by Kayla Wolf
“I understand it is a lot to come to terms with,” he was saying seriously. Lisa almost laughed. There he stood, absolutely stark naked in the middle of the woods, shivering a little in the cold, absurdly dignified as he calmly tried to explain that he was a shapeshifting dragon. “I did not mean to get you embroiled in all of this.”
“I need a second,” she murmured, more to herself than to him. Dazed, she backed away from him, scanned the dimly-lit clearing for some kind of shelter – there was a tree stump a short distance away, and she sagged onto that, her mind racing. Psychotic break? Definitely a psychotic break. What were you meant to do in the midst of a psychotic break? Was it like a dream? Would pinching herself work?
“I am the King of my people,” Alexander was saying, clearly not taking a hint. He had followed her, keeping a respectful distance, his nose wrinkling with distaste as he stepped through the damp grass of the clearing. “I came to New York because of a prophecy.”
“A prophecy! Of course, there's a prophecy.”
“My people are dying out,” he continued, oblivious to her bewildered sarcasm. Not great at social cues, this guy – she'd noticed that about him early on, but she'd never in a thousand years have assumed it had to do with literally belonging to another species. The laughter bubbled up in her chest again, and when she giggled, she sounded properly unhinged. Watch yourself, Lisa. No sense losing your head now. Ride this out.
“Who were those guys in my apartment, then? Vampires or something?”
“Wolves,” Alexander said frankly.
“Wolves. But they were —”
“In human form. Much as I am now.”
“But they turn into wolves. Like you turn into – a dragon.”
“I am always a dragon,” Alexander said calmly, though there was a sudden stiffness to his voice that made Lisa suspect she'd offended him. “But I take this form, much as they do.”
“What, to blend in with humans?”
“Yes.”
“Can you turn into anything else?”
“No.”
“Just humans.”
“Yes.”
“So you're half human?”
“I am a dragon,” Alexander repeated firmly, and she could tell he was getting frustrated. Good, she thought savagely. He deserved a little bit of frustration after what he'd put her through. “Wolves and dragons have been enemies for hundreds of years. That pack felt that I was encroaching upon their territory.”
“Territory? They think they own my apartment?”
“They think they own New York. When they realized I had come into town they were – unhappy. That was when you found me.”
“God, I just thought you were a drug dealer. This is – I mean, obviously I'm insane,” she interrupted herself – it was a comforting thought. “But this is a whole – ridiculous – thing. Can I go back home yet? Or are the werewolves going to eat me if I try?” She giggled again – it was a little worrisome, how that sound kept bursting out of her without her permission.
“They will likely harm you if you return home,” Alexander said seriously. “I am sorry.”
“Well, what's the plan, then? Can I stay with you? Do you have some kind of – dragon cave?”
“No.” He looked affronted. “No, of course not. Humans are not permitted. That would be absurd.”
Lisa took a deep breath. “Absurd?”
“Yes. You don't even have wings. Would you climb up to the ledges and caves, as your ancestors did?”
“Oh, so I'm a monkey?”
“Of course not. You are simply descended from monkeys.”
“And you're descended from what? Dinosaurs? Listen, Alexander, I just – I need a minute, alright?” She rose to her feet abruptly, suddenly almost frozen with anger at this stranger who'd brought her into the middle of the woods to make fun of her entire species.
“Don't be absurd.” That word again. Lisa gritted her teeth. “It is late. You will get lost, or cold. It is not safe for a human in the wilderness like this. Your feet are soft, and...”
She was into the tree line and walking fast by the time his voice was out of earshot. She wondered if he had even noticed that she'd left.
Chapter 13 – Alexander
He was midsentence when he looked up at the tree stump and realized to his alarm and chagrin that Lisa was gone. She'd been perched there, looking rather small and forlorn in the face of what she had learned about him – and he'd only been attempting to explain. It felt good, actually, to be able to speak about exactly who and what he was. Finally, he could speak freely – he didn't need to hide his full strength and power, his magnificence. It was a shame he was back in his human form, actually. The moonlight wasn't quite bright enough to dance off his scales the way he liked it to, and she'd hardly been close enough to him to admire the symmetry of his horns. And his talons! The grass in the field was an excellent length – he could have shown her how sharp his talons were by slicing through the blades of grass. The humans he'd known in his younger days had loved that trick. He'd even helped them gather hay, once in a while.
Not that Lisa was the kind of human who needed to gather hay, it seemed. She was more interested in her small square rectangle, and whatever it was she did for a job. Some kind of business she ran, which apparently involved an office and lots of meetings with clients. He felt a momentary pang of guilt that he didn't remember more about it.
Why had she stormed off like that? Had she been too overwhelmed by how huge his dragon form was? Humans had often fled in the face of his true form, it was true – but she hadn't fled from that form. Quite the opposite – she'd seemed to be angry with it judging by the stick she'd thrown at him. But then he'd turned back, and they'd spoken about his people, the ancient feud with the wolves... and then she'd gotten angry for some reason and stormed off. All he'd been saying was that her people couldn't fly and that they were descended from monkeys – which was simple fact, not an insult. Nothing to get angry about, at any rate. Ridiculous. Humans were impossible.
