Page 116 of Phoenix Burn

She patiently took me through a repeat of our last session, only with a slightly larger plant. I had an easier time sensing the energies.

“You are catching on quite fast,” she complimented me.

I thought of Matt’s still body beneath mine. “I can control it when I’m calm and focused. Well, sort of. But how do I do it when I’m emotional?”

“You need to practice until the control becomes a part of you. Until even when you are upset, you can guide it.” Her fingers tapped on her knee.

I debated, and then asked, “Is full control possible with something like this? Or will I always be a risk to those around me?”

She tilted her head as she regarded me. “We are all at risk when we are emotional. Training can help, but sometimes crap is going to happen.”

As my eyes widened, she continued. “At those times, shifters battle with their inner animal. Think about what they risk if they lose it. And it does happen. Part of what the Sabres do is clean up such events. So that residents of virgin realms don’t realize that they walk among those who turn into beasts.”

I thought about that, and then wondered how many humans that died of “animal attacks” had actually run into a Dire gone berserk.

She sketched me a smile. “At least you have to touch to unleash your inner beast. It provides an extra step, a chance for you to regain control.”

“But my touch can kill someone I love, not just someone who might deserve it.”

“Yes. But Matt could kill you if his beast took control. Mating as beasts can be a savage thing. Dires often use teeth and claws as foreplay. Dragons fall from forty thousand feet, and if the male can’t break their fall, they die.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. I remembered how Matt had fought his beast, even in our shared dream. I’d assumed he wished to meet my human half on equal ground.

Not that he might accidentally kill me.

It made me think of something else to ask her. “Can Matt turn me into a Dire by biting me?” My face heated as I asked it.

She hesitated before answering me. “I actually don’t know,” she confessed. “If we were sure of your heritage, I would say yes. Most human and Cryptid hybrids can be infected. I’m afraid, at the moment, I do not have an answer for you.” She paused. “There is also Talakai.”

I stared at her.

Her lips twitched. “The Dire virus is only infectious on the full moon. But Dragons can infect you anytime. So, if things progress, you might become like Dani. Part Dire, part Dragon.”

I swallowed. “What about Sebastian? Do Unicorns bite?”

She laughed. “No. We are not like the others. He cannot turn you into a Unicorn.”

“Or a Dragon-wolf with a horn,” I said.

That really amused her. Her blue eyes twinkled as she clapped her hands together. “Okay. Let’s see if you can see through your dog’s eyes and check up on the twins.”

I rubbed my temples and sighed. At least it would distract me from thinking about a certain Dragon.

And a certain Unicorn.

* * *

After my special abilities session, Alex led a decent run, enough for a good workout.

Matt paced me easily, his strides perfectly synced to my own. Was I striding longer, or him shorter? Either way, it worked.

We ran directly behind Alex, but the energy from the Dires today bothered me. The team closest to us ran about thirty feet back, and I sensed they didn’t want to close the gap. I wasn’t certain why—and was afraid it might be due to me. By now, the entire student body would have not only shared the story of the twins, but developed firm opinions as to my role in their recovery.

All of those here had powers. But how many could kill with a touch?

Matt kept shooting me glances as we ran. Although he said nothing, he moved until his shoulder occasionally brushed mine. Instead of knocking me off stride, it was timed to give me a little boost, each and every time.

He was my rock, this man. Or rather, this werewolf.

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