“Why are you helping me?” I leaned in closer to him and searched his face. “Who are you?”

  The man grinned. “I suppose I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? My name’s Tegan. Tegan Arsa. And you are?”

  I drew my knees against my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. “Katherine.”

  He cocked his head to one side. “No last name?”

  I bit my lower lip. “Harrow.”

  The man smiled. “A good combination. Shall we break bread to celebrate our meeting?”

  “You still haven’t told me why you’re helping me.”

  The stranger chuckled. “You are nothing if not persistent. As for the answer, we have a rather unusual problem on our hands.”

  My pulse quickened as less-than-pleasant thoughts slipped into my mind. “What do you mean?”

  He leaned backward and tilted his head back as the pensive expression returned. “How to explain to someone from your world? I suppose I would call it ‘fate’ that brought us together. Only fate could have a strange enough humor to create a key bond between us.”

  I blinked at him. “A what?”

  “A key bond,” he repeated as he took a bite from one of the cheeses. “It’s a situation where a witch or wizard unlocks the magical potential of a formerly normal person. The person who unlocks the power is called a ‘key,’ hence the name. They are then required to take the person under their wing and teach them about their new powers.”

  My eyes widened. “I. . .you mean. . .you unlocked magic inside me?”

  He nodded. “So it would seem. That is, I think that’s what happened. I’ve never experienced it first-hand, but I have seen it happen. Then there’s the sensation.”

  “What sensation?”

  He tapped his full hand against his chest over his heart. “I feel it in here. A strange affinity for you that your beauty alone couldn’t create.”

  I carefully shook my head. “This is just insane. You can’t be serious. Me? Have magic? I can barely boil water, much less control it.”

  The man chuckled. “Well, perhaps water won’t be your forte, but you must have something inside you.” He paused and furrowed his brow. “But there is the problem. . .”

  My heart skipped a beat. “What problem?”

  “The problem is I am no witch nor wizard. I’m a dragon.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  I stared dumbfounded at him. Again.

  He grinned at me. “You won’t need this food I’m offering if you keep hanging your mouth open. You’ll catch your fill of flies.”

  I shook myself out of my daze and scooted away from the man. “Are you nuts?”

  Tegan took another bite of cheese. “I have been called that many times, among other things, but why do you ask?”

  I pointed at his person. “Because you don’t look like a dragon to me.”

  He looked down at himself. “Let’s just say I prefer this skin to my scales. It’s a little easier to move around in this dense forest.”

  “Then prove it. Turn into a giant lizard.”

  Tegan chuckled. “I doubt I’ll need to go that far.”

  He stretched out one arm in front of him. My eyes bulged out of my head as I watched the lower half of his arm and his hand swell. Scales popped out of his skin and his fingers thickened. Two of his fingers even emerged and his fingernails lengthened into sharp claws.

  He drew his transformed arm back and flexed his thick fingers. “A rather useful tool for fighting in closed spaces.” He turned his attention to me and his eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do I need to go further?”

  My reply was swift and blunt. I scrambled backward across the ground until my back hit a tree. “W-what the hell?!” I exclaimed as I pointed a shaking finger at his arm. “What the fuck are you?!”

  Tegan chuckled as he lowered his arm, and as he did so his limb reverted back to its human shape. “I told you. I’m a dragon. A shifter, to be precise. Now then-” He held up a piece of bread, “-did you want any food?”

  Wow, was my mind full of half-shaped questions and panicked thoughts. My heart thumped so hard in my chest it threatened to bruise a rib from the inside. I gripped the earth beneath me as my eyes flitted around searching for the best avenue of escape.

  “You shouldn’t run.”

  The dragon man’s words made me freeze. He stood and sauntered over to the fire where he resumed his seat beside the flames. A pensive expression returned to his face as he stared into the fire. “Domhain isn’t a safe place to be, especially at night. One wrong step and you could find yourself in the Undergrowth.”

  Oh great. I’d be out of the frying pan and into the fire. I swallowed the rock in my throat and gauged the man in front of me. He didn’t look like he wanted to eat a damsel in distress.

  I managed to choke out a few words. “You. . .do you really eat people?”

  He smiled as he held up a slice of cheese. “Only those who are weak from hunger and can’t put up a fight.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “That isn’t funny.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just trying to get you to do something other than panic. Here.” He tossed the bread at me and after a little bit of juggling I managed to catch it. “And don’t worry about it being poisoned. I’m not that kind of dragon.”

  I grasped the bread in both hands and studied him. “What kind of dragon are you?”

  He nodded down at the fire. “The kind that can make a campfire in a pinch.”

  “Then you didn’t steal me away to eat me?” I guessed.

  Tegan chuckled. “I hadn’t intended to steal you away at all. I was merely trying to evade my pursuers when I saw you fall off the building, and the rest is as you see it.”

  I crept a little closer to the inviting fire. “Those were witches after you?”

  Tegan lifted his arm and I watched in awe as he transformed it into the strange dragon claw. He used his changed limb like a poker to prod the fire into greater life. “They were very eager to make the acquaintance of my fireproof scales for their spells. So eager, in fact, that they didn’t heed all the magic they were throwing around in that storm and the combustion caused us to breach the thin line between my world and yours.”

