Page 113 of Dragon Unhinged

Chapter

Forty-Seven

BRIANNA

Holy crap, this is amazing. It’s such a juvenile thing to say, but I can’t help it. I’ve never been this free in my life. The wind beneath my wings and the ocean swaying beneath me is the most potent adrenaline rush I’ve ever gotten. The gibbous moon admires its reflection in the water as its light bounces off our wings and scales.

Declan’s flying right next to me, making me feel like I can be bold, like I can do anything and everything, and he’ll be right there to catch me if I fall. I never even considered that I could be out here, flying on my own, as a dragon, but as soon as we hit the water, something inside of me just knew.

Connecting with the dragon inside of me giving me peace and strength all at once.

To see Declan, in all his glory, is amazing. Everything Syrena said about healing is more than I could’ve imagined. No more scars, no more tears or rips in his wings, and he seems more vibrant in his scales, in the brightness in his eyes.

I feel like we could fly forever, to find somewhere far away where we can raise our daughter away from the fighting pits, from the fear that seems to be everywhere right now.

But at the same time, I know this can’t last forever.

We should get back before the sun comes up.I hate to even think it, seeing Declan look so free, so happy to be flying with me.I’m sure we have a little girl who wants more time with her papa.

Declan nods and starts to turn back to the beach.When we get back to Miami, we’re moving out of the basement. I’m not going back there again.There’s a hint of darkness in his thoughts, but it’s overwhelmed by the determination.Our family deserves everything, and I plan on giving it to you.

I want to throw my arms around him, to tell him the only thing I need, the only thing we need, is each other, but I have to assume it would be dangerous while flying, so instead I just project what I’m feeling to him, to give him the assurance that I don’t need anything more.

As soon as we land in the water off the beach in front of Sea Glass, he shifts back, shaking water out of his long hair and grinning up at me.

And I… can’t figure out how to shift back. What felt so natural becoming a dragon, taking flight, now seems next to impossible. I sit down in the shallow water as the tide breaks around me. What the hell do I need to do?

Just think about being human again. Let go of the dragon and come down to my size again.Declan’s voice fills my head, coaching me.And if that’s not enough of an incentive, think about our daughter. She needs you.

I take a slow breath and close my eyes, trying to focus on shifting back.

When I feel Declan’s arms wrap around me, I open my eyes and smile up at him. “We’re definitely doing more of that.”

“Absolutely. You were a natural up there.” He leans down and kisses me gently. “Let’s go make some food, and then rest a while before we call Pru and ask her to bring our baby home.”

Within a few days,Pru’s cleared all of us health-wise and got me set up with birth control so that we don’t end up with another baby right away, and Declan’s moved us into a huge house not far from Ash and Finley’s.

It feels crazy, settling into a real life with Declan, as a family, after everything we’ve been through. It’s like Declan’s decided that after the time he spent imprisoned in my basement, he’s set up our home with huge windows, a ton of light, and the most luxurious, comfortable furniture he could find.

Seeing him care for our daughter, our little Brooklyn, though, it’s like he was always meant to be a father. He’s clearly enamored with her, and every time she’s in his arms, it’s like he’s all she can see.

It’s entirely too adorable, and it definitely makes me feel better for not knowing what I’m doing at all. I’m fumbling through, learning as I go, but I think the only thing that brings Declan more peace than holding our daughter is making us both come so many times he passes out.

I know Malcolm hangs over his head, all the unknown weighing him down. I’m holding onto the hope that the mystery of Malcolm’s death to mean he’s not completely gone, so he can come back to us.

There might not be anything I can do to help him face that, nothing I can do to bring Malcolm back, but there is something I can do, at least with Ellie’s help—I can bring down the fightingpits, and make sure that the men who hurt my mate never get the chance to again.

Even if some of those men are my father and my brother.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me taking a few days? I don’t have to go.” I wrap my arms around Declan from behind, resting my chin on his shoulder as he twists to look at me. “I can put this off until we’re more settled, until Brooklyn’s a little older.”

“You should’ve told me what you want to do, Brianna. I don’t think this is a good idea.” He gets up and lays Brooklyn into her crib, pulling me out into the hall. “And if you’re going to hunt down and kill the men who imprisoned me, don’t you think that’s more of a couples’ activity?”

I pout. “How’d you find out?”

“Ewan called me. You involved that wolf, but not me?” He raises an eyebrow at me as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me in tight. “Should I be worried that you’re chasing after some wolf when you’ve got a dragon at home?”

“Not even a little.” I rise on my toes and kiss him, letting my fingers slide up into his hair. “I didn’t want you to worry. And I didn’t want you to feel like you had to face all of that again. I didn’t want you to risk losing yourself again, just because I can’t let people continue to kill shifters, certainly not when they’re being forced to kill each other especially.” I sigh. “And I’ve spent too much of my life letting my father go unchecked in how he treats everyone he thinks are beneath him.”

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