Page 72 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
Her eyes widened. “Coal—is he still—”
“We’ll discuss everything after you’ve eaten.” There was no room for argument in his tone—only concern, steady and firm, threading through every word. His gaze locked onto hers, unyielding, searching her face. Its weight made her breath catch, leaving no space for resistance. “I must speak with both the prince and Ember, but your recovery comes first.”
Her stomach gave a loud, unmistakable growl in the silence that followed his words. Heat rose to her cheeks from how her own body had betrayed her—making its complaint given how long it had been since she’d last eaten anything. Of course her body was demanding food. Still, she avoided Ignis’s gaze, knowing he’d heard it—and knowing he was probably amused.
“Food, then conversation.” The soft command beneath his words settled over her—the quiet authority resonating from his voice guided her to listen. “The rest can wait.”
The care in his tone wrapped around her like his protective wings, both comforting and somehow possessive. Through their newly formed blood bond, she sensed his genuine concern—but also something deeper, a low-burning hunger that had nothing to do with food and everything to do with the dream they’d shared.
He wanted her in ways she didn’t quite understand… but desired to learn how.
Her own body responded to his with matching hunger, both for sustenance and for the fulfillment of promises made in dreams. She shifted against his forearm, the sensation of his scales against her heated skin sending ripples of awareness through every nerve.
“How does this work?” she asked, gesturing between them. “This blood bond...these dreams. What happens next?”
His crimson eyes darkened, pupils expanding as he inhaled her scent. “What happens next is your choice, little Luna.” The words carried both promise and restraint. “Always your choice.”
But even as he spoke, his tail tightened almost imperceptibly around her, scales shifting with subtle friction that sent pleasure cascading down her spine. The contradiction wasn’t lost on her—his words offered freedom for her to choose while his instincts screamed possession.
The realization should have frightened her. Instead, it kindled something warm and dangerous in her chest—a sense of power that rose above alpha and omega, above the fact that he was a king and she... was no royalty at all.
He was the last pure dragon king, ruler of a diminishing legacy, yet his vulnerability lay exposed before her. She held more power than any weapon in her simple ability to accept or reject him—even after all they’d been through.
Yet she couldn’t fathom any reason to reject his offer… and only wonderedhowthey wouldwork.
And if her being a dragon blooded human omega would be fine for the rest of the clan. Would they accept her as their queen?
“First food,” she agreed, ignoring the rush of yearning through their bond. “Then answers.”
His rumble of approval vibrated through her bones as he shifted his colossal form, making space for her to rise. As she slid free from the warm hollow of his forearms, the sudden chill of stone met her bare feet, grounding her senses with a jolt of clarity.
The dragon king watched her with barely restrained hunger as she moved toward the bathing chamber, making her smirk seductively with the rush of his desires across their newly formed bond.
He left no doubt—this creature of myth and legend wanted her.
A shimmering ripple of magic filled the chamber as Ignis’s draconic form began to contract. Ruby scales flowed like liquid fire; his enormous obsidian wings shrunk inward as his body reconfigured with mesmerizing fluidity—from his quadruped dragon form to his bipedal dragoon one.
Sora couldn’t tear her eyes away from the spectacle. The transformation never failed to captivate her—this display a sample of the magic that existed on Artania.
Within moments, he stood before her—still towering and powerful, but no longer filling half the chamber.
“You enjoy watching me transform,” he observed, his voice deeper in this form, rough-edged with an almost predatory satisfaction.
Heat bloomed across her cheeks. “It’s beautiful,” she admitted. “The way your scales flow like water but burn like fire.”
His smile revealed the sharp edge of fangs as he crossed the distance between them in two fluid strides. In a blink of her eye, his arms scooped beneath her, lifting her with effortless strength.
“What are you—”
He peered down at her, crimson eyes gleaming with unmistakable possessiveness. “I’m going to bathe you.” Heat curled low in her belly, her breath catching before she could stop it. “Then we’ll eat in the dining hall.”
“The dining hall?” Despite everything they’d shared—in dreams and reality—the thought of facing his clan members in her current state made her pulse quicken.
“Our people need to see us,” he explained, his voice gentling even as his grip remained firm. “See their king and their Luna strong despite Celestoria’s treachery.”
Our people. The simple phrase carried weight beyond mere words. Not just his clan any longer, but hers too—the implication clear in his tone and through their bond.
Ignis carried her through the beaded curtain into their bathing chamber. Steam rose from the hot spring pool carved into living stone, its surface rippling with mineral-rich waters that shimmered with opalescent hues. Without hesitation, he stepped into the pool, splashing the water with his large taloned feet.
