by Juniper Hart
“This isn’t helping at all, Nyle,” Daisy sounded into the pillow, making her voice muffled. He was trying to distract her from the pain with playful conversation. While it was sweet, it really wasn’t making her feel better.
He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, love. I don’t know what else to do.”
Daisy needed to stop crying, knowing that no matter what they did, the excruciating pain wasn’t going to go away. She was going to have to wait it out.
“I don’t want Samson to have to go through this,” she sobbed. Samson was still one-fourth human, so he was going to have to go through the same process.
“I don’t want him to either, but thankfully that isn’t for years and years. Since he’s less human than you, maybe it’ll take less time and be less painful,” Nyle hypothesized. He rubbed the back of her head. “I would give anything to be able to bear the pain for the both of you. I’m so lucky to have such a courageous wife.”
“If your wife were anyone else, she wouldn’t have to go through this.”
“Yet the universe picked you for my soulmate,” he said. “Believe me when I say Royal women couldn’t go through this. They are all spoiled and soft. They would have been on the roof trying to leap to their deaths just for it to end.”
“That sounds very tempting,” Daisy mumbled.
“You’re strong enough not to have to resort to that,” Nyle encouraged her.
After another twelve hours of screaming, crying, and begging for relief, Daisy finally blacked out. She was asleep for another ten hours before Nyle gently carried her from the bed to the tub where he had drawn her a hot bath. She was drenched in sweat. He hoped giving her a bath would bring her some relief, or at the very least, make her more comfortable. Lowering her into the water, Nyle made sure that her head was propped up by a small cushion on the side of the tub. Her eyes stayed closed and her body completely still as he started to wash her off.
He noticed as he lifted her arm to scrub it, that there were faint silvery-blue markings on her skin. They were almost invisible to the naked eye, only noticeable when looking up close. They were subtle and strangely beautiful. Nyle was unable to look away as he studied them. He could recall hating the Elemental markings, thinking they were so archaic and gaudy compared to the fine, elegant swirls Royals had. Hers weren’t as thick as they normally were, just barely thicker than a vein. Oddly enough, they suited Daisy. He wondered if they would get any darker or if they would stay faint.
Nyle carefully cradled her head as he washed her hair, loving the smell of her shampoo. Memories of late nights spent cuddling and talking always came to mind every time he caught a whiff of it. Her hair grew very long during her pregnancy. At one point, it had grown past her buttocks, but she cut it off as it was too much to handle. Her tresses now fell to her lower back.
As he rinsed her hair, Daisy’s eyes opened.
Nyle smiled down at her softly. “Hey. Sorry, I thought you could use a bath. I figured while you were passed out would be the best time for it, so that you aren’t wiggling all around.”
Daisy appeared a little disoriented at first, gazing all around her as though she didn’t recognize the location. Then, a slow and brilliant smile stretched across her face.
“I don’t feel anything.”
“What do you mean? You aren’t in pain anymore?” Nyle asked, his own face brightening up.
She shook her head no. Nyle helped her from the tub and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I told you that you could do it. Now all that’s left to do is try it out.”
Thankfully, it was the dead of night, and Cassie was likely asleep. With her body still wet from the bath, they quietly made their way downstairs and out the back door. It was a clear night, the stars and moon shining brightly in the sky. If she truly had finished her transformation, it would be a great first flight for her. They walked down into the grass.
“What do I do exactly?” she asked, looking down at her own body as she tried to figure out how to shift.
“Everyone is a little different. My father and my sisters all picture something that makes them very, very angry to shift, since your dragon form is channeled a lot by rage.”
“What do you do?” she questioned.
“I don’t like my anger to control me. I noticed when I did that, I tended to act rashly, rather than strategically. Instead, I meditate. I get attuned to my own body, and then think about shifting. I imagine the bones shifting, the muscles reorganizing, the skin changing to scales. It doesn’t work for everyone, but I think it’s worth a shot,” he explained calmly.
“Will it hurt?” she asked.
“Hurt isn’t the right word. It’s slightly uncomfortable at first. You’ll get used to it in time, and be able to shift faster and faster until you don’t even notice it,” Nyle assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before stepping back a few steps to give her space. “Close your eyes, and breathe in and out. Don’t think about anything but shifting.”
Daisy nodded and closed her eyes. He could see her chest rise and fall every time she took a deep breath. Daisy tried to meditate, taking several minutes to clear her mind of any unnecessary thoughts. Then, her back started to grow. Her bones transformed and took their position in the dragon skeleton. Her bone structure changed in her face, her cheeks raising and her jaw dropping. Her skin transformed into a bluish-silver color, matching her eyes almost exactly. Nyle’s eyes were perfect circles as he watched, consumed by a strange sense of awe. She was beautiful. Her wings came out of her back as she completed her transition, spreading out to the length of her wingspan.
She was a petite dragon, standing nearly six inches shorter than a typical grown female dragon. It made sense though, considering she was much shorter than most females in human form as well. He thought she was adorable. She looked so small and quaint, as though she couldn’t hurt a fly—but the strength that would now reside within her would be the same as any other female dragon, which made her cute and deadly.
