Too late.
We had hardly gone more than a dozen yards when the billowing clouds opened up and dumped their load onto our heads. I shuddered as the cold rain slid down my neck, soaking my clothes and skin. Tegan drew me against his side and pulled my coat over my head to protect me from the downpour.
He found us an especially thick-branched tree under which even the harshest rains could hardly penetrate. I was glad when he set me down at the base and gathered up a mess of branches dry and wet. He knelt in front of the debris and cupped his hands together.
I watched shivering as he focused all his attention on his hands. After several moments, a small ball of flame finally appeared and he tossed the fire onto the food. The flames consumed the offerings and a warm fire crackled to life.
Tegan dropped backward onto his butt and let out a heavy sigh. I studied him with curiosity. “You can’t make fire when it’s wet out?”
A tired grin slipped onto his lips. “It’s the worst kept secret of the dragons. Water drowns our magic to the point where even starting a campfire is difficult, if not impossible.”
I scooted up to his side and drew the coat off which I then held out to him. “You wouldn’t be so wet if it wasn’t for me having your coat.”
He pushed my hand backward against my chest and shook his head. “You need it more than I.”
I reluctantly accepted the coat and threw it around my shoulders. The rain poured around us, but our little spot was dry and warm, thanks to the fire.
After a long moment of silence, Tegan cast a curious glance at me. “Your world doesn’t have vampires or werewolves anymore, does it?”
I shook my head. “No, but there are stories about them.” I was equally curious about him. “I don’t remember ever hearing stories about a man that could change into a dragon, though.”
“We revert to our dragon forms in domains unfamiliar to us,” Tegan told me as he used a clawed finger to poke at the fire. “And when we die in either form our bodies are incinerated by our internal fire.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Like a phoenix, but without the rising from the dead part?”
“Essentially, yes.”
I dropped my gave to my hands with my palms upturned to face me. “So, um, you told me that vampires and werewolves live in this world, but are there humans here, too?”
Tegan nodded. “A great many, though they don’t have a kingdom for themselves. They’re scattered about the two kingdoms and their own vassal states.”
I drew my bent legs up against my chest and set my chin on my knees. The fire danced in front of me as a few whispered words passed my lips. “At least I’m not alone. . .”
Tegan flashed me a grin. “You do have me, at least until we reach the capital. The authorities there may know what to do in this unique circumstance.”
My heart fell at the thought of Tegan leaving me, but I couldn’t guess whether it was because he was my last lifeline to my world or because I was desperate to attach to someone in this one. “What will they do with me?”
Tegan shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen anyone from your world cross over, and I’ve been around.”
My shoulders slumped deeper and my heart fell further.
Tegan leaned forward and captured my gaze in his smile. “What do you say to trying out your powers?”
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You mean like what you did before?”
He shook his head. “No, I mean with your own magic. Try to craft a fireball or illuminate the area around us.” He nodded at a small leaf situated near my foot. “Perhaps you could even move that with a gust of wind.”
I stretched out my legs and scooted closer to the leaf so it was situated between my legs. “So how do I do this? Call forth the magic or whatever it’s called.”
“Focus on the object you want to control and on the element you want to bend to your will,” Tegan explained as he moved closer to me.
He slid one of his arms down mine and turned my hand so the palm hovered over the leaf. His side leaned against me and I couldn’t help but notice the soft warmth that emanated from his body.
Tegan leaned in close and lowered his voice to a gentle, almost sensual whisper. “Imagine the leaf moving or burning with fire. Imagination in the key.”
I tried to block out the lovely scent that radiated from his person and focused all my attention on the leaf. My thoughts were of nothing but that crispy dry bit of foliage tucked between my legs.
My reward for my effort was nothing.
After a long moment, I dropped my arm onto my stretched leg and shook my head. “I don’t feel a thing.”
“Don’t feel discouraged. Perhaps you’re a night witch,” Tegan assured me.”
I blinked up at him. “I’m a what?”
“A night witch,” he explained to me with that stunning crooked smile. “There are two different magic users in this world, at least for those bound by the key pact. Those who can use magic during the day and those who can use magic during the night.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Seriously? They can’t use magic at all?”
He shook his head. “Not a drop. They rely on their key to protect them, as the master is the opposite user than the student.”
A snort escaped me. “So you’re supposed to be my master?”
He puffed out his chest and lifted his chin with a flourish. “Do I not look the part?”
I shook my head. “I just can’t imagine you in fancy robes.”
A grin slid onto his lips as he leaned back down. “Neither can I, but here we are.”
“So you must be a night user?”
His good humor faltered a little and a seriousness touched the corners of his lips. “No. Dragons aren’t bound by those restrictions.”
“Then which one am I?”
“That’s a question we need to ask the board,” he told me.
“Board? Board of what?”
“Their true name is the Seer Senate, but most people call them the Board,” Tegan explained as a frown creased his lips. “They guide the key partners and even give them a stipend so they can practice their arts without starving to death. It also discourages the magic wielders from offering their services to more unsavory individuals.”
A heavy sigh escaped me as I hung my head. “This is. . .this is just too much to learn. . .”
Tegan cupped my chin between his fingers and lifted my eyes to his sparkling ones. “You don’t have to face this alone. I’ll do what I can to help you through this however I can.”
I smiled up at him and held up his coat. “You’ve done a lot already. I would’ve still been stuck in that hole if not for you, if I would’ve been brave enough to even move from where I dropped into this world.”
He chuckled. “You do yourself a disservice. You showed a great deal of sense in dealing with your fall and the tunnels.”
“And the dwarves,” I added with a mischievous grin. “And I’m a very modest person.”
Tegan bowed his head to me. “I can tell.”
At that moment a hard drip hit my head. I cringed beneath the cold slap of water. Tegan lifted his disapproving expression to the skies. “It seems our little paradise is failing.”
My mouth dropped open as I watched his wings sprout out of his back. The motion was as natural as raising an eyebrow. The appendages stretched out far on either side of him and curled out behind me. I twisted around to study the sharpened, bony points and the leathery material. His left wing was slightly bent in the middle, revealing why he couldn’t fly at the moment, and the leather had a few holes in it from our crash.
Tegan lifted them over our heads and created a tarp. “Better?” he asked me.
My mouth was still catching flies as I nodded. I swallowed my shock but I couldn’t hide the squeak in my voice. “Much.”
“Why don’t you get some rest?” he suggested as he studied the sky seen through his translucent wings. “It looks like it’ll rain for a couple more hours, at least.”
I dumbly nodded and leaned back to lay on the ground. Tegan looped an arm around my back and drew me against his side. “This should do.”
I cursed the bright warmth that touched my cheeks. “T-thanks.”
He smiled and inclined his head. “My pleasure.”
I eased my head down against his arm and closed my eyes. The soft patter of raindrops on his wings and the heat from his body lulled me into a blissful sleep.