She butted my shoulder excitedly.Did you see that?
Would’ve given it a nine-point-five, but you stuck the landing, so ten.
Taryn preened, and I never wanted to look away.
We went harder and tried hovering. Hovering isn't easy, wings burn, muscles scream, and you have to balance heat and gravity with every micro-move.
But Taryn was fearless. She jumped right in, wobbling at first, then steadying. After five seconds, she improvised, twisted, spun, and even flared her tail for show.
Caden lost his composure entirely. We circled her, showing off, but she out-did us in agility every time.
I shifted back, rolling to human and watched her.
Taryn followed, her new scaly body shrinking into to her regular curves and brown eyes. She staggered at first. Dragon magic burns calories faster than running a marathon, but she shook it off.
I tossed her the half-empty water bottle from the truck and handed over two protein bars.
She ripped into one like the animal she was. “That was nuts,” she breathed. “I can’t believe how good it feels.”
I eyed the gorgeous woman in front of me. Mymate. How had I gotten so lucky? “You were meant for this. Seriously.”
She grinned, chocolate on her lip. “Try to keep up.”
We sat, breathing, letting the world slow down.
I studied her, the lines of energy under her skin, the way she’d already started owning every inch of her new self and ducked in close, pressing my forehead to hers.
“You’re lethal and beautiful,” I murmured. “I couldn’t ask for a better mate.”
I fired up the burner phone and shot a text to my mother. One word.
Incoming.
Tash
It waspast noon by the time we clawed our way up the switchbacks. The safe house crested out of nowhere after we turned down a hidden lane I couldn’t’ve spotted if someone paid me. From the overgrown drive, it looked like a nondescript log cabin.
Chance rolled up the drive, every muscle in his hands tight around the wheel. He didn't say much. I didn't either. The air between us thrummed with tension but not worry, not yet. The girls were here safe, and nobody knew about this cabin. It was deep on Meyer land and Chance had said it wasn’t on any maps.
Up close I could see the reinforcements. Metal plates shadowed every window frame. The front doorwas a double-thick beast with industrial hinges. Floodlights sat buried under the eaves.
He killed the engine, but we both waited a beat, windows rolled down.
"The security here is off the charts," I whispered.
He flashed a humorless grin. "You should see the panic room."
I grabbed my bag. Chance was already out of the truck, circling to my side. He opened the door like a bouncer at a fancy club, then motioned for me to hurry.
We didn't run, but it was close.
The porch steps were slick with rain, with a layer of mud and old leaves. I slipped on the top stair, but caught myself on the banister. Classy entrance, right on schedule.
Livia wasn't waiting inside the door. Of course not. Instead, she stood four feet back, spine straight as a rifle, one hand braced against the wall. Both hands had dragon's claws.
If she'd been in a cartoon, her eyes would've done that x-ray thing.
She didn't crack a smile. "Glad to see you both." She cocked her head at me and a slow, satisfied smile spread across her face. Oh, goody. She could tell we’d mated.
