didn’t you, Sky?”
“For the zillionth time, no! Mason did. Your own ally killed him.”
Dillon rolled his eyes. “Former ally. Nonetheless Mason wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Chace heard Skylar make a growling sound. He resisted the urge to move closer to her when Dillon paused in front of her. Every instinct in his body screamed for him to protect her, but he wasn’t about to make matters worse around the lunatic when he had no way to help them out of this situation.
“Chill, Sky,” he said softly.
She glanced at him and took a deep breath.
“The griffins tell me you can shift into a panther, and I’m able to sense you, which means your power has awoken,” Dillon said, circling her. “I can’t imagine how being a panther is very beneficial. What else can you do, if anything?”
“No idea,” she snapped. “Seeing as how you brainwashed me to try to control the shifters, I’ve got no knowledge whatsoever about what I’m supposed to do.”
“There’s more. I know it,” Dillon insisted. “How can you turn into a panther? Why a panther? How can that be the great gift that allows you to control the shifters?”
Chace listened, realizing Dillon had no idea what Skylar was capable of. He inched closer, earning him a glare and gnashing of teeth from the nearest griffin. Infuriated by his helplessness, he stopped and thought hard.
“It’s not about control, Dillon,” Skylar replied. “It’s about protecting them from things like this – wars, other shifters trying to kill them. From things like you .”
“I’m not the problem. This war has been going on for thousands of years. The griffins may have been hiding quietly for some time, but it never truly ended,” he returned. “That dragon whore gave us a means to continue it. She wanted what I want: to change the leadership of the shifters from birthright to the strongest. How else can we survive, if we are hiding from humans? The shifters need a leader who will keep order and discipline.”
“And you propose doing that by killing off those who don’t agree?” Chace challenged. “The leadership is by birthright because it takes the strongest of our kind to safeguard the shifters.”
“Strong like you ?” Dillon laughed bitterly. He approached Chace slowly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “The great teal dragon, protector of the shifters. Where’s your strength now, dragon? You’re the weakest here. You don’t even belong among our kind anymore!”
“It takes more than brute force to lead, Dillon. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that strength without thought will get you where I am now,” Chace responded with what calm he was able to muster. He imagined transforming into the largest dragon he could and snapping Dillon in two.
“Weak,” Dillon repeated. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Does it bother you that your woman and everyone else pities you? What use are you to anyone?”
Chace said nothing. He’d struggled with the same thoughts for days now. Unable to help Sky the way he was supposed to let alone the rest of the shifters, he had spent more hours than he wanted to admit lost in the confines of his mind, wondering why he was even alive when he had nothing to give.
Except I do. Aware of Skylar’s gaze on him, he knew his place was with Sky. Somehow. If they didn’t survive this together, if he didn’t earn back his magic, the shifter community would be devastated by a war. There was a way to correct the course of events Dillon wanted for the shifters. Chace just had to recover his power and help Skylar make things right.
“Freyja always told me you were the strongest ever born. Stronger even than Gavin,” Dillon added. “Like most things, that dragon bitch was wrong.”
“Freyja?” Chace repeated. While at the cabin on the Oregon beaches, waiting to die, he’d dreamt about Freyja, the woman he’d one time loved and who made his dragon magic awaken originally. She’d claimed Dillon was too
“For the zillionth time, no! Mason did. Your own ally killed him.”
Dillon rolled his eyes. “Former ally. Nonetheless Mason wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Chace heard Skylar make a growling sound. He resisted the urge to move closer to her when Dillon paused in front of her. Every instinct in his body screamed for him to protect her, but he wasn’t about to make matters worse around the lunatic when he had no way to help them out of this situation.
“Chill, Sky,” he said softly.
She glanced at him and took a deep breath.
“The griffins tell me you can shift into a panther, and I’m able to sense you, which means your power has awoken,” Dillon said, circling her. “I can’t imagine how being a panther is very beneficial. What else can you do, if anything?”
“No idea,” she snapped. “Seeing as how you brainwashed me to try to control the shifters, I’ve got no knowledge whatsoever about what I’m supposed to do.”
“There’s more. I know it,” Dillon insisted. “How can you turn into a panther? Why a panther? How can that be the great gift that allows you to control the shifters?”
Chace listened, realizing Dillon had no idea what Skylar was capable of. He inched closer, earning him a glare and gnashing of teeth from the nearest griffin. Infuriated by his helplessness, he stopped and thought hard.
“It’s not about control, Dillon,” Skylar replied. “It’s about protecting them from things like this – wars, other shifters trying to kill them. From things like you .”
“I’m not the problem. This war has been going on for thousands of years. The griffins may have been hiding quietly for some time, but it never truly ended,” he returned. “That dragon whore gave us a means to continue it. She wanted what I want: to change the leadership of the shifters from birthright to the strongest. How else can we survive, if we are hiding from humans? The shifters need a leader who will keep order and discipline.”
“And you propose doing that by killing off those who don’t agree?” Chace challenged. “The leadership is by birthright because it takes the strongest of our kind to safeguard the shifters.”
“Strong like you ?” Dillon laughed bitterly. He approached Chace slowly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “The great teal dragon, protector of the shifters. Where’s your strength now, dragon? You’re the weakest here. You don’t even belong among our kind anymore!”
“It takes more than brute force to lead, Dillon. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that strength without thought will get you where I am now,” Chace responded with what calm he was able to muster. He imagined transforming into the largest dragon he could and snapping Dillon in two.
“Weak,” Dillon repeated. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Does it bother you that your woman and everyone else pities you? What use are you to anyone?”
Chace said nothing. He’d struggled with the same thoughts for days now. Unable to help Sky the way he was supposed to let alone the rest of the shifters, he had spent more hours than he wanted to admit lost in the confines of his mind, wondering why he was even alive when he had nothing to give.
Except I do. Aware of Skylar’s gaze on him, he knew his place was with Sky. Somehow. If they didn’t survive this together, if he didn’t earn back his magic, the shifter community would be devastated by a war. There was a way to correct the course of events Dillon wanted for the shifters. Chace just had to recover his power and help Skylar make things right.
“Freyja always told me you were the strongest ever born. Stronger even than Gavin,” Dillon added. “Like most things, that dragon bitch was wrong.”
“Freyja?” Chace repeated. While at the cabin on the Oregon beaches, waiting to die, he’d dreamt about Freyja, the woman he’d one time loved and who made his dragon magic awaken originally. She’d claimed Dillon was too
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