Skyborn(25)

"Oh snap!" Sophie said from the couch. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Logan grinned at me. "You're on."

Sophie raised a hand. "But seriously, trust me, Nadine should be exempt  from this little learning experience. Poor thing is kitchen challenged."

Nadine laughed. "Screw you."

Sophie just shrugged. "True story, girlfriend."

I could see now what Logan meant about Sophie being a good friend once  she had your back. I didn't think we were anywhere near "friends," but  it felt good to have normal banter. No druids, no magic weird purple  fire, just a friendly game of "teach the boys to cook."

Logan stood, stretching, giving me a peek of the tan torso underneath  his shirt and the muscles he hid there. Once you had seen someone naked  you couldn't really un-see it. The crunch of gravel, and then a car door  slamming, brought me back to the present.

"Alright, it's time to train," he told me, and I groaned. So much for friendly banter.

There was a knock at the door. Keegan wiped his mouth quickly and smoothed his hair.

I furrowed my brow in confusion, until Keegan answered the door and I saw what the fuss was about.

Danny, Keegan's ex-boyfriend, the same guy I saw at Eva's club, stood on  the other side. He was holding a to-go coffee cup and wearing a cute  cable knit sweater.

"Keegan," Danny said in a monotone voice.

Keegan nodded. "Thanks for coming."

Danny's eyes narrowed as if he wanted to say more, but he looked beyond Keegan to the rest of us and decided against it.

He waved. "Hey, everyone."

The pack welcomed him from the doorway as Logan sidestepped Keegan and  put one hand on Danny's shoulder. He walked him out onto the porch, and  nodded that I should follow.

"Cooper and Gear, you're on dishes," Keegan ordered, watching Danny and  Logan walk out onto the gravel driveway and towards the barn.

Gear groaned.

I went to pass Keegan and follow them, when curiosity got the best of me.

"What's he doing here?" I whispered.

Keegan sighed and his cheeks puffed out. "I made a call that was best  for the pack. You need to train, and Danny is a strong sorcerer."

My heart ached for him then, to have a relationship and then break up  because you didn't want to reveal your friend's secret-only to have it  revealed later. My heart also ached for myself. Because the entire pack  thought I was half sorcerer and I wasn't.

"Thanks," I told him, giving his bicep a squeeze. It spoke big of his character that he would do that for me, for the pack.

He nodded to me and then looked again at the door. "He wore my favorite sweater. Fucker."

I chuckled. Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned.

I made my way across the gravel lot and into the large dusty barn, where  the guys were talking in low voices. "I can't believe he didn't trust  me enough with this. I mean, I would have taken the oath before. I  didn't need to be paid like an employee just to keep your pack's  secrets." Danny was giving Logan an earful.                       
       
           



       

Logan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I know. I'm sorry, but I'm glad you're here now. We need you."

Danny spun then, as if sensing my presence. He looked me up and down  from behind his black hipster-frame glasses. Now that I was close  enough, I checked him out. He had a quaff of black shiny hair that made  me jealous, and a rockabilly style that made him and Nadine look like  twins. He grinned. "Girl, you are fierce. Last female dragon alive. I'm  not gonna lie, I totally freaked out when I heard." All trace of anger  was gone, as it seemed he only reserved that for Logan and Keegan.

I laughed.

"You didn't freak out when you learned I was the last male dragon alive?" Logan asked with his arms crossed.

Danny shot him a glare. "Eh, not so much."

I smiled, stepping forward and extending my hand. "I'm Sloane."

Danny took my hand and his eyes flashed copper for the slightest second. "You're a hybrid," he stated to himself.

Logan nodded. "That's why you're here. She's half sorcerer, so I need  someone who can control her powers if things go awry. Also so that you  can cloak us if she sends out some kind of druid beacon."

Danny still had my hand in his grasp; he looked me up and down under a  pinched gaze that gave me anxiety. "Half sorcerer you say?" he asked  Logan.

Logan walked to the far wall and opened a cabinet. "Well, yeah-there isn't much else."

Danny must have seen the terror on my face, because he dropped my hand  and nodded. "Right. Makes sense." I could tell from his tone of voice,  and the way he looked at me with a tinge of fear mixed with curiosity,  that he was lying.

Shit. Everything within me wanted to run, but Danny simply turned his  back to me and started doing some kind of chanting as he looked at the  wall of the barn. Maybe he was going to wait until later and bring this  up to Keegan.

Logan walked over to me with two daggers, bringing my attention back to  the present. They both glowed green in his hands, but when he dropped  one at my feet it ceased glowing.

Danny began to walk around the barn chanting and throwing some kind of  white powder at the walls, which now had some transparent shimmer going  on. It must have been some type of spelled protection. So cool.

"First of all," Logan began. "You need to start convincing your dragon  she is safe. She will shift less often in dangerous or scary situations.  How we convince her is by training to become a badass."

I smiled. "Sounds easier than it will be, I'm sure."

Logan indicated the two glowing blades in his hands.

"These are dragon tools," Logan informed me. "Stick one deep enough and  long enough in a druid and they are dead. It will also release any  dragon power they have stolen and give it back to us. This is the only  weapon you will need to master."

Sweet! I could do that. One weapon was a good idea.

"Let's start small. Pick it up," Logan said.

I reached down to pick up the blade, and as my fingers wrapped around  the metallic base it shocked my skin and singed me, sending a bolt of  pain from my wrist to my elbow.

"Ow!" I chucked it on the ground, and then brought my hand up to my  mouth to blow on it. An intricate red burn swirled on my palm as I tried  to cool it off. The carvings on the dagger had been burned into my  palm!

Danny looked over his shoulder at me but didn't say a word. Logan,  however, stood there with his mouth open, gaping at me like I was an  alien. Then he started talking to himself, mumbling low: "That doesn't  make sense. Well, only a dragon shifter can touch them, and if she's  half sorcerer I guess it does. But  …  she's part dragon so … " I cleared my  throat and Logan ceased his chattering.

"Alright. That's okay. I'll think on that." He picked up the knife and  put it back in the closet. Then he came to stand in front of me, rubbing  the scruff along his jaw for what seemed like forever. Not speaking.  Not moving. After standing there staring at me for a lifetime, Danny  spoke up.

"May I make a suggestion?" Danny asked from his place in the corner of the room.

Logan snapped out of his transfixion. "Yes  …  please."

Danny smiled. "Teach her how to disarm someone, take someone to the  ground. Basic skills she will need if a druid tries to grab her."

Logan looked relieved to be given the suggestion. He nodded. "Yes, of course. We can do the magic stuff later."

"Or never." I rubbed my palm, which thankfully seemed to be healing. A  jolt of surprise ran through me then. It was healing! "I can heal." I  mumbled.                       
       
           



       

Logan crossed the room and glanced at my pale hand, once seared red with  the markings of the knife. "Well, that's one good thing we have going  for us. Your little purple magic display with the neighboring shifters  must have ignited your powers more fully."

A slight grin tugged the corner of my lips. Cool. I felt a little  mentally unhinged at the thought of being indestructible, but it was  also thrilling. I have healing powers.

Logan stood before me and motioned to his body. "There are many ways to  take a man down, but let's focus on three. The neck." He did a karate  chop to my throat, stopping just before touching me. I swallowed hard  and nodded.

"The groin..." He tugged his bottom lip down, making a painful face, and I couldn't help but grin. "And the armpit."

My head reeled back as I laughed. "The armpit?" What a joke.

He shot out lightning-quick then, and shoved his thumb up into my  armpit. A cry tore from my lips as I moved my body, trying to get out of  his grasp. Deep pain radiated from my elbow to my ribcage, and then he  let go.