by Amelia Jade
Asher swallowed hard as he looked over at Rhynne. She had seen something in him, enough to recommend him for admittance to Top Scale. After having seen her prowess as a dragon, he decided he would do whatever it took not to earn her ire.
“Today’s first exercise. You all shift like a bunch of children. It’s time we taught you how to fix that.”
He smiled. That sounded good to him. Ever since his dragon had manifested at the tender age of fourteen, Asher had had to fight with it to get it to manifest. To bring it forth to the point he could control its body. His parents had provided him with the rudimentary knowledge they possessed, but that hadn’t gotten him very far at all. The idea of shifters bonding with their animals and becoming fearsome predators immediately was pure fantasy nonsense, better suited for books and movies—of which the humans had made plenty.
In truth, most shifters learned the basics of their animals, and then went about their daily lives. They got jobs and settled down with a mate, much like humans did. For dragons, this meant that most of them could barely fly, and he suspected many of the older ones could not. They became giant land-bound wyrms of immense strength, but no grace or skill. There was simply no time to practice, and the secrets of their kind were hidden to keep it that way.
Too many dragons with the knowledge Asher was going to gain would pose trouble to the world as a whole. No one was prevented from learning if they happened to do so on their own. But the knowledge of how to fly like a predator, to use the full extent of their breath weapon, and shifting with grace and speed, was all kept to an exclusive list. A list he now had the chance to join.
Asher vowed he would not end up like the others. He wanted to be able to glide through the air with the ease with which Blaine and the others did. To fire off his Frostfire like Rhynne did her Dragonfire.
He shook himself mentally and returned to the present.
Rhynne was speaking now. “The first thing to know about shifting is that you don’t summon the dragon. You release it…”
A smile crept across Asher’s face. He was going to like it here.
Chapter Four
Quinn
The sunlight streaming into the room through the crack in the blinds finally crept its way up over the mattress and then across her face as the sun rose higher into the sky. Quinn tried to turn over and fall back asleep, but it was too late. She was awake now.
She kicked out muzzily, throwing the thick down comforter back so that her skin could breathe.
“Whassat?” she blearily asked aloud, trying to figure out why she had had a comforter on her in the first place.
Where was her sleeping bag?
Asher hung up it to dry.
“That was nice of him,” she said aloud, using fists to wipe sleep from her eyes.
He was quite nice for a shifter, wasn’t he?
Quinn bolted upright, fully awake now as the memories of the previous night came crashing over her with a sudden flurry, reminding her of what had happened.
“Oh shit. Oh shit. Shit. Not good,” she said, untangling herself from the bed and looking around frantically.
She was in a room. Alone. That was a good start. The walls and floor were all thick timber that had been sanded and lacquered until it practically shone as the sun reflected off it. It was a bright wood, kept that way instead of the common practice of staining it darker. Quinn liked it; it made the room feel light and airy.
Like a nest high in the sky, perhaps?
There was a double wardrobe to her left, and desk along the right hand wall. She walked past the foot of the bed toward the far wall. There were two doors. The one in the center led to a beautiful ensuite washroom she saw after a quick peek. The one to the right, closer to the corner, was the exit, leading to a set of stairs back to the first floor.
There were clothes folded carefully on a table next to the door. There was no note, but they were far too small for Asher.
Where had he gotten these from, I wonder?
Still, Quinn didn’t have much of a choice. She wasn’t currently wearing anything, and she didn’t know where her clothes were from the night before. Until then, she had to wear the outfit.
The clothes were still several sizes too big, but it worked for now.
“Asher?” she called softly down the stairs.
There was only silence.
“Hello?” she said again, a little louder as she moved to the landing halfway between floors, where the stairs rotated ninety degrees. She looked around, but there was no sign of anyone.
“Great. Stranded in the middle of shifter territory,” she said, surveying the ground floor.
The bedroom above only occupied a quarter of the space of the downstairs. This meant that three quarters of it was open-concept, with the roof being the only ceiling, except for the square that housed the bedroom, almost like a loft. It was gorgeous, and she loved the way the wood brought it all to life with its vibrancy.
Her stomach grumbled. Orienting on the kitchen she eyed the fridge, closing in for the kill, hoping that there was something delicious tucked away.
Something on the island countertop caught her eye. Pausing her stalking of the food, knowing it couldn’t run away, she looked at the piece of paper. It was a note.
Quinn,
I apologize for not being here when you awake, but I have other duties that require my presence for the day. I will return later this evening, though I, unfortunately, cannot give you any more of an accurate timeframe than that.
The fridge is stocked. Help yourself. The TV should even bring in a few channels, though I’m not sure if you want to subject yourself to the dull programming.
I must insist that while you have free rein of the house, that you stay inside the house, and do not go outside. Keep the blinds closed, and do not answer the door. As you are undoubtedly aware, you are not safe here. When I return, we shall figure out what to do next, so that you may continue your search.
Yours,
Asher.
