Your grandfather was... against using the pearls. He tried to convince the rest of us to not use them either, but it was extremely hard to survive without them. Being used to magic, then taking it away left us all feeling... desolate. Your grandfather probably hid his to refrain from using it."
                          
I shook my head, "Shouldn't we go find it? What if it gets into the wrong hands?"
                          
He nodded, "That's true, but we don't know where it is. And if we don't, chances are, neither do our enemies."