Dragons Live Forever (15 page)

He caresses the top of the egg then kisses it sending chills across my arms. Very carefully he sets it down on the cold floor but I don’t have time to worry about that. This room has a short ceiling making it illogical to shift to dragon. It’s perfect for me because even with his larger build and greater strength, I’m a worthy opponent in human form.

Drakon heads to the center of the room with his back to the egg. I want him as far away from Pepper’s son as possible. Drakon’s silver eyes give away his intent a second before he charges in low. I leap over him and turn. My foot is up and I land a solid kick to his back which sends him toward Pepper.

She’s ready and with his forward hunched over momentum, she’s able to land a hard blow to his nose with her foot. We need to get the egg out of here and into Dmitri’s hands. Drakon’s roar of pain is music to my ears. He focuses on Pepper as I grab the egg.

“Look what I’ve got you son of a bitch.” I yell.

He turns his back to Pepper and charges me again. I’ve kept the egg low. I pull my arm back and send it sliding across the floor a split second before Drakon rams me with his body and my back makes jarring impact with the solid stone wall. Then my head hits and I see stars. I’m just able to send a message to Pepper, “Get your son to Dmitri and tell him to get out of here.” Drakon’s fist plows into my jaw.

***

Sierra

Dmitri bursts through the door carrying the dragon egg. It’s shining brightly and my stomach flip flops with relief. The waiting has been the hardest part. I’m facing Dmitri and feel my mate behind me for the first time since this horror began. All four male dragons have returned.

Laryn takes a quick look around and heads up the stairs as I tell everyone that Drakon is below. “Don’t wait for me, get to your mates,” Laryn says as the others run past Dmitri.

A few moments later Laryn runs back down carrying a halberd.

I feel utterly useless. Dragon fire will kill a shifter and vampire. We are at a complete disadvantage and have no way to help our friends. The best we can do is protect the children with our lives. Dmitri hands me the egg.

“We need a secure room with a low ceiling. If that beast escapes the dragons we don’t have a chance if he shifts.”

The great room where we’re standing has a massive vaulted ceiling. If we head upstairs and Drakon incinerates the house we’re in trouble. “The refrigeration room off the kitchen will be the easiest place to defend,” I yell as I usher Cantor in front of me. He hasn’t released his baby brother.

The lock is on the outside of the walk-in refrigeration room but for safety reasons it can be temperature controlled and unlocked from the inside. I turn the unit off as Dmitri closes the door. The other two bear shifters remain in the kitchen which also has a low ceiling and they will defend from there. Drakon can still breathe fire in his human form. The bears know what they face. Cantor and Lex help me keep the egg warm by wrapping our arms around it.

We wait.

Laryn

Bastian’s cry moves everything into slow motion. I know his son or mate are gone, possibly both. I get just a touch of Roxy’s magic so I know she’s alive. This doesn’t ease my fear. I’m almost at the door where the children were kept when Bastian walks into the hall with blood covering his chest. I glance into the room and see Ashrac’s body.

Rage fills me. Bastian reaches the room at the end of the long corridor first with me at his heels. I take in everything at once.

My brothers and their mates surround Drakon. He’s actually hissing and lunging at each of them in turn. Roxy’s face is covered in blood but she’s up and ready to kill him. I catch her eye and almost throw the halberd her way. I meet Acasia’s gaze and without another thought toss her the halberd. In one motion she catches it and swings.

Drakon’s headless body slumps to the floor. Acasia goes to her knees and her wails are as heart wrenching as Bastian’s earlier scream. I’m surprised when Tahr, with no hesitation, runs from the room. Pepper looks at me and I can only shake my head. I have no idea where he is going.

“Roxy,” I whisper into her mind. “Are you okay?”

Without answering, she runs into my arms and I squeeze them around her as tightly as I can. My Roxy seldom cries so it makes the situation even more surreal. I can only hold her as she falls apart in my arms. “Our children are safe,” I whisper. I lift my gaze and meet Bastian’s grief-filled eyes. He’s holding Acasia.

“The Goddess,” shouts Pepper and she’s off running.

I push my mate back a bit and take her hand leading her to the door. I’m just in time to see Tahr carrying Ashrac as he races up the stairs with Pepper directly behind him. All of us start running.

The front entry door is open when we get out of the ground level of Sarn’s castle. Sierra and Dmitri have the children and the egg as they head to the door with us. I step outside into complete darkness when it should be full daylight.

The last time I saw this was the day my parent’s and baby brother died. Ashrac is lying on the ground with Tahr beside him on his knees. Tahr isn’t looking at Ashrac, his head is tipped up to the sky.

“Take me,” he yells. “I will serve you as a slave for all eternity if you take me instead of him.”

Everyone is outside now. I turn slightly and see Pepper place her egg within Acasia’s arms. “Raise him as your own and tell him I love him.” She walks to her mate and drops to her knees beside him. I look at my two children—more than treasure, there are no words to describe my love. Roxy takes Cantor’s hand and lifts it so his fingers wrap around Acasia’s. He’s holding Lex and I am so proud of him for keeping his brother safe. Roxy looks at me and I place my hand out. She walks forward and her bittersweet smile gives me courage. We join our friends as Sarn and Sierra do the same.

