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Weird.
Once I was inside, it wasn’t what I expected.
If anything, I’d expected to step into the Shadow Realm or to be facing off against Zowen himself, but instead I was standing in an empty field, nothing nearme at all.
Then Elliot came flying in and landed in his dragon form.
He didn’t see me standing in the center of the field. He simply stood and stared down at something at his feet.
I walked toward him, then froze when I saw what he was looking at. It was Miki-Leopard. Me. It was me in leopard form and I was dead.
Elliot threw back his head and roared, flames shooting high.
He shifted to human, knelt down, lifted my body and carried me to a pyre that somehow appeared out of nowhere.
He set my body on the branches, stepped back and lit it on fire.
One moment, my body was lit ablaze and the next, ashes were flying across the field, nothing left of me or Miki or thebranches upon which we’d burned.
Elliot turned at that moment and looked straight at me. His eyes were flames, his brown hair was darkening, his gorgeous wings turning black.
At first, I assumed he was dying, turning to ash like the mate he’d just burned, but he stood still for a long moment, then transformed to the darkest dragon I’ve ever seen and burst into the sky, a raging missile of flame raining fire upon the world below.
I had no difficulty controlling Miki because she was curled up in my mind, whimpering.
It’s not real, Miki-Leopard. It’s a test, a stupid one.
Test?
To see if we can stay calm in the face ofour worst fears.
Elli-Dragon dark. Miki-Leopard dead.
Miki-Leopard, you are right here. You are not dead. If you are not dead, then Elli-Dragon is not dark.
Not dark?
Not dark.
Miki-Leopard no like this place.
I know, Miki, me neither.
Miki-Leopard want Shadow.
You can try to call her. Maybe she’ll hear you and come.
Shadow! Shadow-kitty!
A menacing voice whispered around us, “No shadow-kitties are here. Only shadow-dragons dwell in the home of the Dragon, little leopard.”
Miki whimpered and curled back into a ball, which just pissed me off. “Not cool!” I shouted. “She’s just a baby. Stop torturing her!”
That’s when the shadows came pouring in.
I was just pissed enough that seeing them only made me angrier. “Well, come on, then! Let’s see what you’ve got!”Remember, Miki, this isn’t real. It’s just them throwing our fears at us.
Miki-Leopard afraid.
