Chapter 28
ELENA PIERSON
The dark glassy water of the lagoon laps gently against the pretty bank a few short feet away.
I look down at Lachlan’s outstretched hand, then back to the bottomless black pool.
A sudden prickle of instincts pierces through my euphoria.
There are monsters in the dark. My feet stay rooted to the edge of the gold pile as I gaze down into the deep.
Before the panic can take root, a wave of intense and unconditional warmth washes through the ties connecting us, and I can sense Lachlan through our new mate bond asking for more than my trust.
Emotions roll through me unchecked with the dawning realization that he’s opening his very soul to me and exposing a raw and aching vulnerability that leaves him completely defenseless.
The bond acts as a physical anchor between us, steadying my racing pulse and soothing away the chill in the air, and I can sense my own tide of warmth rising to meet his.
I love him, and I know it.
I take a deep breath, letting that reassurance fill me and step forward to slip my hand into his, as his skin begins to burn hot against mine.
“I’ll be right here, but there’s something I must show you,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.
He squeezes my fingers once in a solid and silent thank you and steps backward away from me into the water.
The lagoon doesn’t splash, but it does seem to swallow him whole as he sinks beneath the dark surface in a slow, perfectly graceful motion. The water closes over his head, leaving the cavern entirely still and silent except for the soft lap of the bank and my quick intake of breath.
The silence stretches. And then, the deep black depths begin to churn.
A brilliant light ignites far beneath the surface in an explosion of vibrant blue green, a luminescent glow that radiates upward out of the water.
It stains the walls of the cave in hues of neon turquoise and deep emerald as the water rises and powerful waves begin to rip aggressively against the bank.
I take an involuntary step back, my heart hammering at my ribs, but the mate bond pulses against my chest like a supportive and uplifting hand.
Don’t be afraid, his presence somehow whispers into my mind. Look at me.
The center of the pool breaks apart in a watery rush. Water cascades off a massive armored form that breaches the water’s surface.
It’s gigantic.
First comes a colossal dragon shaped head, sculpted from bright iridescent blue-green scales that catch the bioluminescent light.
Long elegant horns twist upward back from his brow, and heavy ancient ridges frame big eyes that are the exact shade of green I saw in his human form when he partially shifted.
He’s gorgeous and absolutely majestic to behold.
He rises higher and higher, the water parts around a gigantic serpentine body that coils and flexes with terrifying grace. His spine is crested with fins like sails that remind me of his ear fins.
He towers over me, a literal myth brought to life that fills the entire cavern with his immense and breathtakingly gorgeous form.
The sea dragon lowers his giant head until his snout is just inches from my face.
A low, vibrating rumble rattles the stones beneath my feet, a sound that should terrify me, but through our mate bond I only feel his love and the affection that almost brings me to my knees.
He gazes at me with his majestic head twinkling in the light. He’s waiting to see if I’ll run.
My gentle sea dragon.
Instead of running, I step closer to the water’s edge and lift my hand to reach out toward the huge expanse of his snout as the heat radiating from his scales is intense, warming the damp air between us.
The moment my fingertips brush against his smooth blue tinted skin, an electric flare of power ignites straight through our connection, filling me until I can feel my fingers and toes tingling.
The mate bond explodes, and the golden cord flares into a roaring conduit of emotion. A rush of his overwhelming relief and violent devotion crashes into my mind, causing the oxygen to catch in my throat as the force of his feelings threatens to lay me out.
“Lachlan,” I breathe.
The low rumble in his chest turns into a deep and shuddering purr that arcs through my skin. He leans his giant head into my touch and closes his oceanic eyes, as if my acceptance is keeping him anchored to the spot.
I pat his giant head and scratch behind his ears as he bends into my fingers, and I laugh as his purr deepens.
His big tail begins to wag and my heart melts. “You are magnificent,” I breathe, completely in awe of him.
Not wanting any more distance between us, I slip into the lagoon and brace myself for freezing shock, but the deep water feels like liquid silk against my skin.
Lachlan’s body shifts in the pool of water, coiling around me in a protective massive ring that shields me from the currents. He lowers his head back to my level and his glowing fins brush the water’s surface as he invites me into his world.
