by Bonnie Vanak
Michael sat upon it. It squeaked as he bounced up and down.
He planned to make much more music on it, with Anna in his arms, naked beneath him. Michael closed his eyes and imagined her green eyes dazed with passion as he made love to her.
A sharp spike of anger stabbed him in the chest as he thought of her frightened expression when he’d seen her face. The red scales were ugly to Skins, of course, for Skins had different notions of beauty than dragons. But for her own clan to shun her, and treat her with such disrespect?
What the hell was wrong with them?
“I should let Barlow see me, and the whole damn lot of them. Fight them single-handedly,” he muttered, raking a hand through his dark hair.
Michael tugged on the crystal earring in his left ear. “Xavier, I’ll be here a few days and I packed light. Real light. Actually, you packed for me. I need provisions.”
A suitcase suddenly whistled through the air and dropped on the floor.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
The leather case contained clothing, toiletries, his favorite books, and a wallet stuffed with cash. Beneath the clothing…he sifted through the items with a laugh of disbelief.
Condoms. Dozens of them.
Now he knew the wizard’s intent in sending him here was duel-edged. Michael picked up a condom and flipped it into the air like a quarter. “Extra-large.”
At least the wizard granted him the courtesy of giving him the largest size. But he would not need the condoms. When he finally made love to Anna, there would be nothing between them but skin.
Such was the way of dragons with true mates.
Michael undressed. Naked, he lay upon the queen-size bed and pillowed his head beneath his arms. Eventually he slept, dreaming of dragons ruling the night skies, and a fire that burned brighter and icier than men’s secret desires.
Chapter 3
Anna did not come by first thing in the morning. Michael showered, dressed and found supplies in the pantry. He set about making breakfast, burning the canned ravioli. He ate it with relish—he’d learned while growing up to never take food for granted.
When his parents died, his world had collapsed. Though they had seldom been there to raise him, for they were too busy fighting for King Jasper, proving their ability as his smartest, most loyal warriors. Male and female, a fighting duo that had eyes only for each other, and sometimes even forgot they had a son.
He had learned at an early age, before the shift into dragon, to cook his own meals, clean up after himself, bathe himself and dress himself. It made him independent, yet he wistfully yearned for a real family and that closeness. Clan Fury was not close-knit. They were strong and loyal, but parents were preoccupied with nocturnal flying, guarding the skies against evil and working closely with the Fae to pay much attention to their young. Dragons who were too old to fly often turned into nursery maids out of necessity for future generations.
So when he’d found out about an exchange program with Clan Tyrith, as an attempt to bring permanent peace between the factions, he eagerly volunteered. In Anna’s family, he found the closeness he’d craved and the loving familiarity. Anna’s mother, Harriet, was gentle and adored gardening and treated him like a son. Even Barlow had been kind to him, tolerating Michael’s presence and teaching him to tend to the plants.
It was Barlow who instilled a love of botany in him.
Barlow had been almost like a father, until the day when Michael turned fully dragon and soared into the skies back to the Clan Tyrith compound. Delighted with his wings, he wanted to show them off to the foster family who mattered most to him.
At first, Barlow and his mate and three daughters cooed and admired his glittering black scales, and complimented his clumsy but persistent attempts at a vertical take-off. And then Anna had stroked a hand along his side, her touch setting off a different kind of fire inside Michael.
Barlow’s smile had instantly faded.
He’d seen something other than admiration shining in his eldest daughter’s eyes.
Barlow had curtly told him to leave. Hurt, Michael had departed, but he had seen that shining look on Anna’s face, too. He’d wanted to explore it when she grew of age.
Her father had other ideas.
Michael finished eating and washed the dishes. Bracing his hands on the sink, he stared out the opened window. A cool breeze drifted inside, ruffling his hair.
Most of Clan Tyrith were red dragons, smaller and more flexible than the larger, more intimidating black dragons who mostly inhabited his clan. There had been some intermarriages over the generations, for there were a few silver dragons and green ones at Clan Tyrith and he had seen a few in Clan Fury as well. But no blacks in Clan Tyrith and no reds in Clan Fury. No black dragon in hundreds of years had ever mated with a red dragon.
Time for that to change. When he mated with Anna, perhaps their union would bring about peace.
Or war.
Hearing a sound overhead, he peered upward and caught a glimpse of red through the thick trees. Michael ran outside and shaded his eyes against the sun, then slitted them to dragon pupils.
Anna, out for a morning flight. No mistaking the gold and silver threads flashing in the sun among her crimson scales.
Like other reds, she was small, the size of a fighter jet. But her compact size made for more maneuverability. He watched the red dragon soar into the sky and flip around like a top. Anna’s flying skills were most impressive. It was almost as if what she lacked in fire she had made up for in aerial ability.
Admiration filled him. Having never seen her fly before, it was breathtaking to simply behold her. He squinted to see if he could pick out her underbelly and the human skin. As she swept down lower, closer to the cottage, he saw it—and his blood went cold.
There. Ordinary human skin, as white and pale as snow. It had blended slightly against the sky, just as his black scales blended with night, but when she flew lower, it was quite obvious.
