Why Bryant insisted that they go with him to deliver Claire and the other dragons to wherever they were going was beyond her. Polly tapped her foot against the floor of the car as they pulled up to a nondescript house. Her jaw clenched tight and she couldn’t help but think that if she hadn’t agreed, she could be back in Belize with her father now. Who cared if he was unconscious the majority of the time? She could have a few minutes here and there. More than she had gotten up to this point in her life.
Instead, she had come here while her mom flew to Belize. Polly only hoped that this wouldn’t take long.
Gilbert stepped out of the car after her. Bryant and his armored truck holding the two other dragons had split from them a while ago, but Claire was still with them. She was pulled out of the very back of the long car. Tear tracks smeared her makeup and Polly felt a wince of sympathy. She reached for Gilbert’s hand. If he was taken away from her like that…
They were quickly ushered inside, and a giant dragon with more muscle than the Rock took them to a parlor and told them to wait. Claire was whisked off somewhere else.
“Now the parents of the Emperor will decide on her punishment,” Gilbert murmured to himself. There was a look of total awe on his face as he glanced around. “Do you know how lucky we are that they permitted us to come here?”
Polly shot him an annoyed glance. Yes, the Emperor was meant to unite all the dragons, but she didn’t care about that. She just wanted to be with her dad, for the few days that he had left.
After what felt like far too long, Gilbert was called out. Polly protested, but she was ignored. Gilbert gave her a sympathetic look, kissed her, and whispered a promise to be back soon.
Once he was gone, Polly collapsed on the couch and wondered how quickly she’d be able to get to Belize if she slipped away right now. Between customs and buying a ticket and all that other stuff, it would probably be just as quick to wait until Gilbert could fly her down. He knew how important this was; he wouldn’t delay.
As she sat there, too anxious to even try to read some of the magazines on the coffee table, the door opened. A little boy, about six years old, crawled into the room and closed the door after him. Then he darted to his feet and raced to hide behind the couch.
“Hello.” Polly peered behind the couch at the boy.
“You’re the dragon who can’t shift, right?”
That was an odd thing for a little boy to ask. Polly frowned but nodded. His eyes, which were a deep amber-gold, focused on her. His brow furrowed in concentration and concern that didn’t match his childish features.
“Why?”
Oh, boy. How to explain that. “I… I’m sick. We don’t know why, but I’m sick and so my dragon stays asleep. Are you a dragon?’
The boy nodded. He straightened and climbed over the back of the couch. “My name’s Thunder. Daddy can turn into a dragon, too. Mommy can’t. Want to see my dragon?”
Not really, but Polly didn’t want to be rude. With a sigh, she nodded. Having a bit of a distraction would be helpful, right? Take her mind off the fact that her father was out there dying while she was here, playing entertainer to a child—
The thought died in her mind as the boy’s form shimmered. Unlike the transformations of the other dragons, which seemed to burst from their human forms, looking painful, his transformation was smooth. As though he was simply stepping into another skin. His body became long and sinewy, his eyes glowed and scales of red and gold emerged from his body. Five sharp claws ended his feet.
Polly’s breath left her lungs. She stared in amazement as the dragon rose up. An instinct hit hard in the pit of her stomach and she threw herself to the floor. She knelt before her emperor, heart in her throat. She had never seen anything so beautiful, so dangerous, so wonderful.
Long whiskers drooped from either side of his face. Thunder gazed at her with eyes far too intelligent for a child, and then one whisker rose. It pressed against her forehead. And in her head, she heard a voice, as deep as the sea, as beautiful as a rainbow, as terrible as a hurricane, as delightful as a baby’s first laugh.
I forgive the debt. Be free.
In an instant, Polly felt lighter than air. She felt warmth sweep through her, burning hotter and hotter. Something unlocked in her chest, the feeling of cages falling away. The fire burned even hotter, racing to the ends of her nerves. It burned so much that she let out a scream of pain, but with that pain was exhilaration; something stretched out within her, pushing outward until it filled her skin. But it didn’t push her out of the way, instead it molded against her, a perfect fit.
The burning stopped, becoming a pool in her stomach. Her fires flickered and leapt. She tasted smoke on her tongue as she looked up at her emperor.
