by Cali Mann
“Wanna fly?” Drew asked.
Definitely! I lowered a wing. Climb aboard.
“I don’t need to . . .”
Of course you don’t need to, I said with a chuckle. But it’ll be fun. I tried to waggle my eyebrows and he winced. I guessed it didn’t look very cute on a dragon.
But with a “Hell yes!” he made up his mind, grabbing the spine of my wing and pulling himself up onto me. He settled his legs astride my neck. “Let’s do this.”
I braced myself. I’ve never actually flown before. I hope I don’t drop him.
Drew leaned forward, whispering in my ear, “You can’t drop me. I can always shift if things get hairy.” Then he patted my neck like I was a filly, and I didn’t mind too much.
I moved toward the edge of the turret. I was scared, but my instincts took over and I backed up, ran for the edge, then leapt while flapping my wings. Miraculously, it worked. We were airborne.
We rose and fell with the air currents like a bobbing ship in the ocean. Fluffy white clouds trailed by us, leaving moisture in the air that felt good against my hot throat. I wanted to squeal in delight, but what came out was more of a bellow and a plume of smoke.
That’s right. I have fire now. Fuck Chuck and his damn flames. I can fight back.
Drew whooped. “Fight fire with fire!”
Right? I said. The air pushed up under my wings, and I viewed the endless tree-covered mountain. It was just as beautiful as I’d imagined it would be up here.
“You have the perfect defense. His flames can’t hurt you in this form.”
I frowned. He can make flames. Does that mean he’s a dragon too?
“Unlikely,” Drew said. “Dragons are very rare.”
Are there any others?
He squeezed me with his knees, trying to reassure me. “The only one I know of is the Oracle’s mate. He’s a black dragon.”
I dove through a cloud, coming out dripping wet on the other side. I wanted to whoop along with Drew, but I wasn’t sure what sound would come out. The sun burned up the clouds as we rose higher. What color am I?
He stroked my scales. “You’re blue, Sasha. A gorgeous deep blue like the sky at twilight.”
I glanced around at the lumpy clouds that made a floor below us. Up here, the sky was blue and clear. I hadn’t seen anything like it since the plane ride to Thornbriar. The sun felt warm against my scales, and I turned my head to Drew, concern racing through me. We’re in the sun. Aren’t you hurting?
“A little, but it’s worth it.”
Dipping one wing, I started circling back toward the school.
“No,” he said. “Let me join you.” And he slid off my back, diving into the air.
My claws curled as the instinct to catch him kicked in, but he spun, and his body reformed into a red hawk that flew alongside me. The sun didn’t hurt him in this form. I smiled and dove and leaped and rolled, trying out my new body and everything it could do. Drew stayed by my side—my friend, my partner, my mate.
4
Drew
Sasha dropped down into a meadow, in the woods, and I landed next to her. I guessed she didn’t want to risk the turret again until she got used to her new body. The thin maples along the clearing trembled as her feet touched the ground, shedding their dry leaves.
I barrel rolled to land, shifting back to my human shape before I touched the grass. The magic that allowed us to shift also brought our clothes along for the ride. I’d asked my dad once when I was little how that could be, and he’d prattled on about pocket dimensions or something. Didn’t make much sense to me, but I’m sure someone in the shifter world has studied it.
Sasha looked around, her wide dragon eyes flashing in the sunlight.
Warmth rose in my chest, pride at my amazing mate. Dragons were almost unheard of among modern shifters and yet, here she was. The size of a small house, she wore her deep blue, almost purple, scales proudly. Her eyes were a sapphire with splashes of silver that glowed in the sunlight.
I wanted to linger in the shade of the trees, as the sun wasn’t exactly comfortable in this form. But it never bothered me when I was a hawk, which seemed so strange to me. Sasha needed me, though, so I strolled out from the trees and moved closer to her head. “It’s okay. When you’re ready, shift back.”
How do I do that?
