Shades Of Dragon (A BBW Dragon-Shifter Paranormal Romance) Read Free

felt in his heart. He was so happy to be flying in the sky again that he almost did somersaults in the air – but decided not to risk it because of his newly healed injury, and because he didn’t know what Grey would think. Though the dragon shifter was kind to him, he didn’t really know anything about him, and didn’t want to look like a foolish child when in his presence.
          And the last thing he needed to do was upset someone who’d taken him in and risk having Grey drop him off at the nearest forest like his mother had.
          Shaking off the sadness that threatened to engulf him, he allowed his eyes to sweep over the landscape – the rolling hills dotted with green trees, the small groupings of houses and streets that marked human villages. Ahead, where Grey was taking him, loomed a range of purple-grey mountains – The Sonaras – where the Redwater Clan made their home.
          The Redwater Clan. He’d never heard of them, being from so far away, but he hoped they were kinder than his own clan had been. Since he was born out of wedlock, he’d been scorned and looked down upon since the moment of his birth, as had his mother. They’d hated her too, barely tolerating her existence, and it had driven his mother mad to the point where she’d been unable to stand the isolation of being an outcast. That was why she’d gotten rid of him, so that she could marry into a good family and finally garner the respect she’d always wanted.
          He supposed he couldn’t really fault her for that. But still, it hurt, knowing that his mother had given him up, that he had been nothing but trouble in her eyes, rather than the love of her life as so many other dragon children were to their parents.
          We’re almost there , Grey warned. Brace yourself.
          Tegan frowned, looking ahead. The mountains were indeed getting close, and Grey began to descend toward what looked like a valley with a gate that was manned by sentries. Brace myself? Are they going to attack us? I thought they were your people?
          They are , Grey answered. And no, they shouldn’t attack us. But you are a strange child from an unknown clan, so you should prepare to be questioned.
          With that, Grey tucked his wings against his body and dove for the ground. Tegan sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils, and then followed, tucking his wings in close, as Grey had done. The wind whistled harshly against his scales, as he plummeted, but there was no fear even as the ground rapidly drew closer and closer – this was, after all, what a dragon was built to do.
          At the last second, he and Grey both flapped their wings open wide and beat hard, slowing their descent so that they landed gracefully on the ground. Tegan stumbled a little, but managed to regain his footing after the first few steps, and he tucked his wings back to his sides, following Grey’s lead. Grey stood up and began to shed his dragon, and Tegan did the same, though part of him was reluctant to do so after being unable to shift for so long. But then, there was no way to get past the gates in dragon form, aside from flying overhead, and if he did that as a stranger, they were likely to attack him, thinking that he was an enemy coming to steal their women and children.
          Which he most certainly was not.
          “Abram,” Grey called up to the sentry standing guard at the tower. “Let us pass, please.”
          “Grey.” Abram lifted the visor on his helmet to look down at him. His warm brown eyes glowed as he smiled in greeting. “Good to see you. And who’s this youngling here?’ He gestured toward Tegan, who fought against the childish urge to hide his body behind Grey’s. Instead, he firmed his shoulders and lifted his chin – he was 13 years old now, for crying out loud, considered an adult amongst most human males. If he’d survived the wilderness for so long on his own, then by the