I peered around the huge rock I was hiding behind.
Logan was struggling in Victor’s grasp. He needed me. I looked around to see if any of the other students were close by, but once the two had started fighting, they had retreated a safe distance down the mountain.
I was the only one close enough to help. It was up to me to save him.
I could feel both their magic thrumming along the surface of my skin.
Control is key. Professor Elspeth’s words boomed in my head as clearly as if she had been standing beside me. I took a deep breath in and concentrated, this time on the magic outside of me instead of that inside.
Calm. Even. Slow. Breaths. I am Yokai. That is what my magic truly is. The thrum on my skin had turned to prickles, as if it had decided to dance on every inch of my body. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed my eyes until I slowly opened them and looked down at one of my arms. It shimmered in a web of blue and green, as if the two magics were mixing before finding their way inside of me.
What happens when you mix a dragon and a water serpent? I wondered, closing my eyes tight as I felt their magic become my own.
Always before, I had felt my magic come from inside as my fox’s fur seemed to grow out from some hidden place, but this was different.
It wasn’t their magic becoming mine; it was more along the lines of me borrowing it, I decided as my body contorted, limbs and muscles reforming while scales raced along each inch.
Wow. I was no longer human. Glancing where my feet would have been, I saw the legs of a dragon. I took a deep breath and let it out, instantly feeling coldness as it left my nostrils in blue flame that scorched the grass before me.
My neck seemed longer than a dragon’s. Victor’s contribution, no doubt. I twisted the tiniest bit, trying to see if I had wings on my back. I did.
A strangled cry from the dragon stopped my self-inspection, and I knew I had to act. I jumped up, flapping my wings, and was rather surprised when I actually took off. I flew over the boulder, somewhat wobbly, directly at the two of them.
The dragon was still struggling, but I noticed a streak of blood coming from his shoulder. I’d been too late to completely save Logan from harm, but I was determined he wouldn’t get hurt any further.
The serpent must have heard me, his head swiveling in my direction. His eyes seemed to grow larger, registering shock, which gave me great satisfaction. He uncoiled, loosening his grip on Logan, and then reared to strike at me.
Hoping like crazy I wouldn’t hit Logan, I drew on instinct and blasted everything I had at Victor. He dodged the spiral of flames as they licked at him, and retreated a safe distance. The large serpent looked at me, then at Logan, who had regained his footing. The dragon’s nostrils were billowing smoke. Despite his wounds, he was moving in to help me.
The serpent hissed his annoyance, then retreated, slithering into the darkness of the forest.
We won! I let out a triumphant cry that sounded like something between a screech and a howl, making me wonder more than ever what I actually had turned into. Part dragon, part serpent? Whatever it was, it was awesome.
Logan faltered, his injured arm giving way. I shifted back, letting my borrowed magic melt away. He shifted, too, immediately pulling his shirt off to get a better look at his injury.
I had been on my way to him, but now I froze midstep. The light from a couple of the lanterns that had been left behind played on the muscles in his arms and chest.
Wow isn’t the word for that.
He noticed I’d stopped moving and looked up, a frown furrowing his brow. “Are you all right, Claire?” His shoulder forgotten, he strode over to me, worried, as he scanned me for any sign of injury.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” My voice sounded shaky and not at all fine, but it was the result of the sight of his bare torso, not from my part of the fight. I noticed a pair of round holes in his shoulder. Twin rivulets of blood ran down his bicep to his elbow. “We need to get you some help. Tell me his bite wasn’t poisonous.”
“It isn’t…or at least, I hope it isn’t. Water serpents are only lethal when they are in water. The most he’ll give me is a sore shoulder and possibly a scar or two. Luckily for us, you chose a good fighting spot.” His eyes narrowed, and he scowled. “Are you crazy, or what? You never should have let him goad you into coming here.”
I bit my lip and gave him a slight shrug. “I’m sorry?”
At that, his serious expression fell away, and he laughed. His smile transformed his face, and while he hadn’t been at all bad to look at before, now he was gorgeous. I couldn’t stop gaping at him.
He stopped laughing and became serious again. “By the way, the wyvern was extremely cool. I think you might be the first one who has ever attended Shifter’s.”
“So that’s what I was. I wondered since I could only see part of me.”
“Yep. A wyvern. Very similar to a dragon,” he said, his grin returning. “We should go flying sometime.”
Is that a date? Is he asking me for a date? The voice in my head was giddy with excitement, but logic had already set in. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to shift into a wyvern again. That was your magic and Victor’s. I just borrowed it.”
“Well. For the record, you can borrow my magic anytime,” he replied, then his eyes narrowed as he looked over my shoulder.
“Logan wins,” someone exclaimed. “Pay up, Montrose. I told you he would.”
I turned to see another guy root in his pockets for money, looking none too happy.
Lacy bounded over to me. “I’m glad you’re okay. I thought you were right behind me when the fighting started, but when I looked, you were gone.”
“I’m fine. Logan won,” I said, plastering a fake smile on my face, hoping like crazy that no one else had seen what I’d become.
Another guy I had seen at the Earth House rushed up, his blond mane of hair looking wild. His face was flushed, as if he had just ran the mile from the school to the Peak.
“Irin, what is it?” Logan asked, stepping around me. “What’s happened.”
“It’s the Dark Watch,” Irin replied, breathless. “Imperium is under attack.”