Chapter 7
“Come in here and tell me what you think!”
Nia set down the rag she’d been using, wiped her hands on a clean one, and stepped out of the kitchen.
It was about time she took a break. She’d been scrubbing hard, attacking every speck of dirt or splatter of grease as if she could scrub away her troubles.
Though she kept telling herself that focusing enough on the bakery would distract her from Cole, it wasn’t working.
Every few minutes, she kept reliving that deep sense of sadness and distance she’d felt at the barbecue.
She found Brianna in the dining area, standing back and tipping her head as she considered a square of muted sapphire blue on the wall. She still held the paintbrush in her hand as she folded her arms. “I’m not sure.”
Nia stepped up next to her and tried to envision the entire dining area done in that color. “It’s hard to tell. Everything looks hideous next to the current color. It’s like someone put Big Bird in a toaster oven.”
Brianna let out a loud, raucous laugh, splattering paint on her jeans.
“Shit, Nia! You crack me up! You know, that’s one of the first things I liked about you when they put us in the dorm room together.
I was so worried I’d get stuck with some Debbie Downer, but you had me on the verge of peeing myself from the very first night. ”
Nia laughed, too, as she thought fondly about that night.
They’d both been so scared and nervous. Everything was new and different, and they had no idea if they’d really make it or not.
Over the next four years, they’d learned much more than what was taught in the lecture halls.
They’d relied on each other and grown together. They shared all of their secrets.
That close connection was exactly what made it so difficult for Nia to share her deepest secret of all.
“Okay, okay,” Brianna said, catching her breath. “The blue might not be it. Let’s try this one instead.”
She opened another paint sample and grabbed a new brush. This time, she swiped the color onto the narrow strip of wall between two windows where there wouldn’t be as much interference from the rotten lemon shade.
“There.” Brianna stepped back.
Nia lifted her brows as she studied the mossy green. “Oh, I like that.”
“Yeah?” Brianna’s voice went up an octave in excitement.
“It’s cozy, which of course it has to be.
But it’s not depressing, and it’s not just brown or beige.
” An internet search for cozy colors had mostly returned a lot of tans and browns, which hadn’t satisfied them.
“It’s like you’re all curled up in a safe place, but it’s still full of light and fresh air. ”
“Then green it is!” Brianna announced. Her phone began singing in her back pocket. “Maybe that’s the plumber. I called him about the bathroom sink. No, wait. It’s my dad. I’d better get this.”
Nia started back to the kitchen, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation.
She didn’t want to feel the pinpricks of excitement standing out along her skin if she caught a few syllables of his voice.
She needed distance, which was proving to be impossible.
Nia grabbed her rag and began scrubbing again.
Brianna charged through the swinging door a couple of minutes later, the phone still pressed to her ear. “No. Yeah, we’ll be there. Love you. Bye.” She shoved her phone back in her pocket and then spread her paint-splattered hands. “You’re never going to believe this!”
There was no feasible excuse Nia could make for not coming to the packhouse.
When she said she didn’t want to interfere with pack business, Brianna told her to stop being ridiculous.
When she claimed she had a lot of work to do, Brianna countered that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In the end, she’d gotten into Brianna’s car with her and headed to the packhouse, knowing she’d once again be stuck in close proximity to Cole.
The driveway was already crowded with cars when they arrived. Brianna breezed past several members standing in the kitchen as she hurried down to the basement. A small crowd had formed, but the onlookers made way for them.
Nia hovered just behind Brianna, feeling like an intruder. Fortunately, the wolves were all far too occupied with whatever Travis had found to pay her much attention. She scanned the room and accidentally caught Cole’s eye.
He stood on the other side of the large cardboard box on the floor. The tendons in his neck tightened, and then he looked away.
“Oh. My. God.” Brianna was on her knees by the box. “Nia! Look at this!”
Not wanting to bring any attention to herself, Nia moved in next to her.
Her concerns about Cole were briefly forgotten as she gasped, taking in the little creature that sat in the box.
Its big yellow eyes watched everyone around it with interest, and its long snout twitched as it smelled the air.
Shimmering emerald scales covered its body, and its small claws made scraping sounds against the cardboard.