The worry made her dragon voice boom through my head, and an ache echoed after it. That voice was going to take some getting used to. “Shit,” I muttered, grimacing. “Take a breath,” I said to her.
Sasha roared, flames darting across the field.
As awesome as her fire was, I glanced uneasily at the dry brush surrounding us. Fall in the mountains didn’t see much rain, and the woods were likely to go up fast if they caught a stray spark. I held out my hands like I was trying to tame a horse or something. “Maybe not. No fire out here, Sasha.”
She looked pained.
“Let’s try being calm. Think about your human shape.” I attempted to channel Professor Frank from our Focus class. She had the most soothing voice. “Can you see it in your mind’s eye?”
Sasha closed her eyes and seemed to be focusing. Good. I could certainly see her shape in my mind. The way her waist curved and the gentle roundness of her breasts. I swallowed. Down boy.
“Now,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Let the dragon go.” I watched, hoping it was working.
I can do this, Sasha’s dragon voice boomed in my head, making me flinch.
That was something we were going to have to work on. Her blue scales lightened as the magic flowed over her. Her body contorted and she cried out. In moments, she was human-shaped again. I crossed to her and enfolded her in my arms.
“I did it, Drew,” she said. Her voice was joyous.
I don’t think I’d ever heard her sound like that before. She’d been playful and teasing, but never happy. I loved the sound, but some bit of worry twisted in my gut. It was wrong. I should be happy for her, but my mate was strong now, fiercer than even my vampire form. She didn’t need me to fight her battles for her. She didn’t really need me at all. A knot curled in my stomach. I hadn’t wanted to be used, but I didn’t like the idea of not being needed.
“I can fight him,” Sasha exclaimed, lifting her head from my chest.
“Yes, you can,” I said, twisting a little bit inside.
Sasha took my face in her hands and kissed me. She tasted so good, of air and light and honeysuckle. I squeezed her tightly against me.
“Thank you,” she said, coming up for air.
“For what?”
“For always being there for me, Drew, when I need you most. For helping me transform safely and without damaging”—she bit her lip and shrugged— “well, much.”
I gave a small smile, torn between my pride and my worry. I knew I was being stupid and needy.
Meeting my eyes, she said, “I love you.”
My mouth went dry, and I could barely get the words out. “I love you too.”
She kissed me again, and I almost didn’t care that my head was on fire in the bright sunlight.
“Oh, shit,” she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the shadier woods. “I didn’t mean to—”
“I know,” I said. The trees around us clustered close, making a small dark thicket. I would have sighed in relief, but all I could think about was what she’d just said. “Did you really say you loved me?”
Sasha laughed. “Yes, Drew, I did.”
I curled my hands around those perfect hips and leaned forward, kissing along her neck and shoulders.
She asked, “Is it dark enough in here?”
At my nod, she pushed my jacket off my shoulders, and I undid the buttons on her shirt. Part of me was regretting that we shifted back with all our clothes because now we couldn’t get them off fast enough. She kicked away her boots as I undid the buttons on her jeans and pulled them down her legs. When we were mostly naked, I grabbed her by that perfect waist and she lifted her leg
s, wrapping them around me.
With a grunt, I pushed her back against a smooth tree trunk and licked her breasts. She leaned her head back and moaned when I tugged her peaked nipple. My hands slid down her back and cupped her ass, and I stroked the wetness between her legs.
My cock hardened at the small whimpers of pleasure that escaped her. Looking up, I watched the way her face contorted and her eyelashes lay against her porcelain cheeks. I’d described her as an angel when I’d first seen her, and she looked like one now.
Her lips parted, and she whispered, “Drew.” Her voice was hungry with need. “Bite me.”
My throat dried. Since that first time, she’d come to ask for it, knowing the pleasure the bite gave us both. I lay my lips against her throat, feeling the soft thump of her pulse beneath me. My fangs descended instantly, aching with desire. “Now?”
“Yes,” she murmured, and I bit into the soft flesh of her neck. She cried out, arching against me.
