by Leia Stone
Her eyes creased as they fell to my shoulder and the tattoo that rested there. “Druid,” she spat and raised her gun.
“Whoa, whoa! Stop!” Nadine stepped in front of me. “She’s skyborn. Put that damn gun down, kid.”
Logan appeared out of nowhere in the woods behind her, stalking slowly like a cat about to pounce. He must have heard the truck pull up as well.
Tears filled the little girl’s eyes.
“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 her belly.
“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. Poor thing.
Logan released her and she spun.
“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 it out.”
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. She died.”
The girl looked down for a second and nodded. As if she understood all about that.
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 the kid.
“Where’s your mom? My list said two skyborn lived at that address.”
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 she said.
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 got you.”
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 matching necklace.”
She pulled hers out of her shirt.
“How have you managed this whole time?” Logan asked her.
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 the house.”
Holy shit. Holy freaking shit.
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 all in.
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 ever again.”
My throat hurt with holding in my emotions. I’d forgotten about Nadine’s troubled past.
The girl nodded but still looked shocked. “I’m Casey. Skyborn.”
Nadine smiled. “Nadine. Wolf shifter and protector of skyborn.”
Casey smiled. “Cool. My mom told me stories about shifter packs that protected us, but we were too scared to find any.”
Roxy smiled. “I’m Roxy. Bear shifter and third generation protector of your kind.”
Casey was totally infatuated. “I’ve never seen a shifter in their animal form. My mom kept us away from the magical world.”
“Smart mom,” I added, and she smiled at me.
“Sorry for pulling a gun on you. I saw the druid tattoo and I freaked,” she told me shyly.
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 your mom.”
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’t trustworthy?
Nadine linked arms with Casey. “Come on, you can meet the rest of the pack!”
Casey smiled shyly and nodded. “So … like … can I stay here for a while? I don’t have much money…”
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 of you.”
She looked confused, like she couldn’t believe that was possible. “Thanks,” she muttered, before Nadine dragged her away, Roxy following close behind them.
The second I thought they were far enough that they wouldn’t hear me, I burst into hot ugly tears.
Logan reached out, pulling me into his chest and smooshing me against his body.
“She was alone this whole time!” I sobbed. “I should have gone looking for them sooner.”
That freaking book sat in my car for nearly five years!
“Shhh.” He stroked my back. “She’s here now, and that’s all that matters. We’re going to take care of her.”
I pulled back and wiped my eyes. “How are we going to afford this? Keegan is bringing new hunters today. All of them will require a salary. We’re going to need to buy more shipping containers, or whatever, so Isaac can build more housing.”
Logan sighed. “I’ll figure it out.”
I furrowed my brow. “No. We’ll figure it out. Tell me what we need.” I still had fifty thousand dollars left over which was supposed to be Griddish’s final payment.
My mate stared at me for a moment before speaking, as if sizing up my stress level and what I could handle. “A shitload of money. Keegan is bringing a busload of shifters. Forty at least. And all the skyborn are coming within the next few weeks, leaving jobs, houses, everything. We need to feed everyone, outfit the new shifters with weapons, and build more housing. I can give scales but…”
Whoa, that was a lot. I forgot how much my mate did being in charge of everything. Why couldn’t he have bought Apple stock in the ‘90s or something?
“But what?”
He shrugged. “They take years to grow back, and losing too many at once can weaken my powers. I’d need ten scales to outfit us for the next year. The ones Keegan took when Gear got hurt have already been used or sold.”
Ten scales at 50K a pop or only a few of mine at 100K a pop.
“I’ll help,” I told him, but he shook his head immediately.
“Your dragon doesn’t have the control to partial shift. A full shift would bring the hunters.”
“My scales fetch double yours! The last thing we need is for you to have weak magic,” I countered.
He groaned. “Fine, we’ll work out a plan with Keegan to go to a remote place and you can do a quick shift. We take a few scales and then we’re out of there.”
I nodded. Just relieved he would let me help.
He looked off into the distance at Casey, who was now standing around a circle of her new protectors. “I searched for them for years.” His voice was so … dark. Like it was hard for him to recount his loneliness.
I nodded. “Thanks to my mom, they were well hidden, even from their own kind.”
“Isaac said the Earth hides them,” Logan mused.
I nodded. “My mom’s magic came from deep in the core of Mother Earth.”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “Like Lava?”
I shrugged. “Who knows … but he’s trying to get me to light stuff on fire with my mind.”
Logan chuckled, bringing me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’d like to see that.”
“Not gonna happen anytime soon. So far I can only shoot a concentrated beam from my staff.”