It was about the size of a cat, which was no surprise considering the size of the eggs next to it.
Most remarkable of all were the set of wings carefully folded along its sides.
“Isn’t it just adorable?” Deb cooed. “I have a friend who collects snakes. Maybe he’d know what it is.”
“Well, it’s definitely not a snake!” Sandy replied.
Nia’s blood sang in her ears.
“It seems very intelligent,” Linda commented. “You see how it’s watching us? Not because it’s trying to figure out if it’s safe around us, either.”
Reaching carefully into the box, Nia held out her hand, her fingers relaxed. The tiny thing leaned over and sniffed her cautiously. She knew. She knew without a doubt.
“Maybe it’s an animal that hasn’t been discovered yet,” Travis theorized. “Or a species that everyone thought was extinct.”
“Or some strange hybrid,” Scott suggested.
“There has to be a logical explanation,” Morgan added.
Nia stroked her fingertip along the baby creature’s jaw. The scales were so fine and close that they felt like silk. “It’s a dragon.”
The air in the room was tense and heavy for a moment.
“It looks like one,” Morgan acknowledged, “but dragons only exist in fairytales.”
She cleared her throat. “It’s a dragon shifter.” Though Nia knew it was dangerous, she looked straight up at Cole. She met his eyes with the intensity of truth, telling him without needing any words that she absolutely meant what she’d said.
“Now you’re really getting into fairytales,” Sandy said.
Gently, Nia put her hands under the dragon’s arms and lifted it out of the box.
She heard a collective inward breath from the others as she sat it in her lap.
She brushed her fingers across the spikes at the top of its head, and she smiled as it curled up against her. “Those fairytales came from somewhere.”
A few of the wolves exchanged glances.
“Nia.” Cole’s voice was careful and steady. “Why do you think it’s a dragon shifter?”
She didn’t have to look at him now that she had this delightful dragonling in her lap. “Because my coven back in Salem is quite close to a dragon clan. I personally know several dragons, and two of my coven sisters are mated to them.”
Linda eased herself to the floor next to Nia, her knees popping. “Are you serious? They’re out there, and the rest of us just didn’t know?”
Nia felt everyone’s eyes on her, which was exactly what she hadn’t wanted. But there was no turning back and no avoiding the truth. “They’re pretty rare, and they’ve become very good at staying hidden. Just like the rest of us shifters, they know the dangers of exposure.”
“But how do you know it’s a shifter and not just some neat kind of lizard?” Scott asked. He wanted the details, but he kept his voice respectful.
Nia pulled in a breath and rolled her shoulders, trying to figure out exactly how she knew. She simply did. “I’ve spent a lot of time with a baby dragon shifter before. His name is Corbin, and he’s the son of one of my coven sisters. This little guy smells the same. He feels the same.”
Linda seemed most receptive to this idea. “I wonder why he’s staying in this form. Most shifter babies seem to like going back and forth quite a bit.”
Corbin had taken a long time to show his true form, but all shifter babies were a little different. “Maybe he’s waiting for his mother. Do we know anything about where she might be?”
The sweet little dragon had snuggled up against her stomach now. His little clawed hands made shallow scratches in her skin, but Nia didn’t mind. She pulled her arms a little more tightly around him, trying to let him know he was safe.
“We didn’t see any sign of anyone,” Cole answered. “We’ll start looking, but there’s a chance these eggs were abandoned.”
Nia couldn’t imagine anyone willfully leaving this darling baby behind. “I can call Beck and Kendrick, the leaders of the dragon clan I know. I’m sure they can come out and help. Maybe they can locate the parents with us.”
“Are any of the others hatching yet?” Brianna mused out loud, leaning into the box a little. “This one looks like it might have started. Oh, I can’t wait to see the rest of them!”
Sandy peered down at it. “I wonder if they’ll all be the same color.”
Reluctantly, Nia picked up the baby dragon on her lap and handed him to Brianna. “Here. I should go call Beck and see if they’re able to come out.”
Cole nodded. “I should come with you.”
Brianna gingerly accepted the dragonling. “Hi! Hi there, cutie pie! Oh, my goodness! Oh, just look at you! You’re amazing! Yes, you are.”