He looked up, and Isaac peered down directly on top of him. “Welcomeback.”
Logan frowned, confused. “Who areyou?”
Keegan swam into view just as I sat up fully. When I registered the limp red fox in his arms a strangled sob left my throat. Keegan was limping, holding Cooper’s fox in his arms. The red fur was nearly all black with ash and soot. Like he’d beenburned.
“Coop!” Sophie screamed throwing herself forward and crashing onto herknees.
Logan’s eyes were pinned on Keegan’s, his breathing coming in and out rapidly. Keegan simply shook his head as Danny walked up behindhim.
“I couldn’t save him.” Danny saidresigned.
Sophie was sobbing into the ground, pounding on the grass and Keegan’s jaw was clenched so hard I thought his teeth would snap inhalf.
Oh my God. Cooper was dead. The gentle giant with the twelve-inch beard… wasgone.
The way his little fox form lay so limply in Keegan’s arms, the alpha’s fingers clenched in his fur. It tore me intwo.
“Those druids will be back.” Was all Keegansaid.
Logan groaned as he sat up fully, never taking his eyes fromKeegan’s.
“Coop.” Logan finally said ignoring Keegan’s warning and tears sprung from my eyes at the misery in his tone. It was agoodbye.
“Alright. Everyone on the bus!” Isaac broke apart our mourning and pointed to the yellow school bus in the parking lot. That was his bus? Keegan looked at Eva, whonodded.
“This is my friend I told you about. He has land where we can go to heal and recover,” Eva toldthem.
How the hell did Eva know so much about this man? Who in the hell was this man? I didn’t care right now. I only cared that Logan was alive and that Cooper was dead. I couldn’t process it yet, that we had lost one of ours. Keegan started barking orders for everyone to get on the bus, and handed Coopers lifeless fox off to a grieving Sophie who took him to the bus. Then Keegan pulled the trusty tweezers out of his pocket and waved it before Logan. Logan sighed, and I helped him stand fully as he thrust out his hand to Keegan; black scales formed on his arms while the rest of him stayed human. Keegan plucked three scales and handed one to Eva. “Gear first,” he told her, and she nodded, running off to find Nadine and the injuredfalcon.
I looked around, surveying the carnage. Blood, dead bodies, and scorch marks littered theground.
“I’m gonna get Mittens from the limo. I’ll meet you on the bus,” Logan told me in a scratchy voice, emotions still raw from the loss of Cooper. He reached down to place a soft kiss on my lips, holding mygaze.
‘You saved my life with that weird purple magic,’ hemused.
I gave a sad smile. ‘Guess you can’t call it weirdanymore.’
‘It’s purple. It will always be weird,’ he replied, and I relished having him so close, breathing in his scent. It was like a balm to my saddenedsoul.
“Are you sure about Mittens? I can get her.” I didn’t want him overextendinghimself.
He nodded. “I’m fine.” Then he walked off, and that left me and this weird druid, alone. Isaac was just standing there waiting for me to acknowledge him. I turned to look at him and henodded.
“You’re a dream walker. I know most dragons have the capability, but I saw you. You visited me in mymeditation.”
My face went red, because that sounded all kinds of weird. “Yeah.Sorry.”
He shrugged. “I’m sure you can’t control it. Just like you couldn’t control that purple blast of magic that made me feel like I’d been kicked in theballs.”
My eyes went wide as I winced. “Ouch, really?”Oopsie.
He grabbed his junk and nodded. “It was very effective, but I need to teach you to control it better. Hone it. Give it a purpose. Harness your druidpower.”
I swallowed hard. “No offense, but I don’t really want to learn the ways of the druid. I’m a skyborn and that’s enough for now.” I’d had enough weirdness to last me a lifetime and I hadn’t even begun my training with Loganyet.
Isaac nodded. “Understandable. But you will. I’m not like those monsters. I don’t use dragon magic to gain power. I borrow from Mother Earth, and so willyou.”
The way he was speaking, with such finality, it was annoying and scary. “Oh yeah? Why’sthat?”
