Epilogue

London

six months of blissful chaos later

L evian lay sated over Barith’s bare chest, her fingers running through his thick, damp hair as his tail slid along her exposed thigh. When it slid further up she swatted him. The dragon chuckled and hugged her tighter as he dozed with satisfaction beneath her.

Summer was in full swing as the sun shone over London. Birds chirped, and flowers bloomed, beckoning them to escape the cozy confines of Ember Hall. So far, they’d ignored the call with rather stubborn determination.

“We really should get out of the house and enjoy the fine weather,” Levian grumbled, her cheek pressed against his mounded bicep. Neither of them budged.

Levian had barely seen Barith in weeks, and they only had the luxury of three days to share before the dragon had to return to the island to deal with tribe business and she had to report her most recent findings on the Order of Penumbra to the Wizen Council. The pair were two days in and had barely left the plush love nest she’d made for them before the library fire on their first night.

Barith yawned and stretched beneath her, dislodging Levian’s face from her comfortable spot and rousing her from the nap that tempted her. “Should we have a picnic in the park?” he proposed to her surprise. “I could go for some fresh chocolate biscuits.”

Levian couldn’t help but chuckle softly. If anything were going to draw Barith away from their lovemaking marathon, it would be the temptation of food. She lifted herself and popped her elbows on his chest. He only had one eye open as he reached up and pushed several of her stray purple curls back behind her ear.

“I could be coaxed into a picnic,” she told him before laying soft kisses over his chest. Barith grumbled with satisfaction. In a whirl of movement, Levian suddenly found herself on her back against the plush linens, the dragon looming over her. He planted her with a rough kiss, growling into her mouth.

Levian wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed softly, ready to have him again. Barith nipped at her jaw, and she smiled up to the ceiling. His kisses drifted lower. She wasn’t sure why then, of all moments, it caught her eye, but she noticed Beatrice hovering above the mantle. The gilded egg sitting exactly where Barith had left her months before.

The dragon sensed her little intake of breath and pulled back to see what had caused it. When he caught her fixed gaze beyond his shoulder, he turned to see what had been so essential to draw her away from his attention.

Barith chuckled when he realized it was Beatrice. “That bloody egg,” he grumbled, flopping onto his side. He spread a wing over her possessively, and she stroked the edge like she knew he liked. The dragon grumbled happily, closing his eyes.

Levian wasn’t sure how she’d managed to forget about Beatrice. Actually. that wasn’t at all true. A lot had happened in the six months since they’d last been to Ember Hall. She’d continued her duties as Ambassador to King Thurin, who’d been pleased that she’d recovered his ring but irritated that the mages wouldn’t let him have it back. Levian had spent months in countless meetings with Council amongst other Folk as she continued her investigations into the mysterious and elusive Order of Penumbra.

The Order were like ghosts—every trace of them vanishing the moment she got close. There had been no more thefts from her Black Masks but a few strange murders that Levian was sure were related to the Order. Overall, a thousand more questions arose for each answer she thought she’d uncover. She’d even been desperate enough to seek Merlin’s council, and he’d had the gal to send her to the Eldreth. Hugh and Artie weren’t allowed to help her directly thanks to Merlin’s binding agreement, but the pixies were clever and willing to help where they could, keen to take advantage of Levian’s open line with Merlin.

During all of this Barith had been consumed with his own work. He’d even arranged for his horde to host several other dragon leaders to discuss the terms of their new tribe, and Levian had come to stand by his side in support.

She’d been distracted by a million things in her life, and she’d just forgotten that Beatrice remained perched atop the vase on the mantle.

The dragon ran a finger along her thigh beneath his wing. “Ye know I kept it here for years,” he confessed.

“You did?” she questioned with surprise.

The dragon smirked and pointed to a corner of the library floor. “There’s a loose board there—I kept the egg an’ most of the other things I’ve won from ye over the years under it.”

Her breath caught, eyes widening over the confession as her gaze shot to the spot on the floor. Barith chuckled and pulled her closer to plant a kiss in her hair. “I moved it all,” he grumbled in her ear. “So there’s no point in plottin’ how to get me out of the room to plunder.”

Levian swatted him, grumbling that she would never do such a thing. “Never,” he mocked, nibbling at her ear.

With a sigh, Levian leaned against Barith. The dragon tilted her face for a kiss. “I guess I’ll just have to find a way to win everything back,” she mumbled softly against his lips. “Unless you’re feeling generous and want to gift it all back?”

Barith barked a laugh, and Levian scowled. He found her reaction even more amusing. “An’ give up all that leverage? Yer mad,” he told her with a heart-melting smile.

