Page 109 of Red Fury

We need space.

And incredibly, she listens.

She pulls back from Fury without argument, without the usual struggle for dominance. I walk her to the opposite side of the clearing, putting distance between us and him.

Thank you!

I tell her, relieved that she actually listened for once.

I stretch my wings again, testing their strength, reveling in the feeling of being in my scales. I let my tail whip from side to side. I wish I could fly. That I could—

Wait a minute.

Why isn’t my dragon throwing herself at Fury like a hussy? Or demanding we fly? Demanding we hunt and kill something, anything?

She isn’t.

She’s calm and under my control, but there as a part of me. For once, there isn’t this push and pull. A war inside me. I can just be. I exhale.

In all my years, I’ve never experienced anything like this. My dragon has always been the dominant force when I’m in my scales. She’s wild, unpredictable, barely leashed. That’s why we need riders on Draig Island – to keep us in line when we shift.

The realization is so shocking that I immediately call her back, shifting to human form. The transformation happens effortlessly, as if I’m simply choosing to change clothes rather than fighting to reclaim my humanity.

That never happens either.

I stand there, naked in the clearing, staring down at my hands in wonder. My scales are gone. I shifted. My dragon let me. I didn’t need to be forced by another dragon.

“Why are you smiling?”

Fury’s voice breaks through my amazement. I look up to find him back in his human form, the blanket wrapped around his waist again. He’s watching me with curiosity and concern.

“I…” I shake my head. “Fury, something’s different.”

He lifts his brows. “Different how?”

“I mean, I could think clearly in my dragon form. I could make decisions. She listened when I told her to move away from you. I’m normally a voice in the background that she ignoresflat.” I lift my eyes in thought. Then I look back at him. “I’ve never had that kind of control before. Never. My dragon has always been the one in charge when I’m in my scales.”

Fury studies my face intently. “You’re right.” He shakes his head. “I forgot you were a Draiger, for a moment.”

I give him a look.

“I don’t mean that in a bad way.”

“I know.” I roll my eyes.

“I could see the control. It was all there.”

“And the shift back was effortless,” I continue, rubbing my nose. “Usually, it’s a battle. But just now, it was like I simply chose to shift back, and it happened.”

“You didn’t need my help this time,” he says. “I wonder if it’s because of the drugs. Maybe whatever they gave us is still suppressing your dragon somewhat.”

The suggestion deflates some of my excitement, but I have to admit it makes sense. “You might be right. It does seem like the most logical explanation. She doesn’t feel suppressed, though, but it has to be it. Maybe we’re just that tired.”

“We’ll know more as the drugs work their way out of our systems, and yeah, I’m exhausted too.”

I walk to where I dropped my dress. I pull the garment over my head. “With that in mind, let’s get going. I also really need to contact my Council before we hit the road. I feel terrible for not informing them about the nuclear threat. I mean, I sent a quick text telling them there was a threat involving heavy artillery. I told them that I needed to find out more information before debriefing. I should have told them everything when I had the chance,” I say as we head back toward the SUV.

“Like me, you were trying to find out more about it. I didn’t want to cause undue panic.”