I’m not a real shifter.
What’s it to me?
Only as the tears start to fall, I know that it means everything to me. Everything. Fablestone is my home. Those dragons are my family. They’re the people who love me and whom I love in return. I will do anything to save them, I realize. Anything.
I make my way out of town and down the mountain path toward the place where I’m supposed to meet Cameron at dawn. I can find shelter around there and then be ready to go in the morning when he comes for me. I don’t think there are any motels in Storm Dawn and to be honest, I don’t want to stay in the town for another minute. It makes me uncomfortable and besides, it makes me feel like I’m a huge failure.
Fuck.
I’m only about ten feet down the path when I hear someone calling for me.
“Hey, girl!”
I spin on my heels. It’s Ted. Seriously. What the fuck is he sneaking up on me again for?
“What do you want?” I ask, turning back around. I keep walking. He can follow me if he wants to talk, but I don’t have anything else to say to this guy.
“I heard about the guy you were lookin’ for,” he says.
“Yeah?” I mutter. “Heard you couldn’t find him, so what’s it matter?”
“Well, I…”
I stop.
There’s no fucking way.
“Ted?” I turn around. “Did you find where Donald lives?”
“I, um…” He digs his toe in the dirt and rocks, as if he’s embarrassed about what he’s going to tell me. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I do hold my breath. Is there a chance he knows more than he’s let on?
“I just told my gran that, you know, because she…well, she doesn’t like strangers and she certainly doesn’t like…” he gulps. “Dragons.”
“Ted,” I step forward slowly. I don’t want to spook him. “It’s very important to me that I find this man. Donald. His family is in trouble.” I take a deep breath. “My family is in trouble, too. He’s the only one who can help us. He’s the very best at what he does.”
He was fresh out of medical school when my brother died, but what most people don’t know about Donald is that he went to medical school in a country where illnesses like this were prevalent. He worked with people who cured some of the most infectious diseases in the world. His entire time at school was spent with the most brilliant minds in the fucking world. If anyone can stop this, it’s Donald.
He just needs someone to believe in him.
He just needs someone to bring him back.
“He…he made me promise,” Ted says.
“Made you promise what?”
“I did find him,” Ted says. “Followed him. Saw him change. I saw who he is for real, but then he saw me. He snatched me up and carried me to the top of the mountain.”
I roll my eyes. “Let me guess. He made you promise never to tell anyone about the things you saw.”
Dragons have a flair for the dramatic.
“Yes,” he says, his eyes wide, and I wonder how long Ted has been keeping this secret. “I think you believe me,” he seems shocked. “I didn’t think anyone would ever believe me.”
“Can you point me in the direction of his secret lair?” I ask, rubbing my forehead. Suddenly, I have a terrible headache coming on.
“I shouldn’t,” Ted says slowly.
“Listen up, Ted.”