18. Bree

18

Bree

The Anisau stared down at the Unicorn, and then it dropped the branch it was holding. It tilted its head, and the lips folded over its teeth.

The song swelled in volume, filling the clearing. Birds flitted to perch on the trees, and small animals appeared through the bushes. I had never felt such peace and harmony, and Riggs's free hand folded around mine.

Then the Anisau sighed and dropped to its knees. The muscles moved beneath its fur, and we watched as Sid emerged from the beast he'd become.

He looked from Cara to us, and buried his face in his hands.

I couldn't stand it. I broke away from Riggs and ran to Sid. "It's okay, Sid. It was only a few trees."

"I can't control it," he growled, dropping his hands. "I'm a danger to everyone here. I should leave."

"You are exactly where you should be." Cara was now standing as a human, clad in a dense bodysuit of silver hair. She bent to pick up her flowing gown. "You can tie this around you, if you like."

Until that moment, I hadn't realized Sid was naked. I stepped back while he stood and arranged the sheer cloth around his hips. "Thank you," he said. "But I am not certain you are right."

Rapid footsteps up the path heralded the arrival of a dark-furred creature twice the size of a bear, with huge Sabre fangs. As he stepped into the sunlight, I could see the darker spots and stripes running through it.

The Sabre shifter relaxed when he spotted us.

"Think we found your lostling, Cody," Cara stated with a smile.

Cody snorted a laugh. His eyes dropped to the cloth wound around Sid. "Nice look, dude. Good thing you left a prretty clear trail. Maybe tomorrow we'll leave the field gate open to the forrest—the maintenance guys arre getting tired of rrepairing the fence."

"Sorry." Sid appeared very contrite. "There's got to be a better way to do this."

"Your fearr of losing it is getting in the way of your control," Cody said. "We almost had it this time."

I looked from Sid to Cody. "Could Leah help?"

Sid's lips twisted. "Leah always wants to help."

But Cara glanced at me. "Leah's Siren blood might be an idea—she can control with it. It's worth a try."

"Not sure I really want her exerting her wiles over me," Sid stated. "I have a pretty good idea what she'd do with them."

Cody's eyes glowed copper. "Not in class, she won't. It's an excellent suggestion, Brree. I will talk to her."

We headed up the path, where we discovered that the Anisau had torn a ten-foot gap in the field's perimeter fence. I gaped at the twisted metal and stone. Sid's beast was powerful, indeed.

We passed through the building to the front entrance, to see that the students were already gathering in the meadow for the run.

"I will see you two later." Cara patted me on the arm. "Do not worry about today, Bree. Control, as Sid knows all too well, only comes with practice. We will get there." She smiled encouragingly at me and headed for the stairs.

Cody shifted to human, revealing an expanse of naked muscle above and below a droolworthy butt. I averted my eyes until he'd pulled on his sweats, before he approached and tossed Sid his own clothes. The Anisau moved into the shadows of the entrance to change.

Sid had just rejoined us when Adilyn came through the door and hurried over to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

His eyes gleamed yellow in his rugged face. "I am now," he stated.

Leah swayed up to us, her eyes alight. "You should have seen him, Adi! He was magnificent."

Nar was, as usual, draped over her. "Yes, he was big, everywhere."

Adilyn turned defensive. "He's having enough issues without you two drooling over him. Bugger off. And don't call me ‘Adi'. You know my name."

Her tone could have frozen fire, but it bounced right off both of them. Being impervious to criticism seemed to be their superpower.

Cody was joined by one of his mates, Kitani, and two figures with the distinctive long gray hair of Bellatis.

Eli and Cas, the leaders for the run. Personally, I didn't think it was fair to have Unicorns conducting the run. How would we ever match that?

Eli smiled at us. "We have something different planned for this morning," he said. "Today you will be staying together as a team, and you will have a choice of which form you will take. The objective will be to get your entire team over the finish line in the quickest possible time."

I swallowed. I'd kind of enjoyed not having the run be a competition. Mainly because I was so bad at it.

Running as a human is very different from running as an equine.

Caliel's voice was weak, but I experienced a rush of relief. And he was right. Are you up for changing me to equine? I asked.

Of course. His tone indicated he was offended I had to ask.

Cas took over the narrative. "Obviously, teams that have Dragons or Gryphons as members will have an advantage, one we have done our best to mitigate. They will be flying a much longer course that we have marked for them." He looked at Riley. "And absolutely no Jumping." She snorted a laugh, and Cas continued. "We have also accommodated those that prefer to swim. They can shift form and enter the lake—but they will have to stick to the marked course, and they will be required to swim it twice before meeting up with the remainder of their team at the end. The start and finish lines will be the same, and the entire team must cross it to qualify."