A very scary target.
Michael watched as she landed on the vast expanse of grass in the cottage’s back yard. Anna’s wings glittered in the sunshine. She arched her long neck, and then turned her head toward him.
Emerald eyes regarded him with steadiness. Two pale, bright patches of distinctly human skin stood out on her muzzle, like rouge on a human. Two silver horns protruded from her head and she grinned, displaying rows of sharp white teeth. And fangs, tough enough to pierce steel.
Relieved, he sighed. “At least you have good dental care,” he said in a teasing voice. “Your teeth look quite sharp.”
Sharp enough to bite your hand like I did when I was little.
Michael blinked. She had spoken inside his mind. He’d heard of this trait with true mates.
Delighted, he approached, and then caressed her scales with a gentle hand. They were tough and strong.
Shift and fly with me, Anna urged.
One of your people will see. I’m supposed to lie low.
They won’t see you if we fly over the Lumen fields. No one ever goes there out of fear of disturbing the berries. Most are at the wildwood forest on the other side of the mountain. The Fae king of the northeast territory asked our help in harvesting ghost berries to try out with the local shifter population.
Ghost berries? They’re inedible. That myth about turning an Other invisible is just that—myth.
Not anymore. The Fae have discovered a way to make them edible and there’s a rumor the Fae can make them work on shifters.
Interesting. He tucked away a mental note to explore that notion later. Michael waved a hand. Stand back. I take up a lot more room than you do, squirt.
Squirt!
Grinning, he stretched out his arms and called forth his magick as she crawled over to the cottage and onto the roof to wait for him.
It began, as it always did, with a slight pulling deep in his belly. It spread like fire, and warmth filled his veins, racing through his body like blood. The power rushed through him,
a heady, wonderful feeling. He felt the familiar joy as if he soared upwards to the very heavens, and from one breath to another, he shifted into his black dragon form.
Everything became sharper and clearer. Power engulfed him as he stretched out his wings, feeling the muscles tense. He smelled the earth, the fresh air, and Anna’s delicious aroma of juniper, rainwater, and the musk of dragon.
Awe filled her voice inside his head. You are magnificent. So big.
Michael grinned. Big in many places.
Michael!
Let’s fly.
Flapping his wings, making the treetops bend and the leaves on the ground swirl, he lifted into the sky, soaring high. Soon as he reached the treetops, he hovered, waiting for Anna. She didn’t do a running start as he expected, but executed a perfect vertical takeoff. He whistled in his mind.
Impressive. For such a young dragon, you are strong.
I’m smaller than you, and faster.
Oh yeah? Watch this.
Delighted to soar into the air with her, he winged over the cottage and treetops, riding the air currents. Michael looked down and saw Anna flying just below him, beneath his belly. So startled was he, he nearly tumbled downward, then caught himself.
Damn, Anna Banana! Where did you learn that?
Stealth flying. My papa taught me. I’m much smaller than most dragons, so I can zip in and fly right under them without them even noticing.
They kept flying, the wind ripping against them, higher and higher. And then he banked left, flying toward the jagged peak of Mt. Washington. Higher and higher, and Anna kept up with him the entire time, as he soared upward.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a distant flash of red wings. Shit!
It’s my father! Quick, descend to 2,000 feet! She turned and winged downward like a dart.
But he was heavier and bigger and clumsier than the agile Anna, and could not turn as quickly to descend. Michael took a deep breath and did a dragon stall, folding his wings. Gravity kicked in and he fell, tumbling from the sky. In his mind, he heard her scream.
Michael, pull up! You’re descending too fast!
Easy, sweetheart. I’ve done this thousands of times.
I don’t want you to die!
I’m not going to die. I’m not even going to fall hard.
At 2,000 feet, he snapped out his wings, the tremendous muscles straining with the effort as he flapped them. But he’d trained hard under Xavier’s tutelage, and his wings were strong. They held him aloft as he slowly controlled his descent, landing in the cottage yard near Anna.
Michael shifted back to skin and conjured clothing. Anna did the same and rushed toward him. He caught her up in his arms.
“Easy, sweetheart. I’m fine. Not even a scratch.” He held out his right hand. “See.”
Glaring at him, she pulled away. “That was close.”
Panting, she bent over and braced her hands on her knees. “He almost saw you. We’d better not take any more chances. With your black scales, you stick out like a blotch on the sky.”
Michael flopped onto the grass, resting his head upon his arms. “I’m the night, and you’re the day. Interesting, Anna. Do you think we’re true mates because we represent the opposite of dragons?”
“I don’t know.” She sat beside him, her gaze troubled. “All I know is you’re here and I want you to stay safe.”
He knew the words she did not voice.
For however long you can remain here, until someone finds out.
And he could not allow anyone else to discover him, or there would be hell to pay.
Chapter 4
Michael spent the rest of the day studying the texts on Fae gardening techniques that Anna had brought on a return trip to the cottage, along with food and other supplies. She’d lugged her Mac laptop along as well, and while he read up on the extraction of oil from Lumen seeds, she typed away, designing a new website for a corporate client.
