A wide grin splits his face. “My mate and I are expecting twins. I want my family to be safe, to live in a world without the threat of war. And if your T’kara is truly a sanishon from the prophecy, she can bring about an era of peace.”
I study him but say nothing.
Tarak rolls his eyes. “I can see you still doubt me. Here.” He extends his arm. The faint outline of his hand reaches for me and then opens, revealing an obsidian stone on the end of a necklace. My eyes widen as a purple glow flashes across the glass-smooth finish and then fades away.
My jaw drops, but I quickly snap it shut. It’s a shade stone. They are extremely rare and highly valuable. Kingdoms have waged war for much less. “Where did you get this? And why are you offering it to me?”
“Does it matter? I already told you: I am not a threat to you or your T’kara. I would see the Mages fall.” His gaze shifts to Freyja. “And for that to happen, the sanishons must be protected.”
He drops the necklace into my hand and then takes two steps back. Long tendrils of smoke coil and writhe over his form, obscuring all but his amber eyes as he slowly begins to fade back into the shadows of the forest. “Use it well,” his voice echoes as he disappears into the woods.
As soon as I’m sure he is gone, I turn back to Freyja. Her small brow furrows softly as she studies the stone necklace in my palm. “What is that?”
“A shade stone.”
She inhales sharply, telling me that she has heard of these before. They cast a glamour over the wearer. Many would kill for this prize.
“I’d thought they were myth.” Her small brow furrows softly. “Are you sure it is real?”
I study her curiously. “Can you not feel the magic embedded in the rock?” Warmth spreads across my palm as the energy of the stone pulses through me. Even before I touched it, I could feel its power, but she is human and I do not know if they are sensitive to such things.
Cautiously, I offer her the necklace, resting it in the center of her palm. She curls her fingers around it, tipping her head to one side. “It’s strange,” she murmurs. “Like a pulsing warmth, but very faint.”
“Put it on,” I urge her. “Let us see how well it works.”
I’ve never been in possession of one of these. Shade stones are a highly coveted item, and I will not deny that I am eager to try it.
To my surprise she hands it back to me. I blink down at the necklace, confused, before she turns her back to me, lifting her hair. “Would you?”
Her delectable scent fills my nostrils—lilac with a hint of jasmine. As I carefully position the chain around her neck, I realize that she trusts me. Completely. She slept in my arms and now this.
With great difficulty, I somehow manage to suppress the low growl of approval that rumbles deep in my chest. It is rare for a female to trust a male so quickly. At least… among my kind it is.
When I fasten the clasp, I allow the tips of my fingers to graze her skin. It is petal-soft and warm beneath my touch. My eyes are drawn to the elegant curve of her neck. I long to give her my mark. Everything inside me insisting that I claim her now, as my instinct demands.
Allowing myself a momentary indulgence, I dip my head to the curve of her neck and shoulder and inhale deeply, committing the scent of my mate to memory.
My sensitive ears pick up the quickening beat of her heart and when she turns to face me, my gaze travels over the delicate features of her face. A pink blush spreads across her skin. There is no denying that my T’kara is lovely, her features soft instead of sharp-edged and hard like a Dragon’s.
“Is it working?” Her question interrupts my errant thoughts.
“Not yet. You must touch it to activate it.”
She clasps the stone in her hand and a faint shimmer of gold covers her body before fading away to reveal a stranger with long white hair and blue-gray eyes.
Her lips curve up in a soft smile, the skin crinkling at the corners of her eyes and mouth. “Did it work?”
“Yes. You must touch it again to remove the glamour. It must be used sparingly, for I have heard they do not always last.”
She touches the stone and the glamour falls away, revealing her true form beneath. “How did I look?” She grins up at me. “Convincing?”
“And old.”
Her face falls, and I realize I have upset her. “Well, at least no one will be able to recognize me then. What about you?” she asks. “Will you not need a disguise as well?”
“I am a Dragon.” I frown. “No one would dare try to—”
“Yes, but you are an injured Dragon,” she points out, gesturing to my left wing. “So, perhaps not as threatening as you usually appear.”