Page 22 of Red Fury

I keep walking, pushing through the underbrush toward the more secluded interior of the park. “Not at all.”

“Fury!” She jogs to catch up with me, grabbing my arm. “We can’t shift. I’ve been banned from shifting while on the Mainland and with good cause. It’s too dangerous. You can’t do this.”

I carefully remove her hand from my arm and continue deeper into the woods. “I’m doing it. You are too.”

“You’re mad. Completely out of your mind.” She’s following me again, but I can hear the panic in her voice. “We cannot shift.We’ll be putting humans at risk. We’ll expose our presence on the Mainland and get ourselves killed.”

“Only if we are spotted, and we won’t be.”

The trees grow denser as we move deeper into the park, their canopy blocking out most of the city lights. Perfect.

“I’m in full control in my dragon form,” I tell her, pushing aside a low-hanging branch. “I’m much bigger and stronger than you are. I’ll keep you contained. I’ll keep you from doing anything to expose us or get us killed. You have my word.”

We emerge into a small clearing surrounded by thick trees. It’s perfect because it’s secluded, covered, and large enough for what we need to do.

“It’s a pity that your word doesn’t mean much, Red.”

I ignore that she said that.

“This is the spot,” I announce, already reaching for the hem of my shirt.

Shadow stands at the edge of the clearing, her arms wrapped around herself. “Tell me, have you shifted since arriving here?”

I pause in pulling my shirt over my head. “No.”

Her eyes widen. “That’s what I thought. How do you know you’ll be in control? This is dangerous. Far too damned dangerous.”

“Because I am always in control.” I drop my shirt to the ground and start working on my belt. “Get undressed. We’re doing this here and now. You need this. Don’t even deny it.”

“I…” She shakes her head, taking a step back. “I can’t. This is nuts.”

“You’re putting yourself and others in danger because you haven’t shifted. You need to do this.” I toe off my boots, then shove my jeans down my legs. “Each time you wait this long, you’re at more risk of your dragon exploding from you. It could happen when we’re in public, around humans. It could happen at any time.”

“It’s not that bad. I’m fine.”

“You’renotfine.”

She’s staring at me now, her chest rising and falling rapidly. I can see the want in her eyes, the desperate need warring with her fear.

“I promise you’re safe with me,” I continue, standing in just my briefs now. “I can help you. We’ll shift together, stay in our dragon forms for a few minutes, then change back. My dragon will be dominant. I’ll keep you contained and force you to change back, if necessary. We won’t fly, but at least we’ll be in our scales. We can even stretch our wings a little, as long as we stay in this clearing. That will be enough for now. It’ll get you to next week.”

She rubs her arms, hugging herself tighter. “My dragon is going crazy inside me. She wants out so badly, but I’m afraid.” She shakes her head.

I move closer to her, slowly, like she’s a wild animal that might bolt. “Shadow, look at me.”

Her eyes meet mine, and I see the fear there, but also the desperate need.

“You’re safe with me,” I repeat, reaching out to take her hands. They’re trembling. “I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen.”

For a long moment, we just stand there, her hands in mine, the weight of the decision hanging between us.

Finally, she nods. “Okay. But if this goes wrong…”

“It won’t.” I squeeze her hands, then release them and step back.

“Fine.” She takes a shaky breath and steps out of her shoes. Then, she pulls her dress over her head. Fuck me! I force myself to look away as she reveals a black lace bra set.

Nudity is normal among shifters, but this…this is anything but normal.