Tangled Innocence by Carrie Ann Ryan

thought he might have
her love, though it was still too early to tell, but he surely didn’t deserve
it right now. Nadie was human, or at least had been raised as such. She
deserved something more than what she was getting. He would just have to make
sure she got it.
    Hopefully, Jace would show her around or at least find his
own way around the house. Dante had left the bear in the kitchen, declining his
offer to accompany him to at least the clearing. Dante had wanted to ensure
Nadie’s safety and peace of mind by having Jace there. Though there might not
be an actual reason for the safety concerns, Dante was old enough to have made
enemies that might want to hurt his newly bonded mates, and he wasn’t taking
chances with their lives.
    Jace would be able to take care of her, even though he
didn’t know what he would be protecting her from.
    When he got back, he would see to courting the woman he
should have been courting all along. He knew now Nadie was stronger than he’d
given her credit for. The blood running through her veins was a testament to
that. He should have told her why he was staying away instead of hurting her.
    The dragon would have to grovel.
    First, he’d have to meet with the Conclave. He and Jace
hadn’t said it, but they both knew that this meeting could take time that
neither of them wanted to lose. The Conclave worked slow and could take him
away from Nadie and Jace far longer than he wanted.
    He should have woken Nadie or at least tried harder to when
he could have. Yes, she had been drained and had passed out from her change,
but he should have said goodbye.
    He’d been too afraid of the words, and now it was too late.
    For all the strength within his body, he still wasn’t strong
enough to do what was good for him and his life.
    He ran a hand through his hair that he’d left flowing down
his back. There was no use putting it up when he was about to shift to his
dragon. The Conclave met as their respective species, meaning since he was a
dragon he came as a dragon. Those that were dual natured and didn’t have a
dominant paranormal—like the children of two different paranormals—would come
as the one the Conclave desired.
    Though most of those who shifted had to take off their
clothes in order to turn into their other form, dragons were different. They
could bring their clothes with them during their shift because it was part of
their magic. Anything that the dragon considered its personal realm would shift
and disappear along with the human. Though they couldn’t hide sentient beings
so even if his dragon though of his mates as its own, it couldn’t hide them
away. Once the dragon shifted back to human, they would magically bring back
the clothes.
    Elders still weren’t exactly sure where the clothes went,
other than it was a magic older than the idea of dragons themselves, so it was
a common acceptance that it just…did. Also, unlike with some shifters, it
didn’t hurt Dante to shift.
    Dante closed his eyes and thought of his dragon. Warmth and
a sweet sensation danced over his skin. He knew if he opened his eyes he’d see
a bright flash of light and others would see the human no more.
    In its place stood a black and blue dragon larger than most
houses. There were many variations of dragons, just like there were many
variations of people. Some looked like the Far East versions depicted in human
writings while he and his family looked more like the dragons in Western lore.
He might have different color scales than his family, but the overall shape was
similar. His scales glistened under the light, and he stretched out his talons,
getting ready for the flight that was to come.
    He swished his tail and bowed his head. He loved his dragon
form, though his family thought differently. He just happened to love his human
form with equal measure. That was not to be tolerated within his blood line.
    Hence, why Dante, like always, was a little different.
    He lowered his snout to the envelope