Page 71 of Bite Me

“I didn't understand until years later that when she said we'll always be here, she meant her and you. I left before you were even born and didn't return until she summoned me.”

Jada knew the rest of that story. Her mother had gotten cancer and died on a Tuesday.

“So, tell me, fruit of my loins, who do you want to be?”

Jada wasn't a hundred percent sure, but she knew she wasn't going to hide anymore.

She wouldn’t hide in the coven, she wouldn't hide from the demon dragons, and she wouldn't hide from the one thing in her life that she'd ever truly wanted. Love.

“I don't know. But let's start with I want to be the person who rescues my Dragon in distress.”

Rough Night

Fallyn’s sacrifice did not save Ky from receiving his own lashes. Instead of using Azynsa's tears to work himself free of the chains he called upon the inherent power in the element to encase his dwindling life force.

He knew it would cut him off from Jada, since he had given her his soul, she would be freaking out that she couldn’t feel him. They would not be able to connect now.

This was pure survival mode. He had hoped that Fallyn had secured Azynsa’s release. But as soon her birthday punishment had ended she left and didn't take Azynsa with her.

Ky couldn't blame her; he'd had a fourth as many lashes as that woman and was on the verge of death. He didn't understand how she had survived.

He didn't understand how he had survived.

Azynsa had thrown a fit and protested each strike of Kur-Jara’s whip, until demon dragons dragged her away, presumably back to the cell. She would be okay for now. He couldn’t say as much for the demon dragons that hauled her off. One or two of them were probably missing their balls by now.

The cavern was dark except for a muted glow from the nearby lava pit. He wasn’t sure if it was because the crone had used her magic to dampen the light or if his own vision was fading. Probably the latter, since he hadn’t seen the crone after her dressing down by the Black Dragon.

Ky still hung on the wall not having been freed when Kur-Jara was finished with him. They might've all thought he was actually dead.

He kind of felt like he was. He drifted in and out of consciousness and his head was filled with wool.

This was exactly what he thought the afterlife would look like, all hazy and filled with dragons and beautiful women.

Uhh…

“What the hell is up with these dumbass dragons?”

Uh-oh. Either he was hallucinating, or he had really died. Because a dazzling woman in white and a very cranky but colorful Dragon appeared before him.

“I don't think this one is dumb, dear. He did what he was supposed to: mark, claim, mate, and in record time I might add. But his mate is a little tougher than the others.”

Were they talking about him and Jada? She wasn't tough. Don't get him wrong, she was a badass, but she also had a soft vulnerable heart.

He tried to open his mouth to say that but couldn't.

“Don't try to speak, Kaiarahi Tarakona Puru. You need to save your energy. That little spark of life that you protected with your element is fighting to keep you alive. Good thing you had already given your soul to Jada.”

The woman approached him and pressed her hand against his chest. A soft blue light warmed him from the inside, but also felt like a cool balm to his injuries. His dragon stretched and basked in the glow.

“We can't stay long, son. Were only here to give you a little advice.” The big dragon spoke and his voice had a similar power to it as when Ky used his alpha voice to hand out commands to his Wyr. Match had another layer of it when he called up his alpha of alphas pomposity. But this Dragon had so much more. Could he possibly be?

The dragon grinned, or showed his teeth in a grin-like grimace and nodded. “I know what you're thinking, my boy, and the answer is yes.”

Holy First Dragon. It was the First Goddamn Dragon. So that meant… she was the White Witch!

God damn it. He was dead.

No. He couldn’t be dead. He’d just found Jada. The witch had said his water element had protected him and that Jada still had his soul.

---