not,” Maria reassured her friend. “He’s something I wanted to get out of my system.”
“Ah, I get it.” Lourdes laughed, the sound confident. “I’ve had a few of those myself. How’d you meet?”
“Are you asking as my friend or are you interviewing me?”
“Hey, that’s harsh.” Lourdes sounded wounded. “Come on, Maria. Dish.”
They spent the next several minutes catching up. When Maria had told her friend everything she could think of about not only Ryan, but work and her family. Everything, that is, but the way the pressure kept increasing to have a child and complete her destiny. Maria had never discussed that with her friend since Lourdes wasn’t Drakkor. There were some things she didn’t need to know.
Finally, Lourdes wound down with a request that Maria promise to let her do the interview if anything were to come of the relationship with Ryan. This was easy enough to do, since Maria knew nothing would.
By the time she’d finished all the telephone chatting, Maria’s headache had worsened. Glancing at the bright blue sky, she realized she needed to get away from everything human, and let her dragon out to play. Soaring over the ocean never failed to lift her spirits.
Out of habit, she checked the planner she kept on her desk.
Yes. Her instinct had been right. According to the careful calendar she kept, the time had come for her to release her dragon. As usual, she’d drive to the most secluded place around Galveston, Corps Woods.
Morphing into a huge, scaly beast wasn’t something she could just do anywhere. She could imagine the panic if any humans were to see. Especially since she’d been told her scales glistened all the colors of the rainbow.
She drove west on Seawall, turning right at the light onto Ferry Road, then right again at the sign that read US Coast Guard. Corps Woods was about a half mile on the right, along a narrow waterway outside a levee.
The tourists rarely came here, except for the occasional bird watchers during the spring migration.
After parking, she got out of her car, satisfied no one else was around. She walked out into the woods, taking care to move quietly so not to frighten the creatures who lived there.
The sun had reached the edge of the horizon. She always had to wait until full dark to avoid being spotted. That was okay, especially during a full moon when she flew out over the ocean.
Dragons’ eyes saw the world differently than people’s. Everything was lusher somehow. More vibrant and colorful, almost as if the world glowed. Though history had made them into fearsome monsters, in her dragon form Maria felt nothing but pure love and full of joy at being alive.
And the tingling of the ever-present magic, fueling her flights, lifting her wings as she climbed higher and higher into the sky.
Legend held it that this magic was the reason the other Shifters feared the Drakkor and the motive for the near extermination of their kind back in humanity’s dark ages.
Magic. She loved this almost as much as she loved flying. Even though her magic was untrained, she could create things—and make them vanish with a flick of her fingers. Colors, sparkles, lights, fire and ice, none of that was beyond her capabilities. She could amuse her dragon self for hours with her undeveloped magic, especially since she’d taken care to keep her abilities alive.
These days, they were expressly forbidden to use magic on humans. Maria had frequently amused herself with dazzling displays of color and light, but only when she’d flown far out to sea, avoiding the shipping channels. As soon as she spotted a freighter or a cruise ship, no matter how far in the distance, she flew as far away in the opposite direction as she could.
Giddy at the thought of becoming her dragon self, Maria walked into the thickest part of the woods and took a seat on an old log. There, she’d meditate while waiting for the sun to sink below the horizon. Once the light had gone, she’d begin the process of allowing her Drakkor to break free. And then she’d truly fly.
* * *
Feeling restless, agitated and uncomfortable could only mean one thing. Ryan needed to change. Inside, his wolf paced, wanting to hunt, needing out right this instant.
The sexually charged atmosphere created by Ryan craving Maria, and his frustration therewith, had his wolf howling inside him. Since the beach wasn’t safe and he’d done his research, he got in his Jeep and drove to Corps Woods.
At this time of the night, with only one other car in the parking lot—a sweet, turquoise-colored Corvette—the place appeared deserted. All the tourists packed the restaurants and bars on the other side of the island and all the locals were home watching television.
Here, he could let his wolf run free safely.
He got out of the car and stretched, carefully scanning the area to make certain he hadn’t been followed. His fame could be annoying, but if some erstwhile paparazzi captured him changing from man to wolf, his life would be over. The Pack Protectors would clean up the mess and Ryan Howard would disappear from his former life.
He’d often thought about this, aware it would be a blessing that they wouldn’t kill him. In the old days, revealing the truth to a human had been a crime punishable by death. These days, the Protectors gave a second chance and a new life.
Ryan had no intention of starting over. He’d worked too damn hard to get where he was to give it all up over something stupid.
He could hear nothing but the sound of the seagulls screeching, but he eyed the Corvette, aware he needed to find the other person. Only once he knew their location would he be able to make a sensible decision on where to shape-shift.
Moving with exaggerated casualness, he left the parking lot and headed out onto the walking trails. He wondered if the tourists even came out this far. From what he’d read, serious bird watchers mainly frequented this area, and only during the spring migration. Even if the odd curious visitor ventured here, he imagined that would be in the middle of the day. Now, with the sun blazing a farewell trail on the edge of the horizon, everyone had finished outdoor activities. Soon only the silver ghost of moonlight would shine on the trees and the canal.
Ryan grinned, feeling savage. A perfect place, and not too far from home. Once he got settled, he planned to seek out other Pack members so he could learn where they went to hunt. In his wolf shape, he ceased being Person Magazine’s Most Eligible Billionaire. Then he was only another lupine hunter, one more member of the Pack.
His wolf pushed, fighting to break free. Shaking his head, Ryan kept him confined. Until he made certain he wouldn’t be seen, he couldn’t take the chance.
Movement ahead of him had him ducking behind a tree, crouching low. Something big, too large to be human. He kept still while he tried to figure out what the heck it could be. From this distance, it had the shape of an elephant, which wasn’t even possible. Or was it?
As he watched from his hiding place, the beast rose, spreading huge, rainbow-colored wings. And then, while Ryan gaped in disbelief, the thing leaped up and took to the sky.
He watched until it became only a speck in the dark sky. What the...? Had he really seen a dragon? He’d thought he knew every species of Shape-shifter. If there were dragons, he’d certainly never heard anyone mention
