Page 30 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“Abby, run,” Jackson shouted just as the air around him began to shimmer. “Run away as fast as you can, and don’t look back.”
She started backing away, ready to turn and run like Jackson had ordered, but then he suddenly disappeared, and a dragon was standing in his place. The sight froze her where she stood as her brain fought to make sense of what she was seeing, and her body absorbed the waves of power coming from the powerful beast. Unable to move, she took in every detail: the dark feathers covering his body, the powerful wings tucked into his back, and the dangerous-looking talons at the end of his muscular legs.
Just as she managed to get her feet moving, Diego began to shimmer, and a second later, another fantastical beast stood, eyes glowing, scales reflecting the sunshine where the man had been. It hissed at Jackson and started toward him, then suddenly lunged, coming straight for him, its eyes full of rage, all trace of humanity gone. Jackson sidestepped out of the way just in time, but she suddenly realized the creature was now coming straight at her.
With a scream that burned her throat when it came out, she started to run, the adrenaline pumping through her veins giving her a little extra strength. She reached the side of the building just as Deigo went crashing to the ground, his longtail sweeping the ground and nearly taking her out. She dove into a little alcove in the side of the building at the last second, only to watch the tail flash past her, creating a little breeze.
Breath coming in short gasps, she pulled her knees up to her chest, and watched horrified as Diego slowly climbed to his feet, his glowing eyes focused on Jackson. Jackson didn’t move, didn’t flinch as the monster gathered its strength to make another pass at him, but she could see his muscles trembling in anticipation and fought the urge to call out a warning to him, afraid she would distract him.
CHAPTER 17
***JACKSON***
Jackson waited patiently as the rage-filled dragon slowly got to its feet, aware of the evil seeping out of its body and almost feeling sorry for Diego, who had clearly been corrupted a long time ago. The fire in his eyes was evidence enough, but he sensed the loss of humanity in the next breath and knew that he might have to kill to get the creature to back off. He was well within his rights to do so; Diego had threatened something he loved, and the shifter code allowed him to take his life if he chose.
Weeks of anger and frustration began to build inside him as he watched Diego brace himself for another attack, planning to use every gift he’d been given to defend both himself and Abby. He was ready when Diego charged at him, beak open, a scream of blood lust filling the air, but he was smarter and sent the other dragon tumbling to the ground with a well-placed swipe of his wings as he rose into the air.
Hovering a few feet above the other creature, he gathered his strength, then dove at him, going for the sensitive flesh of his neck with his powerful beak while his powerful talons dug into the flesh of his chest. Diego let out a howl of painand tried to knock him off, but he held on, thinking of the frightened look on Abby’s face when she’d seen her locker. He used Abby’s fear to fuel his magic, the lust for blood filling him as the other dragon fought to get free. Then he looked up and saw Abby staring at them from a little alcove in the building across the grass.
Reality began to slowly seep back into him, and after tightening his grip a little more, he began to release the pressure on Diego’s neck. As much as he would have liked to kill the other shifter, that would create problems, problems he might not be able to deal with. He’d already risked too much shifting out in the open on campus, exposing himself further could be a disaster, and leaving behind a body wasn’t an option.
When he finally released Diego, he jumped to his feet, poised to attack again, then seemed to change his mind and in another heartbeat was hobbling away from him. He turned to find Abby staring at him eyes wide, her entire body trembling and he hesitated for a second, afraid that he would scare her more, but then to his surprise, she crawled out of the alcove. She started toward him on trembling legs, but the sound of voices drifted to him on the wind, and he knew he had to shift back before someone saw him.
Letting his magic drain away, he felt his body begin to tingle, then only a second later, he was back in his human form. Abby gasped and stumbled, nearly going down into the grass, but he rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms, afraid that she was going to pull away from him. Instead, she leaned into him, sucking in deep breaths, then buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
She held on tightly for a long time, then looked up at him, her face white as a sheet. “You…I saw…didn’t I…it wasn’t my imagination,” she stammered. “Did you really…I didn’t hit my head or something…it was real…wasn’t it?”
Before he could say anything, Abby’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, she let out a long sigh, and then her entire body went limp. Scooping her up into his arms with a muttered curse, he looked around the deserted courtyard, then started for the fraternity house. He knew that she’d just fainted, but worry made it difficult to breath. He’d clearly shocked her, and he could understand why. If he’d just told her sooner, it never would have happened.
After wrestling with the guilt all the way back to the house, he found it deserted and paused in the entryway, wondering where to take Abby. It was beginning to worry him that she hadn’t woken up; he was afraid that the shock had been too much for her already overwhelmed system. As he carried her up to the attic, he reminded himself that she was one of the toughest women he knew. She just needed a break from everything coming at her, she’d come out of it soon.
After gently laying her down on the bed, he took her shoes off, then tucked her under the blankets, smoothed the hair back from her face, and prepared to wait. Dragging a chair up to the bed, he sat down and took her hand, hoping the connection would help bring her around. The minutes ticked by and Abby still didn’t move, but he was encouraged by the color slowly returning to her face and her even breathing.
Just as he was beginning to wonder if he should do something to wake her, Abby’s eyelids began to flutter, and she twitched a couple of times. A low moan came from deep in her chest, and then she went still again. He held his breath, hoping that she would open her eyes and tell him that everything was okay.
A few seconds later, she groaned again, then slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Hey,” he said, smiling at her. “How are you feeling?”
“A little confused, my head is all fuzzy,” she said, trying to sit up, then fell back on the pillows. “What happened?”
“You don’t remember?” he asked, afraid she’d blocked everything that happened that afternoon.
***Abby***
Abby stared at Jackson for a few seconds, then closed her eyes, unable to block the feeling that something important had happened, something that would change her life forever. The memory was elusive, though, and she started getting frustrated. Opening her eyes again, she looked around the little apartment, then noticed the blood and dirt on her hands. Suddenly, it came back to her, the explosion, the screams as the bleachers collapsed, the blood, the moans and cries for help.
“Oh, the stadium, all those people…” she trailed off, then realized there was more.
She saw them walking through campus, felt the fall sunshine on her shoulders, and felt the comfort of Jackson’s touch. Then, her mind filled with visions of monsters and dragons fighting right there on campus. At first, she thought it was a dream, but then she looked over at Jackson and saw the truth glimmering in his eyes.
“It wasn’t a bad dream,” she whispered. “It really happened.”
“I’m sorry, Abby,” Jackson finally said. “I was going to tell you, I really was, but…”
“That’s what you wanted to talk to me about,” she said, shaking her head. “You wanted to tell me you’re…”
“A shifter,” Jackson finished for her. “I know this is probably really confusing. I don’t know how to make it easier, I never wanted you to find out this way.”
“You…and Diego…” she said, struggling to accept what she’d seen, waiting for the fear and panic to take over, but when she looked at Jackson, all she felt was awe and curiosity. “How is this possible? How can you do that? Why did you look so much different than Diego?”
