Page 64 of So I Dared a Dragon

She lifted her hand in front of her face. Her skin still had a faint golden glow. There was so much power flowing inside her. I wouldn’t tell her that it intimidated me. I’d guarded the Night God, but I’d never trained a goddess.

A flame erupted, and Calista jumped. The power thought she wanted to play, and it rocketed into the sky. She stumbled, like she was having a hard time controlling it. I grasped her hips, gently guiding her, keeping her steady while she explored this unfamiliar skill.

“This is so cool,” she said as she looped the flames, spelling her name in the sky. Then she added the word love, followed by light.

“Excellent choices.” I kissed the top of her head. “Your words are intentions, and they’ll manifest into the fabric of your new world.”

She turned to me. “You keep saying that, but what am I?”

“I think you were a dragon disguised as a wolf. The question is, why was your real identity concealed?”

“And how did I know to find you?” She dropped her gaze, shaking her head. “I’ve always felt different, not like the other wolves. At least, how they talk about it. It never clicked for me. When I’m with you, I feel calm. Even now—I’m still a walking shitstorm, but everything feels right with you. But like you said, why?”

I took her face in my hands and indulged myself in a kiss. This woman, no matter what she was, deserved to be absolutely cherished. “Because you’re the one who can help me free the Rocky Mountain Thunder.”

twenty-three

. . .

Calista

“I don’t want to leave.” I sighed. “This place is so magical.”

I was lying in bed wearing nothing but my newly acquired scales, tangled sheets, and my hot dragon, who thought I was powerful enough to liberate an entire lost thunder.

But it wasn’t just what happened between Aarix and me that made this place special. The sun gently rose over the mountain peaks with pastel pinks, blues, and soft yellows. Pinecones were tipped with snow, and birds sang in the trees.

Aarix’s body vibrated as he pulled me closer to him. The muscles between my legs throbbed in response, and everything ached in the best possible way. My dragon had explored my new body all night long, giving it a fantastic welcome into this realm.

But this morning, he just pressed a kiss against my temple. “Now you know how I felt every time I watched you leave the caverns.”

Oh, my heart.

“But I always kept the faith that you would come back to me.” He chuckled softly. “I dreamed of this, but I thought it would always stay inside me. Not sure I’m ready to share this version of you with the world.”

“That’s profound.” I pushed hair away from his face. The only thing more beautiful than the scene beyond our windows was him. “How do I compare in real life?”

He blew out a breath. “There’s no way to compare reality to dreams. Having you here in my arms is much better than anything I could’ve imagined.”

I rolled back with a happy sigh. “You’re such a romantic.”

“I never stopped believing I would be able to reclaim my power with my mate by my side.” The skin around those green eyes crinkled as he smiled at me. “And it was worth the wait.”

“You could be one of those people online who gives new-age advice,” I said. “Now that you all have phones. People make millions talking about what the ancients believed.”

Aarix furrowed his brow. “How do they make money? Everyone should know these things.”

“Hi, have we met?” I laughed. “You’re wowing me with it. And I think it was in the best interest of some to make us forget our power.”

“Don’t believe for a second that your power is ordinary,” he growled.

“I don’t.” How could I make him understand this? “Take my pack, for example. They wanted me to be mundane. To put their wants and needs first. To forget about my own desires and what was in my heart, because they needed me to fight for them. When I fought for me, I lost every time.”

“You never lose when you fight for yourself, sunshine.”

“I should be filming you when you drop these truth bombs.” I gave him another kiss. “You’d go viral every single video.”

“How would I find these videos?”

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