Elena.
Lachlan’s voice echoes directly into my mind, but the sound is richer and layered with deeper undertones. Don’t fight the feelings when they come, my flower. And let our bond change you.
I close my eyes and surrender, letting the feelings inside me spread until I swear I can feel the sparks again, that same tingling of something in the tips of my fingers and toes. The moment I stop resisting, magic reaches out to greet me, and it takes me over into its plush and ethereal arms.
My legs begin to sting as a strange pins and needles feeling seems to numb my toes before an intense warmth takes and fuses them together.
I sink lower into the warm waters, watching in unafraid fascination as my skin transforms, hardening into a shimmering pattern of iridescent teal scales that perfectly mirror the glow of his body.
With a soft splash, a wide translucent fin flairs out where my feet used to be.
I test the muscles of my new fishy lower half and flex my powerful tail.
It moves with effortless grace, pushing against the water and stabilizing me in the deep pool as if I were born to it.
The heavy and suffocating fear of drowning vanishes as I take a tentative breath.
Instead of choking, my chest expands, easily drawing life from the water.
A subtle flutter opens along the sides of my neck.
Gills.
I can feel the cool oxygen rich water filtering through them, making my lungs expand easily.
I look up at him, a breathless laugh bubbling in my thoughts. Lachlan, look at me! Oh my god, I’m a fucking mermaid!
His massive dragon head tilts his glowing green gaze, wide in absolute wonder. Through our shared bond, a tidal wave of his pure adoration, pride and love pour through it and slam into my chest. He moves his big body closer and his snout nudges against my shoulder.
You are the magnificent one, he whispers in my head, his serpentine tail coiling beneath my large fin. My mate, a true queen of the loch.
He lowers his shoulder in the water inviting me closer. Hold on to me, Elena. Let me show you our kingdom.
I swim forward, my new tail flexing with instinctive power, and draw myself over the ridge of his neck.
I hug him to me, marveling at how very strong and powerful he feels in this form.
I take my hands and reach out to touch his long spiraled horns and laugh, elated at how cool his monster form is.
He’s much better than the romance novels, I think to myself, as my fingers lock tightly around his scales to hold on to wait for whatever he does next.
With a strong curve of his huge body, Lachlan dives down, and we plunge into the inky blackness. It isn’t dark anymore.
I can see.
My new vision cuts through the water, painting everything in shades of vivid and glowing colors.
With a sharp flick of his tail, he breaches a hidden barrier, opening a sliver of underwater current.
The pressure changes instantly. The current grabs us, and we enter a roaring highway of water that pulls us far, far away from the familiar stone cave walls of his lair.
The speed is exhilarating, a blur of bubbles and deep dark trenches rush past as we make our way down.
Gradually, the compressing weight of the water slows and transforms around us.
The murky loch water gives way to a deep crystalline ocean blue, and looming out of the shadows of the seabed ahead is a massive ancient shipwreck, its wooden hull split open and covered in colorful coral and glowing sea anemones.
They seem soft and squishy and so full of life in the dark and gloom of the deep.
It’s hauntingly beautiful.
Movement along the beams catches my eye, and I watch three massive shapes glide out from the captain’s quarters as the ocean’s great white sharks seem to notice our presence.
Their gigantic bodies cut through the water toward us and panic pricks my mind, but before I can tighten my grip, the mate bond pulses with Lachlan’s amusement.
They’ll be friendly, my flower. They know who rules these waters.
The sharks slow down to a leisurely glide as they reach us, completely devoid of aggression. Instead of baring their teeth, they gently coast alongside Lachlan’s massive frame like weird royal sea hounds welcoming their master home.
And as the largest of the three cruises right alongside me, turning its dark, intelligent gaze toward my new form, he gives a slow, respectful sweep of its tail.
Fascination erases my fear, and I let go of Lachlan’s big, scaled shoulder with one hand to reach out, finding skin that feels like coarse sandpaper.
It leans into the touch for a brief second before swimming a slow loop around us. I look out at the ruins of the ship, completely spellbound by this beautiful hidden world that is just now as much mine as it is his.