  “And that’s how you came flying over my home,” I finished for him.

  He lifted his gaze to study me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into my troubles.”

  I had now reached the opposite side of the fire from him and stretched out my hands to warm them. “It’s okay. This is the most excitement I’ve ever had in my life. Now I just have to figure out how to get back to it.”

  A dark cloud settled on Tegan’s brow as he pursed his lips. “You can’t do that.”

  I lifted my eyes to him and frowned. “Why not? You broke through into my world once, why can’t you do it again?”

  He shook his head. “That’s not the issue. The issue is that you have magic now. If you were to go back to your world you would be putting yourself in danger with the authorities. They would inevitably discover your secret and cage you for the rest of your life in order to study you.”

  I frowned at him. “But I keep trying to tell you, I don’t have any magic. I’m just a plain office girl with some really bad cooking skills.”

  He cocked his head to one side as he captured my eyes in his steady gaze. “Can you honestly tell me that you feel nothing inside you? Not a tingle of something new lurking beneath your normality?”

  I pressed a fist against my chest and bowed my head. The heaviness I had felt on my awakening was still there. “I. . .I don’t know. What’s having magic supposed to feel like?”

  Tegan stretched out his normal hand toward me. I shrank back, but he smiled at me. “I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  I gulped loudly but nodded. He scooted closer and pressed his palm against my chest. A soft warmth filled my body like being draped in a clean blanket just out of the dryer. The heat focused on my heart and seemed to wrap around the heavy weight there. I set my hand over his and my eyes widened as I felt the weight dissipate somewhat.

  Tegan drew his hand away and studied me. “Did you feel something?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. What was that you did? Did you give me some of your magic?”

  “Not exactly,” Tegan replied as he leaned back on his scaly arm. “I merely borrowed some of yours. The sensation isn’t the same for everyone, even for those who have the same element, but there’s a general feeling of something inside that tells them they have the gift.”

  “Element? Like your fire?” I guessed.

  “Exactly,” he confirmed as he raised his human hand and studied his palm. “Two people may have an affinity for the same element, but one may not be able to produce a fireball while the other couldn’t spit out brimstone if their life depended on it.”

  I furrowed my brow as I set my hand over my warm heart. “So how do I find out my element?”

  “By using your magic.”

  My face drooped and I frowned. “And how do I do that?”

  “No idea.”

  My mouth dropped open. “What do you mean by that?”

  He laughed and sat up. “Like I said, magic is different for everyone and I’m no teacher of those arts. We’ll have to find one when we reach the capital.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “But you said something earlier about unlocking my magic and you’re supposed to take me under your wing or something, right?”

  Tegan’s eyes twinkled. “My wings aren’t all that hospitable, but I can give you some advice.”

  “And what’s that?”

  He nodded at the piece of bread in my hand. “Eat and get some sleep. It’s a long trek to Colun.”

  “Trek?” I asked him as he stretched himself down on the ground. “Why don’t we fly?”

  Tegan tucked an arm under his head and patted his opposite shoulder with his other hand. “Because that crash landing injured more than just your head. I’ll be lucky if I’m flying in a week.”

  I glanced at where I’d just been sitting. “Your coat-”

  “Use it,” Tegan insisted as he rolled over so his back faced me. “I’m too hot-blooded for the night air to chill me.”

  I scooted over to the coat and was glad to drape it over my shoulders. The night air was indeed chilly as the stars could attest and I moved back over to the fire. “Thanks.”

  A muffled reply came back to me as I settled down for the night. The ground was hard and prickly and my body ached, but exhaustion allowed me to sleep into a fitful sleep.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Time to rise!”

  The shout startled me awake and I shot up. I was greeted by a faint mist that floated through the woods around me. A crackling fire staved off the worst of the airy chill of the morning air.

  Tegan was bent over the fire with a skillet set on a flat rock in front of him. His transformed right arm clutched the hot handle without issue. A sizzling noise came from the pan and the scent of meat floated over to me. I inhaled deeply and my reaction earned a chuckle from my companion.

  “I’m glad to see you’re not particular about your meat,” he mused as he used a two-pronged fork to move around the food.

  I cocked my head to one side. “Should I be?”

  He shrugged. “Well, it’s not everyone who would be willing to eat forest rat.”

  My face drooped and my eyes widened. “Forest. . .rat?”

  His eyes twinkled as he moved the meat about on the skillet. “I caught it only an hour ago. It should be just about ready.”

  I shrank away. “What else is there?”

  He nodded at his knapsack. “Bread. The cheese last night was my last morsels.”

  My face drooped and I leaned over the fire to inspect the white meat in the skillet. “What does it taste like?”

  “Like a very greasy pig,” he told me.

  I dropped back on my legs and sighed. “Well, I guess there has to be a first time for everything.” I watched him use his transformed hand to draw the skillet a little closer to the flame. “So why are you using the campfire? Why not use your hand or your breath?” I asked him.

