get her out of here now.”
“Good. Grab your phone and call me once you’ve gotten her to safety. I suggest heading to Naomi’s, since they’ve already been there. It’s not like they’ll go back tonight.”
“I will.” Turning, she whistled and Willow angled toward her, hovering over her stretch of roses.
Sneezing, the little dragon expelled all the water she was carrying in a gigantic, wild arc, sending it spraying everywhere.
Next to her Hazel covered her mouth. “I kind of want to kidnap her. She’s too precious for words.”
Laughing, Dallas waved Willow over and her dragon immediately flew toward her, all happy and eager.
“Oh no. I think it’s too late,” Hazel murmured, glancing over her shoulder.
“What?” Dallas turned around and saw her house in the distance, and the rolling green fields of her land stretching out in all directions.
“They’re almost here,” Hazel whispered, fear lacing her words.
Iciness slid through her veins, freezing her in place for a moment. She couldn’t smell or see anything out of the ordinary. Dallas didn’t have the same supernatural senses that shifters did, but she trusted Hazel’s.
“Get out of here now,” Hazel snapped suddenly.
She nodded and turned toward Willow. But a huge dragon appeared out of nowhere, as if he’d dropped an invisible camouflage. He swooped down and headed directly for them. His indigo and violet wings glittered underneath the setting sun, creating a sparkling display that could be considered art.
Behind her, now on the ground, Willow made nervous snuffling sounds as she inched closer to Dallas.
Dallas reached back and petted her snout. “Stay calm,” she murmured. Whether the command was for Willow or herself, she wasn’t sure.
“If you have to, just fly her out of here,” Hazel said so quietly that Dallas almost didn’t hear her.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“These are King’s people. They won’t hurt me. But they might hurt sweet Willow. Get her out of here. I’m not worried about myself.”
Yeah, well, Dallas was worried. Heart racing, she stood nervously as the dragon landed about twenty-five yards away, shaking his wings out. Then three male wolves emerged from the woods, racing across one of her fields on nimble paws. She wasn’t even sure how she knew they were males but some intrinsic thing told her they were.
The dragon shifted to human, sparks of magic bursting into the air before the most beautiful male she had ever seen stood twenty yards in front of her. Dark hair, broad shoulders, bronzed skin, bright blue eyes she could see even from a distance.
Moments later the three wolves had shifted to human form and she’d been right. They were all males.
It was far too late to fly away now. She needed to be calm, to keep a level head and act like having a pet dragon was no big deal. If only she could get her heart to stop racing.
“Step away from the dragonling,” the big dragon called out, stalking toward them even as the wolves quickly pulled on clothes. Apparently he wasn’t going to bother with clothing.
“Who are you, and what are you doing on my land?” she snapped back, tension stretching inside her bowstring tight. King’s people might have a right to check in, but they should have called first. So much for staying calm. She could barely keep a lid on her fear as it bubbled out and over, spilling over her in waves. But the thought of losing Willow was too much. Because Hazel was right—they wouldn’t hurt her or Hazel, but Willow was a different story.
Before the male could answer, one of the wolves ran forward, his palms out in a placating gesture. “My name is Darius. I’m with King’s pack. We just came out here to talk to you about something. What’s going on with the dragon?”
She sniffed slightly. “Willow is my pet.”
They all stopped and stared at her, looking between each other in confusion before looking back at her.
“You can’t have a pet dragon,” the dragon shifter finally snarled. “They’re dangerous.”
She snorted. “Dragon shifters are dangerous, in case you haven’t been around the last couple months. And it’s a good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion—jackass.”
Behind her she heard Willow whining softly, clearly not liking the tension buzzing in the air. Dallas reached back again and patted her gently.
“Look, Ms. Kinley, I’m going to have to ask you to step away from the dragonling,” the wolf named Darius said quietly and calmly, as if he was completely reasonable.
“And I’m going to have to ask you to get the hell off my