Devoted to the Dragon (The Last Shifters #1)

9. Gunnar

Chapter 9

Gunnar

T he powerful witch holds a finger covered in a sweet-smelling mud-like substance over my chest, raising her brow. “Are you ready, Gunnar? Once I complete the spell, it can’t be undone.”

I’ve seen wolves get tattoos. This is not that. When she explained how it would work, the witch’s exact words were, “The tattoo means your wolf is sworn to protect the dragon, but you’ll be a jacked version of yourself with enhanced senses and healing beyond that of your regular wolf.”

So, no biggy. Super wolf. The cost? My life.

I swallow around the lump in my throat, wondering at what point I should have gotten the fuck out of here. I wanted scraps from the dragon’s table. I was greedy for them. Even Henry’s scraps are better than the feasts of village wolves.

I didn’t think the backhanded deal that got me here would somehow bring me to the dragon’s personal guard. I’m a fucking half wolf from the Outskirts. What do I know about being ready to swear my loyalty to the dragon and defend her against some last-ditch effort from the Council?

I take a deep breath, drawing all my courage. I can do this for her. Fennik’s given me enough reason in the last week to be loyal to the dragon. She is trying her best to save the wolves. Besides, my dick already loves her, and where the fuck am I going to go? Back to the Outskirts to fight? Might as well die fighting for her instead of fighting ferals for cash.

“Do it,” I grit out the words.

“Brace yourself, wolf,” Vandera says sternly. “This is going to hurt.”

I grip the edge of the counter. I’m laid out like an offering, hoping I’m not about to actually become one. Do dragons really sacrifice virgins? If so, I’m so fucking screwed. I’m not ready to die. I’ve never done more than oral.

Vandera speaks words that sound like nonsense as she traces an outline on my chest with the sweet-smelling mud. The air in the room stirs as the witch’s words create wind. It rustles the papers and books on the shelves.

My eyes squeeze shut when a searing burning begins on the surface of my skin. I bite my lip, trying to keep from screaming as the brand seeps in, becoming a roaring fire that spreads through my chest and into my bones.

“Fuck,” I scream, unable to keep it in any longer.

The pain is so intense I wish I could black out already. Hair sprouts on my face, and my claws extend, tearing into the stone beneath me. Did I say I wasn’t ready to die? I lied. This has gotta be worse.

The searing pain is unending. Fennik restrains me, holding me against the counter of the witch’s workshop while she keeps up the spell. He is quiet, as he often is in public, with no trace of the warm wolf I gravitate to at the end of each night.

The fire raging in my chest cools as the witch finishes. A minty ice blows out the flames on her last word. In the wake of ice comes a surge of power that makes me pant. Everything hurts. It feels as if my entire body is being rearranged from the inside out. I lose myself in the swell, untethered and floating in a sea of crashing waves of power and pain.

The deep rumble of Fennik’s voice tugs me, anchoring me back to reality. “That’s it, pup. You’re almost there. Just a little longer now.”

His voice stops my wolf’s frantic pacing in my mind, easing some of my dizziness. My wolf still believes the dragoness is our mate, and he’s convinced Silent Daddy Wolf is ours too. He has big dreams to think I belong with such powerful people. But I can’t deny that Fennik’s voice helps put me at ease and makes this feel more manageable.

I can do this. Fennik is here. My instincts say to trust him.

During the last week of training with Fennik, he has been gruff and focused but solid. We’ve spent hours bringing me up to speed on the Council and studying maps of the North Pass. Afterward, he hands me off to Brooks to attend skills training with the other guard recruits. But at night, Fennik sits on the sofa by the fire, sipping his drink and letting me lie beside him. His fingers find their way to my hair, and though he doesn’t say much, his presence is so comforting I keep falling asleep, only to wake in my bed.

I go there in my mind, imagining his fingers in my hair and the warm fire. Randi is there too, curled up in his lap. It helps filter some of the shock, lessens the burning. As the power settles, the pain finally recedes.

I lie still anyway, my breath sawing out of me and my claws digging into the stone. I picture the three of us cuddled in the den. The fire inside turns to a glowing warmth that pulses in my veins. It feels like long ago, before the world turned full-tilt-feral. It’s the feel of a warm fireplace and good food, safety, and my sister Izzy’s laughter—like home.

It also pumps one hell of an energy boost. I’m talking caffeine to the max. That’s followed by a heady chaser of that supercharged feeling the witch’s rut hash induces without any of the so-horny-I-can’t-see-straight side effects.

