Chapter Five

I got very lucky. The resort was completely booked, but Arvin was kind enough to share his home with me and get me out of the storm. He worked here doing just about anything and everything that needed doing while he finished his degree. I admired his hardworking ethic, having had to work through university myself. My fathers helped a great deal, but since I didn't want to pile up loans, I worked two or three jobs at a time to make up the difference, using any extra to begin my investments. Arvin, a human, was just a few years behind me on his path to success.

Having never been particularly attracted to any of the otters in our bevy or others who visited, I had assumed either I did not have a fated mate, or I would have to find mine among dragons—none of whom I'd ever met. When away at school, I'd dated a bit, but nothing serious. Other shifters—no humans. Friends who crossed that bridge always said it was a river too wide, and I could see that made sense. Sort of.

And when I left the bevy, it wasn't on my list of priorities. I had to leave per my dads' deal, and I was searching for my brothers. Twenty-five years old, raised as an only adoptive child, and somehow never considered whether I might have siblings. It sure took my dragon long enough to show up and tell me. Were they also looking for me?

As I settled under the covers, I expected to drift off right away. While traveling, I had not stayed indoors until now, instead napping under trees or anywhere I could find out of sight. I could easily have afforded a room, but my dragon preferred being outdoors.

Until now.

He seemed content to be here in this little house, curled up inside me and at rest. Which should have meant I could also be at ease, but my mind would not stop. I'd never been as attracted to anyone as this guy who'd answered the door in the middle of the night wearing only striped pajama pants and a welcoming smile.

With a full house, every unit filled, he'd done what most would not and offered me a room in his own place. A very comfortable if small spare room holding only a bed and nightstand and about six boxes of books. Apparently some of his classes had been old-school and required actual textbooks, but some were novels, and I finally got up and helped myself to one in order to make myself sleepy. When I was once again under the covers with two fluffy pillows behind my head, I realized it was a textbook…Philosophy 101.

I could have gone for another, but since I'd spent a good deal of my time dozing in a class by that name, it seemed a good choice. My eyes were soon heavy, and the clunk of the book hitting the floor barely pushed back the waves of sleep overtaking me.

"Ready to go?" Arvin bounced on his tiptoes, and I looked down at him from my superior dragon height. Crouching, I extended a wing so he could climb on. "I can't wait to meet your family." He had my satchel over his shoulder so I could change when we got there and introduce this human to my dads and the others who had been so kind to me. We'd been flying for days, in the sunshine instead of at night like my first trip. So much better for sightseeing. Although I could not talk when I was in this form, the human had no such trouble, and he'd spoken to me about what we passed and what he was thinking…just everything. It was such a better trip than the way here.

We landed in the forest just outside the bevy compound, and I dressed, so ready to introduce Arvin to everyone. While I'd loved listening to him, it was also so nice to be able to reply. "Are you tired from all that flying?" Oddly, I couldn't remember making any stops…but we must have.

"Not at all." He grinned at me, white teeth flashing between full lips. "You're an excellent ride, very smooth, and the snacks were great."

Snacks? Something else I didn't remember, but I was glad I'd fed him. More than glad. "Okay, it's right this way." We started off through the trees and onto a path I'd walked many times while growing up. "And here's the stream where everyone likes to swim."

"Oh, that sounds nice. I enjoy swimming in the river at the resort. We should do that sometime."

"Uh, for sure." I'd get over my dislike of water to spend time with this man. Somehow. We used the flat rocks to cross the stream and came up on the other side. We were close enough to the compound now that I could see the houses, and my steps sped up.

"I hope your dads are home," he said, huffing a little at my side.

Slowing, remembering I'd been told that humans were not as fast as shifters. "They usually are." But maybe I should have called? "Looks pretty quiet though." More than quiet, when we entered the open area inside the compound, there was nobody around at all. No kids riding bikes or playing ball, nobody hanging out laundry or carrying things here or there, no smoke from fires. There was power, on a limited basis, mostly solar, but just about everyone still cooked on a woodstove.

"Were you living with them?"

"No. I lived in a tiny home right over…" It was gone. I panicked until I remembered that the tiny home was movable, on a sort of sled. But, where was it? Did they hate me so much that even the place I lived was no longer welcome? My gaze flicked from side to side, imagining eyes peeking from narrow gaps in curtains. Did they think I was here to harm them?

"Something is wrong," I muttered. "Arvin, you'd better wait beyond the tree line."

"If you're going, I'm going." Arvin pulled his shoulders back. "I've got your back."

"I'd feel so much better if you would stay back."

"No." He said nothing else, but the spark in his eyes would rival any dragon's flame in determination.

My dragon wanted me to fly him away immediately, out of harm's way, but I couldn't leave my former people without knowing if they were all right, no matter what they thought of me. Until less than a week ago, they'd been kind to me, and my dads had never changed. "All right, then."

Nerves creeping up and down my spine, I marched directly toward my dads' home. The stillness soaked into my bones. Never had this place been without the sounds of life, of people going about their days.

I climbed the porch steps, my heart thudding so loudly, Arvin could probably hear it. "If anything happens, just run," I whispered before turning the doorknob. Nobody locked their doors here; I doubted anyone even had a lock at all. "Hey, I'm home to visit."

My dads stood in the kitchen doorway, frozen, their eyes wide. "What do you want, dragon?" my alpha dad demanded, raising his hand to reveal a fire extinguisher. What the… "Get out of our home."

"What's going on? Have you been attacked by something?"

"We want no trouble, whoever you are. Just please go in peace," Dad pled. "We've never been attacked by dragons before."

Attacked by dragons? No recognition colored either of their expressions, and their tones held fear and anger and not a drop of the love I'd always seen there. "Pops? Dad?" I looked from one to the other. "Don't you know me?"

A beam of sunlight woke me from the worst dream of my life. It had been so hard to leave, but the idea of going back and my family either pretending not to know me or flat out having forgotten me was a hundred times worse. Was this a premonition?