“No you don’t,” Michael said sternly to his reflection. That was just going to win him awards for sanity, arguing with a bit of his brain that wanted to think for itself. That bit had given him all sorts of splendid ideas as he froze himself in the shower. Most of them consisted of parts of his anatomy and ways he could use them on Carissa. Even the frigid water hadn’t done much for his state of arousal.
The shock of white hair had caught his attention in the mirror, but it was the crystal-blue eyes that drew him in. He had always had rich, chocolate-brown eyes. He liked his eyes. How could they have changed? Hell, how had he shifted into a dragon?
That little bit of brain snickered at him. Mine! did it.
“And how do you know that?” he growled at his reflection. Yup, definitely going for a psych eval as soon as he cleared his name.
That reptilian part uncurled a little, and memories flooded his mind. The feel of Carissa’s mouth feeding him water in the dungeon. The heat boiling in him as she pressed him into the wall.
Oh God, she had done something to him. The question was—could it be undone?
Michael grabbed up his towel and twisted it around his waist again. He needed answers. She’d gotten hers, now it was high time Carissa gave him a few.
Storming through the door, Michael looked around the room. Carissa and Tilly were perched on a loveseat in the little sitting area. Dropping himself into one of the overstuffed armchairs next to them, he studied the two women. They had fallen silent when he’d come out. Taking a deep breath, Michael turned his attention to Carissa. God, she looked lovely in that fitted T-shirt and jeans. Mine! He shook the thought away and focused. “I just have one question.” Michael pinned Carissa with his eyes. “How did I turn into a dragon?” Then, a better question hit him. “No, better yet, can you fix whatever you did?” He could tell the answer by the sorrow that crept into her eyes.
“No.” Carissa shook her head. “It can’t be undone.”
The finality of her words made that reptilian part of his brain wiggle about happily. “Great. So I’m stuck with this peanut gallery in my head,” Michael huffed, shaking his head to silence his wayward bit.
“Peanut gallery?” Carissa asked, sounding worried.
“I’ve got this voice,” Michael tapped an area just behind his right ear, “tucked away in the back of my head that keeps giving me running commentary on everything.”
Carissa exchanged worried looks with Tilly.
Great, now they thought he was crazy. Could this day get any better?
Having come to some silent agreement, Carissa turned back to him. “If I had to venture a guess, I would say it was your brain’s way of dealing with the instincts you’ve gained.”
Tilly nodded her agreement with Carissa’s words.
“Either that, or I’ve gone schizophrenic,” Michael snarked.
“Maybe a little.” Carissa chuckled at his jest. “But, I would listen when that voice spoke.”
“If I’d listened to that voice, I wouldn’t have had to run out all of your cold water.” Michael glared at her. “And we wouldn’t be sitting here talking. Moaning, maybe, but definitely not talking.” His blood pooled below his towel just thinking about some of the suggestions his brain had given him.
Color rushed up Carissa’s face as she caught on to his less-than-proper meaning.
“Sorry,” he grumbled, looking away from her. Damn it! He fidgeted in his chair, trying to get his mind away from the feel of her skin against his. He wasn’t some dumb teenager with his first dirty magazine.
“It’s all right.” Carissa sighed. “You’re brooding.”
This shocked Michael into looking at her. “What?” he snapped.
“You’re brooding,” she answered calmly.
“No. No. No. Kids brood. Teenagers brood. Adults do not brood,” Michael denied.
Tilly actually laughed at him, earning her a glare.
“Adults do brood,” Carissa explained. “Usually, males only brood when around females during their fertile periods, but your hormone levels are all over the place.”
“Great.” Michael threw up his hands and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Why don’t you just call the king and have him lock me up now?” It would be safer that way. A dragon wacked out on hormones could be a danger to himself and every female in a hundred miles. He had seen the kinds of damage an out-of-control dragon could cause.
“I don’t see a need for that,” Carissa soothed him. “You’re system is probably just overproducing due to stress. Give it a few days, and it should settle out.”
“I don’t have a few days,” Michael pointed out. “The longer I take to come forwards, the harder it’s going to be to prove my innocence.”
“Then we had best get started.” Carissa changed the subject. “How do you plan on proving your innocence?”
Now this was a topic Michael felt he could handle. He sat up straighter in his chair as he spoke. “Something about the information I’d been collecting didn’t sit well with me, so I mailed out a copy to go over with a friend later. I figured a fresh set of eyes on the problem might solve it easier.” Michael was now glad he had thought of that.
“So, all we have to do is get out of here, find this file, and take it to Daniel.” Carissa nodded as she thought about the plan.
“There is no ‘we’ here,” Michael pointed out. “I need to get the file and take it to Daniel. There’s no reason for you to get more involved.” He finally agreed with that reptilian part of his brain. He was not going to put her in possible danger again.
“Let me remind you of your situation.” Carissa pinned him with a stern look, crossing her arms just under her chest. “You’re a full-grown dragon who doesn’t know the first thing about being a dragon, in the middle of a brooding.”
She might have a point there.