The three of you should bow in my presence and kiss my feet.

The words Tahr spoke thousands of years ago, before the curse, shoot through my mind. Dragons bow to no one. And here we are offering everything to the Goddess for a treasure greater than any other.

A child.

***

Tahr

Lightning strikes in front of us. I can’t help but remember the day my parents died. I loved them and they loved me. I turn slightly and gaze at my mate. A gentle smile forms on her lips. We sacrifice everything together. Acasia will care for our child. My brother’s and their mates kneel beside us and pride fills me. Not pride for myself but pride that I am not alone as I offer everything I am to the Goddess.

The lightning strikes once more and this time slams into Sierra and Sarn. They fly back and writhe on the ground. She will take us in pairs as is fitting. I want to go now with Pepper’s hand wrapped in mine. I’m at peace with our decision but I hate seeing my friends suffer.

“Damn you, take me!” I yell to the sky. Magic bursts behind me but I don’t look back. Lightning strikes again and hits Ashrac. His body is tossed high and I have hope that the Goddess has taken our offer and will save him. His dragon explodes from his human body with a burst of light that’s impossible to look at.

“Ahhhh, hell,” screams Sarn and the magic behind me bursts again.

I dare to glance back.

Sierra and Sarn are the most incredibly brilliant purple dragons. “What the hell,” I mutter.

“Mother,” Ashrac whispers into our minds.

Another streak of lightning followed by a loud boom of thunder shakes the ground as the dark clouds recede and the sun shines down upon us.

I feel different and it takes a minute to realize the weight of the curse is gone.

Pepper releases my hand and runs to Acasia who is still holding our son and pulling Cantor and Lex with her as she goes to Ashrac. Within a second all our children are in the arms of their parents.

“Mother, I don’t feel so good,” Ashrac says after he shifts to his human form. He vomits in the grass before bringing his hand up to his healed throat. “It hurts.”

Sarn and Sierra shift to human too and for the strangest reason we all start laughing. Then, the tears begin. I haven’t fully cried since the curse began but I cry now.

We all do.

Eleven months later…

Pepper

Betty stands above us on the stairs to watch as our son is born. It’s been several hours since the egg began cracking. Tahr is beside me as we behold our miracle. At first, a small claw working against the shell is all we see. Our boy is chipping away at the egg from the inside. The small chirp like noise our son makes warms my heart. The hardest thing to do is to keep from tearing the outer shell away and pulling him against me.

Roxy and Acasia warned me of this. As always they were right. The process seems to take forever and this impatient mother is barely holding it together.

It’s thirty minutes before our son lays inside only half of his egg and pushes the other half away. He’s beautiful. I lean in and nuzzle him with my nose sending my warm breath over him. Tahr’s rumble is sweet as he moves his own nose closer and sniffs our child to gather his scent.

The baby is silver. He spreads his small wings and I see just a hint of yellow on the underside. Our laughter fills the tower. “That answers that,” Tahr laughs. “Now all we need is a name. I’m still thinking Rahr,” he tells me.

I roll my large yellow eyes and then notice something strange. I tip our child slightly so I can see his underbelly. Well not quite
his
underbelly. Things are not as they should be and what should be there isn’t. “I’ve always liked the name Jewel myself,” I say into Tahr’s mind.

Tahr can do little more than sputter as he looks closer at the missing appendage that draws my attention. “He’s a girl?” he says in complete bewilderment.

“Is there something wrong with a girl?” I demand. I would hate to char my mate beyond recognition for a few days, but I’m very close to doing it.

Tahr throws his head back and yells upward, “We have a daughter, Betty. Another miracle from my incredible mate.”

Right answer.

Betty claps and I gaze up to see her gentle smile before she heads back up the steps.

“Jewel is the perfect name,” Tahr says as he leans his head against mine.

***

Six months later…

Tahr

It’s our first family day out since Jewel’s birth. We’ve spent the day frolicking in the water and enjoying the sunshine. Sarn, Bastian, and Laryn along with their families join us. In another few months Sarn and Sierra will have an egg to protect.

Many of our humans are here too. They’ve become part of the family. I find it strange that they continue to make our life pleasurable. We gave them a choice to go to the brides’ village to live or stay with us. Each one chose to stay, though they share what we have with the village. A type of commerce has been set up and they are happy. I know this because I am quite proficient in their hand language and converse with them daily. I owe them so much for what they sacrificed and all the dragons feel the same. The humans are our equals and having them happy, makes our brides happy. We can’t ask for more.

My thoughts turn to my uncle. He had a talisman around his neck that interfered with our magic and lured us from Sarn’s castle. Dmitri’s witches said it came from another witch but Dmitri’s been unable to get more answers. It’s a problem within his realm but if he needs us we will come.

