Chapter 46 #2
I charge the male, closing the distance between us in three swift strides, and with two strikes—one to disarm, sending his sword spinning away to clatter across the stones, and one clean cut across his throat.
I decapitate him. His head falls with a wet thud, blood spraying across the courtyard in an arc that catches the sunlight like rubies before his body follows, hitting the ground with a heavier impact.
Spinning on my heel, I turn and see bloodied Klauth and Thauglor standing close to Abraxis, their forms battered but alive.
My swords fall from my hands, the steel ringing as they hit the stone, and I rip off my mask and hood, letting them fall forgotten at my feet.
I run to them, my boots pounding against the courtyard floor, each step bringing me closer to the warmth and safety I’ve been craving for what feels like an eternity.
I leap into the air, aiming between them to be caught by them, trusting completely in their strength and their love.
The minute their arms wrap around me, solid and real and wonderfully alive, I cry.
Gut-wrenching sobs escape my lips as I lower my head, letting all the pain and fear bleed out of me in hot tears that soak into their shirts, carrying away the terror of the past few days.
They take turns holding me close to them, their hands stroking my hair and back, trying to reassure me they are okay, their familiar scents of brimstone and cedar filling my nostrils and grounding me in the present moment.
Klauth’s massive hands cup my face, thumbs brushing away the tears that won’t stop falling, his touch impossibly gentle for someone capable of such devastating destruction.
His skin is warm against my cheeks, marked with fresh cuts and burns that make my heart clench with renewed fear.
“Shh, my treasure,” he murmurs, his voice rough as gravel but soft with love, the endearment wrapping around me like a physical embrace.
“We’re here. We’re alive. We’re never leaving you again.
” His crimson flecked amber eyes, usually fierce with dragonic fire, are now liquid with his own unshed tears.
I can see the exhaustion carved into every line of his face.
The weight of what he’s endured written in the new creases around his eyes.
Thauglor’s arms tighten around my waist, pulling me more firmly against them both, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety that I never want to leave.
His sapphire eyes are storm-dark with emotion, the careful control he usually maintains shattered completely.
“My eternal treasure,” he whispers against my temple, his breath warm against my skin, voice cracking with the depth of his relief.
“When we felt your terror through the bond, when we knew the mages had found you...” He can’t finish the sentence, his throat working as he swallows hard against the memory.
I can taste the salt of my own tears on my lips, feel the way my chest hitches with each sob that tears through me.
The adrenaline from the fight is fading, leaving me shaky and hollow, like a vessel that’s been emptied of everything but raw emotion.
My hands fist in their shirts, fabric damp with sweat and blood and the evidence of their battles, and I hold on like they might disappear if I let go even for a moment.
“I thought I’d lost you both,” I choke out between sobs, the words scraping my throat raw. “The bond felt so distant, and there was so much rage, so much pain...” My voice breaks completely, and fresh tears spill over, tracking hot paths down my cheeks to drip onto Klauth’s hands.
Around us, I’m dimly aware of the others giving us space, their presence a protective circle but their attention tactfully averted.
I can hear Abraxis’s ragged breathing, smell the metallic tang of blood in the air mixing with the acrid scent of dragon fire that clings to my returned mates.
The courtyard stones beneath our feet are still warm from the afternoon sun, but nothing compares to the heat radiating from Klauth and Thauglor’s bodies, their natural dragonic temperature elevated by emotion and exertion.
Thauglor’s hand finds the back of my neck, fingers threading through my hair where Balor’s careful braid has come undone in the chaos.
His touch sends shivers down my spine, a reminder of intimacy and connection that makes the fear finally begin to recede.
“Never again,” he vows, his voice carrying the weight of an ancient promise.
“We’ll never leave you to face danger alone again. ”
Klauth’s forehead touches mine, and I can feel the slight tremor in his hands that betrays just how close he came to losing control completely.
His breath mingles with mine, warm and carrying the faint sulfur scent that always clings to him after he’s used his breath weapon.
“The mages who dared to threaten our nest, our family, our mate—they’re ash on the wind now,” he growls, the words both promise and threat.
“Nothing will ever touch you again while we draw breath.”
The fierce protectiveness in his voice makes something deep in my chest unclench for the first time in days.
I press closer to them both, needing the physical proof of their presence, their warmth seeping through my armor and into my bones.
My dragon purrs deep in my chest, a sound of contentment and relief that I haven’t felt since they left, and I feel their own dragonic natures respond, a harmony of satisfaction that resonates through our shared bonds.
Slowly, the sobs subside, leaving me exhausted but finally, truly safe. The nightmare of separation is over, the family whole once more despite all the trials that have tested the very foundations of what we’ve built together.
I honestly don’t know what happened to the other males, and for all I care, they could have been melted by Abraxis’s acid, their remains scattered to the winds.
The only thing I know for certain is that everyone is back in my nest, where they belong.
The nightmare is over, and we have survived—scarred perhaps, but stronger for having endured the fire and emerged together on the other side.