With more agility and care than I would have thought possible, he reached a clawed hand down and picked up the bear. The bear roared, but it sounded like he was afraid rather than angry. The male dragon brought the bear to his face and roared back, so loud it shook the mountains. Then, he let out a stream of smoke, so much that I thought he was about to burn the bear. Just turn him to ash and bones in his hand.
But then, with a flick of his wrist, the dragon sent the bear flying far, far into the woods, like a child throwing a toy.If he bothers you again, I will eat him.
And for some reason, the dragon’s words were flattering.
This time when I looked down, Tabi and Esther were closer to me, and Holly looked on the verge of running. I reached down carefully, just the way the male dragon had done, and lifted the fox into my scaled claws, along with dirt and rocks.
I brought her to my face, and hoped she’d be able to hear the words I directed at her.If you ever come near my daughter or me again, Iwillkill you. Slowly and painfully. I might even eat you.
Then, I flicked her away with my hand, but she went much, much further than the bear. So far, I cringed a little. She was going to have more than a few broken bones.
Below me, the predators scrambled away, in the direction I’d thrown their alpha. And although I knew this wasn’t over, I did know it was over for today.
My giant head swung to the male dragon.Thank you. I’m new to all of this. I was a little lost until you came.
You didn’t look lost. You looked magnificent.
If I were my human form, I’d have blushed. Instead, I thought,I need to tend to my friends and my daughter.
His big head nodded.We both need to shift into our human forms, before we’re seen by the wrong person. But this isn’t over. You and I have a lot to discuss.
And I wasn’t sure if I should be looking forward to this conversation, or running far away, but he seemed to be waiting for my answer.Okay. I’m not going anywhere.
You better not be. I’d hate to have to track you, and track you I would.
Again, I wasn’t sure how to take his words, but he lifted into the air, graceful as all hell, and shot into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. Part of me wanted to follow. To ask him all of my questions and explore this strange connection between us. But I’d never abandoned my daughter to chase a man before, and I wasn’t about to now.
Closing my eyes, I let out a relieved sigh and told myself it was okay to be human again. That this mama dragon could relax.
I felt myself shrinking, felt my body changing. It wasn’t painful but did feel more and more natural with each shift. When I opened my eyes, Esther and Tabi had shifted back into human form. And my clothes were still there. Cool! The charm worked.
“Go,” Esther said. “Check on your daughter.”
Then, without waiting, I raced toward the edge of the woods to the car, where Tilly had gone. I found her hiding in a hollowed-out tree stump next to the car, like she’d never even considered leaving us here. “Till, it’s okay. I’m here now.”
She ran to me, eyes wide and streaming with tears. “I’m so sorry, Mom. I would never have let him take you. I promise.”
“I know, baby.” We were close. It was always this way. When I had a bad day, she made me smile. When she made a mistake, she learned, and I forgave. It was the secret to the strength of our relationship. “It’s okay.”
But Esther moved forward, yanked up the sleeve of Tilly’s shirt. There were four scratches near her elbow and six more that ran from her shoulder. “Did you swear allegiance to that pack?”
Tilly nodded.
“Under the full moon?” Fear darkened Tabi’s eyes, but then turned to hope when Tilly shook her head.
“No, she didn’t want to wait. It was under the new moon. She said it would work just as well.”
And for the first time, Esther lost her mask of cold aloofness and I felt her fear the same as I felt my own. “Shit.”
“What?” I asked.
“It’ll make the curse slightly easier to break,” Tabi explained. “But not much.”
Well, great. That was just about in line with how my month had gone. “Well,” I said with a sigh. “Frick.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Ibrought Tilly home with me and sat her at the table with a cup of coffee and a box of tissues that went ignored. She didn’t cry. She just looked miserable, her face drawn, her frown deep, and her eyes downcast.