Nyle stripped himself of his clothes quickly and transformed. With amusement and happiness gleaming in his honey eyes, he circled her in a mock-predatorial manner. Daisy’s eyes followed him around, but she never moved from her spot. He then leaped to tackle her, rolling into the grass while playfully nipping her neck. She let out a throaty groan and managed to toss him off her. He smirked mentally and launched into the air. Nyle hovered just ahead while he waited for her.
She looked confused for a moment, before jumping straight up and spreading her wings. Daisy took to the air with a surprising amount of ease. Nyle could remember learning to fly when he was younger and struggling a bit at first, but Daisy appeared to be a natural. Once she was up to his side, Nyle flew towards the woods, soaring through the night air at a leisurely pace. They stayed within the confines of the wooded area in order not to draw attention. No humans were around to see the two mystical beasts fly above the tree tops.
Glancing over to Daisy, Nyle felt something bittersweet. He loved that she could fly on her own, knowing it would be the safest thing for her and their son. Yet, Nyle found himself missing her riding on his back. He always adored the way she hugged him so tightly and hear her giggle to herself when he would dive suddenly and then fly level again. Nyle was sure she liked flying on her own much more, though. It was so freeing.
After a while, Nyle noticed the moon reflecting off a body of water, a little creek hidden in the woods. He dove down, passing the trees, and landing softly on the ground. Nyle rapidly morphed back into his human form and looked to the sky as Daisy maneuvered her landing. Her feet stumbled a bit as she reached the ground, but she managed not to fall over. Her body easily compressed into her human form as she walked towards Nyle. Once she was completely human again, Daisy took off in a sprint and flung herself right at him. He caught her, her legs wrapping around his hips. Nyle squeezed her tightly, tighter than he ever had before. Before Daisy made the transformation, it would have surely broken something.
&nbs
p; She hugged him back and gave him a big, passionate kiss. He loved her so much. He couldn’t believe that it was all real, that she was finally a dragon and could live with him for centuries to come. No longer would the thought of her growing gray and old haunt him at night. Everything was perfect, at least at that moment. “I love you, Daisy Doll,” he breathed to her, still holding her in his arms.
“I love you too,” she replied, a dazzling smile on her lips.
“How about we head back to Samson now?” Nyle asked.
Daisy grinned, “There’s nothing else I would rather do.”
Once she stood on her own two feet, the two of them morphed into dragons and took to the sky. Nyle had never been more certain that everything was going to be perfect. Any trouble they could ever face, they would do it as a team and take it head on. Daisy was his queen, Samson was his prince, and as a family, they would bring the future of the dragon kingdoms.
THE END
Bonus Books: Shifters and Billionaires
Part I
Alpha’s Girl
By Lucy Penn
1
Mia Summers stepped out of her English Composition class feeling rather drained. It was a general education class that all college seniors were required to take regardless of their major, but she really felt like it was a way to pad the tuition costs. In her future career as a veterinarian, she did not see herself writing a lot of essays. Unless she did some research and published in a journal of some sort, though that was doubtful. She just wanted to help sick animals; she didn’t see herself curing cancer.
The common area was full of students this time of day. Most of them were rushing to a class because they were late. Very few of them were actually done for the day, including Mia.
Mia had never exactly been a morning person, but all her classes this semester were crammed back-to-back, starting at 8:00 a.m. Luckily, most of them were in the same main Sciences building, with the exception of English Composition, which required her to run the length of a football field in fifteen minutes.
At least I’m getting my exercise, she thought.
Mia glanced at her watch and sighed. It was almost noon, which meant she had just enough time to grab a quick sandwich or a slice of pizza and head to work to start her shift at twelve-thirty. Oh, the fun never ended.
She finally got to work, finishing off her slice of pizza as she walked through the door. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she glanced up at the clock on the wall. She was five minutes early. That was cutting things a bit closer than usual. It wasn’t like she would have been in trouble or anything if she had been a few minutes late—it had happened before, and it most likely would again.
Her boss, Dr. Vogel, was fantastic. Mia had known her since she was seven years old, when her family had to bring her cat Mikey in to be checked out after he was attacked by a raccoon. It was probably then, watching Dr. Vogel care for Mikey, that Mia had first realized that she wanted a career that helped animals.
During her high school years, she’d worked as a weekend receptionist for the vet. Eventually, she’d been promoted to a vet tech, which gave her some practical on-the-job training while she was in college. However, she still did some receptionist work and bookkeeping when Dr. Vogel needed extra help.
“Nice timing,” Marcy Robbins said as Mia walked into the back office. She crammed her backpack into her little locker and shot Marcy a questioning look.
Marcy had worked for Dr. Vogel for almost ten years. She was in her thirties, very attractive and sweet, but too sarcastic for her own good. She had self-confidence that seemed to attract a lot of men, but they never stuck around very long. Probably because they wanted something that Marcy wasn’t giving up easily.
Mia hated to say it, but sometimes she really did think that men were dogs. Any guy worth a grain of salt would have stuck to Marcy like glue. She would make the right guy very happy.
