Page 18 of Unexpected Mate

The world around me was consumed by fire, men screamed and the noxious odor of burned flesh stung my sensitive nose. I waited for the pain, but it never came. Instead, a warm stream of air ruffled my fur. It was like having a giant blow dryer aimed at you.

When the fire died out, most of Draven’s soldiers were nothing but a pile of ashes. The ground was no longer the red tones of earth, now it was completely blackened. Wispy curls of smoke added to the strange, almost apocalyptic, scene. Turning toward Levi, I let out another strangled laugh; my eyes stung from the laughter and the pain it caused. His fur stood on end, looking like a lap dog after being groomed. I would have given anything to have a picture of my werewolf twin puffed up like some pampered pooch. I must have looked the same because his chest rumbled in amusement.

We will never speak of this moment, agreed?

I agreed instantly.Never again.

I was knocked to the ground as the furious dragon roared and headed toward Damien and Leo. The last three wizards were charging at them, firing wildly. Why didn’t the idiots just try to make a run for it? Gregor, Elani and three other wizards attempted to throw up shields to protect themselves, Leo and Damien, but they were struggling just like the rest of us. The outraged dragoness again stepped between her team and theenemy, their shots ricocheting off her glinting scales. She snorted in derision and then slammed her claws down onto the men. The crackling of her fire began again and her chest expanded once more. Her jaw dropped open, allowing the fire to flow freely and incinerate the men.

I watched her liquid blue flames and overwhelming relief rushed through me. It was over. The battle was truly over. Our little circle had survived. Sure, we were not in great shape, but we were alive.

Leo had an arm wrapped around Damien, holding him up as they hobbled toward Tia - a bold move since we had no way of knowing how much of our human mate was aware inside the mammoth beast. Gregor and Elani stepped under the protection of her body, likely attempting to avoid the scorching heat of her fire.

Those intelligent eyes once again searched the clearing, searching out each of us. A stinging pain in my mind was quickly followed by an awareness that I wasn’t alone in my head. My wolf was overjoyed; Tia had created a pack bond between her mates, Damien and herself. Being without a pack was hard on a wolf; we craved the connection with our loved ones, something that my wolf had been mourning since leaving Cage’s pack. Tia didn’t speak in the bond, she simply brushed our minds to reassure herself that we were okay.

Leo’s sharp cry brought my focus back to the world around me. Gregor had shoved a strange blade into the underside of Tia’s chest. She shrieked in pain, jerking as she attempted to dislodge the blade.

“I am sorry, Dragoness,” said Gregor. “It was an honor tofight by your side, and we thank you for your service in cleansing the world of Draven and his evil. Sadly, it was decided long before we met that you were too powerful to be allowed to live. If you allowed that power to corrupt you after you gained full control of your abilities, nothing on earth would be able to stop you. I hope you will find comfort in knowing that Leo did not know of the decision to end your life. He did not betray you.”

Gregor raised his palms and sent a blast of magic toward the blade, the force slamming the blade in deeper. A sound like shattering glass came from Tia’s chest. A mournful call ripped from her throat, a sound that sent chills through my body.

Leo threw Damien to the ground, raising his hands and sending a blast of purple magic toward Gregor and his team. The wizards weren’t expecting a magical attack, and had no time to defend themselves. His magic went straight through them, and for a moment I thought his magic had been harmless. But then their confused expressions contorted into agony and they disintegrated, until no sign of them remained. Leo dropped to his knees, breathing heavily.

Tia collapsed on the ground, her iridescent scales shimmering like they were made of nacre. Blinding light consumed her body, forcing me to look away. When the light suddenly blinked out, I found my mate’s naked human body lying curled on her side, unnaturally still. I strained my supernatural hearing, trying to find the reassuring sound of her heartbeat, all I heard was silence.

Mithraheal’s cry of sorrow was cut short, his body goingslack before falling face first on the ground. He didn’t get back up.

Everything in me was numb. I didn’t think I would ever feel anything again. My mate was dead. She had put an end to Draven’s evil soul and those he had infected, only to die a senseless death by those she had fought to protect.

I curled against her body and closed my eyes. I had no intention of ever rising again.

