When she became hungry, she used magic to produce food. She stopped many times to sketch a flower, an animal, or just a scene that caught her eye. She hadn’t anticipated finding such splendor everywhere she went. The notepad quickly filled with her drawings, and she hadn’t even been on the realm a whole day.
The Light Fae gloried in everything bright and beautiful. They found flowers and plants soothing. A Dark, however, scorned such things and abhorred anything that even remotely resembled something a Light would enjoy.
Ailis had judiciously kept her joy and delight for the wonders around her—trees, the black deer, the moons—to herself, hidden from everyone but Bea. She had never dared to share her thoughts with anyone else. She was already an outsider among the Dark because she didn’t conform as they demanded. Which was ironic since the Dark had turned against the Light for that very reason.
She had never fit in with her people. She wasn’t a Light. But she wasn’t like other Dark either. It had made life impossible sometimes. In order to survive, she’d had to pretend to be something she wasn’t. The only time she’d ever been herself was with Bea. Her aunt had been a safe harbor in the storm that was her life. She ran to Bea when things got to be too much.
Then, her aunt died. Leaving Ailis truly alone.
No anchor. No safe harbor. Just endless loneliness that ate at her like a cruel disease.
The edge of the forest loomed before her. Beyond it was a sizable body of water with mountains ringing it on three sides. Ailis halted at the tree line and gazed at the grandeur before her. The lake was vast, the water so still and smooth it reflected the area around it like a mirror. She put her hand against the bark of the tree, feeling it bite into her palm. She would sketch this. But the water looked so tempting. She walked from the forest, intent on taking a swim. Halfway to the lake, water bubbled in the middle, the area growing larger, the gurgles coming faster and stronger. A heartbeat later, an enormous, scaled head appeared, then the upper body.
Ailis froze. Water rolled to the shore in waves as the dragon slowly turned its head toward her, pinning her to the spot. Her stomach dropped to her feet at the sight of the silver scales glistening metallic from the sun and the water. The dragon’s white eyes narrowed slightly, taking her breath. She stumbled back as the beast walked out of the lake, never looking away.
There was no hiding now. Ailis pushed to her feet and formed two orbs of magic. She held one in each hand, waiting. “I’m not going down without a fight.”
CHAPTER THREE
Lennox knew every creature on the realm, and the one before him wasn’t one of them. The being was small, seemingly harmless, but underestimating her would be his folly. He climbed out of the water, intending to investigate this new arrival—and what it wanted. His duty was to protect the dragons and the realm itself—from anything he deemed a threat. And until he knew differently, the newcomer was exactly that.
While he didn’t know what it was yet, his magic informed him that it was female. He took in her exotic look, finding it surprisingly appealing. Her thick hair fell nearly to her hips, the black strands woven with bright silver. Her oval face was both delicate and fierce—a combination that utterly intrigued him. Her crimson eyes were ringed in black, making her thick, midnight lashes more pronounced. She had high cheekbones, a stubborn tilt to her chin, and lips that drew his gaze again and again.
She wore garments to cover herself, which he found curious. Though he had to admit he liked the way they contoured to her body, showcasing every amazing curve. The article closest to her skin was so dark a green it was nearly black. Over that was a piece of black leather laced up her front to end in a V at her breasts, showing the green beneath it and then her beige skin.
Draped across her body was a length of leather with a bag attached at the end. Her legs were encased in black with material that looked as supple and pliable as skin. Her feet were also covered in leather, albeit thicker, the material going all the way up to her knees.
His gaze moved back to her mouth as she spoke. He frowned as he listened to the inaudible words. Lennox then noticed the iridescent orbs in each of her hands. He immediately realized it was magic of some sort. So, this female had magic as dragons did. Interesting.
She spoke again, and his power began to decipher the words.
“…well? Get on with it,” she demanded.
Lennox fought not to smile at her pluck. He wanted to talk to her, but dragons didn’t communicate as she did. No sooner had the thought gone through his mind than pain shot through him. Bones snapped, and muscles and ligaments tore. A bellow locked in his throat at the agony. It felt like it went on forever, and then it was just…gone.
He suddenly found himself no longer towering over the female. Lennox glanced down at himself to see that he looked like her. That wasn’t possible. He lifted his hands, expecting to see his long talons, but they were gone. As were his scales.
“Bloody hell,” she murmured, her voice soft with surprise.
He knew he was stunned. This had never happened before. He swallowed and worked his mouth as she continued eyeing him suspiciously. Lennox wanted to move, but he was still testing his new body. The last thing he wanted was to fall flat on his face. The female might just use those balls of magic on him.
Lennox flexed his fingers and squeezed his toes in the rocks that lined the shore. He rotated his shoulders before stilling as something landed against his cheek. He reached up to feel it. He tugged but discovered it was attached to his head.
“That’s your hair,” the female stated.
He looked at her black and silver locks and tried to see his. To his surprise, he could move it around enough to see that it was a golden hue.
“You understand me?”
Lennox’s gaze slid to her as he nodded. But he didn’t try for words. He touched his face. His long snout and sharp teeth were gone. Once more, hands drew his gaze. He rubbed his fingers along his thumb, captivated by the feeling. This was entirely different than what he experienced in his other form. There were thousands more sensations, each demanding his attention.
Something brushed against his arm. He looked and saw the hair there stirred by the breeze. A careful look at his body showed more hair on his chest that narrowed to a line at his stomach and trailed to his manhood. At least he still had that. There was hair on his thighs that grew thicker down his legs, ending at his ankles. This form was different in nearly every way. A glance behind him showed that his tail was gone. And his wings, which he missed with a pang.
“Do you understand me?”
Her voice was smooth and melodic with an accent he quite liked. Lennox moved his mouth and tested his voice. “Aye. I do.” It came out as a croak. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I do.”
He marveled at the feel of the words moving over his tongue and past his lips. It was vastly different than anything he’d known before.
The female’s eyes widened as her breath whooshed from her lips.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I-I’d like to ask you the same.”
He should be worried about how she’d gotten here. He should grill her on what she wanted. But all he could do was stare as a million questions ran through his head.
She wiggled her fingers slightly, and the orbs vanished. “I can bring them back in an instant,” she warned.