Oh. Yikes. I still had a lot to learn about this newlife.
About thirty minutes later, we pulled up to a private, gated ranch on a sprawling ten acres, complete with a red pole barn and white picket fence. Logan made me drive around the main house while he hung his head out the door and sniffed the air like a dog. Once satisfied, he let me park and we stepped out into the chilly night air. I grabbed my pillowcase full of clothes and my laptop before shutting my car and lockingit.
“What is this place?” I asked, hugging my shoulders. I lost my only good jacket in thefall.
Logan riffled through some keys on his keychain and pointed to the mammoth house. “It was a nonprofit for the rehabilitation of children with special needs. They lost their government funding and I scooped it up at auction. I let them live here rent free for a few years, but they couldn’t keep the place together without the funding. The horses and vet bills were too much. Not to mention the children’s therapy. So the owners moved down to Phoenix a few years back and run a smaller operationthere.”
He had a cat named Mittens and tried to save failing non-profits. Logan Sharp was like no male I had evermet.
“So now it’s our safe house?” I presumed as he placed the key into thehandle.
“Unless we get found again,” hesurmised.
Which was a damn good possibility. Logan reached into the belt of his pants and pulled out a sleek black gun. My breath hitched as fear flooded my system. I knew he wasn’t going to use it on me, but guns freaked me out. Probably because I didn’t know how to use one, and all I read in the news was how if you handled one without knowing how to use it, your head got blownoff.
He must have smelled my fear or something because he turned to me then. “Sorry, I need to check the house. Stay behindme.”
As we entered the house, the lights flicked on and I was surprised to see the place was completely furnished: a grey worn couch, colorful rug, and white barstools around the kitchen. It looked like a homely farmhouse, not a dragonhideout.
“I bought it furnished,” heexplained.
That made sense, because this didn’t seem like Logan’s clean modern style. I set my pillowcase down as he ran upstairs and checked out the house. When he got back, my eyes were searching the room, taking in the layout, when I felt Logan staring atme.
“What?” I asked, wondering if he would ever be able to get that vision of me in a purple velvet bikini out of his head. How embarrassing. I just met this guy. Normally it took a few dates before I stripped down to my unmentionables. Besides, I still wasn’t sure if he was a player ornot.
Logan sighed. “Eva warned me that your dragon magic would start appearing now that the containment spell was wearingoff.”
I shrugged. “That’s good, right? If I get hurt, I willheal.”
Logan looked pained. “Yes … but there is much more to dragon magic thanhealing.”
“Oh.” Shit. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Was I going to shoot green fire out of my hands like him? Could I hurt someone? My pulse rose as I began to panic; I could feel my scales tightening under my skin as my dragon tried to freeherself.
Logan launched himself forward, eyes wide, thick pink lips forming a small O. “Shhh.” He caressed my left arm and heat flared in my belly, sending a calming wave throughout my body. “You’re safe. There’s nothing your magic can do that I can’thandle.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the heat trail down my arm as Logan essentially stroked my dragon into a deep sleep. When I no longer felt her stirring, he lowered his arm. My eyes met his and we both stood there unmoving, just breathing and staring at each other’s green eyes. It was like looking into a mirror. Those eyes were my eyes in away.
“Logan,” I breathed. “I’m scared.” I wanted to be that badass girl in the movies who didn’t need a guy to comfort her, but I was totally freaking out. A dragon shifter. One of two, and now about to sprout some magic that I didn’t know anything about. Logan moved as if he was going to take me into his arms, but the front door opened, causing him to stepback.
I spun quickly to see Keegan and Nadine in the doorway. Keegan had a pistol drawn, held low at his hip. “Have you checked the house?” he askedLogan.
Logan nodded. “But I didn’t get to thegarage.”
Keegan returned the nod and headed back through the hallway and towards what I assumed was the garage, as Nadine stepped beside me to face Logan. “Sophie and Gear are checking the perimeter,” she reported. I was suddenly glad they broke up whatever was about to happen between Logan and I. I was a skyborn now. I needed to toughen up and stopwhining.
I noticed a bulge in Nadine’s abdomen, and it was moving.What the…?Suddenly a mew came from her hoodie. I smiled and she unzipped it and Mittens’ orange head popped out, looking me in theeyes.
“Was she scared?” Logan fretted over her, taking her from Nadine and rubbing his nose into herfur.
Nadine nodded. “Found her backed into a corner in the basement, hissing like alioness.”
Logan scratched her head. “She’s a warrior. Tiny butfierce.”
Seriously, this guy clotheslined a huge guy in the bar for calling me a “mutt,” and now he was snuggling this kitten like his life depended on it. I couldn’t figure himout.
“All clear,” Keegan called out from behindme.
“Where’s Coop and Dom?” Logan askedKeegan.
