Page 40 of Logan

She glanced back when she heard a scream. Logan’s twin was hanging out the window, engulfed in flames. His clothes burned against his skin, but he was unharmed. Where was Logan? Memories of her mate flooded back, and her run through the forest slowed until she was simply jogging. Her heart became heavy, as if every step were labored, though her body felt stronger than it ever had.

She lay down in a bed of moss as her sides heaved, and she tried to sort through her emotions. There was still a sense of duality, but her human consciousness was becoming more distinct.

Had she just abandoned the only person who had cared for her since her mother? Everything had seemed so clear when she had shifted. Get to safety at any cost. Now her body was strong, and she was safe, but her soul hurt in ways she never thought possible. Was this love?

Water dripped from her eyes as her sides heaved, and she realized she was crying. Her wolf was crying. She was so distracted by the chaos in her mind she never detected his presence until he was sitting down beside her.

Logan was completely naked, as his clothing had likely burned when he fought his twin. He could create more, but he had been more concerned with finding her. He was oblivious to the events of her transformation until he saw her. He’d shared every moment that transpired from chasing his brother from the cabin and the dragons forcing the darks to flee. He tracked her easilyusing his dragon’s senses, but had been shocked and almost wept with joy when he saw her wolf form.

His soul had reached for hers and guided him to her hiding spot in the woods. He ran his hand over her fur, and her entire body quivered under his touch. Content. Whole.

He ran his hand over her fur several times before he spoke. “Let me tell you about my mother.”

CHAPTER 18

As Emily lay upon the cool, mossy ground, her senses attuned to the symphony of nature unfolding around her, she found solace in the tranquil embrace of the forest. The once-still air now stirred with the gentle caress of the wind, its whispers weaving through the towering trees like a melody of ancient lore.

She could feel Logan gathering his thoughts and knew it was difficult to talk about the mother he had loved so much and lost.

In the quiet stillness of the night, a chorus of nocturnal creatures began to stir, their voices rising in harmonious unity to fill the air with the sweet sounds of the wild. Night crickets joined in with their rhythmic chirping, a comforting backdrop to the symphony of nature’s song.

Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted its haunting call, its mournful cry echoing through the darkness like a lonesome lament. Amidst the melancholy, there was a sense of harmony, a reminder that nature possessed an innate resilience that transcended the fleeting chaos of the world.

As Emily listened to the melodic cadence of the forest, she felt a profound sense of peace wash over her, a gentle reminderthat she was but a small part of a vast and intricate tapestry woven by the hands of time itself.

Logan pulled his hands back and folded them in his lap. Despite being naked and in the middle of the forest, he seemed to blend into his environment as if he were more at home here than in the city.

“My mother had the power of transmutation. It is a rare and sought-after gift. All druids can learn to take another form, but only for a short amount of time. But those with this power can alter themselves and other objects at will. It is a powerful and sacred gift.”

She inched closer to him so she could lay her head on his thigh. She wanted to be closer to him, but she also wanted to hear more of his mother’s story. As soon as he said the word transmutation, she knew that was what she had done. Altered her own body to fit the picture of the wolves she had seen in her head.

Logan glanced up at the night sky. “She loved to take a wolf’s form as well. My mother even had a male follow her home one day in hopes of mating her. She was beautiful in any form she took. My father attempted to run the young wolf off, but the male was quite set on her.”

What did he do?Her words formed in his mind as easily as if she were human.

“My father was forced to shift into his dragon form. The young wolf was smart enough to understand my mother had a mate that was stronger than him, and he ran off. He found a suitable female a few seasons later.”

I’m glad your father didn’t hurt him.

“Of course not. That incident was regaled for many years afterward. My father considered the wolf to be highly intelligent and could understand his interest in my mother. In fact, when that wolf became too old to hunt for himself, my father fed him. He outlived the generation of his pack.”

She was quiet for a moment.This doesn’t feel like you described with your dragon. I feel as though the wilderness calls to me, and instinct takes over, but I am still me.

“Because you are. The power of transmutation gives you the ability to be any living thing, within reason, but it is always you. A dragon is born with his animal and as much as I wished it otherwise, I can not shift into any other form.”

You wish you could?she asked.

“Oh yes. My mother would experiment by shifting into any animal she could that was in her size range. She couldn’t become a mouse or a canary, unless it was one that was five times its normal size.”

But your dragon is massive, and you are, well, big, but not enormous.

“That is due to a combination of our dragon and its magical abilities. Transmutation is altering your form, but your size is more limited.”

Tell me more about your mother and her skills.

Logan nodded. “Like all druids, she had a disc. It is one of the few the dragons still possess. It was hidden before her death, and while I didn’t understand at the time, she told me not to tell Lothos where she had placed it. Now I know she suspected he would turn.”

I’m sorry.

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