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“This is how you will shift into a Dragon,” he huffed, displeased with my lack of enthusiasm. Given our history and all the shit he had experimented on me as a child, I had every right to be wary – even if I’d requested that he mix me this very drink.
Drazen stood beside me, crinkling his nose after the disgusting scent hit his nostrils, too. “The other Dragon Félvér really drank this?”
Artur, Drazen’s second in command, looked like he was going to be sick from the smell alone, and his throat worked as he held the drink at arm’s length. All the Dragon Shifter Félvér in the Iron Realm had gathered in this valley far away from Radence, and the ones who had allowed Rares to test his potions on them nodded in affirmation, a few plugging their noses before they downed the liquid.
Izidora, Liliana, and Zuriel perched on an overhang nearby, watching the scene unfold from above. The valley was secluded enough that all the Félvér could shift and fly without being spotted by unwanted voyeurs, and hilly enough to give us arunning start in our fully shifted forms. Taking off from two legs was easy, but four? Well, none of us had done it before.
“Cheers,” I said, lifting the drink in Drazen’s direction before following the lead of the other Dragons and plugging my nose. The liquid was thick as it coated my tongue, and despite holding my breath, the bitter taste still hit my senses, nearly making me gag as the concoction entered my throat. I managed to get it down, though for a moment I thought I might notkeepit down. “Fuck, Rares, can we at least get a chaser?” I griped as the threat of gagging subsided.
“Shit, really,” Drazen spluttered beside me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “That was disgusting.”
The old Mage rolled his eyes. “You wanted it to work, not to taste good.”
“Why can’t we have both?” Artur muttered, looking green and clutching his stomach.
“Hold that shit down,” Drazen ordered, noticing the pallor of his second in command’s skin.
Empty containers were collected and placed in a bag near the tethered horses while we waited for the potion to take effect. Rares had told us that it could be anywhere from half an hour to an hour, and that we’d start to itch uncontrollably when the time was right. We mingled about, some lounging in the grass, others tossing a ball back and forth while we waited for the inevitable. I winked at Izidora, sending her a wave of passion down our bond. She sent one right back, and I grinned like a maniac as I gazed up at my mate.
She was beginning to look like the female I’d first met. With the help of the Demon drinks, her muscle tone was reforming quickly, and her normally pale skin was tanned from time spent in the sun. Every day, she and Liliana lay on the roof and forbade us from flying up or popping through the hatch. Side by side, the two females were stunning with their sun-kissed skin.
The itch started between my shoulder blades, and I smirked as the potion began to take effect.
“Do you feel it?” Drazen asked, reading my expression.
“Fuck yeah,” I replied, ripping my shirt over my head and tossing it aside. The bond heated as my mate perused my muscled torso covered in tattoos. Drazen’s teeth flashed with the thrill of the power rushing through us, and he stripped moments later, his own change overtaking him faster than mine. Blue scales erupted across his skin, and a moment later he was running, trying to get clear of everyone surrounding us. Without taking my eyes off him, I shucked off my pants and raced down the hillside.
Drazen reached a low cliff just in time for his wings to unfurl, and in the blink of an eye, an enormous lapis lazuli dragon burst from his skin, flapping its massive wings and lifting him into the air. The roar he released echoed around the peaks, and I felt my own inner Dragon rising to meet his. My skin felt like someone was peeling it away with pumice stone, the desire to claw at it nearly unbearable. I focused on breathing as I raced toward the ledge, hearing several pairs of footsteps following in my wake. Plush grass gave way to rock, and I closed in on the edge. Releasing a roar of joy, the shift tore through me, and I was airborne, soaring among the peaks in a way I’d never been able to do before.
“You are breathtaking,”Izidora said down our bond, her voice brimming with wonder and awe.
“Show me what you are seeing.”
Izidora projected the image soaring in front of her eyes into my mind. Two massive Dragons flew through the sky, one blue, the other blacker than the night during a new moon. My Dragon form seemed to swallow the light around it, and my scales shone with a dark luster. Beside me, Drazen glittered like a gemstone, the light catching the iridescence of his blue scales. We roaredtogether, releasing blue and black flame into the sky above us as we soared higher and higher. Beneath us, the Félvér shifted and leaped, joining us in the sky. Within a minute, a horde of Dragons flapped their wings wildly to catch up to their leaders.
“We’re going to win.”Izidora’s pride and thrill were palpable down our bond.
“If what you’re showing me is true, we absolutely will, sprite.”
“Can I ride you?”
The snort that ripped through my nostrils contained a hint of smoke.“Think you can hold on?”
“I thought you said you would always be there to catch me if I fall?”
If my Dragon form could smile, that was what I would have been doing as her words soothed that part of me that felt responsible for everything that happened to her.
“Be prepared to jump on.”
Her inner squeal was headier than any herb or whisky, and I snapped my wings shut, plummeting toward the earth in a dizzying spiral that left me wanting more of the thrill.
Who needed pain when this exhilaration existed?
Banking hard to my left, I floated on a draft toward where Izidora, Liliana, and Zuriel perched. My mate leaped to her feet, her white wings appearing at her back, and she stood, poised and ready for the leap as I passed by.
“He’s going to let you ride him?” Liliana exclaimed, her mouth popping open, and I chuckled to myself at her jealousy. Maybe Drazen would get the hint once he saw Izidora on my back.
“Ready, sprite?”