Eli jumped in. "So the first step is for you to strategize as a team. Can your beast teammates carry other team members? If so, how many? What will move you forward most efficiently?"

"We will give you fifteen minutes to get organized," Cas stated. "Then the teams will be launched in the usual sequence, and timed."

The crowd of students broke up into their groups. Team Dragon crowded together.

"I will run best as I am," Sid stated.

After seeing his beast in action, I had to agree. It didn't look as though it took direction easily. He was better off as a human.

"I can fly in my Faerie form." Adilyn looked pleased at the thought.

"Or you can ride on my shoulder," Sid suggested.

To my shock, the Faerie actually smiled at him. Sid's eyes glowed yellow. It seemed romance might actually be in the air.

Or maybe it was just wildflower perfume. I wasn't a very good judge.

"What is your carrying capacity as a Gryphon?" Riggs asked me.

At the present moment, not much. Caliel responded, sounding tired but marginally more engaged in the task.

"Apparently, I'm not much use as a winged ride," I said.

"Nar and Leah will prefer to swim?" Riggs looked at them, and they both nodded vigorously. "That leaves me as a rider if we use your equine form, Breana."

Leah grinned and traded a glance with Nar. "Do we want to swim, or ride?"

Somehow, coming from the Selkie, even innocent comments sounded not so innocent. Perhaps it was the way Nar's eyebrows waggled.

Riggs pushed past it to sum it all up. "So our resident sea people swim for it. Breana's equine form carries me, unless Sid wants to have a go, and Adilyn's Faerie can hitch a ride on Sid."

Sid grinned and said, "I'll run. You can ride."

"Lucky bastard," Nar commented.

"Okay, Shades," Cas called. "Wrap it up. We need Team Manticore at the start line."

Caliel managed a Houdini move of keeping scales and feathers in their place, hiding assets as he changed me to equine.

Nar pulled a face. "C'mon, Bree. Showing a little skin wouldn't hurt."

I ignored him as my internal guide pushed the equine forward. I tried not to notice that he still seemed weak as he did so, but my gut twisted, just a little, as my body writhed its way to equine.

It hurt, but I now expected the pain. And then Caliel's guidance faltered.

I sensed his sudden drop in both focus and energy, and the transformation halted. Pain radiated through me, and there came a pulse of panic—his and my own.

I desperately envisioned what needed to happen…

"Are you okay?" Riggs stepped close, and placed a strong hand against my shoulder. It brought with it a boost of energy, and to my surprise, it worked.

I rose on four strong legs. But my concern was for Caliel. Before I could voice it, he cut me off.

Just tired after this morning. He grumbled. It is no big deal.

The anger, as well as the finality, in his tone discouraged further comment. When a hand stroked my glossy black side. I flattened my ears and snapped at Nar.

The Sea Krayt's eyes glowed icy green. "So pretty."

My hind hoof stopped just short of his crotch. Riggs pushed between him and me, and Nar's mouth twisted in disappointment as he backed away.

"Believe this is my ride?" Riggs rumbled.

Nar eyed him. "There's room up there for me, too."

Adilyn flitted around our heads in her two-inch form. "Off to the lake, kiddos. Time for us adults to run."

Before I could kneel for him, Riggs grabbed my mane and vaulted onto me. He adjusted the tip of the sword's scabbard so that it fell to one side and didn't stick into my back.

Having his powerful legs wrap around my ribs reminded me of sitting in the tub with him, and it sent a pulse of heat surging through me.

Caliel's growl grumbled in my mind.

Adilyn hovered just above the Anisau's shoulder as we watched Team Phoenix get ready to leave.

They had one smaller Dragon with dark blonde scales—Matt, who had acquired the Dragon virus from his mates. He carried the female rider, Anna, while Talakai carried their Bellati warrior. Their fifth teammate was the huge Dorinthian ogress, Mari. Once her teammates took off at the starting line, Mari waded into the water.

Team Centaur had gone fully winged for the run. Riley's Dragon, also acquired rather than born, was a fraction the size of Havoc. Havoc carried Rafael, while their final team member, a Satyr female, climbed up on Marcus's Gryphon.

We watched them all take flight, and then it was our turn.

I wondered, to even up the odds, just how long was the flying course. My equine could cover ground quickly, but it couldn't fly.

