“I knew it! I knew this was trick.” She started to back up, back into her truck when Logan closed the distance between them and came up behind her, ripping the gun out of her hand, pinning her body to his chest with one arm over herbelly.
“I’m skyborn,” he stated, and in that amazing way he could, shifted his arm skin to black scales, somehow keeping the rest of his body human, so as not to alert the hunters. She looked down at the inky black scales and gasped, which turned into a snorting laugh, which turned into crying. Poorthing.
Logan released her and shespun.
“I-I thought you were all dead,” she said between laughing and tears. “I thought I was alone. The lady stopped coming, and when you called I figured it was a trap, but I couldn’t let it go. I had to check itout.”
Logan reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You’re not alone. Sloane, my mate, is half skyborn and half earth druid. That’s why she carries that tattoo. Her mother is the lady you speak of. The one who stopped coming. Shedied.”
The girl looked down for a second and nodded. As if she understood all aboutthat.
Now that she wasn’t waving a gun at me I figured it was safe to approach her. I side-stepped Nadine and walked slowly towards thekid.
“Where’s your mom? My list said two skyborn lived at thataddress.”
The girl’s face suddenly looked haunted. Even her adorable, light smattering of freckles couldn’t make her look any less macabre. “She died. Last year. Druids.” That’s all shesaid.
My heart broke for her. She looked even younger than I was when I lost my mom. “Why didn’t you say so over the phone? We would have come and gotyou.”
She wiped a tear. “I didn’t know if I could trust you. Mom said not to trust anyone, but the redheaded lady with the matchingnecklace.”
She pulled hers out of hershirt.
“How have you managed this whole time?” Logan askedher.
She shrugged. “Mom trained me since I was young. Left me money in case she wouldn’t be around. I got a fake ID that says I’m sixteen. I tell everyone my mom is disabled and can’t leave thehouse.”
Holy shit. Holy freakingshit.
I wanted to burst into ugly crying sobs, but thought that would probably embarrass her and myself. So instead I just bit the inside of my cheeks to hold it allin.
Nadine took small steps closer to her. “Well, I was on my own when I was younger too, and Logan found me. Now we're family. You don’t need to be alone everagain.”
My throat hurt with holding in my emotions. I’d forgotten about Nadine’s troubledpast.
The girl nodded but still looked shocked. “I’m Casey.Skyborn.”
Nadine smiled. “Nadine. Wolf shifter and protector ofskyborn.”
Casey smiled. “Cool. My mom told me stories about shifter packs that protected us, but we were too scared to findany.”
Roxy smiled. “I’m Roxy. Bear shifter and third generation protector of yourkind.”
Casey was totally infatuated. “I’ve never seen a shifter in their animal form. My mom kept us away from the magicalworld.”
“Smart mom,” I added, and she smiled atme.
“Sorry for pulling a gun on you. I saw the druid tattoo and I freaked,” she told meshyly.
I shrugged. “It isn’t the first time a gun has been pulled on me, and won’t be the last. There’s another earth druid here. Isaac. He’s not like the ones who killed yourmom.”
There was mistrust in her gaze, but she nodded. Logan’s scaled arm had given her enough proof that she was safe. Why would a dragon shifter be hanging out with druids if they weren’ttrustworthy?
Nadine linked arms with Casey. “Come on, you can meet the rest of thepack!”
Casey smiled shyly and nodded. “So … like … can I stay here for a while? I don’t have muchmoney…”
Logan stepped forward, muscles clenched as he tried to hold in his emotions. “Casey, you can stay with us forever. You don’t need money. We’ll take care ofyou.”
