The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Two – Egan

Egan stood outside the farmhouse he shared with his mom and looked up at the clear blue sky. After days of meetings with the council, he planned to take a well-earned break.

Politics were really not his thing. The shadow of disappointment followed him as he walked down the trail to the road. When Argothorn, Dragon Lord of Cairnnor, was deposed, Egan had hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps and become part of a new beginning for the dragons who had been ruled by a tyrant for too long.

A rule that had cost his father his life.

But sitting in the council chambers, as ornate and historical as they were, was not for him. Talking for endless hours about the laws and rules was not for him. It stifled him, even though he saw the necessity.

Egan reached the road, his dragon shifter senses telling him he was not about to get run over by a truck.

He closed his eyes and let go of the world around him. In an instant, his dragon appeared in his place and crouched down before leaping into the air.

With no thought besides the air beneath his wings and the sun on his back, he banked left and headed toward the coast of Cairnnor. His wings strained as he flew hard, his dragon’s breath labored as they powered through the air.

Below, the familiar dragon isle passed by in a blur. Only when Egan reached the beach that encircled the island did he slow. All his life, this had been the edge of his world. Argothorn, Egan’s uncle, had forbidden any dragon from leaving Cairnnor and they had all been bound by this law.

But now the laws had changed.

Swooping down, he skimmed across the ocean, his wingtips dipping in the water and flicking up droplets that glittered in the sun like rare jewels.

On he flew across the endless blue. He wasn’t going to Wishing Moon Bay, he didn’t want company today, even though he liked being around Ivan and his family. Today he wanted peace, time to think, time to plan his life. He wanted to be a part of the change coming to his people, but he didn’t want to be part of the council.

His dragon chuckled. We might never have been voted onto the council anyway.

True. But since many people still remember our father with fondness, there’s a chance they might have voted for us.

And we would have accepted the job. And been miserable. His dragon spoke the truth, which they had learned over the last few days.

Let’s forget about it all and enjoy our freedom. If only for one day. The world will still be the same when we return.Egan let go of the tension building in his head and focused on his dragon’s flight. Soaring above the ocean, they headed toward a distant mountain range that bordered one side of Wishing Moon Bay.

They planned to skirt the town and keep out of sight by flying close to the ocean. The shimmer of the sun on the water should obscure them. Not that he was hiding. Not really. But dragon shifters were not a common sight outside of Cairnnor and he didn’t want to draw unwanted attention.

Soon more people will want to come and go from Cairnnor just as other people come and go from their towns and cities. Even the fae are free to leave their realms when they want. His dragon flew on, the mountains bigger now as they neared the cliffs that fell away to the beach below.

He’d chosen this as the place to reach land since the cliffs were mostly inaccessible. Only the fittest of shifters with a strong desire to reach the pinnacle would travel here. The chances of that happening just as a dragon passed over were slim.

Even so, Egan pushed his senses to their limit while he checked for any other shifters.

There were none. The nearest shifter was a mile or so away. Then there were a few shifters clustered together close to a high peak another half-mile away.

And there was something else.

His dragon left the ocean behind and angled his body upwards as he climbed the steep side of the cliff and crested the top. Something was drawing them toward it like a beacon.

We should take care, Egan warned his dragon. We don’t know enough about this world yet. It could be a trap.

There were plenty of stories about how the people outside of Cairnnor could not be trusted. It had helped feed Argothorn’s paranoia, which he’d passed onto his people as he attempted to control them.

Do you think it might be a witch? Perhaps even a fae casting a spell to lure in dragons?His dragon bristled at the thought of being caught and captured. But still, he flew toward it. Then let’s go deal with the threat.

The closer they got, the stronger the pull. It was as if they were being lured by the sirens who lived across the ocean in the other direction to Wishing Moon Bay. Egan had heard stories of dragons lured to their doom after diving deep under the water as they chased the siren’s song.

But those stories might also be untrue, made up by a dragon lord who did not deserve the power he held over his people.

It would take years to unpack all the lies the dragon shifters had been told and reveal the truth.

However, whatever called to Egan, it was not a song. This was something else. Something that called to his very soul and refused to let go.

They were close now. Too much closer and they might be seen. However, Egan didn’t want to stop. His dragon didn’t want to land on the ground and waste time completing their trip on two feet.

