Page 51 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
“Ignis!” she gasped, back arching off the bed as renewed sensation jolted through her oversensitive nerves. His growl vibrated against her flesh, his tongue worshipping her. His scaled palms slid beneath her hips, lifting her to his mouth as though he was drinking from her offering, and her bed was her altar.
Her hands fisted in the silken blankets, pleasure rebuilding despite her exhaustion. Each deliberate stroke of his tongue sent ripples of electricity cascading through her limbs, making her tremble anew.
“What about you?” she managed between shallow breaths, her lids heavy as she struggled to maintain focus. “Don’t you need—”
“What I need,” he interrupted gently, lifting his head just enough to meet her gaze, “is for you to complete your transformation safely. I’ve waited a century for you. I can endure a few more days—or as long as it takes for you to be ready for me, for us.”
Her eyes drifted closed as she nodded, the weight of satiation and exhaustion too much to resist. Through half-lowered lashes, she caught movement—Ignis stepping back from the bed. His dragoon form shimmered, expanding in a cascade of ruby scales until the majestic dragon king stood in his true form—towering and magnificent.
His mammoth tail swept across the chamber floor, pushing aside scattered treasures to create space for his bulk. Satisfied with his work, he lowered himself beside her bed, forepaws extending to cradle her small form against his chest. The comparison was startling—her entire body could fit within his grasp, yet he handled her as though she was the most precious thing to him.
His treasure.
“Sleep, my Luna.”His voice resonated directly in her mind, a gentle command wrapped in tenderness.“Your body changes swiftly now. Rest will hasten the process.”
Through heavy eyes, she watched as he stretched his long neck, gathering a silken blanket in his jaws. With careful precision, he draped it over her body. His enormous head settled beside her on the bed, one gleaming eye fixed on her face with unblinking devotion.
Sora extended her hand with the last of her strength, palm pressing against the warm scales of his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered, the words inadequate for the emotions swelling within her chest—ones she would categorize and think over later at another time.
The last thing she felt was his rumbling purr vibrating through the mattress, as sleep wrapped around her consciousness.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
IGNIS
Ignis woke with unusual clarity, his mind sharp despite the scant hours of rest. Sora’s essence surrounded him, her lingering scent wrapping around his senses, like the fine mist in the clouds—lightly clinging on his scales.
He inhaled deeply, drawing her fragrance deeper into his lungs, letting it permeate his very being. The sweet notes of moonflower and cinnamon had deepened overnight, gaining complexity and richness that signaled her transformation was indeed nearly complete and her first heat would soon be upon them.
The weight of her small form against his huge forepaw felt inexplicably right. She slept peacefully, her golden hair spilling across his ruby scales, her breathing deep and even. Silver scales now permanently adorned her shoulders and traced delicate patterns along her collarbones, new ones forming above the dip of her breasts, shimmering faintly under the glowstones within their chamber.
A rumbling purr vibrated through his chest, the sound so instinctive he couldn’t have suppressed it had he tried—not that he wanted to. It had been decades since such contentment had flowed through him.
A century of waiting. Of searching. Of hoping despite mounting evidence that hope was foolish.
And now she was here, curled trustingly against him.
It had always amazed him how she’d never shown him any fear—regardless of what form he took—when even other monsters were intimidated by his sheer size and strength. It was the main reason his people typically roamed the caverns in their dragoon forms. Unlike alphas—who needed a great deal of energy to transform—the rest of his people didn’t share that burden so they rarely needed to return to their main dragon form.
He was slowly losing his ability to hold his dragoon form for long… until she came into his life.
And somehow, her presence had also eased the constant strain of leadership. The weight of his clan’s survival, the looming conflict with Celestoria, the fragile alliances forming with neighboring kingdoms—all remained urgent concerns, yet somehow more manageable with her beside him.
The irony wasn’t lost on him. War with humans threatened his clan’s very existence, yet this human—this twice-born omega from beyond their world—brought him a peace he’d forgotten could exist.
Ignis knew ancients of his kind wouldn’t have been as welcoming—or as accepting—as he was of her existence. The damage her species had done to his people, and to the neighboring kingdoms, was immense, but he hoped not permanent.
It made him want to burn their enemies to ash.
To unleash dragon fire across Celestoria’s borders, reducing opposition to cinders so he could explore this newfound connection without the constant shadow of conflict.
So his people—and the surrounding kingdoms—could finally live in peace.
The protective urge surged through him, primal and consuming—not just for his clan but for her. For the future they might forge together if given the chance.
Sora stirred against him, eyelids fluttering open. Confusion clouded her features momentarily before recognition dawned. She smiled up at him, a shy, tender expression that sparked heat beneath his scales.
“It wasn’t a dream, then,” she murmured, voice husky with sleep as she snuggled closer against his forepaw and let out a long-drawn-out sigh.