The blood slipped down my throat, meeting my needs and hers at the same time. I groaned at the taste of her, of my mate. The truth of our love bonded us even closer than the mate bond, and my shoulder prickled. Somehow, I knew without looking that the mate tattoo had grown with our shared experience. Would there be a dragon? Or a tiny thicket in the woods?
Grasping her thighs, I spread her legs and pushed inside her, joining us together in both blood and body. She moaned. The completeness of our bond was more wonderful than I’d ever experienced in my life. As we tumbled toward the cliff of orgasm together, my hawk screeched and the sound roared up my throat, bursting out.
5
Lucan
I strolled down the classroom aisle toward my seat. I know I looked casual, but my worry for my pack still simmered under the surface. I eyed each one of them as I passed, checking their health like a goddamn doctor.
As I passed Zan, I clapped him on the shoulder and he winced.
“Sorry, man,” I said, guilt rolling in my gut. Ever since the pack had been attacked, I’d dogged their steps, needing to know they were okay. I hadn’t been able to protect them. I was their alpha and I hadn’t been able to do a damn thing.
I dropped into my seat and glanced blearily at the teacher. Since the incident, I hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning as I fought off dream attackers coming for me and mine. Professor Abbott started his lecture—something about the history of shifters during a world war—and I yawned. He’d only been here since the beginning of this semester, while Professor Roth was on sabbatical, but he was way worse than her. His monotone voice put me to sleep even when I hadn’t had a restless night.
The seat next to me remained empty. Sasha was still in the infirmary, watching over her brother. He’d been in danger just like she said. I was torn over the fact that I should have taken her more seriously, but she led my pack into danger. Of course, her pack, her brother, had been in danger too. My wolf whined and pawed at my insides. He didn’t like being separated from our mate, even if my human side was furious with her. I yawned, stretching.
“Am I boring you, Mr. Masters?” the professor asked, squinting at me. His balding head shone under the classroom lights. Shifters shouldn’t go bald; it never looked right.
I was tempted to tell him the truth—that I had no interest in the subject matter or the way he taught it—but that would only make my uncle get on my case even more. I shrugged. “Sorry, sir, didn’t sleep well.”
“Do try to pay attention.” He went back to the chalkboard and scratched out some notes.
Rubbing my eyes, I tried to focus. Sasha wasn’t my problem. My wolf whined. Except she was. I couldn’t get away from the fact that, whether or not I wanted to, I had bound her to me and the pack. How could I have been so stupid? I was supposed to be proving to Uncle Derrick I could handle a pack so that when I graduated, I’d take the reins of the greater pack. I needed to make good decisions, and I was terrified that Sasha had been a very bad decision for the pack and me. No matter what my wolf said.
6
Sasha
Drew and I ran back through the woods together. He suggested that I might not want to let anyone know about my dragon form yet, and I agreed. The campus was quiet when we stumbled up onto the steps, out of breath even for shifters. I hadn’t realized how far we’d flown before we discovered the clearing where we’d landed. And the thicket. Warmth pooled in my gut.
I headed inside and turned toward the infirmary. Drew held my hand, his skin warmer than usual from the run and the sunshine. I glanced at him worriedly. “Do you need to rest because of the sun?”
“The feeding renewed me.”
I smiled back at him. Somehow, even though he’d fed from me, I didn’t feel lightheaded or as if I’d lost anything. Either he had taken just the right amount, or I was stronger since I shifted.
We slipped down the quiet halls and into the infirmary wing.
“Hi, Mary,” I said to the gray-haired nurse behind the counter, and she barely looked up. I’d been here so often since I arrived at Thornbriar Academy, I knew her better than I did most of my teachers. I headed into the boys’ side and stopped short at the sight of Alex’s bed. Empty.
My heart dropped down to my knees. Had Chuck come for him? Was this the end? I spun back toward the lobby, and Drew frowned. His eyes darted past my shoulder and then he followed me out again. “Mary,” I said, my voice low and hard. “Where’s my brother?”