She frowned at the last line, unsure of what to make of it. Was that just the shifter’s politeness, or was he trying to present himself as overly gentlemanly?
Quinn made a sarcastic noise. He had more than demonstrated his gentlemanly side the night before, when he had not killed her outright. Then he had offered her sanctuary. Thirdly, he had actually carried her all the way back to his house. Although the night was a blur, she had a hunch that if it wasn’t for the heat that had seeped into her body during the journey, she would have ended up sick, or worse. She owed him her life.
Setting the note back on the table, she opened the fridge.
“Oh my.”
He wasn’t kidding; the fridge was stocked. It took her a moment to decide just what she wanted, but after she did, some yogurt, fresh fruit, and a glass of orange juice made their way onto a plate she found in one of the cupboards after a brief search.
She ate slowly, knowing it had been a long time since she’d had food, and didn’t want to upset her stomach. As she munched on the fruit, her eyes kept flicking over to the curtain-covered windows near the front door.
What was out there, she wondered. Were there all sorts of shifters going by on the streets? Could she perhaps get her picture from here, without having to risk anything more?
No. Asher had said to stay inside, and to stay out of sight. What would someone think if they saw her through his window? Nothing she had seen indicated he was married or otherwise had a female in his life. Someone would get suspicious, and that could lead to far worse problems than sitting alone in a house for the day. It would be boring, but she knew she would survive it.
One little look couldn’t hurt, though. I’ll just open it a crack and see what’s out there. Who’s going to spot that?
The two parts of her mind went back and forth, warring with each other, until Quinn couldn’t stand it any longer. Without thinking about it a second time, she got up and moved over to one of the windows. Taking a deep breath, she gently grabbed
one of the light gray curtains and tugged it back just enough for one of her eyes to see outside.
She could see about ten feet of lawn, and then several massive pine trees blocked her view of anything more.
“You sure can pick ‘em,” she muttered, letting it close and moving to the other side of the house.
This time she got a full view of the backyard. Including, unless her eyes were deceiving her, a staircase that led to the roof.
Why would he have a ladder to the roof? There was no balcony upstairs, and this is on a different side of the house.
Looking up, she noticed that the walls angled in slightly after the first floor, but that most of the roof was, in fact, flat from the inside.
“How odd.”
Determined now, she opened the curtain more, looking outside.
The yard was empty, unfenced, and besides a circle of stone perhaps a hundred feet in diameter, unoccupied. There was nothing but hills and wilderness beyond.
Cursing her sense of curiosity, Quinn grabbed her pack and moved to the back door and into the yard, well aware of how ridiculous she looked in her outfit. The plaid did not suit her, she was positive of that fact, but it would have to do for now.
After another glance ensured she was in fact alone, she made a beeline for the ladder. True to her thought, it went all the way to the roof. With a silent prayer to anyone listening, she ascended it, slowing to almost a halt as she reached the top.
The roof was inlaid with a thin layer of stone in a circular pattern like the yard below.
“What the hell?” Frowning in confusion, Quinn reached out and, after a brief hesitation, touched the stone.
Nothing happened. Shrugging, she crawled out onto the roof, staying low. There was a lip that ran around the three sides, though it was absent on the side with the ladder. What was this place? It looked like a bloody landing pad. Did he own a helicopter?
Then it hit Quinn.
“Holy shit, it is a landing pad. He’s a flying shifter. A gryphon or Pegasus maybe.”
That still didn’t explain the two different landing pads, but she was unlikely to figure that one out without asking him. Which if she did, would reveal she had been outside the house. Okay, keep quiet on that one for now.
Sliding closer to the front of the house, she got her first glimpse of the surrounding land.
There wasn’t much. Quinn frowned. They were in the middle of the country!
A closer look told her that wasn’t exactly true. She could see other houses, but there was all kinds of empty land between them. She wasn’t going to get her picture here, that was for sure.
There was a town in Cadia, she knew that. But they were clearly not close to it. Her eyes couldn’t pick out a cluster of buildings anywhere on the horizon.
She did, however, see something else. Far to the left of the house—north, she thought, judging by the sun’s position—there was something in the air. Watching it closely, she brought out her camera and focused on it, using the lens to allow her to see farther than her human eyes could make out.
“No way.” The two words did not do justice to what she was seeing.
A dragon the color of blood flew through the air, massive wings powering it forward at an incredible pace. Quinn was forced to keep zooming out to keep it in sight.
It was growing larger, and she began to make out details.
It was growing larger.
Cursing as she suddenly clued in to what that meant, she stuffed her camera back in the waterproof sack and scrambled off the roof and back inside. The door couldn’t lock nearly fast enough behind her, and she ran up the stairs, shutting the door into the bedroom as well, ready to throw herself under the bed if something entered the house.
