Page 14 of The Power of a Myth

Caleb sighed heavily.

“There’s a war coming between humans and shifters, and it will be more terrifying than any we’ve seen before. Far too many innocents will die. The prophecy tells us that the power of the dragon will be able to stop it. It’s a big sacrifice we’re asking of you, especially given you’ve only just learned of our existence, but will you touch the bones and absorb only the power of the dragon forevermore? Will you learn about it and discover how we’ll be able to use it to prevent the killing of so many when the time comes?”

Hayden took a few stumbling steps backward. His head was spinning with everything he’d learned. It was too much. He’d died a few minutes ago, and now he was being offered a power beyond comprehension.

“The boy lives in the human realm. Will I be able to do the same? Do all of you?”

“We do. It’s unusual for the boy to be with his parents, but he lives as a human. His magic was only required to guide you to us. We needed to take your body and soul and bring them to Death Valley before you touched another living being,” Caleb responded.

“So, I can return to my home life. I can return to Molly?”

“If you can control the power of the dragon, yes. There are a few shifters who know about us.”

“What if I can’t control it?”

“You’ll need to stay hidden until the time comes. The risk will be too great.”

“I could hurt too many people and start the war myself.”

“Yes. It nearly happened with the other multi-shifter who touched the bones. It’s why we had to kill him.”

“Will you kill me?”

Caleb didn’t answer but looked away. It was all the confirmation Hayden needed. He could walk out of here and not touch the bones. Now that he had the ability to touch animals and change into them, he could have a perfect life with Molly. He loved her with all his heart, but he knew the only way he could keep her safe was to stay and touch the bones. He’d been given a second chance at life for a reason. He had to harness the power of the dragon. He had to learn all about it for the girl who would save the world. Give her the strength she needed to do her duty.

There was a bigger picture here.

He looked inside his heart, and it told him he’d see and be with Molly again, one day.

He had to do this.

Hayden walked forward to the dragon bones. He knelt beside them and reached his hand out to what appeared to be a dragon’s leg.

“I love you,” he whispered to Molly before allowing his finger to press against the bone.

The rush was instant through his body, the surge of power surrounding him. His eyes flickered between being human and dragon. In dragon form, his vision was amazing. He could see even the most minute bug on the walls of the cave. He looked down at his hands and scales appeared on them. His legs began to change too, but it was the way he grew away from the floor that shocked him the most. He was changing—he was becoming the creature of myths and dreams. Green scales covered his body, and he felt horns protruding from his back. A tail grew out from behind him and swished with sharp spikes on the end. He opened his mouth and felt the urge to breathe fire from it, but remembering there were others in the cave, he closed his mouth again. He needed to control the power within him.

He pleaded with his body to go back to that of his human form. “Please,” he spoke inwardly to himself.

Eventually, he started to shrink back to the floor. The scales disappeared, but his vision continued to flicker between that of a dragon and a human constantly. He couldn’t stop it.

“It’s still controlling me,” he informed Caleb. “But I can learn from it. It’s beyond powerful.”

Scales flickered over his hands—he wasn’t strong enough to win this battle. He knew eventually he’d be able to control the dragon, but now was not the time.

“You need to hide me away,” Hayden informed Caleb. “I’ll take the beast for the chosen one, but I can’t be free.”

Caleb nodded and looked over to one of the other men in the cave.

“Take him to the Reichstag and the dungeons.”

Caleb turned to Hayden again. “I hope you can learn to control it. The fact you’ve changed back is a good sign. It’s the reason we had to kill the last man— he couldn’t return to his human form.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Hayden informed Caleb.

The other men changed into their witch forms, and as he felt himself being teleported again, Hayden knew in his heart he’d tame the beast one day so he could return to Molly. He just hoped it was while they both had breath left in their lungs.

Chapter Seven

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