Sarn and Sierra moved back to his lair and they’ve been fixing it up with the help of the humans. Sierra still has her wolf form as well as being dragon. I’ve never seen Sarn this happy and the same thing can be said for us all. Life is beyond good.

And Ashrac. He’s different and not the carefree young dragon he was before his battle with Drakon. I understand. We all do. He breathes fire now and I’m actually hoping Acasia and Bastian move up his earth realm education. Maybe being around men and women his age in a competitive college atmosphere will bring back the delightfully arrogant and lighthearted boy he once was. Only time will tell. I turn my head and see him standing alone and looking into the distance. Acasia walks over and whispers something in his ear. He picks her up and spins her around and I see one of his rare smiles. A very lucky woman will catch his eye some day and that smile will light her world.

We haven’t heard from the Goddess since the day Drakon died. Pepper says she senses her from time to time. She stops what she’s doing, tips her head back, and speaks to her offering praise and thanks. I stop whatever I’m doing and offer the same. I will never doubt that my mate has a bond with a Goddess. Pepper is dragon and incredibly special.

I’m lying in the grass and daydreaming because that’s what lazy father dragons do for about three minutes each day. I’m imagining the portrait of Jewel and Pepper that now hangs in our great room. Mikael drew it. He barely survived Drakon’s attack and his injuries keep him from a fulltime job. He has become our resident artist because he’s surprisingly good. He lost most of the fingers on his left hand, but it doesn’t keep him from producing amazing portraits that are now sprinkled around our castles.

The latest portrait of my mate and child is my favorite—Pepper, in human form, wears the headpiece Meagan gave her and she’s dressed in a skimpy green outfit that Roxy presented as a motherhood gift. Jewel is in dragon form and much larger than Pepper, though still obviously a young dragon. Her horns have not yet grown in and her bald head reminds me of Pepper’s. They stand on a rock ledge with Pepper’s hand resting on our daughter’s head. Mikael painted Jewel’s peevish expression perfectly. Our daughter hates to stay still. We already know she will be a handful when she matures. I don’t mind. I want ten more just like her.

“I heard that,” Pepper whispers. “Think again.”

I can’t help laughing as I roll over and gaze down into her beautiful green eyes that have gentle flakes of yellow that change to searing yellow when she’s angry or lustful. I, of course, prefer the lustful. “I want ten more exactly like you and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You love me too much,” I tell her and lift my hand to her belly to gently rub her.

Pepper is smiling when she replies, “Ten is a bit excessive don’t you think?”

“I want twenty, so this is me compromising.”

“Mother, are Uncle Tahr and Pepper having another baby?” Cantor demands.

Pepper turns bright red and I laugh as Roxy shushes her son. I look to Cantor as he goes back to building a sand castle for Jewel. The curse is truly broken and we can’t help but wonder what this means for our children. Their story is waiting to be written. Will they love a dragon or a human? A shifter or maybe even a vampire?

When dragons live forever, the possibilities are endless.

***

Angelos, daughter of Hera, granddaughter of Zeus

I’m weary. I never dreamed it would take this long to break the curse. Dragons are so very stubborn. They had only to open their hearts, give up their pride, and love someone more than they loved themselves. It took a child for them to see the light. I understand this because I love my daughter in exactly the same way.

Of course, Pepper was different. I couldn’t twist the curse so Tahr could see her clearly. She’s his missing half. I knew it and so did she. He wasn’t yet ready to evolve and needed a not so gentle push. By giving her to another man, Tahr gave away his greatest treasure to save her from mental anguish. He finally understood.

I took notice of Pepper when she was a baby. The fight in her was amazing. She was destined to die in infancy, though Pepper had other ideas. She had the heart of a dragon and the determination of a Goddess with a bit of unearthly magic thrown in. Where it comes from, I have no idea. There was nothing in the curse saying I couldn’t grant Pepper the ability to become a dragon. My mind was set from the time she was young. It didn’t matter if Tahr changed his ways or not. Pepper always had the gift of joy and unfailing loyalty to her friends. She was as a dragon should be. I sent a message to Dmitri through a dream when Pepper was young. He didn’t question it and went in search of this special child to give her a chance.

It was only later that I discovered Pepper’s greatest quality—she has the ability to forgive the mistakes of others, even when they caused her so much pain.

The biggest question I had back then—was Tahr good enough for her?

Only he could answer that.

I knew Drakon was alive. I held my vengeance in check because the dragons had the larger claim. My mother took her great sleep thousands of years ago to help alleviate the pain of losing my sister. Hera now resides in the mist. One day she will return.

Will she be angry at me for interfering? Most definitely. My power has grown, so it matters not. The deed is done and the dragons have broken the curse. My work is finished.

The dragons were once the mightiest of magical nobility. They slowly lost their way by deciding one scale color was better than another and that they were more important than other beings. Somewhere along the way, they forgot that there is nothing more powerful than a woman’s love and a dragon’s heart.

I hope they never forget what it took to break the curse. I leave their fate in their hands now.

As it should be.

Forever is a long time. Let’s hope they stay on their current path.