Drawing in a deep breath, Michael pushed his front legs forwards and his back legs backwards. He extended his wings out as wide as they would go and straightened his tail, stretching all of his muscles. Relaxing into the cushions, Michael searched inside himself for the feel of being human. He should know it. He had been human most of his life.
The reptilian part of him laughed at him.
And what’s so funny? Michael asked it.
You need to explore your dragon side more, it laughed.
Michael snorted. As if he weren’t already exploring his dragon side. He needed to get back to human so he could explore that side with Mine!. He pushed the snickering voice away and thought about all the things that made him human. It was hard to concentrate with scales rubbing against the back of his mind. No wonder some dragons had a hard time shifting back when they got stuck.
Not going to work, his insides teased in a singsong voice.
If he could have, Michael would have pounded that smirk right out of that wayward bit. That type of commentary was not helping. Ignoring the taunting voice was not getting him anywhere closer to human.
Fine! Michael let out another snort and turned his mind to that voice. If it wanted to speak, he would listen. Until he discovered what his instincts wanted him to know, there was no way he would be able to change back.
17
Being clean is magnificent! Carissa sighed as she pulled the wet towel from her head. She had kind of hoped that Michael would have come in to join her. She had left the bathroom door open in hopes that he would catch the hint, but he hadn’t. Carissa slipped back into her dress and went to find him. She smiled when her eyes spotted the white mass stretched out on the couch. Michael covered two full cushions on the couch. Man, he was long for his size. But what did she expect? Both she and her brother were long in dragon form.
“Hey there.” Carissa spoke softly as she approached. “Did you have a nice nap?” Her fingers slid over his wings.
Michael cracked an eye and looked up at her. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He seemed frustrated by this inability to respond.
“It’s all right,” Carissa reassured him as he tucked in his bits. “How about we see about some food?”
Michael nodded at this.
Carissa scooped him up and placed him on her shoulder before heading to the small kitchen space. “So what do you feel like?” They perused the refrigerator. There wasn’t a lot of fresh food, but the freezer was well stocked.
“This looks good.” Carissa pulled out a couple of frozen steaks and some broccoli with cheese.
Michael nodded heartily.
Good. A couple of minutes in the microwave, and it should be thawed enough to broil. “Why don’t you sit here?” Carissa moved Michael to the counter next to the stove. “That way, you can help with the seasoning.”
Michael carefully circled on the counter so his tail was tucked up out of the way.
Carissa busied herself with thawing the meat. A loud bang from the front of the cabin drew both of their attention.
“Carissa!” a loud voice bellowed as the door swung open. Kyle stood, seething, in the opening.
Carissa whipped around to face him, but she shifted over so Michael was out of sight. Apparently, Daniel hadn’t been able to handle her brother. But, at least he’d had the good sense to show up dressed.
“Brother!”
“Where is he?” Kyle stormed into the room, looking around for Michael. “I want that no-good son of a bitch!” He stopped a few paces away from Carissa, eyes searching the living room area. “He will pay dearly for what he has done!”
Oh, this was not good.
“Did you talk to Daniel?” Carissa tried to use a soothing voice on her brother.
Kyle glared at her. “You’re protecting him, aren’t you?” he growled. “How could you, after what he’s done?”
“Did you talk to Daniel?” Carissa asked again, less calm than she had been. Kyle’s attitude was starting to tick her off.
“What the hell does he have to do with this?” Kyle yelled.
That did it. “Did. You. Talk. To. Daniel?”
“Yes, I talked to Daniel!” Kyle threw his hands up and turned away from Carissa to prowl around the living space.
“Did he show you the file?”
“Yes, he showed me the file.”
“So, you know Michael is innocent.” Carissa gave her brother one more chance to calm down.
“I don’t care if he’s innocent. He kidnapped you!” Kyle growled, stalking back over, getting into Carissa’s face.
Oh, this was how it was going to be? Carissa’s patience snapped. “First!” she barked into her brother’s face, “you do not talk to me that way!” She raised a finger and shoved it into his chest, pushing him back. “I don’t care if you are the bloody king, you are my brother! Not my mother, not my mate—my brother! And by now, you should know that no one talks to me that way!”
Some of the starch went out of Kyle as he backed up. Carissa was something when furious.
“Second! Michael did not kidnap me! If anything, I kidnapped him. Both times, it was my idea to leave. Hell, I had to throw the man off the building and pray his instincts kicked in before he hit the ground. And he wanted to turn himself in to Daniel. I was the one that dragged him out here.”
Carissa stalked after her brother as he backed across the room. “Damn it, Kyle!” Carissa backed him clear into the living room. “He was only doing his goddamn job!”
She took a breath to calm down slightly. “He was in your service when they kidnapped him. They locked him in a dungeon. Chained him to a wall. No food. No water. Unable to even sit down. Chained to a wall! Do you hear me?”
Carissa paused, so her brother could nod, dumbfounded.
“And then, when he does get out, is he welcomed home? No! He’s accused of crimes and hunted like a dog. Did you ever stop to think before you sent your henchmen after him? Did you see what they did to his home? Destroyed! Completely and utterly destroyed! They didn’t just toss it—they tore up damn near everything in it. Then, I…” Carissa drew in a deep breath. “I screwed his life up even more.” She shook her head at what she had done before turning her attention back to her brother. “But, you, you didn’t even give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Her anger flamed again as she went on. “And now, you have the nerve to come out here, demanding that I hand him over. After having heard his case. Seeing the evidence! And you call yourself a king? How dare you! You’re nothing but a three-footed, webbed-winged…”
Carissa’s mouth moved as she continued to insult Kyle, but her anger had burned through the magic holding Michael’s voice. A smirk broke out across Kyle’s face, inflaming Carissa’s anger even more. Reaching out, she grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed her lips to his, stealing his voice.