The Shiftery was a giant glass dome in the gardens on campus. It was large enough to fit several dragons, and had wooden stalls of various sizes that sorceresses could use to groom their shifters. Dozens of tools hung on pegboards, including brushes, combs, hoof picks, and rags. They nestled beside jars of dragon scale polish, hoof treatments, giant toothbrushes for cleaning fangs, and soap. Around the room, there were huge yoga mats where shifters could stretch out their wings, and plush velvet beds for them to soak up the sunlight.
It was mostly empty, save for my friends. All the boys were in their shifter forms. Theo was in a stall nearby, munching on a bucket of oats. Odette grabbed a brush and skipped to Theo, and began brushing out his white coat. Delmare grabbed a bottle of scale polish and a rag. She sprayed the scale polish on Stefan’s side and started cleaning the scales in a circular motion, paying particular attention to his spikes.
Even Kiara and Alexei had made up, for my sake. They were on one of the yoga mats. She was stretching out his wings, bending them back and forth while he extended his legs and lengthened his back. It was weird for her to be doing this for him when they weren’t formally mated, but Alexei needed someone to help him, I supposed, and there was no one better than her.
“Can’t shifters do this for themselves?” I asked Ethan as we walked into the stall next to Theo.
“The single ones have to, but it’s difficult,” Ethan explained. “Even if you take a bath in human form, it doesn’t do anything for your shifter coat. It’ll remain filthy. It’s much easier to ask your sorceress for help, and it’s a good bonding experience.”
Ethan’s coat was looking ragged. He’d done his best to keep it clean, but that was my job. I moved to grab a brush and began combing out the excess fur. He was shedding in clumps. A pile of white fur began to grow at his paws, and Ethan panted, as if it felt good to have it removed.
“Do you like that?” I giggled.
“Yes. It’s quite pleasant.” Ethan’s lips blew out as he huffed, and they became lopsided over his fangs. It was funny.
Nearby, Amantha was giving Finlay a bath in a giant tub. She washed his brown fur with giant soapy suds as he relaxed in the massive tub.
As I met her eyes, Amantha looked away, like she was guilty, but I wished she wouldn’t. I just wanted everyone to act normal. So she could still skate, and I couldn’t. I wanted her to enjoy herself while she still could.
Now that I was out of the running, Malovia didn’t have a proper contender to send to the Olympics next year for the ladies’ free skate. None of the other girls were ready to compete on a level that I had been. Gabby’s actions had not only killed my career, but also shamed the country.
She was so selfish.
“How goes it, sis?” Arthur was in the stall across from us, getting his fur blow-dried by Vara. She dried off his ears, and a lop of red fur went into his eyes. He huffed it away, and it made him sneeze.
Arthur had been a great solace. He’d been one of the only people I wanted to speak to, besides Ethan. “It’s… going.”
I didn’t want to worry him by saying it was going quite miserably, but at my response, his tail stopped wagging, so I’m sure he knew.
We had wanted to perform the ceremony to find our true names once I got back from the championships, but after everything that had happened, I just didn’t feel like now was the time. Arthur had insisted that I was too heartbroken to discover my true name, and the gods wouldn’t come to us unless I was ready. So we were putting it off— until when, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think I’d ever be ready for anything ever again, with the way I felt.
Ozzie and Jasper were soaking up the sun’s rays in their shifter forms on the giant velvet beds that were spread throughout the room. Ozzie was the smallest dragon I’d ever seen— he was curled up against Jasper’s side, who was larger than him even in alicorn form. Ozzie let out a tiny puff of smoke, and Jasper nuzzled his head with the tip of his nose.
Their actions as a couple were getting riskier and riskier. I understood they were tired of hiding, and wanted to live their lives together, out and in the open. But the more chances they took, the greater risk they could be found out. There was only so much we could do to protect them.
But I didn’t stop them, and neither did anyone else. The rest of us were happy with our mates. They deserved to be happy, too.
Ethan’s pile of fur was reaching up to my knees. I was starting to feel bad that I’d let it go this long. I threw away the excess fur. I ran a hand through his pelt and found it silky smooth. He didn’t need a bath today, but next time, it’d be good for him. When my hand ran over his shoulder blades, he quivered in relaxation.
I moved upward, and scratched Ethan’s ears. His tongue lolled out, and he said, “Oh, Emma, that is lovely.”
His back leg began thumping when I scratched a certain spot underneath his chin. He fell onto the floor and rolled over, so I could rub his belly. His eyes sparked with delight as I scratched his soft underbelly.
“You like that, huh?” I tickled his sides, and he kicked out his feet.
“Very much. If I wasn’t so big, I’d long to crawl onto your lap,” Ethan said. He licked my hands affectionately with his giant tongue, like he couldn’t help himself.
He’d better not do that. He’d squish me. A lap bubbled up from my lips— Ethan, the giant lap dog. “You’re a big baby in a monster’s body.”
“Like all shifters?” Delmare teased. Stefan’s black scales had developed a pristine shine.
“I’m not a baby. I’m firmly in the toddler age group,” Stefan replied.
“Yeah, because you whine like one. Do youknowhow long it takes to polish all these scales?” Delmare asked as she worked furiously. She was breaking out a sweat as she continued to scrub at Stefan’s side.
“Aren’t I worth it, though?” Stefan asked coyly. Delmare grumbled.
Kiara and Alexei moved into the empty stall on the other side of us. “You okay, Emma?” Kiara asked.