Alexander couldn't shake a sinking feeling that his sister Helena would be laughing at him if she were here.
He settled onto the tree stump that Lisa had just vacated, wrinkling his nose at the rough feeling of the bark on his exposed backside. Human forms were so uncomfortable. Briefly, he considered shifting back to his true form – but three transformations within an hour was pushing it, even for him. He was weary – and not especially interested in getting stuck between forms. He'd once spent a deeply uncomfortable hour with wings sticking out of the back of his otherwise completely human body. How his brother had laughed at him that day.
Should he go after her? She had been fairly explicit about not wanting his company. But where did she think she was going to go? They were miles from her home – even if it had been safe for her to return there, she could hardly walk all the way there. That being said, he wouldn't be surprised if she could do it through sheer force of will. For a human, she was certainly plucky.
Was that why she had gotten angry with him? Did he not speak respectfully enough about her kind? Surely not. He had spoken only in facts – humans were not permitted at their ancestral homes, they were simply too weak and fragile to —
Alexander sighed. Perhaps that was the problem. He had been a little too factual. And it wasn't as though dragons spent much time in human dwellings... and yet she had opened her doors to him, nursed him back to health when he was injured, fed him and clothed him and spoken kindly to him... even taken him as a lover. That had certainly been a surprise. He hadn't known the human form to be so... pleasant to interact with. As sensations went, holding Lisa in his arms had certainly been among the more delightful ones.
He shifted on the tree stump, full of feelings that weren't particularly easy to process. He felt cold and irritable and trapped again, feelings he associated with the human body he was (unfortunately) restrained within for the time being. But on top of that, he felt – a different kind of discomfort. Embarrassed,
perhaps, or ashamed? But for what? For speaking frankly about the limitations of human beings with Lisa? Or – and this had an uncomfortable pang of truth to it – did he feel guilty for the damage he had done to her life? Her life and her apartment... admittedly, it was a comfortable apartment. And he had enjoyed the time he had spent there, and the things she had shown him... Netflix, and the various exciting moving stories that were inside it. And her bed was very soft, and comfortable... and her body was very —
Alexander stood up, irritated. He was just frustrated because he didn't know what he was doing, that was all. He'd been in New York for a week, and all he had to show for it was a couple of near misses with wolf shifters and an angry human friend who probably wasn't his friend any longer and would want nothing more to do with him once he had safely returned her to civilization. If she even wanted him to return her to civilization. He was no closer to finding his destined mate, no closer to returning with her in triumph to his people to report that they were saved. He was just a sad, naked man standing in the woods, alone.
Well, he could solve at least one problem. He could track down Lisa, apologize for being rude, and fly her back to wherever it was her family lived.
A few steps towards the woods where he had seen Lisa go, however, had him wincing. Landing in the clearing had been no trouble – his whole body covered in scales meant that any branches or stones were simply crushed beneath his armored skin. But his soft human feet were not as well protected, and he found himself wincing and hissing the more he walked. He stubbed his toes on rocks and branches that littered the ground, felt the soft underbelly of each foot stabbed and scratched by twigs, and more than once something unpleasant crawled across the surface of his foot, making him yelp and jump. How had Lisa gotten as far as she had?
“Lisa?” he called into the woods, stopping to brush irritably at the soles of his feet when he reached the tree line. She was nowhere to be seen, but as he stepped into the trees, he felt bushes and branches catch and drag at his body and remembered that none of his clothes had survived the transformation on the balcony. Soon enough, he was covered in scratches. How did humans cope with such soft bodies? No wonder they covered themselves in artificial skins. He would have killed for a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt... or even better, a suit of the artificial dragon scales that humans had worn long ago when they went into battle. Whatever had happened to those?
“Lisa!” he called again, stopping to rub irritably at his new collection of scratches. He was pretty sure his feet were bleeding – it was difficult to see with the treetops covering the moon, and there were strange rustling sounds in the dark around him. Small animals, probably – but Alexander was uncomfortably aware of how small and frail and weak he was. If anything in the dark decided it wanted to take a bite out of him ...
“Alexander?”
He jumped and uttered a distinctly undignified sound – somewhere between a yelp and a scream. It was Lisa, sitting on a fallen tree in a patch of moonlight, looking unfairly composed given that she was here in the midst of the wilderness. Alexander stared at her for a little longer than he realized, then gave himself a shake.
“Lisa. I wanted – I wanted to apologize to you. I was very rude.”
“You were very rude,” she agreed coolly. “And arrogant.”
“Yes. Well. We are a proud and ancient people.” He hesitated – even in the dark of the forest, the look that had flashed across her face was murderous. “Which has made me rude.”
Lisa seemed to relax – something like a smile crossed her face. “Yes. It has.” She took a deep breath. “So you're really a – a shapeshifting dragon. I'm not having a psychotic break.”
“I do not know what that is. But I am truly a dragon who can change forms.”
“And you came to New York to fulfil some kind of prophecy to save your family.”