Thunder retook his human form, one of his hands now on her head. He smiled at her and nodded. “There. I knew I could fix you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”
The door burst open. A man and a woman came running in. The woman grabbed Thunder and pulled him away from Polly while the man loomed over her. Smoke billowed from his mouth. Polly instinctively lowered her gaze. There was no fear, though. She knew they weren’t going to harm her; they were just concerned for their son.
Her dragon stretched inside of her, and she placed a hand on her chest. She wanted to rush out of the house right now and shift, but held herself back.
“What did you do?” the woman demanded.
Polly looked up to answer, but the boy’s mother wasn’t looking at her; rather, her gaze was locked on her son. The little boy’s gaze was steady as he clasped his mother’s face in his tiny hands.
“I fixed her, Mommy. I know you and Daddy want me to live normal and be safe, but we can’t change the place where we go. Our faces.”
His mother smoothed his hair from his face. “You mean destiny and fate?”
Thunder nodded. “Yeah. That’s what I mean. I am the Emperor, Mommy. I could feel how much pain she was in. You don’t understand because you don’t have a dragon. But it was locked away, and I couldn’t let her hurt no more. So, I fixed her.” He smiled over at Polly, his face lit up with the self-satisfaction of a child who had done something he was told he couldn’t do. “Right?”
Polly nodded. Tears burned in her eyes, and she felt her dragon rippling through her with each sigh. They weren’t two separate beings, they were one soul, one being. And for the first time in her life, she felt complete. A piece of her she didn’t even realize was missing, put back. Whole, and she couldn’t stop the tears of joy.
“Thank you,” she whispered again, choking on the lump in her throat. “I can never thank you enough.”
Thunder’s father, apparently deciding that she wasn’t a threat after all, stepped back. He returned to his mate and child and put an arm around them both. Thunder’s parents exchanged worried looks, but Thunder took their hands and smiled at both of them.
“I did the good thing, right?”
His mother fluffed her fingers through his hair. “Yes, baby. You did very well. Mommy and Daddy are just a little sad because they wanted you to have a normal life. And now… I’m not sure that’s possible.”
Thunder yawned. He stretched and then climbed into her lap and curled up with his head on her shoulder. “I was never normal, Mommy. I’m tired now. Can I have some ice cream?”
Thunder’s mother kissed his forehead and murmured something to him. She carried him out of the room, giving Polly a glance over her shoulder as she went. When she stepped out, Gilbert came in. He must have been standing outside, listening to everything, because now when he looked at her, there was wonder in his eyes. She couldn’t stop herself from beaming back at him.
“I trust both of you know not to tell anybody about this?” Thunder’s father glared at them.
Polly got to her feet. She nodded. “Of course not. I would never put him in danger. Thank you so much for allowing us to come. I can’t express to you—”
“You can express it by keeping this to yourself.” His glare softened, and he ran a hand through his hair. “He’s never shifted before. But he’s a strong, smart little boy… Everything is going to work out fine…”
Polly nodded at him, even though she knew that he was speaking more to himself than to her. He glanced at them again, grunted, and told them they were free to leave whenever they desired. Polly had to force herself to walk out of the house. Her first instinct when she felt the breeze on her face was to shift at once, but she didn’t want to be naked in suburbia.
She waited until they were outside of the city before she told Gilbert to stop the car. Then, she jumped out and stripped off all of her clothes at once. She held her breath as her fires danced inside of her. She focused on the feeling of the dragon skin inside of her. She wasn’t certain how to bring it forward, but after a couple of tries, she managed to shift.
It was like being reborn. Strength flowed through every muscle in her body. Her wings felt natural, the scales on her body as sensitive as her fingertips. She rolled over, feeling the ground beneath her, and then sprang into the air. She beat her wings hard and found herself shooting towards the sky. Her mouth opened and a joyful roar burst from her. Wind whistled in her ears. Moments later, a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Gilbert soaring over her. He twisted over in the air to glide on his back and he winked before flipping back over and speeding ahead of her.
So, he wanted a race, did he? Polly tucked her legs in against her belly to streamline herself and beat her wings harder. Challenge accepted!