Page 20 of Omega Dragon Manny
“That’s why we’ll be back soon.” Clark patted her shoulder, and off we went.
I drove him to my favorite shifting spot. Along the way, he made a few comments about whether we were going to get stuck if it rained. We weren’t expecting a downpour from what I could tell, but Louise had had us both second-guessing our weather report. In any case, we’d be fine and probably long gone before then.
My dragon wasn’t a lover of rain. There were some who lived for lightning, who liked to let out their fire as the skies lit up with electricity. Those dragons weren’t me. I was one hundred percent the kind who’d rather be inside when the bolts started flying.
“Here we are,” I said, pulling off to the side. I climbed out of the car and was already undressed by the time Clark realized what I was doing. It was better that way. If I took my time getting naked, we’d end up knotted together instead of him watching me fly.
“Now remember, don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you. Blah, blah, blah.”
Before he could respond, I ran into the clearing and let my wings unfold, using the Band-Aid method of reveals.
I stayed on the ground, lowering my head as he watched me.
“You’re…teal!” He walked over, eyes wide. “Wow. I knew you were a dragon, but like…you’re adragondragon.”
If I’d been in human form, I’d have been cracking up. My dragon just preened, soaking in all the praise.
I’d already told Clark he could touch me and that my dragon would like it, so he reached up and ran his fingers across my snout. “You are absolutely beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to my scales, then stepped back. “Can I see you fly?”
This was my dragon’s time to shine. He took to the air and did every single trick he could think of, from somersaults to free falls that stopped inches above the ground to weaving through trees and loops…anything and everything that would show off, short of hunting.
That was a good call. Seeing your boyfriend as a dragon was a lot to take in. Watching him slaughter what you might consider an adorable forest creature? That was quite another thing.
And then my beast did something we rarely did—he let his fire out.
If it weren’t for the incoming rain, we wouldn’t have been able to. It was too dangerous. But with the storm so close I could feel the heaviness of the air on my back, it was the perfect time.
We focused, drew in a deep breath, and released a long flame that tore through the air, not hitting anything, just painting the air in heat and color.
Clark’s jaw dropped open.
The show was over. He was going to need some decompression after that.
I landed with a heavy thud and lay down so he could come over to me. He did, wrapping his arms as best he could around my thick neck.
“You aremagnificent.Absolutely…wow.”
We stayed like that until the first crack of thunder echoed through the valley a few minutes later. I shifted immediately, and we raced for the car.
I threw on my clothes, drove down the dirt path, and hit the main road just as the first fat drops of rain began to fall.
“Next time,” Clark caught his breath, “do you think it would be okay if the kids came?”
Those were thelastwords I expected to hear.
“They have a wolf bio parent,” he said, “which isn’t the same…but maybe it would help them get used to the fact that they’re different.”
“Of course they can come,” I said. “They’re part of our family.” The part that brought us all together.
When we got back, Louise was having a blast singing songs with the triplets. She shooed us out, insisting we go have dinner.
We weren’t about to argue.
We headed to a local steakhouse, one known for its excellent quality without the snobbery. Over perfectly cooked meat and potatoes, we talked about everything, from moving my things into his room, getting officially married, and mating.
Anyone eavesdropping would’ve thought we were having the strangest conversation in the world.
Clark had been right. We needed to get my dragon out of the way first, and then everything else would fall into place.