“Think wild mood swings, uncontrollable urges, and top it off with not knowing how to switch between forms.”
Okay, that one hit it on the head.
“You need help.”
Michael stared at her, wanting to deny this fact. He had worked hard to earn his place in Eternity, and it hurt his pride to admit that he needed help—especially from someone with such perfect breasts. Did she have to push them up like that? It made it hard for him to think. “All right,” Michael caved. “You have a valid point.” He had also learned to admit to his limits before they got him killed. “Any ideas?”
Carissa grinned at him. “Maybe.”
Oh, crap. What had he just started?
11
“This isn’t working.”
Carissa pinched the bridge of her nose as Michael sat up from the bed, complaining. He had been trying for ten minutes to shift back to dragon form. “It will.” She sat on the edge of the bed and pressed him to lie back down. “Just close your eyes and relax.” She stroked her fingers over the taut muscles of his chest.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Michael closed his eyes and tried again. “I can’t.” He gritted his teeth a few moments later. “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t do it.”
His muscles had tensed even further under Carissa’s fingers.
“I just don’t understand how you can stand it. It hurts too damn much.”
Aha! There lies the problem.
“Sit up,” Carissa urged as she scooted closer to him, tucking her feet under her.
Michael gave her a considering look before sitting up.
Carissa held out her arms. “Come here.”
Michael stared at her, unmoving.
“Just trust me.”
Letting out the breath he was holding, Michael leaned in so she could pull him into her arms.
Carissa sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. Man, he felt good. “Relax.” She tucked his head in so it rested on her shoulder with his face buried in the side of her neck. Rubbing circles into his back, she tried to soothe his rigid posture. Slowly, he drew in a deep breath and started to relax into her a
rms. Finally!
“Shifting only hurts if you force it.” Carissa rocked slightly as she spoke. She leaned her head over on top of his. “Just relax and let it happen.” She held him for a moment, trying to think of something else she could do to help him understand how to let go. Of course! She nearly laughed as it hit her. “Just ask your peanut gallery.”
Michael tensed for a moment before nodding and relaxing against her again.
Magic tingled against Carissa’s skin as Michael’s form shifted, leaving the little dragon clinging to her shoulder. “See, that wasn’t so bad.” Carissa kissed him on top of the head before lifting him off and setting him on the bed next to her. Maybe now he wouldn’t have so much of an issue shifting again.
Michael chattered at her unintelligently.
Smiling, she petted down his back and turned her attention to where Tilly was waiting. “Thank you. Just get us outside.” Carissa stood to give her friend back her voice, but Tilly waved her away.
She mouthed something that made Carissa smile.
“You’re right. I might need it,” she replied, accepting the use of Tilly’s voice. The magic letting Carissa borrow it wouldn’t last much longer, but it might come in handy.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Carissa shifted without bothering to undress. She wiggled out of her clothing and stretched her wings. Oh, it felt good to be back in this form. Ignoring the basket Tilly placed on the bed, Carissa turned her attention to Michael. She had thought he was cute, but he looked so much better with her dragon vision.
All dragons shimmered, but Michael’s translucent scales cut the light in a way she had never seen before. With human eyes, he looked white. With the enhanced vision of dragons, he sparkled with rainbow hues. Once the world figured out who he was, there was no way he would ever be able to hide among dragons. It didn’t help that he had taken the shape of the golden dragons. None of the other colors had the frill, horns, and tufty tail. Other than the lack of color, he could have been her brother’s twin. She was so going to be in trouble when this got out. Or, maybe, if she found a way to glamor him to gold, he would make a decent body double for the king. Hmm… That’s worth thinking about.
Shaking away future possibilities, Carissa turned her mind to what they had to do now. They needed to get moving. From the way Michael was watching her, she was sure his mind was somewhere else entirely. Time to snap him back to reality. Carissa closed the distance between them and rubbed her shoulder up his side with enough pressure to push him back as she passed.
He staggered sideways before shaking his head and following her to the basket Tilly held.
A quick snap of wings got Carissa to the edge of the basket, and she dropped down into the laundry.
It took Michael a little longer to jump up and in. He circled Carissa before settling down with his tail curled around her protectively.
It was a very dominant move, one Carissa had seen males make with their mates or young. It staked a claim to her that she didn’t feel he had a right to make. Chattering at him, she shoved him away with her front paw, making him unwrap his tail.
Michael chattered back angrily as he righted himself, but he settled with his tail wrapped up his other side.
Carissa looked up as Tilly peeked over the edge of the basket at them. The light in her eyes told Carissa that her friend had some choice comments to make about them. Suddenly, she was glad she had Tilly’s voice. “The roof,” Carissa chattered in dragon.
Tilly nodded her understanding and dropped the wrinkled ball gown on top of them.
Carissa leaned in against Michael’s warmth and closed her eyes to relax. It would take Tilly a little while to sneak them out so they could make their escape. Might as well enjoy the ride.
***
Michael felt a rumble of pleasure issue from his chest as Carissa leaned into his side. That reptilian part of his brain screamed Mine! as he leaned his head over onto hers. It was next to impossible to ignore that voice while he was in this form. He had this near-insatiable urge to wrap his tail back around her, but Carissa had made it clear she didn’t want that. Why, he wasn’t exactly sure.
