“Why one minute?” Nadine asked, scanning thearea.
Keegan shrugged. “Logan and I thought a quick shift was too obvious that it was a lure. A full minute is more believable.” He didn’t sound sure, but it made sense to me. The druids would be extra wary now, so a full-minute in this form might look like one of us had slipped up and changed out of fear orheat.
After a few more moments, Keegan looked at his watch again and sighed in relief. “Okay that’s it. Dom, start the car. Sloane, shiftback.”
I nodded my big dragon head and called on my humanform…
Nothinghappened.
My dragon pulsed with power as if … she was fightingme.
Change back, you dummy! You are putting us in danger!I said tomyself.
“Sloane! Shift back!” Keeganyelled.
I backed up, frantically shaking myhead.
Okay. Justbreathe.
Nadine was staring at me oddly. “I think she’s stuck?” she said, as if it was a question. I bobbed my head up and downfrantically.
“Fuck,” Keegan swore, and pulled out his cellphone.
‘Logan! I’m stuck in dragon form. She’s fighting me!’I desperately called out to mymate.
There was a pause. Disbelief washed through the bond.‘Tell her it’s safe. You’re safer as a human,’ he pleaded withme.
It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t afraid. But she was. It was like she feared that in my human form my druid would take over and consumeher.
‘It’s not that. She’s … scared she’ll be eaten alive by my druid magic.’I could feel the fear coming off of her. We were one, after all, and those fears were my fearstoo.
‘Shit,’hesaid.
“Umm, what do we do? Druids will be inbound any minute!” Nadineshrieked.
“I don’t know,” Keegan said, sounding lost for the first time inforever.
Danny scooped up my necklace and staff, bundling them in his hand with my clothes and approachedme.
“I can make you invisible for a bit. Can you fly with me on yourback?”
“WHAT!” Keeganscreamed.
I nodded. It wasn’t easy. I’d almost dropped Sophie when she tried to fly on me last time, but I could doit.
Danny looked at Keegan. “Get Gear to fly, and follow in your car so we can keep track of you and Logan. We’re going to head up. It’s the only way to keep her safe. Last time I checked, druids couldn’tfly.”
That was true, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him about the time Ardan sent a tornado afterme.
Keegan looked torn. “Okay,” he said finally, and got on his phoneagain.
‘Danny is going to keep me invisible and we’re going to fly until I can figure out how to get my dragon to calm down,’I toldLogan.
‘Good plan,’he responded.‘I’m already halfway toyou.’
I tilted my head in confusion.‘What do you mean? You’re drivinghere?’
Don’t say it, Logan. Don’t you daresay—
