Page 53 of Jhon

The dragon shared his desperation, but getting high enough to reach a current on this moon was no easy feat.

When his lungs were full, he took a mighty leap on the exhale, flapping until he caught an air current strong enough for his big body to glide. Exhilaration shot through his veins, and he would have swooped and soared, stretching and testing his limbs, if not for the danger that surrounded his mate.

Instead, he flapped for all he was worth, and then drew his wings in close, moving as much like a bullet as a mountain-sized dragon could.

The tundra melted away beneath him as he shot through the air, covering the distance so much faster than the man ever could.

Before long, he scented his mate and the softer scent of his whelp, and his heart grew light. No matter what trouble there was, it was best to face it together.

But the man was frantic now. With his guidance, the dragon could see the trouble.

An untethered island was floating toward the turbines, and would soon smash into them, sending them crashing into the solar cells.

And his mate stood on the turbine that would be hit first. Charl stood beside her with an arm around her shoulders. The two of them had their eyes closed, as if they were bracing for impact.

There was no time to drag the island off course, and a blast from his fiery breath would kill the people on the tower.

As the man screamed in his chest, the dragon made the only decision that would make a difference.

With a powerful flap of his mighty wings to gain one final burst of speed, he curved through the air toward the island. Ducking his head at the last moment, he took the impact on his left shoulder.

There was a huge crash and a sickening crunch in his shoulder that traveled down his wing and rib cage at once.

He tried flapping his other wing, but it was no use.

As he fell to the ground, he took one last look up and was rewarded with a happy sight.

The island was gliding away from the turbines.

He had bumped it off course, and it was all he could ask. Ella was his mate, and he would die for her again and again. It was a privilege to give his life for hers.

He closed his eyes before impact.

Pain exploded through his body, and he drifted away from himself into the darkness.

* * *

Jhon was drifting though dark caverns, when the most exquisite scent called to him.

My mate…

Here, in his dreams, he was safe from the pain. But the joy of being with her was worth whatever he had to endure to come back.

Let go, the man told him. We mustn’t frighten her.

But her cool hands were on his rough scales before he could shift and for a moment, the dragon soaked in the gentle touch of their mate.

Through the haze, one word reached him, pulling him back into the world.

“Please.”

22

ELLA

Ella knelt on the frozen ground, stroking the shimmering scales of the dragon who was somehow also the man she loved.

He had hurt her heart, denied their mate bond, and even walked away from the son they shared, all in the name of duty.

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