Protect Mine!, the voice pressed at Michael.
I will, Michael tried to press back. The memory of her missing scale ate at him. He had left her vulnerable. That sat with him about as well as a splinter under a fingernail. His tail thrashed, wanting to make its way back around her. ‘No!’ he told it and chomped down on the ends of his tuft. He mouthed the fringe gently before picking one strand and chewing on it lightly. It was somewhat soothing. A snicker from Carissa drew his attention. Amusement gleamed in her amber eyes.
“Only children suckle on their tails,” she chirped, reaching out to draw the strand from his mouth.
Michael stared at her. He had understood her! He chirped back at her, but it only sounded like high squeaking. He felt her chuckle at him.
“Just relax and let your instincts lead.”
Michael nodded and let the voice he had been fighting tell him what to do. “Mine!” he rumbled unintelligently as his tail wrapped itself back around Carissa again. He shuddered at the strength with which his instincts pulled at him. The tufty end of Carissa’s tail whapped into the side of his head, rocking his brain back into focus.
“I said let them lead, not give in to them,” she growled at him.
“Sorry,” he chirped. This time it sounded like a word to him. He pulled his tail back so it wasn’t pressed into her, but that was as far as he could force himself to back off. Something in him had claimed her, and it was damned hard to control that bit.
“It’s okay,” Carissa rumbled. “You’re still brooding.”
Michael opened his mouth to deny it, but a warning shake from Tilly shut them both up. Michael cocked his head and could hear voices outside the basket.
“Oh, Tilly.”
They both froze at the sound of the king’s voice.
“Have you had a chance to talk with Carissa?”
Michael tightened his tail around Carissa as he felt her tense. They waited with baited breath as Tilly made some kind of nonverbal response.
“I see,” Kyle’s voice sounded again. “Please keep an eye on her. I’m afraid this whole kidnapping and betrayal business has upset her more than she’s letting on. I’ve never seen her run off like that before. I promise you this Michael Duncan will spend a long time paying for what he’s done to her.”
Sharp teeth came down on Michael’s tail, startling him out of the angry growl that had started in his chest. He turned shocked eyes to where Carissa was spitting out his tufts. Her eyes held a warning to be quiet. They both turned their attention back as the king finished talking.
“All right, but please let me know if there is anything I can do. I’m worried about her.”
Tilly made some response that made Kyle laugh.
“Thank you. I know she will.”
With that comment, the basket started swaying as Tilly started on her way again. Close call.
Michael sighed to himself as they both relaxed in silence.
A few more minutes of swaying and empty halls saw Tilly setting the basket down and drawing out the dress.
Michael blinked in the bright light of the afternoon sun.
“Come on,” Carissa chirped and jumped out of the basket.
Michael followed her over the side and onto the ledge surrounding the top of the building. Michael was familiar with this building—it was the king’s main residence when he was in the city. It was only a few blocks down from Eternity’s main offices and a few miles from his own townhouse. He looked over the edge of the ten-story building to the streets below. Wow, that was a long way down.
“How are we getting down?” Michael asked as he paced along the edge. There had to be a fire escape somewhere around here that would lead them to the ground. The rustle of wings drew Michael’s attention back as Carissa threw herself off the building and caught the updraft.
“Oh no!” Michael backed up fr
om the edge. He may have wings, but he did not know the first thing about flying. And jumping off a ten-story building was not his idea of a test flight.
“Come on,” Carissa called as she circled around him. “Just spread you wings. It’s easy.” She flapped a few times, showing him how.
Michael jumped down and ran away from the edge. “Maybe for you.”
“Wimp!” she cried.
“Better a wimp than a splat on the ground,” he growled and raced away from her.
Laughing, she dive-bombed him.
He turned away from her attack. What was that crazy woman trying to do?
She buzzed him a few more times. Her last dive landed her square on his back.
He screamed out as her claws nabbed onto his wings and she hurled him into the air… right over the side of the building.
Flipping several times in the air, his wings finally popped open about halfway down as his instincts kicked in. Michael beat them for all he was worth and was delighted when his flight leveled out.
Carissa wheeled in next to him, laughing.
“What the hell!” he growled at her.
Carissa laughed again. “Dragons are born with the instincts to fly,” she cooed, wheeling around him.
“I wasn’t born a dragon,” Michael snapped.
“Maybe not, but you still have instincts,” she pointed out before closing her wings and dropping out of the sky.
Michael’s heart dropped just as fast, and he closed his wings to chase her. He couldn’t let her hit the ground!
Carissa’s wings snapped open just feet from the concrete.
Michael followed suit and glided up behind her. As his fear subsided, joy slowly took over. Beating his wings, he overtook Carissa. He pulled a few fast corners and loops, testing out his new ability. This was fun!
“So, where are we going?” she asked as she pulled up even with him.
His mind came back from the joys of flight to what they had to do. “My place.” Michael turned and angled towards his home.