Page 90 of Feathers and Scales

The dragon’s heat slipped away from his mind. In its place, a calming sensation swept over him.

The dragon relinquished control, and the man breathed in for the first time. Daxton pushed through the suffocating darkness and clawed his way to consciousness.

Izzy’s stance struck him as intimidating and domineering yet also comforting. His heart thundered.

But just like she said, she wasn’t the only one with him. Other dragons surrounded him, locked behind a yellow, cracking light. His clan. Guilt over what he’d done sat heavy in his chest, but he was in control now.

He shifted.

Fire raced over his body. The pain wrenched his insides. He stretched and shrank all at the same time until he became human. Chest heaving from exhaustion, he took a moment to ground himself in his crouching human form. A breeze swept over his sweat-slicked bare skin. He’d been unable to keep his clothing in the harsh shifts. Cuts and bruises across his body stung.

Murmurs and gasps filled the air.

“It’s a miracle.” Someone said as his clanmates touched him. They welcomed him as they lifted him to his feet, pushing Izzy away from the circle. As she was lost to the sea of joyous faces, the gap in his mind called out for her. But Daxton couldn’t give in when people who loved him surrounded him, especially when he’d hurt them.

His clanmates handed him a towel to wrap around his waist. As each person clasped his arm, patted his back, or touched him, the sting of his wounds pressed against theirs. They shared that pain together because what happened was a miracle. Daxton tried to remember the fight and took stock that his clanmates had worked together to bring him down and make sure he hadn’t critically injured anyone.

“Jamal,” he croaked. “Where is Jamal?”

“Here,” Jamal’s voice boomed behind him.

The throng of people split as someone helped Jamal toward him. The sight of his lifted, injured leg wrenched Daxton’s stomach.

He clasped Jamal’s fingers in one hand and pressed his fist into Jamal’s shoulder. At a loss for words, he bowed his head to the other man in submission, pleading for forgiveness.

“You can pay me back later,” Jamal said, squeezing his fingers. “We’re just glad we didn’t lose you.”

“I didn’t say you could leave, Jamal,” Sarah said, rushing toward them. “And you—” She slapped Daxton across the face. “That’s for making me worry.”

The sting sizzled with Healer energy. The pain and swelling in his face lessened until he could open his left eye.

Sarah smacked her fists onto her hips. “Someone get this man some real clothes.”

Never had Daxton felt happier to be human and in the presence of his clanmates.

Even exhausted, Daxton couldn’t sleep. He got out of his bed with a splitting headache. His ribs twinged as he headed downstairs from his loft. Sarah had only healed his more serious injuries, while time was the only remedy for the rest. Get-well baskets filled his small living room table. His heart still ached. He didn’t deserve his clan’s kindness but understood their wonder. He was the first dragon who’d come back after becoming Lost.

A knock thudded on his door.If it’s another basket…

Izzy stood on the other side. Her presence impacted him as if she were wearing a crown instead of a simple T-shirt and jeans. Still, the gaping hole in his mind was hard to look past.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked. “According to Silas, you just needed dragon fire for your weapon. Though, good luck when Tattered Ones move faster than bullets.”

“Yes. About that. I—I…” She rocked back on her heels and almost appeared as if she’d run away. Stamping her feet down, she sighed. “I will stop him one way or another. I came to ask if I can visit the dragons afterward.”

The nerve.As if he meant nothing to her. He slammed the door in her face and strode to the kitchenette. She’d blazed with such emotion for him when she saved him, but she was back to zero.

His door opened. Izzy’s tangy scent filled his cramped quarters. Izzy stood with her back toward him as she closed the door. Heat bristled up his spine.

“What I meant to say is…I’m sorry.” She turned from the door. “I shouldn’t have stopped you from attacking Fotios. I feared what he’d do to you, and part of me couldn’t let you kill him even though he’s not the same person. When I saw Serephina, it was too much. I stupidly thought emotions led us to failure, and I ran away. But your clan showed me true strength when they continued to fight for you. Shutting you out isn’t the answer.”

“I’m glad you came to that conclusion. Just wish it had happened before you cut yourself from the link.”

Her face fell. “I want to fix this.”

“That’s hard to believe. Don’t you think the link broke for a reason? We obviously aren’t meant to work.”

“Yes, we are.” The heat in her voice demanded his attention. “I may think highly of my intelligence, but in this—” she waved her hands between them “—I’ve been a clueless fool. If I must fight for you, I will because being close to you makes everything new for me. Despite the danger Fotios poses, you make me feel strong enough to embrace my emotions. And the idea of being away from you if I had to reincarnate again…it makes me sick.” Her voice grew thicker. “The truth is—I’m the one lost without you.”