Page 15 of Red King
“A shifter…as in…?” I start to say, my mind going a mile a minute.
“Surely not?” Maggie and I lock eyes. I see the same excitement as before.
“They are dragon shifters, meaning they can shift between human and dragon forms. They are intelligent and—”
Everyone starts talking at once.
“That’s crazy!” Mark shouts.
My mouth has fallen open. Can it be? How? Really?
Dragon shifters are a myth. They belong in novels. They don’t exist, do they?
I look over at Maggie, who is grinning broadly. I guess I’m going to find out soon enough. I smile back. My heart is racing like mad. I wanted a change. I wanted an adventure. I think I might have found one.
5
Paisley
The engines of our jet aircraft make a low hum.
“Oh, my gosh, look over there; it’s the island. I can see it!” Maggie yells over the flight attendant, who is making an announcement over the loudspeaker.
“…make sure that your seatback is in the upright position with your tray table stowed away,” the beautifully dressed woman continues over the speaker system on the aircraft, which is state-of-the-art. It’s all sleek leather with chrome finishes. I’ve never seen anything like it.
My heart is beating wildly at the thought of the dragons I’m about to encounter. Are they really tame? Do they shift back into men?
Dragon shifters.
It’s freaking insane.
I clasp my hands together in my lap, trying to breathe slowly. My nerves are on edge as we get closer to our destination. I look around the aircraft and note that the others seem to feel much the same. There is a mixture of both excitement and anxiety. After Marcel was done with our talk, everyone opted to come to the island, which came as a bit of a surprise where Mark was concerned.
I grip my armrest as we hit a patch of turbulence, passing through a section of mist that came out of nowhere. It doesn’t take long before it’s blue skies and smooth sailing again.
I steal a glance out the window and see waves crashing against the rocky shore below.
“We’re nearly there.” Maggie’s eyes are wide; she’s practically vibrating with excitement and has been chatting nonstop about dragon shifters and the fun we’re about to have.
“It almost makes me sad because I’m too old to be a Tribute,” she says under her breath. “Do you think the shifters will be attractive?”
The flight attendant walks down the aisle, checking that all seat belts are fastened for landing.
“They’re half animal,” Julie says. She’s sitting next to me on the aisle seat. “There’s just no way they’re good-looking.” She shakes her head and wrinkles her nose.
“I have no idea what to expect,” I say, seeing dense jungle below us. It doesn’t look very civilized to me. The island is bigger than I thought it would be.
“All the Tributes going to Mistveil are women,” Maggie says almost wistfully. “They’re here to date and marry the men on the island because women are in such short supply,” she repeats what Marcel told us yesterday.
That’s why they had a full gynecological exam, together with a full medical, instead of just the normal blood draw. They were looking for fertile women to bring to the island.
“Yep.” I nod. “I feel so sorry for them. Their own shifter women have become less and less fertile, and most of the babies born are male. They’ve started to die out.” It’s awful that they’re having to resort to such measures.
“I’m glad I’m not one of the Tributes. Poor things have no idea what they’re in for. I don’t envy Cathy,” Julie tells me, shaking her head. “She will have to keep them happy. At least we had a choice whether we wanted to come here or not. The Tributes are being forced to go to the island.”
“That’s true.” I nod. “At least they won’t be forced to marry any of the shifter men, though.”
“Yeah, but they will have to stay on the island for three months before they’re allowed to leave,” Julie says. “I think we’ll have it easy. It’s poor Cathy who has to contend with it all. She’s going to have her work cut out for her.”
