“I’m going to have to get us out of here, and I’ll need to phase, or change forms, to do it. We’re leaving your car because I’m concerned the killer will recognize it now that we’ve been here, and so has he…or, in fairness, she. What do you think about leaving via dragon flight?” He smiled but it was a half-hearted effort, and I could see the concern etched in the little lines beside his eyes and around his mouth.
“I’ve seen the show, Bahlin. It’s fine.”
“That’s what you think,” he muttered. “Let’s grab some stuff and get out of here.”
“Where are we headed?” I asked, pushing up from the low, narrow sofa and heading into my room. I froze, groaning at my unintentional slip of the tongue. Bahlin snorted and rolled his eyes again.
“Bad joke. And as to where we’re going, I would really rather not answer that, luv. Who knows who could be listening, right?” he called out from his own room.
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. An even better reason not to discuss the head until we were far away. Seemed like I ended up running from everywhere I ended up. What was that quote—everywhere you go there you are? I seemed to end up running, and I wasn’t sure it wasn’t, at least partially, from myself.
We were on the rooftop deck less than fifteen minutes later. We’d combined a couple of changes of clothing each into one soft messenger-style bag and we stood, side by side, looking into the night as if we could foretell the dangers.
“So what now?” I asked.
“Goddess help me, you’re impatient. I’ve got to work up the nerve to scare the shit out of you. Do you mind?”
“Alright, crank, get on with it.”
“Brave fool,” he muttered. He pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it at me. “Put it, and the jeans, in the bag.” He was still barefoot, which seemed to be a personal preference, so no shoes to worry about. Besides, I didn’t think another set of size sixteens would fit in the bag. His feet were huge.
He peeled his jeans off and I was more than a little thrilled and happily scandalized to realize he went commando. I shoved his clothes in the bag, trying unsuccessfully not to stare at him. He was gorgeous, and standing here in the night he seemed to rule it with confidence. Glancing at me one last time, his eyes flashed first, changing to that inhuman blue. He crouched down, hands and feet on the ground and the air began to shimmer around him. Bones and muscles began to move under his skin in an unnatural way, the sound thick and wet. He began to shape shift, his hands digging into the decking as if he were in pain. A tail jutted out from between his buttocks, making me gasp as it slithered along the ground behind him. He seemed to fold in on himself and then grow larger by leaps and bounds. His wings folded out from his shoulder blades as if they’d simply been hidden there all along, hiding. Stretching out from his shoulders, his neck elongated and I recognized the small, soft spikes that grew out from his spinal cord. With a dark, silent flash, his skin was suddenly scaled and the transformation was complete. I was stunned into immobility. His form took up the entire top deck, though he was dark enough I wasn’t entirely worried about being seen by the neighbors. He huffed out a breath, and I walked toward him with small, unsure steps.
“Bay?” I asked quietly.
He huffed again, and I knew he understood me.
I laid a tentative hand on his shoulder. It was hard to reconcile the monster to the man, but I knew he was in there. I rubbed his shoulder in small circles, as much to comfort myself as anything.
“How do you want to do this?” I asked.
He pushed up with his front legs so he was squatting and, reaching down with his forearms, he scooped me up and held me close to his body. He turned his head to the side to eye me carefully and I nodded, not quite trusting my voice. Bahlin sighed deeply.
The night air seemed to grow denser around us and I realized that images were not quite so clear. It was like trying to look through dark smoke. I began to struggle to get down but he