Chapter 34
AURA
Ronyn carries me inside, holding me close with one arm under my knees and the other supporting my back. His chest is warm from the fight, and now that it’s over, he’s trembling. The adrenaline has nowhere left to go.
The penthouse doors close quietly behind us, blocking out the city noise.
This place isn’t as fancy as the last one.
It’s clean and modern, almost like a model home, but the big windows still show off the sparkling skyline.
Maybe the view gives my dragons a sense of freedom, even when they’re inside.
“Can you put me down?” I murmur.
Ronyn hesitates before lowering me gently to my feet. Kelan is there immediately, hands hovering as if afraid I might fall over. Darial moves behind me to provide his gentle assistance.
They don’t ask if I’m hurt.
They check me over with worried eyes. Kelan gently lifts my wrists, staring at the red marks left by the silk tether. His silver eyes grow darker. Ronyn lightly touches under my collarbone, searching for bruises. Darial crouches and lets his fingers brush over my ankles.
“You’re shaking,” Darial says softly.
“It’s relief,” I admit. “I was so scared you wouldn’t find me. That I wouldn’t have a chance to be with you again… that they would kill our children.”
I swipe at my face as tears spill.
Kelan kisses my tears away, one side and then the other. When we’re alone, my strong alpha is gentle in a way that always surprises me. He breathes in against my skin and goes still. I remember the ritual oils are still on me.
My mate undresses me slowly, but this time it’s different. Instead of hunger and urgency, there’s only gentle care. He leads me to the shower without saying anything else. The warm water spray quickly fogs the glass, making everything softer.
My gold nightgown slips from my shoulders. Ronyn kisses the spot where my neck meets my collarbone. Darial takes my hands, kisses each palm, and winces at the marks on my wrists.
“It’s time to heal yourself, Aura,” he whispers, encouraging me as I place a palm over my left first, then my right, coaxing the magic that knits my skin and leaves it unblemished.
Kelan’s hands move over my ribs, hips, and back, making sure I’m okay everywhere else.
We stand together under the water, letting it wash away the ash, blood, ritual oils, and any sign of that other dragon lair. Darial gently works his fingers through my tangled hair, rinsing out the knots.
Kelan kneels under the water and presses his mouth to my belly, making me go still. Darial joins him, placing his hand over the gentle warmth beneath my skin. Ronyn’s bigger hand covers theirs, as if he’s already protecting what’s growing inside me.
“Are they real?” I whisper.
The faintest pulse answers.
Kelan’s breath leaves him, shuddering against my skin. “They are real, mate. They are a miracle.”
“I’m scared,” I say, putting both hands on my stomach. “How am I supposed to do this?” My voice shakes even though I try to keep it even. “How do I give birth to eggs? I’m a mammal, not a dragon.”
“Aura.” Darial’s tone is gentle but firm. “They won’t be large.”
Kelan nods. “They will come small. Smaller than an egg born of dragon flesh.”
“We will keep them warm,” Ronyn adds. “They’ll grow under our heat. Under our care.”
I look between them. “Has this ever happened before? A human carrying dragon eggs?”
The silence that follows is answer enough.
“You’re the first,” Darial says quietly.
“So, how do you know?”
The glance they share is loaded. “The goddess wouldn’t bless us with a mate that can carry dragons only for her to be harmed by birthing them. She wouldn’t allow the conception of dragon hatchlings that couldn’t safely be born.”
Maybe Kelan’s right. If I’m meant to bear the future dragonkind, this shouldn’t hurt me.
I remember everything I’ve survived: Gregory and his cruel plans, giving birth to Ahya alone and letting her go, making it through near starvation, a life without love, running from Bruno and Anatol, and being held captive by dragons who wanted to use my body.
My gaze lifts to Kelan’s. “I won’t lose them.”
His jaw tightens, but he nods. “No one will touch them, Aura. We promise.”
He kisses my lips, then turns me to Darial, who does the same. Ronyn is last, and he cradles my face between his huge, rough palms and kisses my closed eyelids. “Come, mate,” he says. “It’s time for you to rest and let us take care of you.”