“There are very few of us left.” He hesitated. He didn't like this part of the story – it made him feel weak and foolish. But Lisa had been brave, and he had been rude to her and done considerable damage to her life. The least he could do was tell her the whole truth now. “And we are falling ill, one by one. If I am unsuccessful in my mission, we may not survive much longer.” He sighed. “And I am afraid that I will be unsuccessful. I have no idea where to start or what I am doing. I know nothing about human beings, and I was almost killed on my first day in town. If it weren't for you, Lisa...”
“You might've died in an alleyway?”
“Yes.” He groaned. “This is pathetic. I am pathetic. I apologize that you must see me this way, at my weakest —”
“Hey, I like this way more than the pompous asshole I talked to before,” she objected, rising to her feet and crossing to look up into his face. He stared down at her, nonplussed. “This is honest. Honesty is good. Very charming,” she added with a smile, and he felt warmth suffuse his chest despite the cold biting air. “So – what's the prophecy? What do you have to do?”
“I must find a human woman to be my mate,” he said, sighing. “Only then will the curse be broken and my people be saved. She is my destiny, and she is out there somewhere, and I have no idea how to find her.”
“She's in New York?”
“I don't know!” He rubbed his forehead. “I hope so.”
“Will you know her when you find her?”
“I imagine so. She is my destined soulmate, after all.”
“Alexander, you remember what I do for a living, right?”
“Yes.” He hesitated, then remembered what she had said about honestly. “No. I do not.”
“Listen. Me finding you in that alleyway? That was the biggest stroke of luck you've ever had. I can help you find this woman, whoever she is.” She took him gently by the arms, and he stared down at her, not understanding. “Alexander, I'm a dating coach. This is literally what I do. If your girl's out there, I'll find her for you.”
“You can – help me?”
“Absolutely. And the first step is finding you some pants.”
Chapter 14 – Lisa
In times of great stress and upheaval, there was something to be said for finding peace in the practicalities. So she was stranded in the middle of the woods somewhere in the depths of upstate New York with a naked man who, for all intents and purposes, she was choosing to believe was quite literally a shapeshifting dragon, a member of an ancient and noble race who lived in the mountains somewhere, who may well have been many hundreds of years old. That was fine. That was something that could be happening to her. But she was sure as hell going to write an itemized list of the things they needed.
Not that she had anything to write on, of course. Not even a phone to take notes on since her replacement had been smashed – and who knew what was left of her apartment now that they'd left a gang of literal werewolves there? Alexander didn't seem to know what a werewolf was – like him, it seemed that the shifting was voluntary and not linked at all to the phases of the moon – but it was a comforting term, and Lisa needed all the comforting terms she could get her hands on at the moment.
Item one on the list: clothing. Specifically, shoes. She had grown up trampling quite happily barefoot around in her yard and the wilderness that lay beyond it – her father was a big fan of kids getting in touch with nature at an early age – but Alexander obviously hadn’t. His feet were absolutely ruined, and likely to get worse, no matter what he said about his special draconic healing powers. She suggested they just fly back to New York and find a shop that was open – there were plenty of twenty-four hour places that wouldn't ask too many questions – but after one of his characteristic awkward little pauses Alexander admitted that another transformation today would likely be too much.
So she ripped off the legs of her trackpants and, despite Alexander’s loud protests, tied them around his feet. They weren't perfect shoes, but at least they made him stop wincing every time he took a step. After hesitating for a moment, she also tore off the midsection of the hoodie she was wearing, turn
ing it into an odd little midriff top – the air bit at her exposed belly, but at least the maneuver provided her with some fabric to put around Alexander's waist.
Not that she minded the view, of course, a small but treacherous part of her mind commented, but a man needed to preserve at least a little of his dignity.
After a few minutes of walking through the woods, they came to a road – not a big one, but a road nevertheless, and Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. Much easier to walk on pavement than on the forest floor. Plus, a road meant people, and people meant civilization and clothing and maybe a soft place to sleep. She was aware that she had no money – no ID of any kind, either – but that was a problem to be dealt with down the line. For now, they just needed somewhere to camp out until it was light enough to formulate a decent plan.
“What about that place?”
Alexander was staring down what Lisa realized was a driveway after some squinting – it was so ramshackle and run down that she'd hardly distinguished it from the forest. But sure enough, there was a broken mailbox and a little cabin at the end of what clearly had been a driveway, a long time ago.
“It's probably a ruin,” Lisa said, doubtful that they'd find any shelter there – but Alexander had set off down the driveway, looking a little ridiculous in his gray hoodie-cloth short shorts, so she followed him.
It was a tiny little cabin, not much bigger than a pool house, and clearly abandoned. The roof was almost falling in, the porch had collapsed, and there were thick cobwebs obscuring the doorway. But to her surprise, when Alexander tried the door, it opened with a squeal of rust. The place was more or less intact, too – so much so that she worried that they'd just broken into someone's house. But there was a thick layer of dust on every surface and the dull, empty feeling of a house that wasn't lived in. A house that hadn't been lived in for some time. And it was warmer, out of the wind, and Lisa was tired enough to just go with it.