Brexton and I stared at each other in shock. What was he doing here? An unexplainable unease filled the room.
“Oh, yes. Good to see you, Brexton.” If Lizzy noticed my awkwardness, she didn’t show it. Then again, it’s possible she was used to that sort of behavior from me.
“Hey Pastor Collins, how about you and Lizzy take Reggie outside for a minute?” Brexton suggested. “He could get his energy out, and you can give Lizzy a tour around. It’s lovely outdoors this time of year.”
Pastor Collins looked at Brexton with a superior air, as if to say,How dare you give me orders?But Brexton merely smiled, and Pastor Collins huffed and turned to Lizzy. “Would you like to take a walk outside? The treesareglorious and beyond compare.”
“Sure,” Lizzy said. My heart sank because I wanted to go with her. It was Pastor Collins I intended to talk to, but my sister was smart. If there was information to get out of him, she’d do it.
Plus, I sensed Brexton’s desire for a chat, and frankly, his presence intrigued me. Lizzy and I exchanged subtle nods.
“Yay! Outside!” Reggie exclaimed and raced toward the back of the house.
“Reginald!” Collins shouted. “At least put shoes on before—” But the child already had the door open and was barreling into the yard in his bare feet.
Collins growled, snapping up his shoes. Lizzy glanced back once and grimaced before following them.
“What are you doing here?” Brexton asked me after they were gone.
“What am I doing here?” I asked in return. “What are you doing here?”
He slid his hand into his hair. “This isn’t a good time.”
“What? Does Pastor Collins have something to hide? Do you?”
His brows pulled together. “What are you implying?”
I didn’t know how else to say it. I didn’t know how to be subtle like Lizzy, so I spit it out. “Pastor Collins’s nephew left quite a mark on him, and the full moon comes in only a few nights.”
His eyes flashed in almost the same way that Reginald’s had moments earlier. “You don’t believe that that child—”
“Not on purpose,” I said quickly. “But even still, that doesn’t mean he isn’t a danger to those around him.”
“He’s not a werewolf,” Brexton said.
He would say that. Of course he’d say whatever he could to protect the child. He was here playing video games with the boy, for heaven’s sake. This was what I got for barreling forward with my accusations.
Brexton stepped closer, dropping his voice. “He’s a dragon shifter.”
Iblinked and peered out the window at Reginald, who was racing around the backyard and screaming at the top of his lungs. He ran up to Collins and kicked him in the shins. “A dragon shifter?”
“That’s right. Well, half-shifter. And believe it or not, dragon shifters, like witches, are perfectly legal.”
“And… you’re here because…”
His eyes widened. “I’m not the father, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“But youarehalf-fae, half-shifter.”
His shoulders relaxed, like he was relieved to have me figure it out. “Yes. A dragon shifter, like Reggie.”
“And Pastor Collins knows this?”
“He does. He found out the previous month, when I discovered he was watching a young dragon shifter and offered my assistance. Children who are dragon shifters can have difficulty controlling their shifting abilities at first. Last month, he burned Pastor Collins’s arm so badly it needed medical attention.” His gaze met mine. “Isabella was supposed to bring us one of her remedies to help it heal faster, but she never showed.”
“You told Collins about Isabella?”
He scowled. “Of course not. Not her extracurricular activities, if that’s what you mean. But her family deals in basic fae remedies. I told Collins I had a connection and contacted her myself. It was me she should have met. But she never came.”