After we leave the shower, they wrap me in thick towels and lead me to the bed. I sit between them, their bodies forming a protective circle around me. They only give me gentle kisses on my temple, lips, and shoulders.
Darial orders food. Kelan talks to his assistant, letting them know where we are and ensuring we have what we need. I close my eyes and rest my hand on my belly, thinking about the children growing inside me—children who will one day turn from tiny humans into powerful dragons.
“When will they be able to shift?” I ask.
“When they are around two,” Darial says. “But you don’t have to worry. We will teach them the ways of the dragon. We will help them grow into strong, powerful dragon men.”
“Or women,” I remind him.
His eyes light with surprise at my assertion. “Or women.” He rubs his stubbled chin like he never considered having a daughter. “Lythian is the last female dragon,” he says. “We have become unused to seeing the females of our kind.”
“Females of your kind are the only way for there to be a future,” I say. “Maybe they will all be females.”
“Maybe,” Kelan says, also rubbing his chin.
I smile. “I’m sensing you were all hoping for sons.”
“I think that we were so shocked to learn that you could carry offspring, we haven't stopped to consider all eventualities,” Kelan says.
“A daughter.” Ronyn’s smile brightens his whole, usually serious face. “Daddy’s girl.”
I touch his smile with my fingers. Warmth fills my heart and pushes away my fear, but there’s still more I need to say.
“My magic.”
The word shifts the air, and Kelan’s expression hardens with instinct. “We tried to bind it for a reason.”
“That was our mission, Aura,” Darial reminds me. “What we have done for centuries.”
“What the goddess instructed us to do.” Kelan’s runes pulse with memory.
“And now?” I ask. “What is your intention now?”
“Your magic freed itself,” Ronyn says. “Even if we tried to bind it, it would find a way through.”
“It is beautiful,” I tell him. “The power to heal. The power to protect. Think about what it did tonight. It shielded you. It knocked them back without killing them. It healed us all.”
A gentle warmth starts to gather in my palms, almost like an answer.
“It isn’t within me to destroy,” I continue. “It isn’t meant to burn the world down.”
Kelan studies my hands.
“You said the goddess charged you with containing dangerous magic,” I go on. “Maybe she meant for you to find me instead.”
They remain silent so I continue.
“My magic was a beacon,” I whisper. “It drew you to me. Your seed was the catalyst. Every time you chose me… every time you loved me, it grew stronger.”
Kelan’s throat moves as he swallows.
“If I'm carrying your children,” I say, my voice growing stronger, “I need my magic. It’s part of what will keep them safe.”
A long moment passes, then Kelan inclines his head. “I won’t bind you again.”
Relief washes over me so strongly that I have to close my eyes. Ronyn pulls me to his chest, holding me tightly. Darial wraps his arms around us, and Kelan joins, surrounding us all with warmth and certainty.
“I’m sorry,” Kelan murmurs against my hair.
“For what?”
“For thinking that controlling your magic was the only way to protect you. For not being willing to challenge the commitment we gave to the goddess when we found our mate.”
I smile faintly. “I’m sorry, too.”
“For what?” Ronyn asks.
“For running into the forest alone. For putting myself at risk when there was danger all around. I wasn’t thinking and it wasn’t fair.”
“You were grieving,” Darial says.
Kelan’s hand cups my cheek. “And we should have followed immediately.”
I press a kiss to each of them in turn. To Kelan’s stern mouth, Darial’s soft smile, and Ronyn’s fierce lips.
“I won’t run alone again,” I promise.
“You have your magic, Aura. It’s time for you to learn how to wield it properly,” Darial says.
They settle me between them on the bed, their bodies curling around me. Their hands find my stomach again, gentle, and full of awe.
A quiet warmth pulses beneath their touch.
Three small lives grow inside me. The future of dragonkind.
I'm a mate and a mother. My magic is unbound.
For the first time, I’m safe and loved in a world that has only ever given me pain.