Chapter Five
Kiara hadn’t been spending as much time in dragon form now that she had Spence and they often practiced magic together. He had a lot to learn to catch up to her, but he learned very quickly. They spent nearly every afternoon after school in the woods doing magic and making out. And he was, as her spell had made him, everything she wanted. It had only been a matter of weeks, but she was already falling for him.
They walked together out of the woods one afternoon after a few hours of magic. “We have to tell her,” Kiara said. “It’s already been too long.”
“Let’s just kiss in the hall in front of her at school and stop hiding that we’re together.”
Kiara groaned. “I don’t want to hide, but she’s my best friend, and she liked you.”
“I know, and I’ve been working on the spell. I’ll go today, okay?”
“Swear it.”
“Swear.” He kissed her hand and touched it to his cheek.
She hadn’t thought it would take so long for him to get the spell that would make Erica not like him anymore right, but they always seemed to get distracted instead of working on it.
They parted, and he headed towards Erica’s while she went home. She ran inside and up to her bedroom, shoved a few items into her bag and dashed back to the woods. He’d be busy casting the spell on Erica and talking to her about their relationship, so she could get in a little dragon time.
For hours she cast spells while in dragon form. She went for a long flight and visited the island to get some plants she’d need later. She thought about going to the treasure cave but heeded Sindri’s warning. She still had plenty of money from when she’d sold the first necklace. She wouldn’t be greedy. She didn’t want the island to shut itself off to her.
She came home worn out and dirty. She tended to get grimy when she went around in dragon form, her large body dragging against the ground in the dirt and leaves. In her bedroom, she flicked the light on and screamed a silent scream when she saw a figure standing there.
“It’s just me.” Spence released the silencing spell, the same one Kiara had cast on Erica when she’d snuck into her room.
She smacked his arm. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“I know. That’s why I silenced you. Why are you so dirty?”
“From earlier, I guess.”
He handed her a soda. “I stopped at the QuikShop on my way home.”
She opened the soda and drank several gulps. “Thanks. Needed that.”
He leaned against her desk, arms crossed, watching her. “Where were you?”
“In the woods. I went back to do a few more spells.”
“That’s funny. After I went to see Erica I came here and you weren’t here, so I went to the woods and you weren’t there, either.”
“Then I guess we just missed each other.” She held his gaze and glared back as she lied.
“You’re lying!” He pushed himself off the desk and came toward her. “You know, your eyes flicker the prettiest green when you lie.”
“What?” She looked down at the soda in her hand. Had the lid been sealed when she opened it? “Did you put a potion in my drink?”
He nodded once.
“What the hell! How could you do that?”
“How could you lie to me? I saw the necklace.”
He pointed to the necklace she had on. It was the one that he’d given her. She never took it off. She’d discovered early in her shifting that jewelry, unlike clothing, changed with the shifter. Something about it being metal, a dragon at the haven had told her when she asked. All metal came from the earth and contained natural powers, even if only the most minuscule. And since magic was connected with the earth, metal was connected to the caster.
Spence glared at her and set his jaw. “I’ll give you one more chance to tell the truth.”
She shook her head, tears coming to her eyes. “You don’t understand. I can’t. It’s not that I don’t want to. I’d tell you anything. But I can’t.” She absently touched the ring on her finger.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that I already know your secret.”
“What?” It came out as a horrified whisper. “No, no, please tell me you don’t. You couldn’t have seen.”
“I saw everything, and I don’t appreciate you lying to me about it.” He glared at her, then jumped from her window and ran away from the house using a speed spell. He was gone in a flash.
Kiara paced her room, thinking. Could he have really seen her in dragon form? She retraced her steps. She’d cast spells. Obviously he knew all about that. Then she shifted and cloaked and flown off. But she’d cast her detection spells. Unless he’d cast spells of hiding, which wouldn’t trigger the detection spell…
Her heart started to race. What had Sindri said? The curse was an illness. He wouldn’t just drop dead. She took out her phone and texted him.
“Please come back. I HAVE to talk to you.”
She waited fifteen minutes, but he didn’t respond. She called him, then called him again. Finally she gave up and went after him, running to his house.
She cast a cloaking and levitating spell, then jumped up to the roof by his room and tried to open his window. Locked. She knocked and when he didn’t answer, she cast an unlock spell. The lock flicked open, then instantly closed. She saw the curtain flutter. He was sitting right there, so close to her.
“I know you’re there,” she said, putting her mouth close to the window glass. “Please, let me explain. It’s not what you think, and in so many ways it’s much, much worse.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll let you explain. Tomorrow. I’m tired and I’m pissed off and I really don’t want to see you right now. You’d better have some amazing explanation, though, because let me tell you, I’m so ready to never speak to you again.”
“Okay.” She put her hand to the glass, wishing he would at least look at her. The truth herb was in her pocket. She had to give it to him, find out what he saw and go from there. But if he’d seen, he would die. She didn’t know how fast the illness took effect. She might never see him or talk to him again. “Spence?” Her voice wavered and cracked. “I love you.”
He opened the curtains an inch to look at her. She saw just one shining eye. Now that he was looking, she repeated it so he could see there was no green glimmer of deceit in her words. She jumped down and ran back to her house.