“Hemlock!” I shouted, and ran to my rescue dog. He looked so healthy! His brownish tan coat was shiny, and although it held scars, it looked healed. He wagged his tail, licking my outstretched hand. Man, this dog had come a longway.
“Mewww.” Mittens’ little call sign came from under Hemlock, and I scooped her up. She was getting big. No longer a baby kitten, more like atoddler.
“Have you two been good while I was gone?” I asked them, as a warm fuzzy feeling radiated out of my chest. This was home to me. Nadine, Isaac, Mittens, and Hemlock. Even Sophie. This was my family, and I had to do everything in my power to protectit.
“Mittens has taken to riding on Hemy’s back, so we’re thinking of making her a saddle,” Nadinesaid.
I barked out a laugh. “Hemy, that’s a good nickname for you,” I told him, and kissed the top of hishead.
Dom gave a loud New York taxicab whistle. “Dinner’s ready!” he called, and shifters started coming out of mud huts, hammocks, and tents. We had amassed a mini army of shifters, all to protect the skyborn and help us end Ardan’srule.
We started to walk together towards the smell of food; I looked at Sophie. “How are the two packs gettingalong?”
She shrugged. “Fine, except for this one bitch namedGracie.”
I grinned, meeting Nadine’s eye. It wouldn’t be proper Sophie if she wasn’t hating onsomeone.
As we neared, Dominic approached me with a burger dripping with cheese andmushrooms.
“A veggie burger for one of our resident vegetarians,” Dominic offeredme.
Oh, right.“Thank you.” I smiled, wondering who the other resident vegetarians were, and also thinking that was the longest sentence he’d ever said tome.
Casey came around the corner with Geoff. They were laughing about something, and when she saw me her face took on a look of surprise, she startedrunning.
Once she reached me, she stopped just short of plowing into me. It looked like she wanted to hug me but wasn’t sure. “You’re okay,” shebreathed.
I grinned. “I’mokay.”
A freaking four-inch fairy ate my molar, but I’mokay.
She shared a look with Geoff, and then gazed at me. “Did he … hurt you?” she asked, green eyes full of fury, as if I told her yes she would march to Ireland, and kick the evil druid’sass.
“Nah. I got away before anything bad happened,” I told them. I was very aware that Ardan and his druids killed her mom. She was most likely reliving some of that right now, so I wasn’t going to re-traumatizeher.
She looked relieved. “Come on, you gotta see Lily.” She pulled my free hand and I smiled. Casey was like the excited little sister I neverhad.
And so, over the next hour I ate my veggie burger, which was actually really good, while watching Lily shift from human to dragon as Lynn tried to “train” her to stay in human form. And by train she really just begged her to change back to human when the orange scales appeared. If we didn’t fix this situation, it looked like Lily and Lynn were going to be stuck in this tiny room for years, until Lily could learn to control her dragon, or until Eva ran out of magicalingredients.
After wishing them goodnight, I walked back to the waterfall house hand in hand with Logan. Once we were inside, he pulled me close to him; I rested my head on the crook of his neck as his hand snaked up my shirt and stroked myback.
“I nearly went mad when he took you,” he said, in a huskyvoice.
“He’s crazy,” I muttered. “He will stop at nothing to become more powerful. We have to killhim.”
Logan pulled back, and his vibrant green eyes met mine. “I’m never letting you out of my sightagain.”
I grinned. “That might get a little awkward in thebathroom.”
He shrugged. “Toobad.”
I laughed while he scooped me up, and lay me gently on the bed, slowly undressingme.
“Can I ask you something?” he said, pulling off the tight jeans I had beenwearing.
“Hmm?”Less talking, moreundressing.
“If you had to choose to be either a dragonora druid, which would you choose?” He said it all nonchalantly, but there was nothing casual about thatquestion.