Fennik murmurs in my ear, “That’s a good pup. Let the magic settle.”

The praise sends a burst of that new super juice down my spine, and I can’t stop my wolf from licking his face. The bristles of his stubble sort of tickle, but he tastes like sexy-salty-woodsy yum-yums to my wolf. I lick him again, my tongue trying to map his face.

“Quit slobbering.”

The deep sound of Fennik’s chuckle hits me. My body reacts, and my eyes pop open as I sit up, twisting and turning to see if what I just felt is real.

“The super wolf spell didn’t turn me full wolf? It just gave me a tail?” I ask incredulously.

Vandera lifts her chin at me, her eyes full of laughter.

“That’s bullshit. I want a takeback. How is a tail a power boost?” I hop off the table, looking over my body.

“Magic often has different definitions of power than us.” The witch shrugs. “Though you can’t go full wolf, you retain the power to speak while shifted. Each of magic’s creations has its own gifts. Who knows what you’re capable of, Gunnar?”

I grab the offending tail, trying to look where the fuck it’s coming from. It’s a fluffy mixture of russet brown, like the rest of my fur. “Why is it so weirdly long though, Vandera?”

My tail jumps from my hand, swishing with a mind of its own.

“That’s what she said.” The witch busts up laughing at her own joke.

“A fucking tail,” I mumble, appalled.

“I think it’s cute, pup.” Fennik rubs his thumb over the spot where my new tail emerges from the split ass of my cargo pants.

My entire body goes rigid as a pleasure so intense runs through me that my dick pushes against the confines of the cage, trying to harden. It forces the metal spikes of the dragon’s teeth to graze along my glans. I swear if I could, I would come. I whimper instead.

I guess the extra libido kick stays, but at least I can sort of think straight.

“And that, gentlemen, is my cue,” Vandera calls.

She follows up with instructions, then the bell above the door of her workshop jingles as she exits, but I can’t focus on the witch.I go back to studying my body. My claws are still the same, my brown arm fur tapering above my wrists. Same furry-ass human torso and clawed feet. I feel my face. Still the weird wolf-man beast. Bummer. A small part of me hoped the super spell would fix my wolf.

My wolf's jaws snap in my mind, offended. He recedes, giving me back my body by shifting so fast I barely feel the change.

That’s when I see the brand. It was covered by fur before. It does look like a tattoo, though the skin is raised like a scar. It’s Randi as a red dragon, her wings spread wide and her tail circling around my pec.

A burst of that home feeling hits again. I grin at Fennik. “Let’s go see what these new powers can do.”

He nods, his face transforming into a grin that makes his grumpy personality worth it just for this one smile. “The shooting range first. Let’s see if the enhanced sight will help you finally hit a target.”

I gawk over my shoulder as we exit the workshop. “You can’t make jokes. I already decided you’re Silent Wolf. Silent Wolf can’t be funny.”

Fennik’s lips twitch as he tries to hold in another grin.

“I’ll race you. I bet with my new powers and your old-man speed, I can beat your full wolf.”

Fennik stops, eyeing me sternly. “Is that a bet you want to make, pup?”

It's too bad for him. A stern daddy is just my type. “If I win, when you carry me to bed tonight, it won’t be to my own.”

Before Fennik answers, I’m already calling my wolf to the surface. He’s salty, but he never turns down a chance to run.Fennik’s calculating grin sends a thrill of danger straight up my spine.

“When I win, pup, I’ll call the shots tonight.” He doesn’t wait, leaping into the air and shifting. His fancy suit splits, and shredded clothing launches out behind him.

I’m not far behind. Before long, I overcome him, taunting him as I pass. His wolf snaps at me, but I’m already ahead. We weave through the property, passing the guard getting ready for their shifts at Frenzy. Back around the garage and into the clearing, I keep the lead, but as we round the guard buildings, the white-and-grey wolf gives a burst of speed, darting around me.

Fennik was holding out, playing with me. He sails past in a full sprint before skidding to a halt and panting in front of the first target in the range.

“You cheated. You let me think you were slow,” I grumble around shallow breaths.

I can practically feel his wolf’s laughter.

Winded, I double over and clutch my knees. “Fine. But after target practice, I need a second dinner. Apparently, I need my strength.”

Fennik’s wolf trots over and licks my hand.

“Yeah, yeah. I should’ve known.”