Theo
Theo had been restless and felt like the walls of his mansion were caving in on him. It didn’t matter if he was in his human form or dragon form. He thought he was going to lose his mind.
This feeling wasn’t unusual for him. When he wasn’t sleeping, he felt restless. He was not motivated to do anything specific. The activities that he used to find joy in simply haunted him. He no longer had any part in his global businesses. When he met with the elders to get his quarterly statements, he didn’t even bother looking them over. He really didn’t care if his businesses made money or not. However, he seemed to have the Midas touch, and even if he wasn’t directly involved, his businesses thrived, even during the recessions that happened every twenty years or so.
Theo went outside and toured the ruined rose gardens that Savannah used to take such pride in. She would hang out here for hours, pruning, shaping, and weeding. Just before she was killed, he had found her outside talking to them.
He closed his eyes, and his mind went back to that day. The sun was shining, warming him as he walked the grounds looking for his beloved. He found her in front of a bush that produced coral and cream colored flowers.
“Aren’t you the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen?” Savannah had cooed to the bush. “I see your buds all over the place, and you are about to produce the most gorgeous flowers ever.”
“Do you always talk to plants?” Theo had said as he came up behind her, putting his arms around her waist.
She jumped as she had been so focused on her bushes that she hadn’t heard him approaching.
“Don’t scare me like that,” she said. Then she laughed. “Of course, I talk to the plants. They are living creatures. They thrive when they hear someone speaking kindly to them or when classical music is played.”
Theo shook his head and said, “I bet you tell all the plants they are the prettiest you’ve ever seen, don’t you?”
She smiled and put her fingers to her lips as though it was their secret. He kissed her and told her he thought she was the most beautiful creature on earth. They made love, right there among the blossoms with the sun shining down.
His beloved had been killed in the war two days later. After her death, he replayed moments like these over and over in his head until he couldn’t stand it anymore. He would give anything in the world if he could have been the one to die, and she was still here to make the world a better and more beautiful place.
Theo’s heart was breaking, and he bellowed out a loud roar that shook the mountain.
He transformed into a dragon and flew for hours until he couldn’t go any further. His wings felt leaden, and his lungs burned.
Theo headed to the mansion and shifted back to human form. He stood outside his front door with his hand on the handle. Once again, the hairs stood on the back of his neck and rose on his arm. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t tell what.
He sniffed the air. There was a strong, strange scent. It smelled partially human, but he knew whatever it was, it had to be a shifter. It certainly didn’t smell like a dragon shifter, although some rogue dragon shifters had an altered smell.
This was different than that. It wasn’t anyone he knew. He recognized all the smells of his friends, relatives, and other members of his clan.
Cautiously, he opened his front door and silently closed it, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He listened, waiting.
Someone was in the house. He sensed the other person. The smell was the same inside as it was outside. The only person who knew where to find him was Germaine, and he wasn’t stupid enough to hide in his house. He had no idea who could have found him up here and even more, who would be foolish enough to break into his home.
Theo tensed, every muscle hard and tight, waiting for the fight. He hid in the shadows of his dark house, watching for an ambush – from whom or what, he didn’t know.
Then, he heard a slight movement, and he pounced, his teeth bared and his claws out.
As their bodies collided, he realized the interloper was female. However, that didn’t stop him from fighting. A woman could be just as dangerous as a man if she got the upper hand.
She didn’t say anything to make him stop attacking her, which he thought to be weird. Most people would at least say, “Wait a minute, I’m Sara, and I’m here to sell you some Tupperware.”
This woman wasn’t a dragon shifter, but she fought as though she were battling a thousand demons. Theo swiped a paw at her face. She held up her arm, pushing his claws away from her while leaning forward and biting his neck. She spit it out and continued to fight.
She was fierce, but she was no match for a dragon shifter. Theo tripped over her feet, and they both landed on the couch, her arms held tightly in his fists. As they fell, their eyes met. Theo was shocked by the crazy myriad of emotions he felt when he looked deep into her silver eyes.
“Who the hell are you, and how did you find my house?” Theo asked.
