Page 16 of Shifter’s Thunder

Avelunne’s surprise turned to amusement. “Of course not. But to be honest, moonwings often deserved their sneakish, blackguard reputation.”

Tiziri shook her head. “I can’t believe Wolcz thinks any female will vote for him next year after that ‘waste of breeding capacity’ comment.” She made a rude sound. “He’s been reading too many human neo-pagan manosphere forums. They’re full of shit like that.”

A shadow crossed Avelunne’s expression. “Is he so obsessed that he would harm your offspring or mate in order to put your womb to better use?”

His inner thunderbird’s instant response to the perceived threat made the windowpanes vibrate with subsonic thunder. “He won’t touch either of you.”

Their startled looks made him realize he’d lost control. Drawing in a breath and letting out slowly helped him re-center. “I’ll tell my deputies to watch for trouble. We can add a patrol route past your farm if you’d like.”

Tiziri shook her head. “He wouldn’t dare. Bolad’s wolf pack would tear him apart if my sand-dragon cousin didn’t get to him first. But thank you.” She turned to Avelunne. “Bring them home,” she said, followed by more in a language Tanner didn’t recognize.

Avelunne nodded gravely. Tiziri put a fist to her chest, then gave a brief salute to Tanner before striding out the doors, leaving the room flushed with another draft of wind.

“What was that last bit?” Tanner asked.

“A quote from an ancient saga in Dragonic about how our kind got to this world. Something like, ‘One second of courage opened the gate and restored the crown.’” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “When do we leave?”

“Ten minutes, if you’re ready.” He tilted his chin toward the hall. “I want to give you something.”

In her room, he opened an outside flap pocket of his bag to withdraw a small flannel bag, which he handed to her. She poured its contents into her hand, then looked up at him.

“They’re charmed to stay with you no matter what shape you take. The gold chain is a personalized pass for the town shield. The feather charm on the silver chain is an anchor. If you get disoriented in the air, it will help you find your way back.”

Subtle magic flared as she touched the feather. “To here, or to you?” Her luminous eyes showed none of the fear he knew she must be feeling.

“Me,” Tanner admitted, holding her gaze. “Back to me.” He stepped back to break the magnetic pull between them before he did something reckless like kiss her for real this time. Exploring their attraction five minutes before leaving on a dangerous mission was monumentally unfair. She deserved better.

In the frozen stillness of the courtyard, the wind had fallen silent, leaving the air sharp and biting in Tanner’s lungs. He pulled out his phone and, with a few quick taps, sent the coded messages to notify the team about their launch. He slid the phone into his pocket and turned to Avelunne.

With a silent pulse of magic, he deactivated the layered charms on the peace-bonds she wore. The faint shimmer around the metal bracelets and belt winked out. She unhooked the belt and slid the bracelets from her wrists. She held them for a moment before setting them carefully on the ground.

“I won’t pretend this will be a glide on steady winds,” he said, his voice softer than he intended. The need to protect her warred with the mission’s demands. “But I’ve seen you in action. You’re more powerful than you give yourself credit for.”

Avelunne looked up, her eyes luminous in the half-light, reflecting the first stars of the violet sky. “Even though you don’t trust me, as is right, I trust you.” Before he could process her words, she stepped into his space. Her hands, surprisingly warm, came up to frame his jaw. Then her mouth was on his, a sweet, warm softness that tasted of winter air and a kind of bravery he was only just beginning to understand. It was cool, then hot, and he pulled her close. The feel of her against him sent his senses into overdrive. Her hands skimmed his shoulders, but before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled back. The taste of her and her magic saturated his senses.

Her expression was unreadable as she turned away. With a fluid grace that made her seem like she floated, she walked twenty paces toward the open field, shedding the T-shirt, slippers, and sweatpants, the only clothes she hadn’t left in her room. She made a small bundle of them on the snow-dusted ground. Standing, her naked skin moonlight-pale and her human form slender yet gently curved in all the right places, she dissolved into a sparkling fog that expanded into something vast and primal.

Tanner’s breath caught. He’d admired dragons in flight from a safe distance, but up close, she was stunning. He’d only seen gray scales when she’d crash-landed on his vehicle. Now her scales were a shimmering, iridescent blue-green, like opals submerged in a shallow sea. Tiny whirlpools of sparks danced across her hide. Her unmuffled magic washed over him, soaking deep into his bones and charging his blood. She launched herself into the sky, a vision of alien reptilian majesty against the stars. He barely stopped himself from shifting right then and chasing her.

Shaking himself and telling himself to stick with the plan, he hurriedly stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt. He stuffed his clothes into the bag he brought. After a moment’s indecision, he added hers, too. Denise or Chulo in the Transition Center would find them and bring them inside.

The necklace of charms settled against his skin. He closed his eyes and let the thunderbird take over.

The shift was an instant, sharp release. As a thunderbird, his thoughts were usually a clean, sharp focus on wind, altitude, and intent. The mission was critical. His cousins and the other captives depended on him. But tonight, his mind was in chaos. The taste of Avelunne’s kiss was still reverberating through his veins, a phantom sensation that distracted and disoriented him more than a tornado.

He’d built an internal fortress with a century’s worth of lies to himself. A mate was an impossibility. A risk he couldn’t afford. A magical mismatch.

That fortress had kept him safe and grounded in Kotoyeesinay, but alone. Tiziri’s casual revelation about her wolf-shifter mate had blown through the ramparts. Avelunne’s kiss had just undermined the foundation. He did have a chance for a mate. That chance, the one he’d denied for so long, was a blue-green vision of scales and starlight, flying just above him, toward the hell she had just escaped.

She is ours. The thunderbird’s rare, clear declaration resonated in the heart of his shared soul.

The human part of him, the man who had just been kissed and left breathless, could only agree. But a cold dread followed the soaring hope. It was never, ever going to be that simple.

Chapter 8

Every beat of Avelunne’s wings pushed her closer to the place that corrupted her sleep with nightmares. The limitless dark was decorated by stars glittering like shards of metal flung across black velvet. Below, the world was a rumpled quilt of shades and shadows interspersed with vast, glittering clumps she realized were human cities. Flying beside Tanner during their practice run had been a wondrous, soaring dance. This flight was a grim climb into danger. Her throat felt like she might choke.

To keep the rising panic at bay, she filled her mind with more noise. A song she’d heard playing in the Transition Center’s common room that morning looped through her thoughts, a strange and wistful tune. I’ll be home for Christmas… you can count on me. The simple melody was a shield against the screaming memories trying to claw their way out of the pit she’d buried them in.