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I nodded.
“Then show me.” Her grin said she didn’t think I could do it.
“I can,” I said. “But you have to promise not to freak out, especially since you asked me to shift.”
This was a bad idea, I could tell. But there was only one way forward and convincing her that I was a dragon was the first step in explaining fated mates, and everything else I had to tell her.
She grinned at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She was about to get a huge shock.
I dragged in a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go into the courtyard then.”
We grabbed her a cloak and boots, and then I marched toward a side door and pushed it open.
Charity followed me with a frown on her face. “Aren’t we going on a tour?”
“You just asked me to show you my shifter. Which do you want to do first? Shifter display, or tour?” A touch of impatience threaded into my tone and her eyebrows flicked upward.
“I was only teasing,” she said.
I groaned. “No. You weren’t. You were wanting to prove that I’m a liar. And you’re gonna keep thinking that until you see the truth with your own eyes. So, you can see the town first, or we can just get this part over and done with now.”
She tilted her head, uncertainty clouding her eyes. “I... are you serious?”
I nodded and stormed toward the center of the court yard. No matter how many times I told her the truth, she wouldn’t believe me.
I began to strip, pulling off my jacket, my shirt and my shoes.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed, still standing with one foot inside the doorway.
“I’m showing you the truth. Dragons are not made-up creatures. They are very real, and you are visiting a country where almost every person you meet, is a shifter. When I shift, my clothes shred, so I’m removing them for after. I will leave my trousers on, for now. For you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. “Fine. Show me.”
“Do not be afraid,” I declared, letting my dragon rise to the surface of my consciousness. “I am fully aware in my shifter form. I’m not going to hurt you, and you can talk to me just as you are now. I will understand you.”
She rolled her eyes.
I wanted to roll mine straight back, but instead, I let go of my humanity. My body grew, my scales sprouted, and my chest filled with fire as my senses exploded with shifter acuteness.
I smelled fear and heard her terrified shriek.
I opened my eyes and Charity was plastered to the door. I had to reassure her but shifting back so fast felt wrong.
I bent my front legs and lay my head on the stones.
My shifter heart ached to see Charity so distressed, but she would need to accept all of me as my fated mate, not just the human side.
Charity dropped to the ground and curled into a ball, her arms around her legs as she rocked back and forth. I made a purring sound, which probably sounded more like a growl to her, but I was hoping it came across well.
If she didn’t calm down soon, I would need to shift back.
Her head came up a little at my purr, and her watery eyes stared at me.
I stayed in my submissive pose, wishing she would stand up and touch me.
As though my thoughts had encouraged exactly that, Charity pushed up on unsteady legs and stared at me, her fingers grasping the door behind her. “Anthony? Is that really you?”
Despite her fear, her voice was strong.
