The thick armor of Grier’s skin protected his naked body as he slid down the side of the roof. He again grabbed the knob and swung down into the tower window. His clothes were piled on the floor. Now safely inside, the armored flesh softened into human skin, and he again stood as a man.
The tight pants felt a little constrictive after a shift. His sensitive skin tingled. Grier leaned against the partition wall as he tugged on his boots before rounding the corner to the other side. The wall acted like a windshield for the landing room.
Stacks of plain linen shirts and pants had little by way of style but were cheap to make. They served as replacement clothes for the flyers, and he took a shirt from the top of the pile. Their full dragon bodies expanded beyond the confines of clothing. It was a little hard to fit a giant pair of wings into a tunic shirt, and they’d kept ending up naked in inopportune situations.
His aunt Olena had been the one to suggest the caches around the kingdom. Out of all the elders, she alone never tried to curb their wild ways. It wasn’t a secret in their family that she’d been somewhat of a space pirate in her youth. She used to hide treasures in the forest for them to hunt down.
Grace had set his thoughts toward the past when he needed to think about the present. The tension in Shelter City had already spilled over into the rest of the planet. The little skirmish below was bad, but it was hardly the worst. Some of the residents were trying to migrate, especially those who’d been born since their arrival.
The Federation didn’t like that. In fact, they had forbidden Cysgodians from leaving the city limits.
The Cysgodians’ desire to be part of the Qurilixian culture wasn’t an issue for the shifters. Dragons would always do the honorable thing and these people needed a place to live.
He gripped the shirt in his hands as he took the winding path down the stairs. There was little light to see by, but his shifted eyes didn’t need help to navigate the way down. Even though the fight was broken up, he should go to the city and find out what had started it.
A soft glow caught his attention, and he turned around to see who followed him. No one was there. He looked down the steps—again, nothing unusual. It was then he realized what caused the glow.
The crystal on his wrist had begun to pulsate with a soft light.
Grier held very still, unable to believe what was happening. He took another step down, then stopped, unsure what he should do. How could his mating crystal be glowing if he was alone in the tower?
He was alone, wasn’t he?
Did he really want to find the answer to that question?
“Show yourself,” he ordered.
Silence.
His crystal was only meant to glow if he was close to his mate. It was the belief of his people. When they were born, their fathers dove to the bottom of Crystal Lake and chose a crystal. That stone stayed with them until they married. No one was one hundred percent sure how it worked, but they knew that it did. There was no questioning the will of the gods.
“By order of the prince, show yourself,” he commanded.
His heartbeat quickened. Had the gods heard him tell his cousin he had no wish to marry? Had they taken offense to his rejection of their gifts and this was their answer to his blasphemy?
Grier ran down the stairs. He couldn’t be alone with a glowing crystal. It would mean he was cursed. There was no other explanation.
“Who is there?” Desperation made the dragon’s gruff nature enter his voice.
He rushed out the tower, hearing the weight of the wood door slam shut behind him. The rocky landscape was empty as Grier ran around the base of the tower to see if a woman hid from him. His feet slipped as he came close to the edge of the cliff. Pebbles fell down the side, clanking to punctuate how alone he was.
“Please, someone be there,” he whispered into the wind. “Where are you? Show yourself.”
The glow of his crystal faded. He lifted his arm, pointing the bracelet in every direction to see if the crystal would reactivate. It was over.
In those brief seconds, everything changed.
Grier forgot about the village squabble. How could he think of such things now? He’d received an answer to his offhanded comment to Grace. He would be forever alone.
The gods had cursed him for his arrogance.
Dragon Prince
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Michelle loves to travel and try new things, whether it's a paranormal investigation of an old Vaudeville Theatre or climbing Mayan temples in Belize. She believes life is an adventure fueled by copious amounts of coffee.
Newly relocated to the American South, Michelle is involved in various film and documentary projects with her talented director husband. She is mom to a fantastic artist. And she's managed by a dog and cat who make sure she's meeting her deadlines.
For the most part she can be found wearing pajama pants and working in her office. There may or may not be dancing. It’s all part of the creative process.
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