Spells on Shelves

Chapter 16 || The Dragon Tattoo

The beast dropped low and lunged. Before it could get on top of me, a translucent green barrier flicked into place. I scrambled backward, clutching my necklace like a lifeline. 

It snarled, the sound sending a fresh wave of fear down my spine. Then it shifted it stance, sleek muscles rippling beneath its fur as it surveyed the surroundings. The light caught on its coat, illuminating it in a flash of golden-yellow. 

Wait. Yellow? 

In my panic, the many dark rosettes and spots had given the illusion of a black coat.

The massive jaguar turned its head. Golden eyes burned with fury. Paxton.

Shifters' animal forms were always larger than their natural counterparts, but he seemed enormous. Terrifying. 

I hugged my knees, struggling to steady my breath. Nearly being torn apart on my first day of the investigation was not what I expected. That was way too close.

Paxton circled me on soft paws and nudged my shoulder with his head.

I sucked in a shaky breath, managing to rasp out, "Give me a moment."

A low growl rumbled from his chest, and he stopped pacing. A moment later, strong hands slid under my arms, lifting me off the ground as if I weighed nothing.

Out of reflex, I grasped his arm, my fingers digging into skin. Naked skin that radiated an almost unbearable warmth.

My thoughts stuttered to a halt.

Paxton stood in front of me, nude, and very pissed off. "What the hell happened?"

Don't look. Don't—

I briefly glimpsed something like black scales painting his pecs before I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Jade!"

I dropped my hand and stumbled back blindly, nearly tripping over my own feet as I squeaked, "Stay away!"

"I can smell it on you. It was here, wasn't it?"

I buried my face in my hands, heat flooding my cheeks. "Put on some clothes!"

He cursed under his breath. "Forget about the clothes. You're bleeding."

Of course, he smelled that too. "Thanks for the concern, Captain Obvious, but it's just a scratch. I scaped my palm when I fell."

"That settles it then," he snapped. "You're not gonna be left alone anymore. Better keep tabs on your bladder from now on."

Before I could respond, a strange clattering noise interrupted us, growing increasingly louder. I peeked through my fingers and I froze as I caught sight of Paxton's chest.

A huge dragon tattoo coiled across his sculpted torso, with the dragon's head front and center. Scales cascaded down his muscular arms, blending into tendrils of smoke. The dragon's sinuous body wound over his broad shoulders, curving around his ribs and descending toward a narrow V-line.

My mouth went dry. I flushed, fixing my gaze on a nearby trunk to avoid taking a peek at his...

Before I could embarrass myself further, an echoing voice called out, "Master Paxton, your clothes! I have them."

Jaggy. I'd never been this glad to hear the skeleton's rattling bones.

There was a rustling of fabric.

Suddenly feeling a little too hot, I took another step back. He was a witch hunter. I shouldn't be noticing how sharp his jawline was or how nice he looked without a shirt on.