“You forget I have plenty of things I’ve won from you hidden away, too,” she clipped, shifting her hip away from him.

Barith held her firm, not letting her wriggle away so quickly. “Aye,” he grumbled darkly. “I know. I’ve been hoping ye’d make me work to earn them back.”

Levian’s heart gave an annoying thump as he growled wickedly and slid his tail back up her leg. Her skin flushed, and Barith grumbled, bending down to nibble at her shoulder. “I could start now?” he offered.

The mage wanted to fight him back out of sheer stubbornness, but her body betrayed her, and she sighed as Barith kissed a trail down her neck. Levian arched his touch, and he pulled her closer.

Their moment was interrupted when Levian’s phone began to chime. Barith ignored it, but she pushed him off. It was only texts from Carvatticus.

I’m still waiting for an answer, Vi Vi.

I hope the dragon is taking you somewhere expensive this weekend.

Remind him that he still owes me a favor and a chance to meet his darling sisters.

Levian sighed and told Barith. He grunted a laugh at the mention of his sisters and the bet he’d lost to Car during their night in Berlin. “You aren’t really considering, are you?” he asked, clearly annoyed by the message and the interruption.

She shrugged and lay back down with the phone. She’d also missed a call from Gwen and several texts from Barith’s sisters. “It’s a good offer,” she told him. “And it would give us more time together.”

Carvatticus had been keen for her to take up the position of Ambassador to Obsidian. He’d even enticed her to accept by offering to host Barith and introduce him to the leader of a horde of moon dragons he knew well. The moon dragons had proven challenging to tempt into joining a new tribe. Plus, Levian had spent years of her young life in Obsidian and knew Car wouldn’t ask nearly as much of her as King Thurin and the zephyrs did.

Barith grunted. “He still wants us to visit next month?”

Levian nodded and threw down her phone after replying to a few texts. “He does. Plus, Gwen and Sirus are planning their wedding this winter and want us to visit and give opinions on their plans. Abigail has also sent me several threatening letters for missing her Beltane party. She was upset we didn’t use the occasion to reveal our relationship to the world.”

They’d wanted to attend but couldn’t manage it, so Levian had spent the holiday with Barith and his sisters. It’d been lovely, albeit a lot less raucous.

Barith pulled her close and nuzzled her neck with a grunt. “I’ll send her a gift, and she’ll forget about it, but we should try to visit Gwen and Sirus,” he told her. They’d talked about it for months and still hadn’t figured out when.

When she released a heavy sigh full of stress, her mind running through everything they needed to do, Barith pulled her face toward him and kissed her. “No—” he growled. “No stressin’. No’ now.”

Levian smiled and nodded. It was easier said than done, given everything happening in their lives, but she’d promised Barith to try and not to talk about any of it until tomorrow. He’d wanted at least two full days where they could focus just on them.

Barith grazed his fingers over the necklace he’d gifted her after their dance under the moon on the night of Beltane. It was a simple gold chain with a sparkling sapphire that complimented her other everyday pieces. It was beautiful, and she cherished it deeply.

His fingers slid down between her breasts. “I still have the earrings that match the sapphire necklace you won back from me,” she mumbled breathlessly.

The dragon tilted his head. She’d lost The same sapphire necklace to him because of their bet to see which one would crack in Kamár. “Aye?” he grumbled.

His tone showed he’d give over the necklace in a heartbeat if it meant keeping her unclothed and in their little plush nest. Barith’s mouth hovered near her exposed nipple, and Levian held her breath, her core throbbing with impatience.

“And what am I do to earn them back?” he teased with a growl, the vibration of his words setting her skin aflame.

Levian thrummed with desire, forgetting all about the picnic they’d discussed before. She wanted him and was ready to give Barith the earrings right then and there if he put his mouth where she wanted him to.

When he licked her nipple, Levian arched back with a hiss of delicious pleasure, her skin crackling with magick. Barith grunted.

“I might take the ruby ring too,” he threatened with wicked enjoyment before he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. Levian moaned, and every one of her anxieties over their schedules and the chaos to come was lost to her consuming desire for him.

The dragon lifted himself to his knees; his wings traced with fire as he looked hungrily over her bare body. “I’m tempted to earn it all back right now,” Barith admitted with a smile that made her insides turn molten.

Levian’s heart swelled with love, looking up at him—her powerful, ridiculous dragon. When Barith’s flaming kiss found her lips, she forgot all about picnics and sunshine. They still had tomorrow, after all.

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