  “My fire generally lacks the finesse needed for cooking,” he told me as he poured equal amounts onto cleaned pieces of bark. “That is, unless you want it on the crispy side.”

  “I’ll have to see. . .” I murmured as he held out one bark plate to me. I accepted the food and pinched a piece between my fingers. It was slightly greasy but not so much to make a burger wrapper become transparent. I gingerly took a bite and swallowed. My eyes lit up and I turned my surprised face to Tegan. “This is pretty good.”

  He grinned as he took a bite himself. “It’s the sea salt. I harvested it myself on the shores of the Meith Sea.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Where’s that?”

  “Far south of here and in the domain of the vampires.” I choked on my second bite of food and my bulging eyes stared at him. He burst into laughter. “You are a sight to behold, Kate. I’m guessing your world hasn’t forgotten their species. They were quite a nuisance several centuries ago and I have no doubt they made themselves the same in your world.”

  I swallowed hard. “Let’s just say they weren’t well-liked, but you’re serious? Vampires?” He held up his transformed arm. I shrugged. “Point taken. You were saying something about their domain?”

  “They have their own lands to the west of here.”

  I lifted my eyes to the trees above our heads. “So where are we now?”

  “Conas. The land of the-.” A low, far-off howl interrupted him.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I whipped my head around the area. My eyes must have been as big as saucers. “What was that?”

  “A werewolf,” Tegan told me as he frowned. “And not too many miles off.”

  The previously asked question about seriousness raced through my mind before it was just as quickly discarded. I slumped down and stared blankly at my bark bowl. “Vampires. Werewolves.”

  “Handsome dragon men,” Tegan added.

  I sighed and took another bite of my meal. “What next? Unicorns and talking birds?”

  “We can only hope those are avoided,” Tegan mused as he tossed his empty bark plate into the fire. He brushed his hands together and smiled at me. “But we should get going before the werewolves find our scent. They’re not fond of sudden incursions into their land without permission.”

  I looked up at the tree line and my heart faltered a little. “You sure I’m full of magic? Or maybe this isn’t a dream?”

  He stood and held out his hand to me. “I’m certain.”

  I sighed and accepted his hand. He helped me to my feet and began packing. The task took only a few minutes while I doused the flames of the makeshift fire with dirt.

  Tegan held out his coat to me. “Take this.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not cold.”

  He nodded at the foliage. “You’ll need it for the wilderness that’s ahead of us.”

  I reluctantly accepted his offer, being only in the thin attire from my office job. We headed into the woods with Tegan in the lead. There was no trail to follow so the bushes and low tree branches had their way with us. I was a mess of scratches and sticky scrambles. Tegan would have been worse but for the scales he grew out of his arms and neck that protected his flesh.

  I couldn’t help but gape at the abnormal skin. He spoke up after a long silence. “They don’t hurt.”

  I started back. “I didn’t say anything.”

  He turned his head to one side so I caught sight of a twinkling eye. “You didn’t have to. I was just answering the usual question that pops into the minds of others unfamiliar with dragon shifters.”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t wondering that. I was wondering if I shouldn’t give you your coat back.”

  He looked a little surprised but a smile slipped onto his lips. “There’s no need for that.” He tapped a fisted hand against his other arm. The scales rang as hard as stone. “Brambles won’t get through this.”

  “What can get through that?” I asked him.

  He dropped his arm and stared ahead. “I’d rather not say.”

  I winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  He shook his head. “It’s better for you that I not say.”

  I cocked my head to one side. “For me?”

  “My kind generally don’t tell others about our weakness because our foes would force the information out of you,” he pointed out.

  “What kind of foes do you guys have?”

  “There-” A howl interrupted his reply. “There isn’t any particular foe against all dragon shifters, but we live long enough that we gain some enmity with one family or another.” I opened my mouth but he continued. “We live well on two centuries. A feat far longer than werewolves but nothing compared to the near-immortality of vampires.”

  My eyes widened. “So vampires really do-ah!”

  My foot had stepped on a soft spot in the earth and sunk half a foot. Tegan spun around as I struggled to lift my leg out. “Don’t move-”

  Too late. My struggles opened up a larger and much deeper hole that swallowed me whole. I fell into an abyss of darkness where my voice echoed all around me. My arms flailed about and my hands came into contact with thin vines. I managed to grab a bundle which I slid down for a yard before capturing a tight enough grip to come to a hard stop. My legs swung beneath me and my heart pounded in my chest.

  A shadow partially blocked the hole and Tegan’s voice shouted down at me. “Kate!”

  “Help!” I yelled back as I clung to the dark, dirt-spattered root.

  A quick look down between my feet showed me a pitch-black abyss. The sunlight through the break in the ground allowed me only enough light to glimpse huge roots that snaked their way through one another and disappeared into the stone walls of the finely shaped tunnel. Smooth cobblestones decorated the floor and huge stone blocks were set into the walls and ceiling. A pile of rubble far beneath me was the remains of the stone block through which I’d fallen.

  One of the larger roots began to move. My eyes widened as the ‘root’ slithered up the vines toward me. A pair of golden eyes stared hungrily in my direction and a long tongue flicked out to taste my fear.

 

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