The nurse blinked at me. “I took him his meds only a little bit ago. He couldn’t have gotten far.”
Of course he could have. Alex was a goddamn vampire. My fingernails bit into the palm of my hand as I squeezed them, fury jolting through me. “Where the fuck is he?”
Drew grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to face him. “We’ll find him, Sasha. This isn’t Mary’s fault.”
I growled, flames licking at my fingertips.
He grabbed my hands in his cooler ones. “Calm down,” he whispered. “You don’t want to set anything on fire.”
I took a breath and nodded. He was right.
“We’ll find him,” Drew said.
As much as I wanted to take off running, Drew was being reasonable. I needed to think rationally about this. “Where would he have taken him?”
“Let’s not think that way,” Drew said. “What if Alex decided to leave on his own? Where would he go?”
I ran through the possibilities mentally: his room, his classes, outside—no, too much sun. Then it hit me. “Molly,” I hissed. “Do you know where they’re keeping her?”
He frowned.
“We can ask the headmaster,” I said, turning toward the door.
Drew glanced over at the nurse. “Nurse Mary, where are they keeping the spirit shifter?”
I stopped.
Her eyes darted to me.
“No,” Drew said, easy, charming. “The other one? Molly?”
The nurse grimaced. “Why do you want to go chasing after her?”
Drew stepped forward, leaning his arm on the counter. “We think Alex might have wanted to go see her. They were friends.”
“But she did this to him!” The nurse looked shocked.
“I don’t know if my brother believes that,” I said, slowly, keeping my voice calm.
Her eyebrows darted up, and she picked up the phone on her desk. “I’ll call the headmaster.”
Drew smiled. “It’d be easier if we could run over and check.”
Nurse Mary frowned, seeming uncertain, but then she relented. “There’s a cell in the basement that they used for the last troublemaker we had.”
“By the pools?” I asked, trying to think if I’d seen a door down there. But there were only caves.
Drew nodded. “I know it.” He took my elbow and steered me out of the infirmary. Mary was already speaking with the headmaster when the door slammed shut behind us. Drew headed toward the stairwell, and we made our way down.
“How do you know where the cell is?” I asked, quietly, even though we were the
only ones in the hall.
“Same way I knew where the secret door was by the headmaster’s office. I like to explore.” He grinned.
The smell of the saltwater drifted over us as we got closer to the caverns. When we reached the bottom floor, Drew turned left going through a door set into the stone wall. I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed it there before. I followed after him, catching the door and closing it gently. The hallway was built from the same stone as up above and had the same lights, but everything felt heavier down here, as if the rock and dirt of the mountain was closing in on us. I swallowed.
Drew slowed as the hallway curved and pressed his fingers to his lips.
I nodded, stepping gently. When we peered around the corner, I saw two guards and a closed-door between them. Alex wasn’t here. Shit. I turned away.
Drew grabbed my hand. “Wait,” he whispered.
I frowned at him. “He’s not here.”
Drew raised his eyebrows. “Let’s see.” Ignoring my concerns, he called out to the guards and pulled me after him down the hall.
“You aren’t supposed to be here,” said one of the guards. His frown didn’t go with his fresh-faced looks. Behind him, the older guard glared at us darkly.
“Does Molly have a visitor?” Drew asked, gesturing to me. “We’re only looking for my girl’s brother.”
The younger guard scowled and spun to the door, unlocking it with his key. “She said he was her brother.”
We hurried forward and peered into the bright room. Florescent lights ran along the ceiling even though the walls seemed to be made of dirt. Molly and Alex sat on the single cot, their hands clasped between them and their gazes on us, full of determination.
I froze, staring at their hands. Fuck, no. My brother couldn’t mate a spirit shifter. He’d be doomed.
My eyes lifted and met Drew’s, and he raised an eyebrow as if he knew what I was thinking. “They’re too young to mate,” he whispered.