Page 9 of Protector Dragon's Shattered Mate

He left all of them gathered in Kellan’s mansion. They didn’t have to wait for an invitation, they just had an open-door policy. They lived seamlessly in the human world but also had a clan. It seemed like the perfect set up to Levi.

“I will take her some more food,” Levi said as Quinn helped him pack up some roast beef.

He didn’t want to call Nora in front of him, so he went ahead and dialed the number. “Hello Levi,” she said in her lilting voice. “How are you?”

“I’m well, but we do have a situation. I’m at Kellan’s house and there’s a bear shifter on his property. I’ve been with her all day, but she hasn’t shifted, and she seems quite terrified.”

Nora was quiet for a few moments. She made a small humming sound. “I know most of you aren’t modest, but every now and then it happens. Try putting a blanket over her and seeing if that will help. And keep your back turned to her so that you’re not staring at her. If that doesn’t work, it’s possible that she’s stuck.”

“What do you mean stuck?”

“Stuck as in cannot shift back, because of a curse or a magic spell that doesn’t allow the shifter to transform. I have only seen that happen rarely.Veryrarely.” Nora paused. “But there’s another possibility. Sometimes when a shifter has been through an extreme trauma, they don’t want to live in their human form anymore and they choose to stay in their animal form.”

“Permanently?” Levi had never heard of that. His family stayed in their dragon forms more than he did, but mostly because it was easier to travel in the Canadian wilderness by flying rather than by walking or trying to navigate a rocky mountain.

“Sometimes. I know you’ve only been around her for about twelve hours. But if several more days go by and she doesn’t shift and then we can talk about other options,” Nora said.

“What other options are there? Can you force a shift with magic?”

“It’s possible; I saw it done many years ago. But I would not do it. Not unless she was in danger of dying. I would never make that choice for someone. Have you met Rhett? He attends all of our dragon shifter festivals.”

“Yes, I’ve met him.”

“He runs a motorcycle club. Most of his shifters have been through extreme trauma so they don’t come to our annual festivals. There are shifters in his group that remain in their animal forms permanently,” Nora said.

“You mean they never switch back and forth?”

“Correct. Because of what happened to them they have decided to remain animals all the time. And Rhett, as their clan leader, supports them. If your shifter doesn’t change after several weeks, then we can get in touch with Rhett. She would always have a home with him and his mate Emma.”

His dragon growled, low and harsh.Fuck that. He was not sending her away.

He swallowed and forced himself to speak. “Thank you.” He wasn’t going to curse at Nora. She was trying to help. “We’ll keep trying here first. Just to make sure that there’s nothing else going on.”

“Is she injured?”

“Not that I can tell. There are signs when an animal is in pain, and I haven’t seen any of them with her, but she is terrified. I just don’t know why.”

“I would guess it’s something that happened before she arrived. If nothing changes, let me know and I’ll be happy to fly out and see if there’s anything magical going on. It takes a very powerful magician to keep a shifter from changing, but itispossible. I’m sure you’ve heard that Niall, my own mate, was a survivor of a powerful mind control spell.”

Levi had heard that story several times. It still sent a shiver straight through his spine. The idea that a powerful witch or wizard could control a shifter’s actions… It sent his heart rate through the roof.

“Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome, Levi. Please keep me updated. Let me know if you need to get in touch with Rhett, although Kellan has his number too.”

No way. He wasn’t calling Rhett. He appreciated the guy, but he was always on the move. Levi just had a feeling that the shifter needed to stay where she was right now. He was not ready to let her go.

Just thinking Rhett’s name had his Dragon clawing at him.

No. She stays.

“I know. I agree, but once she can let us know what she wants, then it’s up to her,” he muttered out loud to his dragon. Now he just had to get her set up to be more comfortable.

Levi had the kind of rough outdoor blankets in his truck that he used for injured cows or horses. They were clean and folded neatly in a storage basket. But he couldn’t fathom putting an animal’s blanket on a female shifter. He went to Kellan’s house and asked for a blanket.

Kellan disappeared and came back with a rose-pink flannel blanket. “This is the softest one I have,” he said. “It’s McKenna’s. I thought her scent would be the least scary.” Levi thanked him again and went back out to the female.

“Hey. This is a blanket, and I’m going to cover you up with it.” He crouched in front of the female. “If you get too hot, just shake it off.” The Texas nights were warm for a bear shifter, rarely getting below forty-five degrees Fahrenheit. “But I thought it might give you some privacy if you want to shift.” He unfolded it and moved to her side, carefully covering her with the blanket. He moved slowly and deliberately, but the female didn’t bolt. “It belongs to the little girl that was out here earlier. It should smell like her.” He pulled it all the way up, draping it over her until it reached her neck.

---