Page 57 of Second Chance Dragon Chief

“Yes, of course,” Dax said. She was stating the obvious. His kind hadn’t existed hidden alongside men for centuries without the unspoken rules.

“And don’t they shift like all at once? And aren’t justanimals!”

“We are definitely not animals,” Clint was saying, perhaps a tiny bit defensively, Dax noted.

“Right. Well, this guy started shifting like one leg, and then one arm, and then they shifted back, and then he just started going nuts. Did you see that room? He was like the Tasmanian Devil! I am not kidding. And the way he moved. I know shifters are powerful. I mean, I have never seen it, but I have heard about it.” Now she was really on a roll, maybe warming up to the guys a little. “I just learned about all this magical stuff, you see. I’m just half-fae, but I’m learning. I am sort of new here, to all this...”

“Okay, okay. So, what happened?” Clint was saying as he went around to the back to put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.And get her back on track. Good man, Dax thought.

“I know shifters are powerful and have heightened abilities, beyond being able to turn into animals, that is,” she said, as if to clarify.

“Yes, miss…”

“Tam. My name is Tam.”

“Tam, we’re shifters, okay? We get it.” Jack was saying.

“Oh, sorry. Okay. So anyhow, he was impossibly fast. Like a blur. And then he was just all over the place. Half shifted. And then finally he fully shifted into some kind of a big cat, like a puma, and totally destroyed the Fairy room. Did you see it?”

“One guy did that?”

“Yeah, in like thirty seconds.”

The three packmates looked at each other. Dax really didn’t even know what to make of it.

Just then the bells above the front door sounded and Bloom entered followed closely by Chris and Kim.

“Tam! Are you okay? Mack told me something was up.” She turned to Dax and after embracing him in a quick hug, she added, “He said he saw a bobcat or something come tearing out of the place. Almost caused a car accident, he said.”

The mother and daughter exchanged confused glances.

“There was a bobcat in here?” Kim said excitedly.

Bloom quickly spoke up. “Perhaps today is not the best day to get you two started over here, after all. Do you mind waiting outside for a minute while we handle some business?”

“Of course”, said the mother nervously. “Did anyone get hurt?”

Dax interjected, “No, not that we know, just a minor issue with a customer.”

But he noted Chris looking into the next room and looking distinctly uncomfortable. There was no hiding the destruction.

“We’ll wait outside,” mother said, as the two stepped out.

“So, what are you going to do with them?” he asked out of curiosity.

“I spoke with Etta and she has it in her head that Fae Crossing might be just the place for them.”

“But they are humans, aren’t they? And totally in the dark about, um, most everything, no?

“Yes, but Etta has a feeling about them. Who am I to argue?”

“Indeed.” Then turning his attention back to the matter at hand. “This is not good,” he murmured as he exchanged glances with his packmates.

“He didn’t attack you or bite you or anything, did he?” Bloom was asking as she went to Tam.

“No, she’s fine,” Dax said, maybe a little too curtly. His dragon was already on guard.

“Good. I would hate to see you hurt,” Bloom said. Then turning to Dax, she added, “She is new to Fae Crossing and is not so familiar with shifters is all,” she added. “I am just glad you are okay, Tam.”

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