Unexpected Mate (Dragon Goddess #2)

Chapter Sixteen

T his had to be a dream; nothing that had happened in the last fifteen minutes made sense. Damien and I had nearly been killed. Tia had transformed into a dragon, and I don’t mean her partial shift; I am talking about an actual fire-breathing, mansion-sized reptile typically featured in action films and children’s stories. And oh yeah, I had suddenly gained magic that I used to dissolve Gregor and friends. Using magic to dissolve people into thin air isn’t normal, not even for wizards. Purple magic doesn’t exist in the wizard community, so this had to be a dream. I would wake up any moment and this nightmare would be over.

Tears blurred my vision as I watched Luke’s disfigured body curl against Tia. She couldn’t be dead. She had turned into a mythological creature, kicked butts and taken names, saving us all and erasing all signs of Draven and his corrupted men. A puny sword couldn’t kill her.

Once I met Tia, I had researched everything I could find about dragons. The ancients had written tales of massive dragons on earth, but they were all believed to be fiction. It was a shock to find out dragon shifters weren’t myths and even more astounding to find out she was my fated mate.

I loved the blonde bombshell, regardless of her form, but I had wanted to explore her partial shift since the moment I laid eyes on her. I spent all my free time studying. I loved science and enjoyed understanding how things worked. Dragons were an unknown, and my excitement at the opportunity to learn more about her species knew no bounds. I had looked forward to spending the rest of my life adoring my dragoness and giving careful attention to every inch of both her forms.

Her last sorrowful dragon cry was echoing in my ears. How had it all gone so terribly wrong? How had I not noticed signs of the wizards’ planned betrayal? They claimed to be an enlightened race, yet it took Tia’s ultimatum to bring about change for the nadir. And now they had acted as judge and jury, deciding to kill her while she was still young enough to be vulnerable… all because, in their “superior” wisdom, they determined she was too great a risk to be allowed to live.

They would pay for their actions today. Tingling spread through me, and I realized that purple energy was crackling across my skin. It reminded me of the plasma balls I played with as a child. I remember watching with fascination as the electricity followed my hand as I moved it around the globe and laughing as it caused my hair to stand on end. This was so not a wizard thing.

I shook my arms, trying to see if I could get the magic to go away. It didn’t work. I then tried frantically rubbing my arms, which created more purple magic that swirled up my limbs, giving me little static shocks. I was nearing a full-blown panic when a roar tore through the clouds above. I shaded my eyes as I looked into the sky, trying to spot the source.

A black dragon broke through the clouds, his massive wings blocking the sun for a moment before he tucked them against his body and dove toward the earth.

This had to be a dream. There is no way I had seen not one, but two, dragons in the same day.

He flung out his wings at the last moment, slowing his descent as he landed over Tia, careful not to crush her tiny body with his monstrous one. He roared again, and I didn’t have to speak dragon to know it was a scream of rage. It was the same rage that was trying to consume my insides, while the purple magic was taking over my outsides. The dragon pressed his snout against Tia’s chest, still careful not to crush her. He released a low keening sound, and again, I didn’t need to speak dragon to understand.

He had lost his mate.

At least I had the memories of her laughter, her unconventional ninja moves as she beat up Damien, her sparkling eyes, her righteous indignation as she stood up for the nadir, her sexy body as it moved with mine, and her beautiful, white dragon form covered in iridescent scales breathing blue fire that incinerated evil, while at the same time it gently caressed her mates. He would never experience any of those things. My time with her was far too short, but at least I had been gifted those precious days. His only memory would be this one.

The black dragon’s skin begins to waver, his body turning to smoke and shadows. I rubbed my across my eyes as the dragon slowly turned to shadows and then into a man. His skin was darker than Tia’s other mates, reminding me of exotic deserts and warm beaches. His sleek black hair was long, nearly reaching his hips. He sat on the ground and drew Tia into his arms. Luke blinked and opened his dull eyes to study the man. He gave a short whine and then closed his eyes again; his will to live had died with Tia.

The man pressed his hands to Tia’s chest, covering the area over her heart. He chanted something quietly, shadowy tendrils flowing around her body. The unfamiliar words of the chant were hauntingly beautiful, rolling off his tongue. His chest and hands began to glow red from the inside. It must have been painful because his expression grew strained and sweat beaded his brow.

Slowly, he leaned down and sealed his lips against hers. His eyes were closed and his forehead remained creased with concentration. The glow from his chest flowed out from his mouth and into Tia, the light from his hands doing the same thing. The shadows moved frantically across her motionless body.

He stopped abruptly and pulled his mouth back from hers. His face was exhausted and his hands trembled slightly. Whatever he had just done was clearly not easy. His finger stroked her face softly. I sensed he was waiting for something, but I couldn’t understand what it could be.

The unnerving silence was broken by a sharp inhale. My heart missed a bit. Luke’s eyes opened warily, and Levi staggered to his feet, bewildered. A soft feminine moan was the next sound to fill the hushed air. It couldn’t be.

Damien’s joyful exclamation drew my attention away from the dragon shifter. Mithraheal was trying to sit up while Damien crushed him in a hug. If Mithraheal was alive …

I turned back toward the dragon shifter and stopped breathing. Tia’s eyes were open and she was studying the man holding her with wonder. She reached out a shaking hand and pressed it against his cheek. He nuzzled into her hand, breathing out heavily, the action more dragon than man. She pulled his face down to meet hers and slowly captured his lips in a kiss.

It was a kiss that went from sweet to sensual in three seconds flat. She had just died, and now he was kissing her like he was going to devour her. Maybe dragons didn’t do gentle? Her chest began to pulse with a blue glow, and his chest mirrored the action with the red glow from his chanted song. Realization dawned on me; this was their dragon fire. Their kiss had turned steamy, and by that I mean that literal steam came out with each exhale.

I wondered if we were supposed to do something, like get her medical attention and nourishment. I looked to the other mates, but Luke and Levi were thumping their tails into the dirt joyfully, clearly reveling in the fact Tia was alive. Mithraheal seemed a bit steadier and seemed content to gather his strength and give Tia time to greet her new mate.

Tia tilted her head to the side, and the stranger kissed and nipped the length of it. Her eyes moved to each of us, catching our gaze for a moment, assessing our injuries. Overwhelming love poured into the mental bond from my mate. Then I noticed her eyes. Her pupils were reptilian slits that somehow managed to simultaneously unnerve me and turn me on. The mate bond was still strong; I could feel her love washing over me, but something was different.

I didn’t recognize her voice when she finally spoke; it was husky with a sultry tone that made a man think of long nights in bed.

“Hello, my drakon mate.” She purred the words, shifting her head so she could nuzzle his neck. Her movements were odd, as if they were slightly feral and not quite human.

His pupils turned to slits and he responded with a whisper: “Mine.”

I really wish the ancients had kept better records, because I don’t think anyone knew how dragons claimed each other and mated. Because based on my observations, that was what these two were about to do. I didn’t know if we needed to run for cover or remain still, avoiding the attention of the powerful predators currently at the top of the food chain.

I clung to the fact that Tia had recognized us even while in the dragon’s arms, and he had not burned us to a crisp when he first arrived. That had to mean something, right?

This was without a doubt the weirdest day of my life.