Chapter Nineteen
“ I s it just me, or is this unusual?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. The twins, Leo, and I all sat huddled together, trying to wrap our minds around the strange turn this day had taken. Levi had shifted back to his human form, while Luke remained in wolf form. Damien had teleported out of here as soon as things heated up between the dragons. He wanted to ensure our kingdom was safe and not under attack. The rest of us stayed because we just couldn’t bear being away from Tia, or each other, while our emotions were so raw.
“Which part?” Levi asked. “Do you mean Draven’s knowledge of our attack and his counterattack, the wizards’ betrayal, Leo’s increased weirdness, Tia’s shift into a creature of legend that destroyed our enemies like it was child’s play, your death when she died, her new mate who happens to be another horrifyingly massive dragon which isn’t supposed to exist, his kiss bringing Tia back to life like a ridiculous fairytale, and then you coming back to life?”
Levi’s tone was full of sarcasm. I started to respond, only to be cut off when he started again. “Or were you referring to the part where he healed everyone, gave you blood, and then started breeding with our little mate like they were wild animals? In the ashes of the battle?” His voice became higher and higher as he spoke. Panic.
“I think it must be some type of dragon ritual.” Leo spoke absently, his eyes focused on everything Tia and the male were doing. “It’s clear they’re more dragon than human right now. Tia tried to spend time with each of us, wanting to ensure we wished to be claimed. She would’ve done the same with this new mate, had her human form been in control. I think battle must incite their beasts. This is fascinating.”
He was an odd guy. Sure, we all sported a hard-on right now; we were guys and our little mate was hot. But while the wolves and I had watched, slightly freaked out, Leo had watched like he was on a safari, witnessing the breeding behavior of the wildlife. I bet he would have taken notes if he had access to a notebook.
An ancient curse word I hadn’t thought I would hear again rang across the clearing. We all jerked our gazes back to Tia and the stranger. He was in a full blown panic as he met our eyes.
“We need to go. Now!” he cried. “Do you have a safe place? A place that is not so important to you, in case it is destroyed?”
What was it with dragons and their penchant for demolishing my homes? I snorted and thought about how many homes Tia was likely to destroy in our lifetime, the thought amusing me.
“Nevermind! Lock hands!” The stranger grabbed Tia, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist, and then he firmly clasped my arm. We had obeyed his order, Levi sinking his hands into Luke’s wolf coat to complete the chain. The familiar sensation of teleporting rushed over me and when our impromptu journey was complete, we stood in the middle of a large stone cavern.
“This is one of my cave homes,” the stranger explained. “There are many rooms within this mountain, and an underground lake for bathing. I’m not sure how much society has changed since I last walked the earth, it’s likely things have changed, but it will suffice.”
“I am Mithraheal; I wanted to welcome you to our circle,” I said, stepping forward. “Thank you for your assistance today.” I held my arm out in greeting and he grasped it firmly.
“I am Ivo. There is no cause for you to thank me. We are family.”
“Why are we here, Ivo?” I asked.
“Our mate, she is dragon.”
Leo was peering around the cave in wonderment, the twins were both in wolf form and sniffing around the cavern, but at Ivo’s words they all met my eyes behind his back. Their expressions clearly showed that they doubted his sanity .
“You didn’t realize that until after you mated?” I asked him hesitantly.
Now he looked at me as though he doubted my sanity. “Of course I knew she was a dragon shifter,” Ivo replied. “You misunderstand my meaning. She is dragon; there is no distinction between beast and human.”
All our gazes swung to where Tia was stretched out, purring on the piles of furs. I walked to her and slowly laid down next to her. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing cerulean blue eyes, the pupils thin slits as she observed me.
“Tia, my love. I thought I’d lost you today.” My voice shook, the day’s emotions catching up with me.
“I love you, mate.” It was my mate’s voice, but also not.
I reached out to touch her mind in the bond, and my stomach sank. Where was Tia? Where was Beasty?
Grief slammed into me like a freight train from the mind link. Her grief.
Darling, what happened?
For a moment, her eyes flashed between the human and dragon, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I couldn’t lose you all.”
Her face wrinkled in concentration, eyes flashing back and forth.
“This shouldn’t be possible,” said Ivo. He had seated himself on the furs, reaching out a hand to stroke her thigh. “Being a dragon shifter means a life of constantly trying to control your nature: the beast. We dragons are powerful, with many gifts and abilities, but it comes at a great cost.”
The male dragon went on to explain the difficulties of controlling the dragon instincts, and how young dragons are assisted by ancient dragons who siphon off their power. He also explained that Tia should not have shown the level of control she had done these past months, that she should have been curled up in bed from the constant internal battle, not training and planning an attack.
We told him how she struggled to not claim Leo immediately, and how she had tried to delay all the claimings until we managed to convince her we wanted it. His face was slack in shock.
“She resisted the bond? The instinct is always too strong for an ancient dragon to resist. Without having another dragon to assist her in controlling her power, she would’ve needed to claim several mates quickly to help her release that excess energy.”
“She did resist. It was hard on her, but she wanted to do things right,” I said. “Tia is still struggling to let go of the human way of thinking. We would’ve claimed her the moment we laid eyes on her if it had been our choice.”
“I don’t think that will be an issue now,” Ivo said. “I don’t understand how it happened, but she merged completely with her beast. This cannot be undone. Now our little mate will need to fight her dragon instincts and learn control.”
“Are you saying we are essentially living with a full dragon at this moment?” Leo chimed in.
“It is a little more complicated than that, but the short answer is, yes. She has her human intellect, but she also has the dragon’s nature… and right now, those instincts are going to rule until her body adjusts to the changes and she can pull it back.”
“Cool!” Leo seemed excited, clearly not grasping the severity of the situation.
“Warlock, I think you haven’t been listening,” said Ivo. He must have been thinking the same thing as I.
“Yes, I heard everything,” Leo replied. “You’ve made it very clear that this shouldn’t be possible, even for a dragon shifter. Once again, Tia has shown herself to be full of surprises. She will gain control, she’s awesome like that. But right now, I get to experience having a complete dragoness as a mate, something that, according to you, should be impossible. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!”
Leo turned from our stunned faces back to Tia, who was watching us all with amusement.
“I am the luckiest guy in the world!” he said with a beaming smile. “You were incredible during the battle today, regardless of which form you fought in. I am so proud of you, gorgeous!”
Levi and Luke had shifted and moved onto the pile of furs as well.
“Leo is correct,” added Levi. “Being your mate is an honor; it’s a blessing to have more time with you.”
Tia rose to her knees and crawled toward the men, clearly pleased with their words.
Ivo groaned and rubbed his face.
Seer on a staff! These men have no clue! They are encouraging her wild instincts.
His words were spoken directly in my mind, his tone exasperated.
I watched her lips move lower and lower down Leo’s chest, while her hands began sliding up the twins’ thighs… and I started to think they might be onto something.
There is no need to rush to join in. Her body is going to need food and sleep to adjust to the changes happening inside. She will need the mating to release the excess energy and power that will build up. It is a shame there are only five of us; a powerful dragoness would have at least ten men, and that’s for a female that is not fully merged.
It may kill us, but we would die happy.