Rayna's Sacrifice (The Katori Chronicles Book 3) A. Lombardo (best smutty novels txt) 📖

change happens, will it hurt?” Kai felt the tremor in his legs with each step.

“Only if you fight against it,” Benmar responded. “You must believe for it to happen, and if it doesn’t happen, then it is not your gift. You may still have a way with creatures, but you may not be able to become one. But know this—you get one animal form. If you have the gift, one golden thread exists inside of you. Once you use it to create the beast, it will only become a dragon. You cannot change your mind.”

Even though he knew his mother could become multiple animals, he knew that did not apply to him. Then he thought of witnessing his mother’s change. She had screamed in pain, and fear had consumed her face. She had been fighting the change. “Will I look exactly like the one I choose?”

“You are not making a copy of them. You are changing your own elemental structure into a dragon. Your physical chemistry will design the creature you become. Spines, horns, and color.” Benmar looked over the dragons. “Do you see the dragon you wish to fly with?”

“Yes. There is something about the one who shoved me.”

“Walk with him, understand him. Understand who he is. Develop trust and he will consider your request. He will let you know when he is ready to accept you and if he will let you fly with him. When you do, lay across his back as he flies. Search for the golden thread of creation and let it happen.”

“What should I say?”

“He knows full well why you are here.” Benmar stopped walking. “You must walk alone from here.”

“The golden thread, what is it? How do I find it?” Kai felt both excited and nervous. He held back from the dragon, not wanting to make a mistake.

“Each Beastmaster holds within their soul a golden thread. Two strands twisted together, or rather bonded by many strands. Only if you can find it within yourself can you transform. The change is personal—I think. I cannot know what you or any other Beastmaster feels. There's no place for thinking. If you focus on how, nothing will happen. Hold your crystal, reach inside your soul and open your mind.”

His grandfather’s words instilled confidence. Kai approached the dragon, the very one that had only moments ago tried to provoke him into a fight. His spiny head lowered to glare at Kai. Its amber eyes blinked, and the beast turned away.

“What changed your mind?” Kai asked the dragon.

Who says I’ve changed my mind? The dragon’s deep-penetrating voice once again echoed inside his mind.

“Why let me come back?”

Not every human is sincere, even with themselves. It was refreshing to get the truth from you.

“How can I hear you inside my head?”

Because you are a Beastmaster. Only another dragon can understand the shrieks and warbles that is our language.

“My name is Kai, by the way. Do you have a name? I cannot very well just call you Dragon.”

I am Raijin.

Kai continued to talk with Raijin, searching to understand him. “What are you most afraid of?” Kai half-whispered, worried he was too intrusive.

I fear dragons will disappear from this world and be forgotten. Become creatures of myth. While we live for hundreds of years, our eggs take two years to incubate. Many things can happen, and the egg might not hatch.

They walked and talked for nearly an hour. When Kai tripped over a stone, he learned they also have a sense of humor. Raijin’s laughter sounded like a collage of warbles and hiccups.

Hopeful of their growing ease, Kai dared to wonder if his new friend might help him. “Raijin, thank you for today. It is getting late in the day. I can only hope to ask, as I know I may not be worthy, but I would like to become a dragon. May I fly with you?”

Kai waited in a few moments of silence. The possibility of rejection tightened his chest. Raijin bowed his head. You have great honor for a young spirit. May you always remember you are not alone in this world. Call on friends when you need them and trust in Alenga. I will help you, you may fly with me.

In one hand, Kai held his crystal, while the other touched the dragon’s body. Electricity surged through Kai’s fingers. The thick, scaly skin felt hard like armor. He climbed onto its back, and sat between two large spines. The sense of something cosmic ebbed between them.

The dragon took flight. The wind pressed into Kai’s face. The sky opened wide before them. Exhilaration swelled in his stomach. He was flying. The dragon dove, skimming above the treetops, then it climbed high into the sky. They flew higher, and Kai saw the horizon curve. The air became thin.

Kai gripped his crystal tighter. White light beamed brightly within his fist. Power surged up his arm. The expanse of the universe burst into Kai’s mind, stardust coiled together into a golden strand. He reached for the rotating coil. A spark bloomed within the thread. The imprint of the dragon’s essence mingled with his own.

Within his body, he felt the cord snap inside his chest. He lay against the massive beast as the dragon rolled upside down. Kai plummeted freely through the air. He felt a pulse ripple through his body, and Kai relaxed and accepted the change. His shoulders curled inward, and he felt his bone structure expand. His torso enlarged, skin stretched and thickened, and his complexion turned a dark silver.

Kai’s hands curled into talons. He felt every muscle change. The wind blew around him as he hurled toward the ground. He flexed outward; his wings unfurled. His eyelids blinked over amber orbs. Spikes and horns covered his face, back, and tail. Transformation complete, Kai was a silver dragon.

Wings spread wide, he glided over the advancing landscape. The urge to screech overwhelmed him, and he belched out several odd sounds before he got it right. His stomach swelled with heat. He