Blood gushed down his side as Carissa cut the scale free, but he didn’t hear what she said. More had been pulled away from him than just flesh. He sat there, stunned by the loss, as Terra pressed her hand over his wound. Her firm touch pulled him away from the shock.
It’s for her, his dragon rumbled with contentment.
The loss was nothing compared to what he was gaining in trade. He shifted his head so he could watch as Carissa attached his scale.
Pain raced across Terra’s face. She let out an ear-shattering scream and collapsed against him.
“Terra!” he roared and tensed up, but he dared not move underneath her.
Carissa reached for her, but Michael was at her side, holding her back. He shook his head and pointed at Terra. Kyle froze on the other side of the bed, watching.
Alex focused his eye on Terra and watched as patches of multicolored scales raced across her skin, and her form twisted. He could actually hear her bones creak as she shifted. It was the slowest and most agonizing shift he had ever witnessed. When she was done, she leaned against him, unconscious, in the perfect form of a lesser dragon. And blue as a star sapphire.
Shifting under her, Alex reached around and nuzzled her side, but she didn’t respond to him.
“She’ll be all right.”
Alex looked up at Michael. Apparently, the man had reclaimed his voice from Carissa.
Michael leaned over and carefully pulled the IV away from Terra’s foreleg. Her body had pushed the plastic tube out as it had shifted, and the liquid was leaking all over the bed. “My first shift was just as bad,” he admitted, “only I didn’t have the good fortune of passing out halfway through it.” Gently, he lifted her off Alex and laid her back on the bed.
Free from her weight, Alex moved around so he could see her. She was beautiful. Her scales glittered softly in the light, almost the exact same shade as his. Two small horns curved back from her head. She was nearly a perfect copy of him, only smaller. He nosed her softly, trying to get her to wake up.
Kyle ran his hand down Alex’s back, drawing his attention away from her. “Just let her rest.”
Michael chuckled softly as he pulled the blanket up over her. “She’s going to need it,” he said wryly. “That first shift is exhausting. But stay with her. If she’s anything like me, she’s going to need you when she wakes up.”
“Thank you,” Alex chirped. Even if Michael hadn’t suggested he stay, he was not going to leave her side until he knew she was okay. Carefully, he found a spot right up against her side and lifted his wing over her. Drawing in a deep breath, he relaxed next to her. Waiting for some change in her condition had been tiring, but the last few hours had completely exhausted him. With Terra’s form stable and tucked safely under his wing, he could finally catch that nap he so desperately needed.
Damn, it was hot in here. Terra shifted in her sleep, trying to get more comfortable. She kicked at the covers, but they didn’t shift as she wanted them to. Growling her frustration, she tried to roll onto her side. Her back hit something solid and stopped her from getting into a more comfortable position. She had always been a side sleeper, and lying on her stomach wasn’t comfortable. Growling again, she wiggled, trying to reach her goal, but something tangled around her legs. Visions of the men that had attacked her flashed in her head, and she thrashed, desperate to get away from them.
“Terra!”
The chirp of Alex’s voice broke into her fear, and she froze in her struggles. A tingle of magic washed over her scales, and the weight that was holding her down lifted.
“It’s all right.”
Gentle hands rubbed down her back, pulling the blanket away from her. Rolling back to her stomach, Terra opened her eyes. Sleep clogged her vision, and she raised her hand to rub it way. It was an odd stretch, but she finally got her hand up to her face.
Alex caught it before she could clear her eye. “Careful,” he cautioned as he rubbed her hand. “Your claws are sharp, and you could hurt yourself if you aren’t careful.”
Claws? Terra blinked away the sleep and turned to look at the man lying on the bed next to her. Her vision was still funky, but he looked as handsome as she remembered him being. But, he was bigger than she remembered.
Mine, some part of her purred in satisfaction.
Shaking her head, Terra tried to sit up, but she didn’t bend right. She managed to push up to her hands and feet, but her balance was off, and she toppled over on her side.
Alex caught her before she could fall off the bed. “Easy there,” he soothed. His fingers ran down her side in a soft caress. “You’re dragon now, so things are going to be a little different. I’ll help you as much as I can, but you might want to take it slowly.”
Terra considered his words as she lay there. I’m dragon now. That she could believe. She felt different. Warmer. A stray thought raised her tail up and thumped it on the bed. She had a tail now! Another thought rustled her wings. She had wings! She felt both strange and wonderful at the same time.
Rolling her head over, she stared at the man next to her. He stretched down the bed with his head propped on his hand, watching her with those gorgeous eyes. She loved his eyes. And with her new vision, the colors in his hazel eyes sparkled.
All ours, that reptilian part of her purred.
Fear rubbed at the edge of Terra’s mind. It felt as if something had invaded her brain.
I am you, that piece said soothingly.
No, you’re not, Terra argued back. She had never had any part of her talk back to her before.
That part laughed. We are one and the same.
Doubt crept into her mind. What do we do now? she asked.
Go on, her dragon answered.
Terra paused to think about that. Go on? But how?
Another snicker crept out of the wayward bit. We both want the same thing.
Terra studied the man next to her as she considered what her dragon had said. It was true; she did want him. In more than one way. And that, in itself, was disconcerting. She barely knew the man, but she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.
He will not leave us, her dragon reassured her.
But does he love us? she asked, worried.
The answer came back to her in a mix of emotions. Desire. Need. An overwhelming possessiveness. None of it was love as she had known it. It was something much stronger.
But he’s human, and we are not, Terra complained.
Then change that.
How?
The answer came rushing into Terra, and she instinctively knew what to do. Closing her eyes, she let go of the part of her that was dragon. Magic tingled across her skin as the scales slipped away, leaving her in human form. She heard Alex draw in a sharp breath and opened her eyes to look at him. Surprise rode his face.
“Beautiful.” The words slipped from him in a soft whisper as he reached out and pushed a stray lock of hair from her face.
See, her dragon gurgled at her, bringing the ghost of a smile to her lips.
Curling her hands up under her head, she considered Alex. His fingers played along her cheek and shoulder, sending shivers of delight through her. After a few minutes of enjoying his touch, she let out a sigh.