No one looked shocked yet, but they thought I was talking about my wolf.

“Into a dragon. I shifted into a dragon.”

Silence descended over the car. Braxton already knew, of course, he had been in Vanguard with me. My breath caught and guilt churned my stomach. Maximus had been pretty upset the last time I kept a secret from him. I had no idea how he would react now. Mischa was the first to speak, excitement trilling through her voice, and I forced myself to pull my gaze from my vamp.

“So that could explain my dreams right? If I break the spell containing my mark … I might shift in to a dragon also?”

Mischa hadn’t grown up in our world, she’d spent most of her life with humans so she didn’t understand the impossibility of what I had done. There were no dual shifters – hybrids between the races, yes, but shifters only ever had one animal to call. Even other shifters who were dragon marked could still only change to a single creature, and it was never a dragon, because dragons did not carry the mark. There was no need.

“I don’t know, Misch,” I said in an even tone. “I’ve never heard of a dual shifter before, but maybe as my twin you will find the same thing happening to you.”

Her face went pensive, worrying her bottom lip, which she did when she was nervous. I could only imagine the thoughts running through her head.

Maximus still hadn’t said anything, which had my heart rate increasing. I just knew shit was going to get real in a moment – or whenever he decided to explode. When I couldn’t stand the tension, or my own guilt any longer, I pulled my eyes from him, turning back to stare out the window, forcing something else to capture my attention.

Wow! I leaned forward a little.

At some point during my nervous confession we’d entered a small town. I took the time to examine the colorful locals. They were scattered around the streets, chatting in groups, dining in restaurants. Warmly bundled up in extravagant and mismatched attire, they were fascinating. I’d never seen humans in books or on television dress like the ones parading through the streets.

Many eyes turned in our direction and I was thankful for the dark tint on the car. I wondered if their curiosity was simply that we were strangers crossing through their little village, or if this sort of vehicle was uncommon here. Damn, Louis should be helping us fit in, not stand out.