When Eli released us, Nar and Leah ran for the water, sprouting scales and short dense fur as they went. Sid took off like a sprinter, and Riggs's legs clamped hard as we launched forward.

It felt so good to stretch out. My worries about Caliel faded as Riggs leaned over my neck.

"Run, Breana!" he encouraged me.

My equine form was created to do exactly that. My body sucked in air from expansive lungs as I extended, and pushed it out as I coiled. Powerful muscles drove the long legs, each one touching down almost one at a time, efficiently driving me forward. My hooves drummed rhythmically upon the hard path and formed the beat for the music that started up within me.

Centaurs galloped to it all the time, and although I lacked human lips to sing, it ran through my mind. And after a moment, Caliel wove his song through it, lightening both my heart and my stride.

With Riggs clinging to my back, and Caliel in my mind, I was seized with a sudden sense of rightness . Of belonging. Like this was meant to be.

Caliel's song faltered, and died. I reached for him, but he'd pulled away.

An ache pulsed through my heart. Why had he withdrawn?

We now ran in silence along the path, with Sid pacing us. The Anisau's long legs ate up the ground, and we passed a few of the other teams. The Dires snapped the air as we went by—they could have kept up with no issue, but were bound to the speed of their more human teammates.

Sid and I were flying. With his face split by an enormous grin, Riggs had begun to softly chant a war song from my back, pitching it to my ears only and matching it to my strides. His hips moved easily with me, as if he'd been riding me all his life. I was caught up with the sensation of his strong legs wrapped around my ribs…

Leah was clearly rubbing off on me. If I'd still been human, my face would have been beet red.

The finish loomed much faster than I thought it should. Looking ahead, I saw both Phoenix and Centaur teams cross the line with their winged members—Phoenix had to hover for a few moments while Mari climbed out of the water.

We slid to a halt near Cas, watching. Where were Leah and Nar? Then a sleek, furred form vaulted from the water—Leah, who shifted to human with the maximum possible exposure of curvy flesh. Behind her, a swirl of icy-green scales. A moment later, Nar jogged out of the waves.

They joined us, and we crossed the finish together.

Adilyn flitted around our heads. "Were you swimming out there, or boinking?" she demanded of the mated pair.

"Does it matter?" Nar asked. "Although the Dorinthian was a killjoy—she wouldn't join us."

Adilyn adopted her human size in mid eye roll.

Riggs slid off me with obvious reluctance. "I'd ride you any day," he said, and then clearly realized the double meaning.

Nar laughed as the big guy's face reddened. But then Riggs met my eyes. And grinned.

As I struggled to breathe, Eli called to us.

"Fight class is ready to roll," he said. "Back field. Fifteen minutes."

For that, I needed human legs. I reached for Caliel.

You know what to do, was the reply.

A pulse of panic shot through me. I need your help, I insisted.

He helped—sort of. More by boosting me when I faltered, than leading the way. By the end, I was sure I'd made more than a few undignified noises.

But he still managed to insist on clothing me with fur and feathers, which was too much covering immediately after a hard run.

Riggs examined my face, now flushed with more than just embarrassment. "Isn't that too hot?"

"Yes." When he appeared confused, I admitted, "I'm having internal control issues." And I pushed back, hard.

Caliel resisted briefly, but then gave. The feathers and fur retracted to tee-shirt status. I sensed him pull away—essentially turning his back on me. He buried himself so deep that I couldn't even feel him anymore.

His reactions around Riggs were pretty clear. The flashes of anger and resentment, the attempts to embarrass me in Riggs's presence, all added up to one thing—Caliel was jealous.

The Gryphon was a part of me, and at first, when we'd started to form a relationship, I'd unconsciously relegated him into the role of friend. But his interactions with me had rapidly pushed that boundary to something far more intimate.

It wasn't all that was going on with him—it didn't explain the weakness I sensed. But it was part of it.

As we headed into the building, my heart twisted. I'd come to expect Caliel to be there whenever I called. Taken him for granted. He'd become important to me, and I couldn't imagine life now, without him.

But could I live my life with only him?

Riggs held the door open for me, and as I met his gaze, I knew the truth. There was something powerful brewing between the ex-Dragon and myself, and it spoke to Fate. If Caliel wished to keep me to himself, I wasn't sure I could do it.

The conflict tore at me. I'd stubbornly refused to see that Caliel might care about me in that way, and now I didn't know how to ask the question.

Because, in reality, there was no clear answer for it.