Page 43 of To Hunt a Ruby Remedy

“So, we need a collection of scales to offer Gideon and a well-worded contract for him to sign.”

Rosalia nodded. “Even if Rose Castle is closed, there must still be a way to enchant contracts. Or I’ll wait in the nearest town until the castle opens again. It’s still our best option.”

I smiled. “Let’s do this.”

Nineteen

Ranulf

Shedding scales did not come naturally. If Rosalia had known how to transform into a dragon, she would have done it within minutes. She did her best to coach me through how she grew her hair during a shift, but it was difficult for me to do anything but what I had always done.

That was why I could only transform into a dragon. I knew it would work, because it had worked previously. Doing something different caused me to break into a cold sweat, my heart galloping in my chest, as I fought the belief that I’d cause fatal damage rather than transform.

“You must know how to control the length of your hair as part of the shift,” she complained on the second day as we returned to the cottage. “You’ve done it before, because every time I see you, your hair is the same length, and I know you aren’t using scissors to trim it.”

“Rosalia, I’ve been transforming into a dragon at least once a week ever since I was a teenager. I’m not changing my hair; I’m keeping it the same.”

“What if Scarlette told you she’d like to see you with longer hair? What would you do then?”

I raised a brow. “Really?”

“Scarlette!” Rosalia beckoned her over from where she knelt in the garden.

She and Grandmother had hammered out the language of the contract we’d give Gideon in a single day. They were focusing on the household chores while my twin had me shifting until I grew dizzy. Scarlette wiped the dirt from her hands and came over. “What?”

“Don’t you think Ranulf would look good with longer hair?”

She pursed her lips and looked at me with her head angled slightly. “I think you are right. This length is nice, but it would look wonderful longer, too.”

“You want more to run your hands through, huh?” Rosalia nudged Scarlette with her elbow.

She blushed, which was a clear enough answer.

I pivoted.

“Hey, where are you going?” my twin demanded.

“Back to the clearing. Let’s try this.”

She laughed. “Come on, Scarlette. Ranulf needs your help.”

I hurried back to the clearing, listening to my sister explain how I was trying to master growing my hair first, since it was easier to control the transformation back into human form.

I left them at the bend in the path where Rosalia always waited for me, but Scarlette came through the trees a moment later. She waited until I finished stripping, then came up and kissed me, running her fingers through my hair as she did.

“Good luck,” she whispered, her eyes sparkling as she tugged on my hair once before stepping back.

I hurried out to the meadow, more interested in getting Scarlette someplace without my sister than running this experiment. Better to do it quickly.

I pulled the node power into my body and let my dragon form explode outward. I turned one eye on Scarlette at the edge of the clearing. She blew me a kiss.

I thought about her hands in my hair and pulled on the magic once more.

Scarlette’s grin was huge when she saw me. I took a step and felt hair brush over my ass and the backs of my thighs. I grabbed a fistful and stared in horror. My hair went down to my knees.

Scarlette met me in the middle of the clearing, carrying my clothes. Her voice was full of suppressed laughter. “Pull on your trousers before Rosalia gets too impatient.”

I got dressed, fighting my hair every step of the way. “You don’t actually like it this long, do you?”

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