“Exactly. Now bring it back. Drop the magic.”
She blinked, and her eyes went brown again, but the shimmer lingered.
I clapped her shoulder. “Precision is power. You don’t always have to go full beast, sometimes just a flash is enough to scare off a threat.”
She flexed her hands again, claws in and out, then grinned broadly.
“How about a full shift?”
Shrugging, I stepped back to give her room. “Only one way to find out. Do the same breathing as before, but on the out, let everything go. Don’t fight it. Tell Taryn what you want but trust her to handlethe rest.”
She inhaled and exhaled, face serene for the first time since the woods.
Then, bam.
Light exploded off her skin. Scales surged, tracing her jaw, shimmered along her thighs and back. Her limbs went heavy, almost banded with color, and then Taryn snapped out, Tash's full dragon, iridescence brighter than any gemstone.
She was showstopper material.
She stretched, testing the new body, her tail lashing at the grass. Her wings flicked open, the membrane so clear the sun nearly burned right through.
For a second, she froze, like she was scared she’d break.
I shifted with her, Caden coming out quickly.
The relief was real, no more splitting between man and beast, just pure instinct. Caden roared, smug as you please, ready to put Taryn through her paces.
I circled her, tail flicking, wings fanned wide.
First lesson, flying.
Caden and I ducked low beside her, pressing our shoulder to theirs.
Watch and repeat.
Tash, or Taryn, hunched, every muscle coiled. I jogged forward, calling in her head,Stride, stride, stride, lift.
We bounded together, three heavy lunges, wings gathering air, and on the fourth Taryn flared hers and caught the updraft perfect. For a split second she hovered, weightless, then shot up, clean as a hawk.
Caden roared his pleasure. The lady had guts.
We did it again, only this time she got cocky, added a spin, banked tight, then whooped so loud it echoed across the ridge.
I took to the air, showed her how to circle without losing altitude, then angled down toward a flat-topped boulder bigger than a truck.
Landings are tricky,I warned.Pick your mark, that flat boulder. Steady. Flare wings at two dragon-lengths out, hind feet first, then foreclaws. Slow and steady beats crash-and-burn every time.
She lined up, eyes on the rock.
Her first landing was too hard.She bounced off with a thud. Not bad, no injuries, but her pride took a hit.
On her second try she overshot, skidded in the grass, and nearly rolled.
I could see the determination coil in her muscles.
For the third go-round, she nailed it, with her wings flared, back paws down, then foreclaws, perfection. She braced herself, used her tail for balance, and then threw her head back and howled.
I dropped in beside her, rumbling approval.
