Dammit all, I like it too.
We reach the clearing and Mac is there. Nervous energy swirls around him, and he flinches when a twig snaps under Xaze’s boots. He blows out a breath with relief.
“Hey, guys.”
“Hey.” Dropping my bag at my feet, I kick off my boots. “We’re gonna shift.”
Xaze smiles, nearly bouncing on his toes. “What do you need from me?”
“Gather our bags with our clothes so we’re not naked when we get to Switzerland.”
“Boo. I like naked.”
“Focus, Xaze.” I scold him, but I’m fighting back laughter. “And don’t look at my brother.”
“I only have eyes for you.”
“Gag,” Mac says, making heaving noises as he kicks his jeans off. “You guys are gross.”
Xaze shrugs, keeping his eyes trained on me. “I don’t mind being gross with Tino.”
Pulling my shirt over my head, I’m reminded of how they met. “At least I’m not a cock tease just to steal some jewelry.”
Mac narrows his eyes, shooting a look at Xaze before huffing. “He told you.”
“Of course he told me, Mac.”
Mac tugs his underwear off, now completely nude. “Dragon’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. Montrose is pretty and flashy. He’s dragon crack.”
Xaze flips his hair over his shoulders and does a little shimmy. I laugh and shake my head as I finish tucking my clothes into my bag.
“What city?”
“Interlaken,” Mac says. “There’s a little shack on the edge of Lake Thun. My hoard room is under it.”
With a curt nod, I ask, “Ready?”
Mac shakes his arms out. “Ready.”
I crouch and exhale, releasing the tenuous hold I keep on my dragon, allowing him to spread through me and take over. With my eyes on Xaze, my feet start the shift, stretching and growing. My human flesh ripples, quickly taken over by scales, and as my wings unfurl from my back, I release a loud moan of pleasure mixed with just a touch of pain.
Xaze’s eyes go wide as his jaw drops. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s like stretching after being confined for a long time.”
“Your voice,” he whispers. “It’s so deep and… not human. You can still speak in full dragon form?”
“Yeah.” I twitch as my hands start to grow in size, the fingers becoming long and thick with deadly talons on the tips.
The rest of the shift only takes a few seconds, and as I grow to my full untamed size, my dragon scoots closer to our demon, who looks so small and delicate now. Gods, he’s beautiful.
“Oh, Tino,” Xaze says, approaching me with his hand outstretched. “Can I touch you?”
“Please.”
Xaze rubs my snout, causing a contented purr like nothing I’ve experienced before from my dragon.
“You’re beautiful, dragon,” he says. “Breathtaking. I’ve never seen anything so stunning.”