Once in a while he’d read a passage aloud that sounded interesting, or she would show him her design. It was a peaceful way to pass the day, a companionable silence broken only by the turning of a page, the clacking of her keyboard, the chirping of the birds outside the window, and the wind rustling through the trees.
She cooked him a perfect well-done roast, and he devoured every bite. As they sat at the dining table, talking about old times and laughing, he felt a tug of remorse.
He must return to his service to the Crystal Wizard, leaving her here alone to face the continued shunning by her clan.
Finally the full moon appeared in the sky. Anna stared upward at it as they left the cottage. Michael checked the special pouch for containing the seeds.
“Won’t your father wonder where you are?” he asked her.
“I told my parents I’d be out planting on the north side and would sleep under the stars. They’re used to me doing that.” Her face turned down. “Papa is so busy with the king, I might as well be invisible.”
Then she added softly, so softly he barely heard her, “Sometimes I wish I was invisible, so they wouldn’t stare at my face.”
Oh Anna, my Anna. How I would rake my claws over their faces if they stood before me—hurt them as they have hurt you.
He held out a hand and she clasped it. For a moment they simply stared upward at the stars.
“You’ll have to shift into dragonskin to get there. It’s too far to walk.”
“I can’t. I need the pouch to store the seeds so they’ll stay warm and won’t die. They must remain as seeds.” He looked at her steadily. “You’ll have to take me.”
Anna tilted her head. “You want to ride me, dragon? In what way?”
In every way possible once we’re naked. But he only smiled. “On your back.”
Thirty minutes later, Michael clinging to Anna’s back, they landed on the mountainside where the Lumen plants thrived.
The garden was planted at a high angle, which made balancing themselves tricky. Michael opened the bag Xavier had given him and breathed a small stream of dragon fire inside the pouch. The dragonfire would keep the seeds warm until they reached the cottage.
When he looked up, Anna stared, visibly shaken. “You can breathe dragonfire while in Skin? Even my father, who can shoot fire from his fingertips, can’t do that.”
“I have many powers, Anna. Xavier has taught me well.” He held out a hand. “Come.”
They knelt down by the Lumen plants and stared down at the glowing leaves, light pulsing around each tip like summer fireflies.
There were a dozen plants that did not glow as brightly. They would not suit his purpose, he decided. He started to pass them by—and then realized what he was doing.
He was selecting seeds from only the brightest, healthiest plants, just as Anna’s clan honored the brightest, healthiest dragons.
Michael turned back and plucked more seeds from the dimly glowing plants. Simply because the plants did not shine as brightly as the others, did not mean the seeds were less potent.
They still contained power that could be harvested, and used for good.
Anna helped him, pulling the pods gently off the stalks, opening the tough shells and spilling out each seed in the pod into her hand. The seeds glowed as she cradled them, pulsing with blue light.
When they collected enough to fill the small bag Xavier had given him, they straightened.
“Now what?” she asked. “Is there a ritual you must perform for the purpose of their magick?”
A ritual I must perform for the sake of me, sweetheart. You are driving me mad with lust, standing there in the moonlight, your body so curved and lush…
He wanted her so badly. But if they made love, and grew intimate as true mates, what would happen afterward? He still must return to his master.
And there was her family, who disapproved.
Anna reached for his hand. “You want to make love with me.”
“Yes,” he said softly. “But I know not what will happen tomorrow and I don�
��t want to hurt you. I should leave.”
“We have tonight. Stay,” she whispered.
And then she shifted back into dragon. He climbed upon her back and they rode the winds in silence, the breeze tugging Michael’s hair as he closed his eyes, riding the dragon.
Chapter 5
Back at the cottage, Anna changed back to Skin, and went inside into the bedroom. She waited to see if her true mate would follow her lead, and finally consummate their passion.
She did not undress, for that was what Skins did.
Instead, she drew upon her dragon powers and forked her tongue, and then flicked it out at him. So very, very dragon, and an act she had caught her cousin and her cousin’s mate doing before they tumbled to the ground and made love.
She flicked her forked tongue and changed her eyes to reptilian, yet another cool dragon trick she’d learned since her first shift. Michael stared at her, his eyes dilating.
“Are you certain of this, Anna? There will be no going back,” he said quietly.
Anna sashayed up to Michael, retracted her tongue until it was human again and returned her eyes to normal. Then she ran a hand over his chest, across his flat belly, down to his groin.
Finding him fully erect through his jeans, she squeezed lightly. He threw back his head and groaned.
“That’s a definite yes,” she purred.
She stepped back, divested herself of clothing and stood before him. Anna blushed, well aware that Michael kept on his clothing while she had bared herself fully to him. But if they were to finally make love, he needed to see all of her.
He touched the scaled skin of her belly with a worried frown. Anna’s confidence slipped several notches.
If he said she was deformed or ugly, she wouldn’t die. She’d simply dress and slip away, and never see him again. And then return to her dreams of a black dragon flying high in the night sky against a backdrop of glittering star-shine.
“Now that I can see you up close, I don’t like it. This isn’t good. It’s tough and impenetrable.” His frown deepened. “This also is human skin every time you shift into dragon? You don’t ever have scales there?”