Page 13 of The Power of a Myth

Caleb lowered his head and took a deep breath before turning green with brown symbols, just like the boy had done previously.

“Take my hand,” he ordered, and Hayden obeyed.

He was overwhelmed by what was happening, but he knew he needed to learn as much as he could. On the surface, it appeared that these people had given him a second chance at life when he was destined to die. Now he wanted to know more of what it would entail.

Molly.The thought hit him.

Did she know of these multi-shifters?

Would he be able to return to her?

He’d have to ask these questions later because as he took Caleb’s hand, they were immediately transported to a different cave. His head spun from the speed of their travel.

“What was that?” Hayden questioned.

“Teleportation. It’s a witch’s spell.”

Hayden looked around the new cave. This time, there were several other men in long dark coats present. They all lowered their heads to greet him.

“Are we still in Death Valley?”

“No,” Caleb replied. “We’re in Siberia.”

Hayden rubbed his arms at the mention of a place he knew was one of the coldest on Earth. “But shouldn’t I feel cold?”

Caleb laughed. “Sorry, I should have explained. You haven’t touched an animal yet, so you’re like a blank page. You have no awareness of hot or cold and don’t have to adjust your temperature for the surroundings.”

“Right.” Hayden felt like he should be taking notes about everything. There was a lot to take in.

“Hayden, you’re a new shifter—an incredibly strong and powerful being. As a human, you knew of the supernatural world and never considered revealing it. That tells us a lot.”

“Molly?” Hayden questioned.

“Yes, the puma shifter. We have seen your past. Our species have many prophecies in place, and one tells us of a man with great strength who’ll come to us fresh without having touched another animal or magical being, except me of course. But, since I’m a multi-shifter too, I don’t count.”

A few of the men stepped aside as Caleb spoke. Hayden’s eyes went wide when he saw bones embedded in the ground. They were enormous. He looked at them, studied the shape of them. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Is that the skeleton of a dragon?”

“Yes,” Caleb replied.

“You can change into a dragon? That’s so cool. Can I see?”

“I can’t.” Caleb stared longingly at the dragon bones.

“I don’t understand.”

“We’re forbidden to touch. A multi-shifter with the power of many animals did so once. He went mad and had to be killed. The power of a dragon is too strong, but there is a prophecy of a multi-shifter who can harness its power. It will be a struggle for him, but he’ll be able to do it so he can help the chosen one when her time comes.”

“Chosen one?” Now Hayden had even more questions.

“A female multi-shifter,” Caleb informed him.

Hayden looked around the room. There were only men present.

“I’m guessing there’s no such thing at the moment.”

Caleb shook his head. “No, that time is not now. Now is your time. If you choose to touch the bones, we’ll need you to learn all there is to know about the power of the dragon.”

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