Skyborn(17)

I spun quickly to see Keegan and Nadine in the doorway. Keegan had a  pistol drawn, held low at his hip. "Have you checked the house?" he  asked Logan.

Logan nodded. "But I didn't get to the garage."

Keegan returned the nod and headed back through the hallway and towards  what I assumed was the garage, as Nadine stepped beside me to face  Logan. "Sophie and Gear are checking the perimeter," she reported. I was  suddenly glad they broke up whatever was about to happen between Logan  and I. I was a skyborn now. I needed to toughen up and stop whining.

I noticed a bulge in Nadine's abdomen, and it was moving. What the … ?  Suddenly a mew came from her hoodie. I smiled and she unzipped it and  Mittens' orange head popped out, looking me in the eyes.

"Was she scared?" Logan fretted over her, taking her from Nadine and rubbing his nose into her fur.

Nadine nodded. "Found her backed into a corner in the basement, hissing like a lioness."

Logan scratched her head. "She's a warrior. Tiny but fierce."

Seriously, this guy clotheslined a huge guy in the bar for calling me a  "mutt," and now he was snuggling this kitten like his life depended on  it. I couldn't figure him out.

"All clear," Keegan called out from behind me.

"Where's Coop and Dom?" Logan asked Keegan.

"Eva's wire came through. I sent them to get us set up." Something in  the way he said "set up" made me think he wasn't talking about sending  Cooper and Dom out to buy groceries.

Logan nodded solemnly. "It's been a while since we've had to run."

Keegan nodded curtly. "It's good. Keeps us on our toes."

"That's one way to look at it," Sophie's whiny voice came from the front door, and I tried to suppress my groan.

Keegan took two steps towards her. "Enough. You spoke your piece, now  move on." I couldn't see the face he was making because his back was to  me, but it must have been scary as hell, because Sophie looked cowed.  She lowered her head in submission and nodded.

"How did they find us? She didn't shift. Could they have picked up her  scent?" Keegan was looking at Logan now, hand on his chin rubbing the  scruff that lined there. The way Keegan stood, the short-cropped hair,  he screamed ex-military.                       
       
           



       

Logan looked pensive. "That's the only thing I can think of, because if it's something else we're screwed."

I swallowed hard. "Why?" I hadn't meant to sound scared, but dammit my voice trembled.

Logan pierced me with his gaze. "Because now that we've bound your  scent, unless you shift or put on some magical light display, we should  be safe. Unless … "

I bit the bottom of my lip.

"Unless they've found another way to hunt you," Keegan offered.

Hunt. That word was awful. It made me feel like an animal, which I guess I was.

"Oh," was all I could say.

Nadine, who I was learning was our optimistic one, bumped me with her  hip. "Doesn't matter. Once we're done training you, you'll be able to  take down druids blindfolded."

I didn't dare look at Sophie's expression, or anyone else's for that  matter. I wanted to believe the lie. I wanted to believe that I could  take down something that threw red balls of magical fire.

"That's right!" Logan piped in. "Training starts bright and early  tomorrow morning. As long as we think this safe house is secure, we stay  here. If we get a tip that hunters are nearby, we run."

It had been hard for me to tell up to this point who was in charge, Logan or Keegan.

"You got it, boss." Keegan clapped Logan on the back and I realized that  Keegan took orders from Logan, and the pack took orders from Keegan.  Like they were both alphas in some weird way.

"Sophie and I get the mermaid room!" Nadine yelled, and bolted down the hall.

That brought a smile to Sophie's face. "You're so weird." But Sophie slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed her.

Keegan laughed. "I'll take the cowboy room. I'll give instructions for Cooper, Dom, and Gear to take night watch."

The what and what rooms? Keegan left down the same hallway that Nadine  and Sophie had gone down, and Logan looked at me. "That leaves you in  the unicorn room, and me in the grandma room."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you all on drugs? Because I'll have what  you're having." It was a joke obviously. Drugs were not my thing. But  it got him to smile and he motioned for me to follow him upstairs.

