Dragon Born

Chapter 3

Prince Liam stood in the foyer of Rosetta's home and stared at the top of the stairs where Camden had gone. He sighed heavily, tiredly, then set a glare on Quinnton. "You had to mention Kali, didn't you?"

He looked equally concerned for their younger brother, but stood determinedly, unwilling to take the blame. "How was I supposed to know he'd blow up like that?"

Liam slapped the side of his head; the look in his eyes said he wanted to do far more than that. "Do you remember what it was like to convince him to let Kali be his guide? Of course any mention of her would infuriate him! Idiot!"

Quinn threw his hands up in the air in his frustration. "Then he should be happy she left."

While the brothers argued, Rose pulled me to the living room and forced me into a chair. A furrow worked her brow as she peeled back my sleeve to investigate the damage then scowled at the puncture wounds. I didn't flinch.

"I'll be back with a few things," she finally said, squeezing my shoulder on her way out.

To distract myself from the pain throbbing up my arm, I listened to the princes bicker over who should talk to Camden. I didn't have any siblings, but always found their arguments interesting; they were never rational and always escalated to name calling, no matter how old the siblings--or prestigious the family.

It appeared they didn't know what to do with their brother; he was different from before. Obviously. He wasn't exactly human anymore; he shared his body with a dragon now. He was going to have to find a healthy balance between his two halves. From what I had read, it was extremely difficult and would take years before he was the way his family remembered him--if he ever went back to normal. They didn't seem to understand that.

Biting my lip, I snuck around the princes fighting in the foyer and crept upstairs. It wasn't hard to find Camden; he was behind the door with a crack running down the middle of it. I knocked.

"Go away." Considering his voice didn't entirely sound human, he was still struggling to keep his dragon from coming out. This isn't your brightest idea, Lyla.

"It's Lyla." Perhaps he would be more welcoming knowing I wasn't going to come in and chide him for not having his shit together.

"I know and I don't care. Leave me alone."

Okay, now he was being childish.

I pushed the door open--and stopped in my tracks. Camden was sitting on the bed, draped over his knees; sweat stained his shirt, but it was the horns coming out of his head that made me hesitate. He lifted his gaze to me, golden eyes blazing. "I said leave me alone." His growl sent a self-preserving shiver down my spine.

"I was never good at doing what I'm told," I warned, stepping further in the room. The fact he didn't want me here made it much easier to see past the horns. "You look like you can use some help."

Snorting, he sat up and pointed at his horns. "What gave it away? Did my brothers send you? Hate to disappoint them, but a pretty face isn't going to fix this." He made a wide motion around himself then stood up and turned for the window; his tight shirt rippled as the muscles beneath roiled and shifted. It looked painful.

"Nobody sent me," I assured him, simmering from his slight towards my character. "I've read a lot about shifters, and I thought I could talk you through the changes you're experiencing. But if you don't want my help, I'll get going."

If he was going to be rude, I had other things to do.

"Wait!" He moved so quickly; one second he was on the other side of the room, in the next, he was grabbing my arm and slamming the door shut. Gasping, I stared up into a pair of golden dragon eyes. If I thought Quinnton was warm, it was nothing compared to the heat Camden gave off. "There are others like me?"