Chapter 2: Iniko

Iniko

When we get to the mountain, we land and Brooke shifts, growling at me.

“You didn’t fly as fast as you can, Iniko!”

I lean my face over her. “I beat you, Brooke. What difference does it make?”

“It means you don’t think I can fly faster than I did.”

“No, it means that I know exactly how fast you can fly. I didn’t let you win. Why are you angry?” I growl back.

She turns and begins to walk away. I put my wing in front of her and when she starts to push past me, I push my talons into the ground around her, caging her in.

“Stop avoiding me and answer my question,” I say.

When she refuses to answer I begin getting angry until I smell the salt of her tears.

Rather than yell at her like some dragons might, I lay down and slowly wrap my body around her before lifting my talons so I can see her.

“Talk to me, sister,” I say.

She has her hands wrapped around her body, like she’s trying to hold herself together.

“I suck at being a dragon,” she says, swiping tears from her eyes.

I hear Cyrene take a breath like she’s about to argue with her. I quickly put my tail over her mouth to quiet her.

“Why in the world would you think that?” I ask her.

“I’m not fast. I’m not strong. I’m not agile. I’m not any of the things that a dragon should be,” she says, as a tear drips down her cheek.

I pull my tail away from Cyrene’s mouth and use it to gently wipe her tear away.

“First, you aren’t a full-blooded dragon. Unfortunately, that means that you will never have all of the strength and speed that a full-blooded dragon like me has. Second, I dare you to tell Cedric that you’re not strong. I may not be in your sparring classes with him, but I pay attention and I know very well that you’re strong enough to not only go against Alpha wolves, but also against Cedric and Tana’s children who are have the dominant Lycan gene. And finally, I would like to remind you of who won the cartwheel challenge, because it wasn’t me. So, when you say you aren’t agile, au contraire ma soeur.”

She turns and looks at me, frowning. “When did you learn French?”

“When I started listening to you speaking it,” I say, grinning.

“I don’t remember much of it. I think my family was French, or maybe they spent time in France, or possibly Quebec in Canada,” she says.

“All I know is that you are wrong about not being agile, my sister.”

She shrugs.

“Stop underestimating yourself, Brooke. You are an amazing woman, dragon, polar bear, and hyena,” I say.

She gives me a look a moment before she rolls her eyes.

“Whatever,” she says, but I can see she’s fighting her smile.

“Whatever,” I say, mimicking her as best I can in my dragon form.

Both she and Cyrene look at me a moment, then burst out laughing.

“That was terrible!” Cyene says.

“It really was,” Brooke says.

“Just you wait until I shift, then I’ll show you just how perfectly I can mimic the two of you, and yes, I’m talking to you too, Cyrene!” I say, then I begin purring loudly, making both my sisters laugh and settle.

We spend the rest of the afternoon just being together and lounging in the sun. It’s fantastic.

“Are you nervous about shifting, Iniko?” Brooke asks.

“Not really. My shift won’t be as difficult as you’ve said yours was. I’m sure it will hurt. You don’t suffer through bones snapping and reshaping without some pain, but then I’ll have my human form. As much as I love being a dragon, I’m thankful that I’ll be smaller so I can fit indoors like everyone else,” I say.

“You want to shift so you can be smaller, and I want to shift so I can be bigger,” Cyrene says.

“That’s because you’re so short!” I growl, earning a smack.

“Geez, Kiko! Your scales are so warm!” she says, gingerly running her hands over my scales.

“I’ll cool them off before you get on my back, Cy, don’t worry,” I tell her.

“It must be a dragon thing. I used to hate the heat before, but now, I love laying out here and letting the sun warm my body,” Brooke says.

I know she’s my adopted sister and I know I probably shouldn’t look, but Brooke has a gorgeous body. I don’t say that to her, knowing it would make her self-conscious, but it’s true. Living like we do, it’s practically impossible not to see people naked before they shift. The wolves and dragons, in particular, don’t care at all about being naked. For us, it’s just a natural part of life.

However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate a beautiful human body when I see one. Most of the dragons shift into gorgeous humans. I’m excited to see what I look like when I shift for the first time. I’m hoping I’m as attractive as the other dragons, especially if I find my mate. I want her to think I’m the most attractive man she’s ever seen in her life.

“What are you purring about, Iniko?” Brooke asks me.

“I was thinking about shifting and finding my mate. I wonder what she’ll be like,” I say.

I notice that Brooke glances at Cyrene.

“What’s that look?” I ask.

“Nothing. I’m sure she’ll be great,” Brooke says.

“Of course she will. She’ll be my fated mate. No matter who she is, she’ll be perfect for me.”

“What if you don’t find her right away, Kiko? Will you be like Cal and sleep around until you find her?”

“How do you know that Cal used to sleep around?” I ask her.

Cyrene is nine, she shouldn’t know these things. I mean, I’m only five, but I’m five in dragon years. She’s nine in human years. That's a big difference.

“Kiko, come on, everyone knows that,” she says.

“Uh, no, not everyone knows that. I’ve only ever known Cal and Eliane to be together and I’m pretty sure Eliane would have Cal for lunch if he ever cheated on her,” I say.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of his past though, right?” Brooke asks, coming to Cyrene’s defense.

“I wouldn’t listen to rumors if I were you two. Rumors are meant to hurt and cause chaos. You can see how much Cal loves Eliane. Ignore the rumors and even if they were true, it was before Cal met Eliane.”

“Well, that’s definitely true. I mean Cal was ready to …” Brooke cuts off abruptly, looking at Cyrene.

I don’t miss the way Cyrene shakes her head, telling Brooke to keep quiet.

“Cal was ready to what?” I ask, just as my brother bellows that we need to return home.

“Speak of the dragon and who should roar,” I say, standing up. “I’ll race you back,” I say to Brooke as she shifts.

“Take your time getting on his back, Cyrene. I need all the help I can get,” Brooke says, and takes off, flying towards home.

“You know I love you, Kiko,” Cyrene begins, and I growl.  “You and I both know she needs the head start.”

I press my face against my sister. She’s right, Brooke does need the head start, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let her win.

So, I pluck my sister off the ground and enclose her in my paw as I lift into the sky.

“Go Brooke! GO!” Cyrene yells as I take off after my sister.