Of course, Mia really wasn’t one to judge or give advice in regards to love. She had gone out with a lot of men, but she’d only ever had two serious boyfriends, and the last one had turned out to be a psycho who would not stop harassing her.
Just when she thought she was free from his grasp, Aaron Bishop would show up out of nowhere and poke into her life once again. Mia had gone to the cops several times, but Aaron hadn’t broken any laws. He’d never threatened her, he’d never damaged her property, and he’d never trespassed. He was just a nuisance. Apparently being a first-class jerk, and a total pain in the ass, wasn’t against the law.
Mia often wondered if or when Aaron would stop being a nuisance and become a legitimate threat. She tried not to think about it, but the way he acted sometimes really scared her.
It was like he wasn’t in control of himself at times, like he was about to go over the edge at any given moment. He’d be screaming one minute, then beg for her to get back together with him the next.
Mia went into the bathroom and quickly changed into her scrubs. Stepping out in full uniform, she automatically felt better. It was like a switch flipped in her head to get her into work mode. She loved being in work mode. It made her feel important, it helped her see the value in her college studies, and it gave her a glimpse of what her day-to-day life as a vet would be like someday.
She’d been very lucky to have secured employment in her chosen field at such a young age. As much information as they crammed into her head in school, it was no match for the education she received at her job.
Mia sat down at her desk and checked her messages, emails, and looked at the charts of what was on the schedule for the day. The charts were mostly her territory, since they involved scheduled boosters and meds, along with the occasional blood sample and stool sample. It wasn’t all glamorous, but it was definitely worth it.
“I swear to God, if Mrs. Harper brings that dog in here again today for no reason, I’m going to let her have it,” Marcy said, sitting down beside her and opening a small bag of chips.
Mia groaned. She knew exactly what Marcy was talking about.
“She came in again yesterday? How many times is that this week?” Mia asked.
“It’s been eight straight days. She calls in and swears that her dog can’t breathe and needs some emergency care. She won’t listen to reason, and Vogel always gives in to her and makes us squeeze out a slot on the schedule.”
Mia laughed. No profession that dealt with customers was ever without some crazies. But the high-maintenance clients did make for great entertainment sometimes. Of course, it wouldn’t be funny if the animal in question was actually sick, but Mrs. Harper’s dog was in perfect health.
“The dog is a pug. All of them make weird noises when they breathe—especially if they are excited,” Mia said.
Marcy sighed. “Don’t think I haven’t tried to explain that to her a zillion times already. You’re lucky that you usually aren’t here to deal with her.”
Mia laughed.
The rest of the day moved along at a routine pace. Mia went about her duties, getting patients cleared off the charts and assisting Dr. Vogel when needed. There were even a few slow periods where she was able to get some of her reading done for her classes.
She was eyeing the clock as they approached closing time when a customer walked into the office. At first Mia barely registered the guy who was striding up to the counter holding a small dachshund in his arms. She had been busy doing some inventory on office supplies, which was usually Marcy’s job, but Marcy had been out sick earlier that week and fallen behind. Mia wanted to help her get caught up.
“Holy…”
Mia heard Marcy muttering under her breath, followed by a few strange muffled hoots that she’d never heard from her before. She couldn’t blame her for the reaction though; the guy who was now standing in front of them could have been Brad Pitt’s much younger and better-looking brother.
“Hi,” the man said. His voice was low and thick, but with a pleasant and friendly tone. The way he delivered the greeting with a boyish smile
and the flicker in his bright blue eyes was enchanting. Mia allowed her eyes to scan over every crevice and nuance of his flawless face and his wavy black hair, blocking out the rest of the world.
She wasn’t aware that she was staring and in a total daze until the man cleared his throat and smiled wider.
“Oh, hi,” Mia said nervously. She was suddenly aware of every single one of her movements, and her brain made insipid micro-adjustments in the hopes that any gesture she made would not appear silly or unnecessary. She had to get it together.
“My name is Jack Forney,” said the man. “I have an appointment to get Buster here his booster shots.”
Mia cleared her throat and tried to focus on the task at hand.
“Okay, let me see,” she said, pulling up the dog’s charts in the computer. Buster was scheduled for his parvo and distemper boosters. “There you are. I can take you right back and get this done for you.”
“All right,” Jack said.
Mia’s legs felt unsteady as she stood up and led Jack down the hallway towards the exam room. Looking back at Marcy, she could her laughing and winking at Mia.
She’s so bad, Mia thought.
She excused herself briefly while she went into the lab to grab a syringe and put together the right vaccines.
Jack lifted Buster up on the table, and Mia petted the dog to create a bit of rapport. He wasn’t going to be too happy with her in a minute. She wanted to tell him that she hated shots, too.
“So, has Buster had any issues with his first round of vaccines? Have you noticed him being lethargic or acting out of character at all?” Mia asked.
She was trying to stay on task, but every time she looked at Jack, her mind became a bit fuzzy. God, this guy was so freaking good looking. He had to be a model or something. Mia had to consciously force herself not to stare at him in an obvious fashion. It may have been one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