I picked up my pillowcase full of belongings and followed his tight butt  up the stairs. As I passed the front door, I saw Gear sitting out on  the porch staring at the dark trees. Was I going to be able to sleep  tonight? Knowing they could be out there  …  hunting us? I had been  staring off to the side, so I didn't notice when Logan stopped, and I  slammed into the back of him.

"Oofh." All the air left my body. Feeling the tight muscles in his back  up against my chest was making my dragon and me flush with heat. I  stepped back a pace and tried to catch my breath.

"Sorry. This is your room," he said in a growly voice. We'd reached the  top of the stairs and mine was the first room to the right.

I stepped forward and peeked into the open door as Logan flicked on the light and set Mitten's down.

I smiled. "The unicorn room … "

Logan grinned sexily. "That's right."

There was a white daybed against one wall, and above it was painted a  giant and beautifully-done unicorn, complete with green trees, a  rainbow, and even butterflies. I stepped inside and moved closer to the  bed, before spinning around to face my fellow dragon.

"Like I said, it was a home for kids." Logan had one hand tucked into the front of his jeans as he leaned against my doorframe.

"I have a stupid question," I blurted out.

He nodded. "Shoot."

I plopped my pillowcase on the bed and looked up at him, playing with  the hem of my shirt. "Are my dragon and I  …  the same person. I mean, are  we one?"

Logan nodded in understanding. "Yes. Although it doesn't feel that way  at first. Especially if you have lived your whole life as a human. She's  just another aspect of your soul. It's all you, but she will come to  the surface to keep you safe, just as your anger or rage would come to  the surface in an argument."

Huh. Interesting.

When I didn't say anything else, he ran his fingers over the scruff on  his chin. "Well, I'm just next door, so  …  if you need anything or  whatever."

He was positively blushing and I couldn't help but smile. I don't think  he had meant it to sound like a sexual invite, but it did; now he looked  embarrassed.

"Alright. Thanks," I muttered.

"I mean if you hear something in the night and get scared or whatever … "

I nodded. "I'll run in screaming, don't worry."                       
       
           



       

He relaxed a little. "I'll see you bright and early for training."

Ugh. Training. Sounded awful, but I nodded because I knew he was trying to keep me alive.

As the door closed behind him, I sank into the bed and stared up at the  happy unicorn jumping through a rainbow on the wall. What the hell had  become of my life? Dragon shifter, on the run with a bunch of wild  animals. Selling my scales for major cash.

Cash!

I sat bolt upright and scrambled through my pillowcase to pull out my  black laptop. It had a custom skin of a fairy on it that I drew in  freshman year of college. All those years of fantasy drawings, I  couldn't believe some of them could be real. Now they were.

After pulling up my banks website, I logged on. My sharp intake of  breath hung in the air. "Holy shit!" I screeched. My account read  $100,009.64.

I did nothing, thought nothing. I just stared. My mother worked her  entire life as a teacher dedicated to nurturing young minds, and when  she died the insurance payout was barely a quarter of this. I had just  made this in one night. Oh my God! All of a sudden I was giddy and  squealed, bopping up and down on the bed.

I heard someone scramble in the hallway. "Sloane? You okay?" Logan's voice came from the other side of my door.

Crap. "Yes. Sorry."

The knob turned. "Are you sure? It sounded like you screamed?" He didn't  sound convinced that I wasn't being held hostage by a druid.

"Come in," I said. The door burst open as Logan took in every corner of the room with his gaze.

I felt stupid. "I just checked my bank account," I told him.

His entire posture relaxed and he chuckled, giving me that glimpse of his sexy straight teeth. "What are you gonna buy with it?"

I didn't know. I wanted to hold on to it for a rainy day. Being poor my  whole life made me want to save the entire thing. "Probably pay off my  student loans and save the rest."