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He smiles at me, fangs flashing. “So many things, little human mate. You have only embodied a fraction of your power.”

“If it’s possible to do this, to make people go all frozen, why didn’t you do this to Nox?”

“Because I wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself, to make better decisions, and to come to understand his place in the world. I did not know the depth of his treason, or the ridiculousness of his plan.”

“In the game, you die. You always die. Maybe you wipe the party a few times, but more come. It’s just… crazy to me that in the end, you didn’t even need to fight.”

My mate laughs. “The game was his creation. Nox needed a world in which I could be defeated, because it could never happen in any realm of the real. So he made one up, and gavea place for others who needed to slay dragons to be. It is hardly deep psychology.”

“This is why you weren’t worried.”

“Yes. This is why.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did. Many times. You didn’t believe me.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I didn’t.”

“You underestimated me, my little mate. I could take offense to that if I were the type to take offense, but I hope you have learned something. What’s worse is that you underestimated yourself.”

He comes toward me and embraces me, smacking my ass as he does.

“Ow. Wait. Did you put me down there with them on purpose so I’d have this whole moment of saving you and becoming the hero and finally discovering my own power and realizing that loving you and becoming mother to your whelps is what I want more than anything?”

“Maybe,” he smiles, fangs flashing. “Or maybe I thought you were a spoiled little brat who deserved to be put into the dungeon.”

“That was so dangerous.”

“It really wasn’t. I could crush these creatures like bugs if I wanted to. I am no more at risk from them than you are from a crowd of sandflies.”

“I feel like they’re watching me,” I murmur, snuggling into him. Maybe this wasn’t a big deal for Ornix. Maybe he had faith all along, but this is the most transformative event in my entire life. I am strong in ways I didn’t know I could be strong. I have access to magic that has been lying dormant inside me for longer than I can imagine. The wings should have given it away, but I guess it’s not really that weird for women to not notice how amazing they are even when they’re working miracles. Lucky for me, Ornix is not going to let me forget it.

“Now, shall we keep them as ornaments?” he says. “Or do you want to bury them somewhere in the human world where they can be dug up a long time from now and regarded as some kind of artifact?”

“We can’t go to the human world.”

“That’s right. Well. We might have to put them right back in the dungeon, properly this time, without locks that snap at lock pick spells, and ensure that they stay where they need to be. I have seen a few of my dragons taking an interest. There could be more mate-ships occurring if they’re lucky.”

“So you’re not going to kill them?”

“Humans try to slay dragons. Dragons rarely, if ever, bother to attack people. The dynamic has been horribly imbalanced from the days of those awful clanking knights. Do you know how awkward it is to have to wait for someone to be hoisted off his horse so he can come and jab a sword at you? Ridiculous. Anyway.”

I snuggle into his arms. “I’ve decided I do want to be your mate. I mean, along with the whelps.”

“Good,” he says. “Then we can finally set about getting you properly pregnant.”

“What do you mean? You’ve been breeding me all this time.”

“A dragon can only breed the willing. This is a realm of magic, and magic requires intention. Not just mine, but also yours. When you truly wish to become the mother of my bloodline, it will happen. Until that time, I will enjoy the use of you.”

“But you said…”

“Are you annoyed I wasn’t actually forcing you to be pregnant against your will?”

“No, I guess, but…”

He smacks my ass again, harder this time. “Do not worry, my little mate. There will still be plenty of things for you to resist. I do not expect you to become disciplined any time soon. We can continue our dynamic, you as my sweet magical acolyte, learning more, surprising herself more, making mistakes, and delighting me with your innocent fire.”