Page 12 of Lyric

“If I shift now and try to get away, he’ll find me for sure. Besides, I’m lost.”

Lyrican didn’t even hesitate. He stretched out his front arm and clasped the omega, gently putting his claws around the vulnerable body, and lifted him up.

The omega gave a startled yell as we flew up into the trees. Lyrican landed in our roost, setting the omega gently down as if to say,You’re safe here.

“Oh, wow. You have a roost.” He was still quivering, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. “Out here? In the middle of nowhere?”

Let me shift. Let me talk to him.

Lyrican sat back, his tail twitching over the side of our platform. He purred softly again. A vocal intonation I never knew he could make. When dragons spoke out loud, calling back and forth to each other while flying, it was more of a whale sound with pitch changes and clicks. This was something altogether new.

Let me shift. I’ll find out where he wants to go, and we can get him there. Get help for him.

Mine. Omega. Ours

Ours?I asked. No. He’s not ours. He’s in need of our help.

“Maybe if you could just drop me at the nearest town, I could find help. I have a restraining order, but Coltan doesn’t care about those, and Colt isn’t going to stop his dragon.”

Lyrican wouldn’t budge. The warm, possessive affection came over us again, like a burn in the blood. He reached out slowly with one arm, claw extended, and touched the omega gently on the cheek.

Lyrican, stop!

“You have to understand. He will kill you if he comes back and finds me here. He’ll probably kill us both. I’m grateful for your help, but I don’t want to put you in any more danger. I’ll just shift now and try to get away myself. If you could point me in the direction of a town?”

This man was in no condition to fly. His skin looked scraped and bruised in dozens of places. He was limping. He was still shivering, despite the heat. I needed to get him wrapped in a blanket in case he was in shock.

If he’s in shock. I can help him. Let me shift and get a blanket over him and some soup into him. Then you can shift back and protect him until he’s well enough to fly.

I had canned foods, bottled water, and a little stove. And coffee. Even while shifted, I still craved coffee. Sometimes I made the fish Lyrican caught into soup, then remained in human form to eat it.

The man rocked sideways, hugging himself.

He’s going to fall down.

Lyrican lifted a paw toward him.

Let me shift!

Lyrican let his foot drop, claws retracting. His head bowed. My own thoughts became clearer. I stepped forward and my dragon form receded.

The omega lifted his head and stared.

“My name is Lyric,” I said. And held out my hand.

6

Jinn

As the dragon shifted, I stepped back, my ankle threatening to go out from under me.

The alpha who stood naked before me had pale, almost white hair, and golden-green eyes. The muscles on his arms, chest and abs stood out like an athlete’s.

“My name is Lyric.” He held out his hand.

That was when I put two and two together, my brain sluggish. An athlete. Lyric.

“Is your dragon Lyrican?”

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