Page 56 of Earth-Bound

I turned to Joe.

“Magic is real,” I said. “I know it sounds fantastical but I can prove that itisreal.”

“And this… isn’t a joke?”

“No. I promise it’s not a joke. I am absolutely serious.”

“Magic, huh?”

“Yes. And magical creatures.”

“Like dragons?”

“Yes, like dragons. And earth spirits and shifters and dryad—”

Joe gave a start and shook himself. “Dryad aren’t real. That was all in my imagination.”

It was my turn to look quizzically at my mate.

In the commotion, nobody noticed Arram approaching us. They were beside Joe, who looked up at them in surprise, and Arram said, “Dryad are real. Am I not real?”

“And you’re a dryad, are you?”

“Indeed I am.”

And with that, Arram began to draw the dryad out of their skin, letting it become strong. The dryad became darker, their usual white-peach-coloured skin became brown and cracked like bark. It grew over their whole body and face, until they were looking out at us through eyes that were like knots in a tree trunk.

Dee sighed happily. “That’s so hot,” she said and slithered up to her mate, putting her hands on their arm and sliding them up to Arram’s neck. Where she touched, a trail of pink blossoms bloomed along Arram’s skin. It was the dryad’s physical reaction to being touched by their mate in dryad form.

Arram looked down into Dee’s eyes. “I am attempting to demonstrate magic to Joe.”

“I’m just helping,” said Dee. She almost sounded as whiney as Dum had.

“No,” corrected Arram, “you’re not. You simply like to witness my flowers appearing from your touch.”

“It’s sexy,” she muttered.

“And it marks me as yours,” added Arram.

Dee gave a vicious grin, which flashed her pointed teeth. I looked over to Joe to see if he’d noticed, and he had. His eyes were rivetted to those teeth.

Dee said, “Youaremine,” and dragged Arram’s head down to hers and claimed her mate’s mouth. I hoped she didn’t cut them with those sharp teeth.

Realising that both dragons were occupied with their mates, I focused on Joe, reassured that nobody was about to interfere again.

“Now do you believe in magic?”

Joe held my gaze and it was one of the longest moments of my life. I willed him to believe. I didn’t know what else I could do to prove it, except let one of the dragons shift. At least until I had regained some of my strength. Once I was strong again, I could prove it myself.

At last, he said, “Believing in magic wasn’t the problem. I’ve always known about it.”

“You have?”

“Yeah.” He lifted a hand to the back of his neck and looked sheepish. “When I was a kid, I believed in magic. Only nobody else did. I got teased about it a lot. Bullied, actually. So I… stopped believing. Stopped admitting to it, at least.”

My arms ached with the need to hold him and I stepped closer, my arms up, asking permission. He didn’t hesitate to step into my embrace and I held him close. My mate. Pressed tightly against my body, choosing to be here, choosing to be mine.

I spoke into his hair. “We all believe in magic here, Joe. You’re one of us.”

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