Page 41 of Logan

“Don’t be. That was his choice. My mother’s gift was a blessing. She had the power to help other druids that did not possess the power of transmutation to learn and sustain a shift longer.”

The pearl.

“Yes. I guess she could have chosen anything to be her conduit, but she loved pearls. She made them purple in honor of my father’s color. She loved him and us with all her heart and we were all blessed to have had her in our life.”

How do they work?

“Once created, the pearl dissolves into its host and boosts a druid’s power. Usually, that is for transmutation, but she created a few for other purposes. The one you absorbed was the one she created for me.”

I should have told you.

“It’s alright, Emily. It was destined to be yours. I should have figured it out sooner. My mother helped many druids make their first shift to dragon form, and for that, everyone adored her.”

But she shifted into other animals as well.

“Yes. She ran as a gazelle, and a buffalo. A wild boar and even a zebra.”

Emily was quiet for a moment.I should never have touched the pearl. I don’t know what came over me. I have never done that before.

Logan placed his hand on her back. “You don’t need to apologize. You absorbed the pearl because you are my mate. She created it for you. It recognized you when you were near. Hell, it may have called to you, which was why you felt compelled to touch it. I would have given it to you at our bonding ceremony, anyway.”

It’s like opening a Christmas Gift on the twenty-third.

Logan chuckled. “I suppose it is, but you did not do it on purpose. I didn’t realize the pearl was my mother’s until you opened the safe, and I felt her power. It is secure now and where it’s meant to be.”

His voice was intoxicating, and she found she wanted to be closer to him, but in his form, not this one.

With a determination of will, Emily called upon the ancient magic that lay dormant within her, a primal force pulsating beneath the surface of her lupine form. As she reached for her humanity, the fur that had covered her receded like the ebbing tide, yielding to the soft embrace of her human skin.

As her bones realigned with a subtle shift, Emily felt a twinge of discomfort ripple through her form, a fleeting reminder of the tumultuous transformation she had endured. Yet the pain was but a whisper compared to the agonizing ordeal of her descent down the stairs.

With each passing moment, Emily’s human form began to coalesce, the contours of her body reshaping themselves to comprise her true guise.

And as she emerged from the crucible of her transformation, Emily felt a profound sense of relief wash over her, a quiet reassurance that she had reclaimed control over her destiny. She understood that she was more than just a creature of the wild; she was a being of boundless potential, capable of traversing the realms of both human and beast.

She smiled up at Logan until she shivered and snapped her hands to her chest. She had shredded her clothing during the transformation, and she was just as naked as Logan.

He flicked his wrist, and clothes formed on both of them before he pulled her against his body.

“You said that you didn’t display any signs of your power, but my mother noticed subtle shifts in her muscular makeup prior to her emergence.”

Emily nodded. “I never considered it was anything other than a weird ability. I have heard of humans who can do it as well, so I didn’t read much into it.”

“How did it start?”

“The jobs my uncle was sending me on were getting harder and harder. There was one a few months ago where I was almost caught. But as I was about to be discovered, I altered my facial features, and the guards thought I was a building employee. They had pictures of my face, but I have no idea where they got them.”

“Do you think your uncle would double-cross you?”

“No way. Not before he got his payday. Not until I paid mydebt, then our agreement is over and I am fair game. He has a very specific work ethic. He never moves against anyone he has a contract with.”

Logan sighed. “Altering your own tissue is the first sign of transmutation. But you are correct that some humans have mastered this skill over decades of training.”

“I guess it was stupid of me to think I just discovered how to do it, but it seemed more plausible than me having magic.”

“Of course. You had no idea about your heritage, and the temple can’t sense you because your magic is always in flux. Most druids gravitate to one element, no matter their power, but you are all of them at once.”

“I am sorry about the pearl.”

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