"Lila." She moves into the cave with ease that suggests familiarity with Finn's territory. "Catriona said you had questions about claiming mechanics."
"Sit." I gesture to the smooth stone near the pool.
Isla settles, studying me with eyes that see more than I'm comfortable with. "You want to know if the claiming will make you a dragon."
Her directness is efficient. "Yes. The mechanics, the permanence, the transformation process. Everything my training can't explain."
"Finn briefed the Brotherhood when we were coordinating your protection." Her voice carries clinical precision. "Dragon fire rewrites DNA during sex. The transformation is instant once the claiming is complete. One moment human, the next moment something else entirely. Your cells restructure at the molecular level, guided by dragon magic."
That makes sense. Of course he'd have explained the risks when planning defenses. "Permanent?"
"Irreversible. You'll have the same lifespan as Finn. Centuries, potentially longer. You'll transform between forms at will. Dragon instincts layered over human reasoning. Mate bond that goes deeper than human partnership."
She pauses, letting that information settle.
"The claiming requires fire, storm, and ocean. Dragons are elemental creatures. Finn's cave has all three—the ocean pool, the storms that batter these cliffs, the dragon fire he carries."
"And consent?"
Isla's expression changes. "Dragons don't ask permission. They're dominant predators who take what they want once they've decided something is theirs." She leans forward, holding my gaze. "The claiming can be forced, but it's considered dishonorable. Bad form among shifters. Finn won't do that to you."
"So if I signal?—"
"He'll finish what you started last night." The weight of experience fills Isla's voice. "He won't ask. He won't check. Once you show him you're ready, his dragon takes over. Dragons don't do permission theater. They act on instinct once the invitation is given."
I process the information, catalogue variables, form hypotheses about what happens next.
"We'll be stronger if the Brotherhood has two dragons," my voice stays steady despite my racing pulse. "And we have days before Mikhail completes his ritual."
"Yes." Isla watches with selkie stillness. "Catriona thinks you're considering this as tactical advantage. Becoming what the island needs to survive the threat."
"And what do you think?"
"I think you're falling in love with a dragon who's been alone for centuries." Her voice softens slightly. "And I think tactical advantage and genuine feeling aren't mutually exclusive. You can choose this because it's strategically necessary and because you want him. Both things can be true."
The bond pulses between Finn and I from wherever he is right now. It acknowledges a truth I haven't named aloud—attraction and tactical thinking and something deeper that started the moment I walked into his cave asking questions about drowning patterns.
"How long does the transformation take?"
"The claiming sex itself? That varies, depending on the individuals involved. The DNA rewrite? Instant, triggered by dragon fire during climax. One heartbeat human, the next heartbeat dragon." Isla stands, brushing stone dust from her jeans. "Fair warning, Lila. The transformation is overwhelming. Sensory input amplifies. Instincts you've never experienced suddenly exist. The bond completes, which means feeling Finn's emotions as strongly as your own. It's not gentle. It's not easy. It rewires who you are at a fundamental level."
"But it's survivable if I want it."
"More than survivable if you want it." She moves toward the entrance, pausing to look back. "Finn will fight his instincts to protect your choice. He's been trying to give you space, time, distance. But his dragon has already decided. You can feel it through the mate bond—that pull, that certainty. When you're ready, all you have to do is show him. He'll handle the rest."
I'm alone with my scattered notes and the mate bond humming beneath my skin—that pull toward him that's existed since we met, waiting for completion.
The morning bleeds into afternoon while I work, drawing connections, mapping Mikhail's pattern against the timeline.The scientific work grounds me, provides concrete focus while my body hums with awareness.
Thunder announces Finn's return. His landing on the cliff outside shakes loose pebbles. He shifts before entering, silver mist coiling around him as he pulls on clothes. His human skin dusted with stone debris and carrying the scent of other shifters—the Brotherhood's combined presence clinging to him like a territorial marker.
"The body was clean. Just the message." He moves into the cave, and the space suddenly feels smaller with him in it. "The trail's cold."
"Healing." I don't look up from my notes. "Building strength. Counting down."
"Yes." He stops near the pool but doesn't sit. Dragon restlessness keeps him moving, prowling the perimeter like the cave walls are cage bars. "The Brotherhood's hunting. They won't find him."
"He won't leave." The hypothesis is solid now, backed by behavioral analysis and pattern recognition. "This is personal for him. He's not just trying to drain your power. He's trying to prove his original point—that Saoirse's death freed you, that caring is weakness, that isolation is strength. He needs to replicate that scenario to gain the power he wants."
