Page 3 of The Sapphire Dragon's Missing Mate

I landed in front of my dads’ home and shifted back, looking around for my clothes. It didn’t take long to remember that my shift had been unplanned, and therefore my jeans and T-shirt lay in shreds on the ground. Nudity was not a big deal among shifters, but never having shifted before, and not liking to swim—skinny-dipping was the rule—I’d pretty well been dressed all the time in public. And at this moment, I felt incredibly vulnerable with nearly every otter standing outside, staring at me, and muttering to one another.

My friends, my adopted bevy…gaping as if they’d never seen me before.

“Come in and eat breakfast, son,” Pops said. “Your dad has some shorts and a shirt for you.” The fact that my fathers were not behaving as the rest did brought tears to my eyes. He wiped them away with the back of his hand. “They don’t mean any harm; they’re just surprised.”

I followed him into the kitchen where Dad handed me the clothes and, as soon as I was dressed, we all sat down at the table. “I feel like I should be too upset to eat, but I’m starving.” As evidenced by the fact that I spoke around a mouthful of pancakes.

“I don’t know a lot about how dragon metabolism works, but the otter younglings always up their calories once they shift for the first time,” Dad said, piling more pancakes dotted with his wild-harvested blueberries on my plate. “Didn’t you know?”

“Nobody talks to me about things like that. I think they maybe didn’t want to hurt my feelings when I couldn’t do it myself.” Everyone had always been so good to me, which made their reaction extra hard to take. I continued to shovel food into my mouth while my mind ran in circles. “They looked scared.”

“They probably are. Our animals are a lot smaller than yours, and less predatory.” Pops refilled my coffee as he spoke. “I hoped this would never come up, but when we adopted you, it was not as smooth as we’ve let you believe.”

“Some of the others objected, and we had to make a deal…” Dad added.

I looked from one of them to the other, waiting. Somehow, I didn’t think the deal was, when he becomes a dragon, we throw a party in his honor.

“Every year, when your birthday came and you hadn’t shifted, we celebrated another year you got to be with us.” Pops’ distress was evident in his expression and his tone.

“To be with you.” And wasn’t that scary. “So, your deal was…” I still needed them to spell it out in case I was wrong. Please let me be wrong.

They linked hands, and I swallowed back the grief already rising. Pops said, “Son, we promised once you shifted, we’d take you away from here. The alpha feared, and still fears, what might happen with a dragon in the bevy.”

My jaw dropped. “He thinks I would hurt someone just because I’m a dragon? If I was that kind of person, wouldn’t I have been dangerous in this form?” What little I did know about shifters I’d learned from watching my friends and their families. The animal side was rarely different natured from the two-legged.

“Oh no.” Dad patted my hand with his free one. “It wasn’t you he was worried about. It was the reaction of others in the bevy.”

“And judging from what I just saw, he wasn’t wrong.” I pulled my hand back and stood. “It was kind of him and everyone to keep me here this long, but I don’t want to be a hindrance to the bevy or anyone in it. I will thank the alpha for his kindness then be gone.”

“Give us a day or so to pack,” Pops said.

“No.” Sadness welled up even stronger at the thought of not seeing them every day. Even though I’d moved out years ago, they were just across the compound with their smiles and hugs and delicious meals they often shared with me. “I’m twenty-five, and I don’t need you to uproot your lives for me. I’ll always be grateful, and remember you with love, but it’s time I made my own way in the world.”

“Son…” Dad started then trailed off.

“He’s right.” Pops assertion probably surprised himself as much as it did me. I’d thought I’d have to argue for a while. “You’ve done well and made something of yourself. I don’t know precisely how much money you have.”

“More than enough,” I assured them. Enough that I would be moving some into an account for them so they’d never lack for anything. I’d always believed I’d be here to take care of them in their old age, but that would not be happening. “Don’t worry about me.”

“And don’t think that just because you’re leaving, we are not your family.” Pop was as fierce as I’d ever heard him. “If you need us, call and we will be there.”

“Wherever there is,” Dad finished for him. “But even if you don’t, please keep us updated on your travels and what you’re up to. You can take the car.”

“I’ll be on the wing, now that that’s possible.” I offered them a grin, hoping they would be reassured. “It will be an adventure.”

Find our brothers! How long would it be before I got used to a voice in my head?

“Do you know if I had any siblings?”

They looked at each other before facing me again. Dad said, “No. We don’t know your backstory at all. We would never have left any behind if we knew of more than you.”

“My dragon is insisting I have missing brothers.”

Pops nodded slowly. “He would know.”

“So, I guess my first job is to find my brothers. Wish me luck?”

They did more than that. They gave me my gifts, a watch and some clothes, and we devoured my birthday cake because obviously any party plans were off with everyone in the place fearing me devouring them. I hugged them and went home to pack a small bag I thought I could figure out how to carry in dragon form. All my presents went in and my wallet, tablet, and other necessities.

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