No, he hadn’t.
He had never shifted before in his life.
Somehow, it hurt too much to say it out loud, so he just shook his head.
“Hey,” she dropped to her knees beside him and grabbed him, pulling him close. “It’s okay, Felix. It’s okay.”
He didn’t cry, but he did hold her for what seemed like a very long time. It was nice to know that he was safe with her. It was nice to know that they could protect each other here.
“Ursula kidnapped me,” Felix said, pulling away and looking at her.
“What?”
“She stole me from my family when I was four years old, Tabitha. That’s why I know the island so well. That’s why I didn’t know I could shift.”
Tabitha stared at him, and there was so much on her face: horror, anguish, confusion.
Sadness.
Fear.
“Felix, she stole you?”
“Yes,” he nodded.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Tabitha reached for him, cupping his face. He knew what she was thinking before she said anything else. “I’m going to get revenge for you, Felix. I’m going to get revenge for both of us.”
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I do. Do you believe in mates, Felix?”
He hadn’t before. His inner-dragon hummed quietly in the background of his mind, and Felix nodded. Yes. He believed now. He believed in mates. He believed in her.
“Yes,” he said. “And I believe you’re my mate.”
“I think you’re mine, too. When we made love, it did something incredible to me.”
“More incredible than causing me to turn into a shapeshifting dragon?”
Tabitha laughed.
“Look,” she held her hands up and produced a small blue energy ball. She laughed and made another one, and then another. Then she started to juggle.
“You have incredible power,” he commented.
“Not usually. Mages usually need to recharge like, constantly, and we’re always trying to find ways to do that. Now it seems like having sex with you gives me the strength I need and, as far as I can tell, this strength lasts for hours and hours.”
“Incredible,” he murmured.
He watched as she played with the energy orbs she’d made, and then slowly, one by one, they disappeared.
“I need to tell you something,” he said.
“What is it?”
She reached for his hands and held them.
“She’s dead,” he told her. “Ursula is dead. I killed her myself.”