The trees opened onto a street, though. I burst out into the open road and found myself uncovered. Run. I had to run. The dragon would grab me again. However, the woman’s scent hit me. It wrapped around me, bringing the smell of incense and earth.
My knees trembled as my heart raced.
I glanced back at her standing at the edge of the trees. The wind toyed with her unbound black hair. Immediately, I wanted to bury my muzzle in the crook of her neck and breathe deep. The magnetic pull that drew me back to her terrified me.
A part of me knew that I wasn’t quite alive. This enchantress had power over death. If I stayed, I would become her thrall.
Was that so bad, though? Was it so awful to live for a mistress? I would destroy all those who dared come near her, like the killer hunting her down. Unlike my human counterpart, I would never let the killer get close to her.
The thought roused my human side. He thrashed deep within me. It seemed that I could not kill him with the force of my will alone. He was me, and I was him, which made us perfectly matched. Neither of us would come out on top for long before the other rose up.
He scrabbled for power over this form. I had to run before he got what he wanted.