“Any headaches?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
He looked relieved at that. “Well then, I’d say you’re doing just fine. Come on, we’ve got a wild youngling to keep an eye on now.”
I snickered. “Did you see how fast she whipped that gun out?”
He nodded, looking impressed. “She’s got spunk. Reminds me of younger Nadine.”
We walked over to the group of people hand in hand. Casey was giving Hemlock an ear rub and listening to Danny tell an extravagant story about trying to steal a pack of bubblegum when he was nine.
I liked this life, having our little community up here on Isaac’s land. I didn’t like fearing the druids, but knowing we were offering a safe haven to Casey and those like her, put my mind at ease. It gave me a purpose in the world. I was taking up my mother’s work. And proud to.
Chapter 14
Keegan and Sophie rolled in that night with a bus full of stone cold shifters, all bred to protect and slightly scary looking. They stared at Logan, Casey, Lynn’s family and me, like we were gods, mythical beings that shouldn’t exist. They brought another alpha with them, a female named Dee. A thirty-something woman with lean muscles and short-cropped blond hair, she had this look in her eye that said she didn’t take shit from anyone, but she also gave me a kind smile. When she shook my hand, I thought my fingers would break. She was like Keegan’s long-lost twin sister. The plan was that Dee would take half the pack and Keegan would command the other. In the grand scheme of things it didn’t really matter which pack we were in because we were sharing the land and would see each other daily.
Now, we all stood around the large bonfire as the sun set behind us. Keegan and Dee began to call off names, splitting up the teams into two. It felt a bit like middle school gym class and I was being picked for a soccer team.
“Logan, Sloane, and my team will stay with me. We’ll also take Casey,” Keegan announced as we all made our way to his side. Geoff and Casey had already become fast friends, complaining there were no video games or cable TV here.
Dee smiled. “Lynn, I’d love for you and your family to join us so that my shifters could protect you guys.”
Lynn cradled her belly, beaming. Tony and Geoff looked happy as well. How long had they struggled on their own? Now their family would forever have protection. They walked to Dee’s team, and everyone introduced themselves. I reached Keegan’s side, and when I spun around I noticed Nadine still standing with the group of new shifters.
Oh shit. I’d forgotten to tell Logan about her Gear drama. I’d been so overwhelmed with Casey’s arrival.
‘Logan, Nadine—’ I didn’t even get the words through our bond before Nadine stepped forward and faced the new alpha.
“I’d like to switch groups for personal reasons,” she stated loudly. She held her chin high, and avoided meeting Keegan or Logan’s gaze.
“What?” Keegan stepped forward, but my arm snaked out and grabbed his bicep. He looked back at me with a venomous gaze.
I just shook my head.
‘She loves Gear. Needs a break from seeing him every day,’ I told Logan.
Logan stepped forward, and met the blue-eyed gaze of his best friend and alpha.
He nodded. “Let her go.”
I heard a strangled noise behind me and turned to see Gear, face pinched in anxiety. When he caught me looking, he turned quickly and took off running into the forest.
Oh lord. Lovers’ quarrels were not what we needed right now. We needed money; I needed to light shit on fire with my mind; and we had Lynn’s baby to worry about. But I couldn’t discount my friend’s heart. She was hurting and that mattered.
“Alright, I’ll allow it,” Keegan said with a slight crack in his voice.
Dee had clearly picked up on the tension and drama but kept professional about it. “Alright, hun, you’re with me, then. Glad to have you.” She waved Nadine over.
Our tattooed shifter gave a tight smile and walked to stand behind her new alpha. Being on the opposite side of Nadine, even if we were all still on the same big team, felt wrong.
I stood on my tiptoes. “Your rules suck ass,” I whispered in Keegan’s ear.
He growled lightly but didn’t turn around. I didn’t know anything about being an alpha of a pack, but I knew that his current way of doing things wasn’t working. After the pack was split in two, I stood around with Logan and Keegan. Neither wanted to talk about Nadine.
“How much did that bus set us back?” Logan asked Keegan, pointing to the retired public transport bus he’d pulled up in.
“Twenty grand,” Keegan replied.
Logan winced. “We need more cash. I’ve got a plan.”
Danny, Dominic, and Eva were following Logan, Keegan and I in my car. We’d driven about two hours away from our land, and were intending to shift and give scales to Danny and Eva, who would then sell them at a nearby supernatural black market in San Francisco. Casey had begged to come. Even bragged about her beautiful blue scales. Said she hadn’t shifted in years and was dying to let her dragon out and help the cause, but Logan refused. Told her to stay safe with Roxy and the others. Eva had tried to use the Eye to see what Ardan and Steven were up to and make sure they weren’t close, but it was now clear they’d caught on and had some sorcerer protection.