This had to be a dream; nothing that had happened in the last fifteen minutes made sense. Damien and I had nearly been killed. Tia had transformed into a dragon, and I don’t mean her partial shift; I am talking about an actual fire-breathing, mansion-sized reptile typically featured in action films and children’s stories. And oh yeah, I had suddenly gained magic that I used to dissolve Gregor and friends. Using magic to dissolve people into thin air isn’t normal, not even for wizards. Purple magic doesn’t exist in the wizard community, so this had to be a dream. I would wake up any moment and this nightmare would be over.

Tears blurred my vision as I watched Luke’s disfigured body curl against Tia. She couldn’t be dead. She had turned into a mythological creature, kicked butts and taken names,saving us all and erasing all signs of Draven and his corrupted men. A puny sword couldn’t kill her.

Once I met Tia, I had researched everything I could find about dragons. The ancients had written tales of massive dragons on earth, but they were all believed to be fiction. It was a shock to find out dragon shifters weren’t myths and even more astounding to find out she was my fated mate.

I loved the blonde bombshell, regardless of her form, but I had wanted to explore her partial shift since the moment I laid eyes on her. I spent all my free time studying. I loved science and enjoyed understanding how things worked. Dragons were an unknown, and my excitement at the opportunity to learn more about her species knew no bounds. I had looked forward to spending the rest of my life adoring my dragoness and giving careful attention to every inch of both her forms.

Her last sorrowful dragon cry was echoing in my ears. How had it all gone so terribly wrong? How had I not noticed signs of the wizards’ planned betrayal? They claimed to be an enlightened race, yet it took Tia’s ultimatum to bring about change for the nadir. And now they had acted as judge and jury, deciding to kill her while she was still young enough to be vulnerable… all because, in their “superior” wisdom, they determined she was too great a risk to be allowed to live.

They would pay for their actions today. Tingling spread through me, and I realized that purple energy was crackling across my skin. It reminded me of the plasma balls I played with as a child. I remember watching with fascination as the electricity followed my hand as I moved it around the globeand laughing as it caused my hair to stand on end. This was so not a wizard thing.

I shook my arms, trying to see if I could get the magic to go away. It didn’t work. I then tried frantically rubbing my arms, which created more purple magic that swirled up my limbs, giving me little static shocks. I was nearing a full-blown panic when a roar tore through the clouds above. I shaded my eyes as I looked into the sky, trying to spot the source.

A black dragon broke through the clouds, his massive wings blocking the sun for a moment before he tucked them against his body and dove toward the earth.

This had to be a dream. There is no way I had seen not one, but two, dragons in the same day.

He flung out his wings at the last moment, slowing his descent as he landed over Tia, careful not to crush her tiny body with his monstrous one. He roared again, and I didn’t have to speak dragon to know it was a scream of rage. It was the same rage that was trying to consume my insides, while the purple magic was taking over my outsides. The dragon pressed his snout against Tia’s chest, still careful not to crush her. He released a low keening sound, and again, I didn’t need to speak dragon to understand.

He had lost his mate.

At least I had the memories of her laughter, her unconventional ninja moves as she beat up Damien, her sparkling eyes, her righteous indignation as she stood up for the nadir, her sexy body as it moved with mine, and her beautiful, white dragon form covered in iridescent scales breathing blue fire that incinerated evil, while at the same time it gentlycaressed her mates. He would never experience any of those things. My time with her was far too short, but at least I had been gifted those precious days. His only memory would be this one.

The black dragon’s skin begins to waver, his body turning to smoke and shadows. I rubbed my across my eyes as the dragon slowly turned to shadows and then into a man. His skin was darker than Tia’s other mates, reminding me of exotic deserts and warm beaches. His sleek black hair was long, nearly reaching his hips. He sat on the ground and drew Tia into his arms. Luke blinked and opened his dull eyes to study the man. He gave a short whine and then closed his eyes again; his will to live had died with Tia.

The man pressed his hands to Tia’s chest, covering the area over her heart. He chanted something quietly, shadowy tendrils flowing around her body. The unfamiliar words of the chant were hauntingly beautiful, rolling off his tongue. His chest and hands began to glow red from the inside. It must have been painful because his expression grew strained and sweat beaded his brow.

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