You should be assertive more often.
Tate felt an inkling of warning before Ilith surged up in her consciousness.
“Don’t you think about it, Ilith!”
Too late. Ilith wrested control of their body from Tate, racing forward with no regard to the sharp drop.
* * *
Her Savior’s protest fell on deaf ears as Ilith sprang off the roof, their body still in the beginning stages of the transition.
You stupid dragon. We don’t have wings yet.
Ilith embraced the pain of the shift. For one long, glorious moment, she was neither dragon nor human but some meld of the two.
For others the shift would appear to take place in an instant. Not so for Ilith and Tate.
They could feel every cell in their body mutate, muscles and bones reconfiguring as their skin split and scales poured out. It was a pain that was all consuming, yet easily forgotten as soon as they were out the other side again.
Gravity caught her just as she completed the shift. Ilith’s wings snapped out, turning their fall into a fast glide.
She chortled to herself. Her Savior was such a worrier. She was dragon. Even if they’d crashed into the ground, it wouldn’t have left so much as a scratch on her magnificent scales.
My body isn’t as sturdy.
Ilith flapped her wings once to adjust her course as she pushed Tate’s voice to the back of her mind. It was time she retrieved her horde.
They’re not part of your horde.
Yet. And Ilith had every intention of changing that.
Worry from Tate filtered through their bond.Please remember this is just a game. The dragonlettes find your presence soothing, Saviors know why. Let’s not do anything to jeopardize that.
An excited warble left Ilith as she spotted her quarry streaking through the garden, bounding over hedges and bellying under obstacles as she fled toward the house in the distance.
Aaannd the dragon isn’t listening.
Ilith arrowed toward Willa, picking up every stray detail with eyes that saw more than a hawk’s.
The Veles wasn’t alone. The small faces of her companions turned toward Ilith. Alarm filled their expressions.
The boy her Savior considered precious cupped his hands around his mouth. “The dragon is on the move. Everyone, you know what to do!”
The children converged on Willa, shielding her.
Ilith snorted. As if they could stop her. They needed at least a thousand more years of growing to even have half a shot.
So arrogant. One day that’s going to bite you in the tail.
Unlikely,Ilith thought smugly.
We’ll see.
There was an undercurrent to Tate’s words that put Ilith on guard.
It only took Ilith a moment to understand.You helped them.
It was so unexpected of a development that it caused Ilith’s wings to miss a beat. When did Tate even have time to put that plan into action?