“Pull over here.” Logan pointed to a dirt road somewhere in the middle of Fresno. “I want this quick, Sloane. You shift, we get the scales, and you’re human again. Understand?” He pinned me with his green-eyed gaze.
I wanted to make a snarky comment about not understanding his simple English, but thought better of it. He was stressed and I didn’t want to add to that.
“Got it.”
He nodded, rubbing his hands on his jeans in a rare nervous gesture. I leaned forward, placing my left hand on his shoulder.
“I’ve got this now, remember?” I shoved the purple crystal staff in his face. “I can shoot purple lightning from it, and probably take off someone’s limb.”
Keegan chuckled. “Or just make them keel over holding their nuts.”
Truth.
I hadn’t done human trials yet, but if the scorch marks on the tree trunks were anything to go by, I could do some damage if need be.
Keegan pulled up to an old dilapidated barn on some dusty farmland. “This is it. Danny’s uncle owns the farm. Thinks we’re doing a cool nude photo shoot. Won’t bother us.”
Nude! Well, technically I would be disrobing, so whatever got us some alone time.
“Danny’s from Fresno?” I chuckled. Someone cool and hip like him? I thought for sure he was from New York City or LA.
Keegan nodded. “Yes, but he’d never admit it to you.”
“I like him,” I pressed, hoping we could start some kind of conversation about this pack rule.
“Let’s get out,” Keegan said, and unlocked the doors.
Conversation fail.
Eva, Danny and Dominic pulled in behind us, and got out as well.
“I’ll spell the barn as best I can,” Eva declared.
Keegan nodded, pulling his beloved shotgun from the car and motioning to the door.
Danny looked out onto the land with a small smile. I wondered if he had fond childhood memories here. Seemed like he did.
“I had my first kiss to Timothy Sanders in this barn,” Danny mused aloud.
Keegan growled but turned it into a cough, only forcing Danny to raise one eyebrow and smile.
These two needed to get back together, and get it over with.
“Let’s do this and get out of here,” Logan barked.
That thrust Keegan into action. Eva was walking around the barn throwing her hands up, coating the night sky with long wisps of yellow magic. Keegan unlatched the barn doors and motioned Dominic, Logan, and I inside as Danny and Eva announced they would watch the perimeter.
I took a deep breath. Why was I nervous? Because changing into my dragon basically texted the druids my location.
“Hey, how do the druids know whenever a dragon shifts? I mean, how is that possible? Magic?” Maybe they’d done some gnarly spell over our race long ago.
Logan looked tense as Keegan flipped on an old rusty light in the barn
; it cast dark shadows across my mate’s face.
“When Ardan killed the first dragon and absorbed its power, it mixed with his own, and he manifested the gift,” Logan said tersely. “Because all druids take power from him, they all have the gift.”
Gross. It’s like they were all a little bit dragon because they walked around with deceased dragon magic inside of them. Bastards.
The barn door shut behind me and Dominic faced it, guns out and aimed at anyone who dared walk through.
“If anyone walks in, just start shooting,” Logan ordered and Dom nodded.
Yikes. I hoped Danny and Eva were aware of that rule.
Logan looked at me next, tweezers in hand.
Right.
I set my staff on the ground and quickly stripped my clothes, letting them pile onto my shoes. Didn’t want to get hay and dust in my undies if I could help it.
My dragon was excitedly slithering around inside of me. I hadn’t shifted in a long time; it felt unnatural to be human for too long, like I’d lost a part of myself. Letting her free now felt so … necessary.
The cracking of bones had Dominic looking over his shoulder for a slight second. Everyone was curious about skyborn, even those in our own inner circle. We weren’t allowed to shift for fear of signaling the hunters, so this was a rare sight for all of them. Especially Logan. He’d likely never stood in a mirror and watched himself shift.
“She’s fast,” Keegan surmised to my right. I’d forgotten he was there, watching me the whole time. If he wasn’t gay, I might care. Probably not though. I’d learned to not be so self-conscious in a pack full of shifters who were naked half the time.
“She is,” Logan mused.
I guessed I was a fast shifter compared to the rest. Must be my druid heritage.
The moment I was fully shifted, Logan walked towards me with the tweezers.
‘Take four,’ I told him.
He frowned. ‘No way. Too many.’
‘I’ll be fine. I’m half fire druid, remember?’
I’d forgotten how much it hurt to get one of these pulled until I felt the cold metal of the tweezers and the scale ripping away. It wasn’t like loose skin or even hair. It was as if someone was ripping out a fingernail. I tried to keep my dragon from whining, but a strangled noise came out anyway.