Page 34 of Hex and Scales

The shop’s bell chimed. Through the window, he glimpsed Sabine arranging a display of enchanted crystals, sunlightcatching her honey-blonde waves. His dragon settled at the sight of her, even as his tactical mind cataloged potential threats. The magical tampering. The escalating incidents. The predatory calculation in Linus’s gaze whenever he watched her.

“Someone’s stressing extra hard this morning.”

Ren turned to find Eiji jogging toward him, leather satchel bouncing against his hip. Despite the early hour, his cousin managed to look both perfectly styled and utterly casual in designer jeans and a vintage band T-shirt.

“I don’t stress,” Ren said.

“Right. And I don’t have phenomenal taste in music.” Eiji pulled a scroll from his satchel. “But we can debate your emotional constipation later. I’ve been tracking magical signatures all night.”

The playful light in Eiji’s eyes had vanished, replaced by an intensity that set Ren’s teeth on edge. He unrolled the parchment, muscles tensing as he absorbed the details. Support beams stressed to breaking point. Pipes corroded by magically accelerated decay. Each piece of evidence pointed to deliberate sabotage.

“There’s more.” Eiji produced a map of Mystic Hollow marked with glowing dots. “The attacks aren’t random. Look at the pattern—they’re coordinated, designed to stretch our defenses thin. And this—” He pointed to a cluster of marks near the shop. “These started appearing right after Linus came to town.”

Deep in the forest behind Katz ‘n Things, they discovered fresh claw marks scoring ancient trees. The gouges formed an unmistakable path leading toward town. Toward Sabine.

“Trap spells.” Ren noticed the marks were along the same trail Sabine ran every morning. His dragon essence coiled tight with protective fury, recognizing the danger to their mate. “He’s escalating from illusions to physical threats.”

“Have you noticed how he lurks at the edges of every incident?” Eiji’s voice dropped lower. “Always observing, analyzing. Like he’s waiting for something. And that magical signature...” He hesitated. “It reminds me of stories about George Sunil.”

“George is dead.” The words came out sharp enough to make Eiji step back. “I watched him die.”

“Did you? Or did you watch an illusion die?”

Ren’s hand brushed an old scar on his forearm. Memory crashed over him—Shiara falling, poison blade gleaming, her final breath warm against his neck as she whispered good-bye. The pendant he always carried seemed to burn against his chest.

“You can’t keep fighting this.” Eiji’s voice softened. “The magical surges when you’re together, the way your powers amplify each other—you’re stronger as a pair. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I watched my mate die once.” Ren’s voice roughened with suppressed emotion. “I won’t?—”

A magical alarm shrieked through the air, high and piercing. Through the shop window, Ren spotted Sabine clutching her head, face contorted in pain. His dragon roared to life at her distress.

“Forbidden magic,” Eiji spat, pointing to glowing runes that had materialized around the shop’s foundation. “The same symbols we found in the forest.”

Shadow-beasts emerged from the dawn’s lingering darkness, their forms writhing with corrupted power. Razor-sharp claws scraped against cobblestones as they circled the building. These weren’t mere illusions—they were solid manifestations of ancient evil, eyes gleaming with malevolent intelligence.

Inside the shop, Sabine staggered. Her lips moved in what looked like a curse as she tried to shift. Orange-gold light flickered around her like dying embers, but her tiger formremained locked away. The runes pulsed darker, binding her essence.

Rage erupted in Ren’s chest. His dragon would not be contained. Bones cracked and reformed as he shifted, wings unfurling to block out the sun. Obsidian scales flowed over massive muscles while his neck elongated, crowned with razor spikes. In seconds, a massive dragon towered where Ren had stood.

His roar rattled windows for blocks. One shadow beast leaped, claws extended toward his wing joint. Ren’s tail whipped around, catching the creature mid-jump and smashing it into the pavement. It dissolved into oily smoke.

“Show off,” Eiji muttered, hands weaving complex patterns that sent protective shields shimmering around the shop’s walls.

TWENTY-NINE

Two more beasts lunged in tandem. Ren’s wings swept them back as dragon fire erupted from his maw in a concentrated inferno. The creatures shrieked, their shadowy forms burning away under the onslaught of pure magic.

Inside, Sabine slammed her palm against the barrier. Magic crackled, orange sparks flying where her power met the dark runes. Her frustrated growl carried through the glass. The tiger in her eyes burned fierce and bright, fighting the binding spell.

The largest shadow beast used Ren’s distraction to strike. Claws raked down his armored shoulder, drawing lines of molten gold—dragon’s blood. Ren snapped massive jaws, catching the creature’s leg. One sharp twist sent it flying into a lamppost.

“Behind you!” Eiji’s warning came a heartbeat before crackling lightning intercepted another beast mid-pounce.

Working in sync, dragon and mage created a perimeter of fire and protective magic. Ren’s wings spread wide, casting shadows larger than the shop itself as he channeled pure dragon fire. The battle stretched eternal yet lasted mere minutes.

When the last shadow beast dissolved into smoke, Ren shifted back to human form. His clothes were scorched beyond repair, and five parallel gashes across his shoulder slowly knitted closed. Eiji sported a shallow cut on one cheek, but his grin remained intact.

“Been ages since I’ve seen you go full dragon in town,” Eiji said, brushing debris from his designer jeans. “Though maybe save some magic for dispelling these runes? Your mate looks ready to claw through the walls.”

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