She held her breath, ears listening intently for any sound that would indicate the dragon was landing. It was unlikely it would just tear someone else’s house down, but she wasn’t willing to bet on it. A beam creaked and she almost lost control of herself as terror filled her every bone. The bag was clutched close to her chest protectively. Quinn knew that even if she didn’t get the shot she had come for, the picture of a dragon like the one she had seen would give her a big chance to win as well.
Even as she thought it over, it became more evident to her that that might be the picture she ended up using, if one of them was any good. There were very few pictures of dragon shifters, and most of them were blurry. They were notoriously reclusive creatures in their animal form, and refused to allow themselves to be photographed.
Quinn was shaking as she realized the incredibleness of what she had witnessed.
This trip was proving to be more profitable than she had ever imagined!
***
The rear door clicked as a key was inserted.
Quinn rolled off the couch in the dark and grabbed the knife from nearby, moving as stealthily as possible to her chosen spot behind the door.
A second later the door opened and someone strode inside.
She shrieked and swung the knife at the intruder.
A hand shot out, grabbing her fist and holding it still, the grip like that of a steel vise. Then it twisted and brought her around so that her back ended up pressed against the intruder with the knife still in her own hand, but now resting against her throat.
“Quinn?” the voice asked in surprise, reaching out to flick on the lights.
“Asher?” She relaxed, sagging with relief now that he was back.
“What the hell was the knife for?” he asked, his second hand coming up to take the weapon away from her.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long, stressful day of hoping that nobody realized I was here, and I guess I just created some demons in my head.”
He released his grip on her, though she lingered an extra moment before pulling away, enjoying the burst of heat that had spread across her back as she was enveloped in his grip. She turned to look at him, and her jaw dropped open.
“You look like I feel I did yesterday,” she said. Her heart still hammered at her ribcage from the start he had given her, thinking someone had finally come back around to look for her from earlier.
He managed a grin that sent the hammering into overdrive. Despite his clear exhaustion, he still genuinely looked happy at her comment.
“You have no idea,” he told her with a wink that set adrift a thousand butterflies in her stomach.
Even as bedraggled as he was, she still had to admit he was more than good-looking.
“Thanks,” she replied with a shake of her head. “By the way, what happened to my clothes? I appreciate the outfit, but I really don’t think it’s my color,” she joked with a wave at her clothing.
Asher laughed and opened a set of doors to reveal a laundry machine and dryer. He grabbed her clothing and handed it to her. “Here you are. Sorry, I realized halfway through the day I forgot to put that in the note.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like any of my visitors commented on it.”
He gave her a quick glance, until he determined she was joking.
“Where were you anyway?” she added.
He didn’t say anything for a long while. Then he gestured to the couch. Quinn got the feeling that he was going to confide something with her that he might not normally. She felt a surge of…something, rise in her at that knowledge.
“Why are you being so kind to me?” she asked suddenly, before he could begin.
Asher looked at her strangely, then shrugged. “You have guts. You decided to take things into your own hands when governments and others wouldn’t help you. That takes bravery, and a good bit of stupidity as well. But you didn’t half-ass it. I saw the effort you went to, to get in here undetected. It was one of the better attempts we’ve seen over the years. You had no weapons on you either, so you weren’t here to harm. Other than the fact that you’re a normal and I’m a dragon shifter, there really isn’t that much different between us.” His expression hardened. “Besides, I know what I would do if my m
other went missing.” Then he smiled. “I’d thank my graces for an hour that I don’t have to listen to her nag, and then I’d go after her, just like you.”
Quinn sat back into her seat on the couch, intrigued by the look into his mind. The amount of information he’d gathered about her from one night was astounding. As was his insight and ability to read it. Perhaps there was more to him than just the muscles and dreamy eyes.
Which she was currently staring into.
“Quinn?” Asher raised his eyebrows as he called her name.
“Sorry, yeah,” she said with a shake of her head. “Well, thank you for that. It’s nice to know you aren’t secretly harboring any plans to rip me limb from limb.”
Asher looked startled by her words, but he didn’t say anything in response.
“So, where I was at today is also going to cause a problem.”
He looked more stern than she had seen before, which told Quinn she should pay attention to what he was about to say. It was important.
“How to start,” he murmured aloud, half to himself. His eyes unfocused as he stared into space, trying to form his words while she waited patiently.
“Think of it this way,” he said at last. “Take a dog. Lives their entire life on four legs, right?”
She nodded.
“Now, what if, three years into its lifespan, you tried to instead teach it to walk around on two, like you. How would you imagine that would go?”
“It wouldn’t,” she replied, wondering if it was a trick question. “Not without intense amounts of practice and training, at least.”
“Exactly!” he pointed vigorously at her. “Which most dogs don’t receive. Now, imagine you took a dog, made him walk on two legs and gave him a set of wings. How do you think that would go over?”
“Terribly.” Her cheek twitched. “Can you imagine how messy it would get when they tried to pee all over the fire hydrants while flying?”
Asher stared at her for a moment, and then his thoughtful expression fell apart as he dissolved into uproariously loud laughter, holding his stomach as he doubled over, his face turning red.