A building came into view, huddled in a valley, sheltered from the worst of the weather that would rain down on the peak.

This was it. This was where the shifters were, along with a couple of dozen other people. Were they grouped together, chanting a spell to ensnare a dragon?

No, his dragon said. It’s just one person.

One person casting a spell?Egan asked.

One person who calls to our soul,his dragon replied.

Our mate. As Egan thought the word, his dragon dropped heavily to the ground.

The dragon stood with his head between his legs for a moment as he tried to comprehend what was happening. After so long without a mate, Egan had come to terms with the fact that the dream might never come true.

But now she was here. So close they could sense her.

We need to go to her.His dragon let go of the world and Egan set off at a run as soon as his human feet touched the ground. Pace yourself.

Egan inhaled deeply and steadied his breath as he slowed down to a jog. He didn’t want to meet his mate for the first time looking like a sweaty mess.

He swallowed the lump of emotion that formed in his throat as he savored the word. Mate.

How was this happening? Had she been in Wishing Moon Bay this whole time while he was across the ocean, bound to Cairnnor by a crazed dragon lord?

If he’d come here sooner, he would have met her sooner and by now they’d have raised a brood of kids. Maybe even grandkids.

Hey, you’re not that old, his dragon told him. And anyway, fate decides when the time’s right.

I’m not so sure I’m ready to let Argothorn off the hook just yet,Egan replied.

He half-skidded, half-jumped down a steep trail that led to another trail that seemed to lead to the building. As he drew closer, he slowed to a walk and dusted off his clothes.

Egan groaned. If he’d known he was going to meet his mate, he’d have dressed in nicer clothes. Instead, he was going to introduce himself clothed in work-worn jeans and a leather jacket that fit him like a second skin.

It’s a hotel,Egan said as they reached the parking lot and read the sign. That explains all the people.

He stopped and pushed his senses out, trying to pinpoint his mate’s location. She was around the back of the building. Egan scanned the hotel, a low timber-clad building with big windows that looked out over the valley below.

Not wanting to go in through the main reception door and draw too much attention to himself, he strode across the parking lot toward the rear of the hotel. Surely there was a different entrance used by the hotel staff and tradespeople. A hotel of this size must get frequent deliveries and that would give him a way in.

Smoothing down his hair, he wiped his forehead. Was he sweating from the exertion of running or was this a cold sweat of fear? Egan could no longer tell. He was both numb and fighting a sensory overload. Was this normal?

Rounding the corner of the building, he walked past a couple of large trash dumpsters and followed a paved pathway that led to a double doorway. He kept walking, drawn to his mate who was so close he could reach out and touch her.

If she were here.

Egan stopped and looked around. There was a window to his right. That’s where she was. If he kept going, he’d go too far.

But he had to get inside the building. He wasn’t climbing through the window.

Yet moving past the spot where he stood was almost impossible, as if his feet had been buried in concrete.

Damn. He forced himself to lift one foot and then the other. To stop himself from overbalancing, he reached out and placed his hand on the hotel wall.

Movement caught his eye. He glanced up at the window and locked eyes with a woman. His woman. His mate was staring right at him.

Heat crept across his skin and his eyes filled with hunger and need. In return, her eyes widened.

In recognition?

He reeled backward as she darted back, running away from him.

Egan blinked as he fought to control his desire to dive headfirst through the window and pursue her.

We’ve frightened her off,his dragon said. How?

Before he had a chance to react, the door in front of him was flung open and a woman dressed in uniform ran at him, her head down as she powered toward him.

“Freeze,” she called out.

As if he was going anywhere.

Egan opened his mouth to speak but the sudden realization that his mate was not slowing down made him clamp his mouth shut. He raised his hands to stop her from plowing into him. She might be tough, but he was strong, and his muscles and bone would hurt her if she ran into him.

He stepped back but didn’t take his eyes off her.

“I said, freeze.” She grabbed his hand and wound his arm behind his back.

The world tipped sideways as he tripped over her feet. As they twisted around each other, he wrapped his arm around her waist and angled his body to break her fall.

They crashed to the ground, his mate landing heavily on his chest. Instantly, she placed her hands on his upper body and levered herself off him. At least she attempted to, but his arm was coiled around her waist.

“Let go of me,” she ground out.

But as he looked into her eyes, he knew that would never happen. Not now. Not ever.