Page 12 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
“Am I?”He guided her into a more complex sequence, their bodies moving in perfect harmony despite her protestations.“Your skin shimmers with scales in the moonlight. Your body burns with the fire of your ancestry. You are becoming what you were always meant to be.”
“And what’s that?”
The dance intensified, their movements shifting from the formal court patterns to something more intimate. He led her into a turn that pressed her back against his chest, his arm encircling her waist.
“I’ve waited for you,”he continued, his breath warm against her ear.“For centuries, I have ruled alone, watched my clan diminish in power and magic. The last pure-form dragon king without his queen.”
She spun to face him, defiance flashing in her eyes. “I am not yours to claim.”
“Not to claim,”he corrected, leading her into a dip that arched her back, exposing the column of her throat to him. The dragon in him hungered to mark that vulnerable skin, to bind her to him irrevocably. He restrained the impulse with a century of practiced control.“To complete.”
Their movements became a conversation—her resistance and his persistence expressed through the language of dance. With each step, each turn, each moment of contact, he felt her defenses weakening, giving in to him.
“You’re fighting your nature,”he observed, fingers tracing fire along her spine.“Why?”
“I don’t belong here,” she countered, even as her body betrayed her, melting into his guidance. “To you... or anyone.”
“Perhaps.” His lips curled into a smirk, a deep chuckle rumbling from his chest. “Or perhaps you need to come to terms with your truth—your reality.”
The music carried them through another turn, but Ignis’s predator senses flared with warning. Their dance had drawn too much attention. Eyes tracked their movement across the floor—calculating, suspicious, hungry. Princess Jewels stood at the edge of the gathering, her icy gaze sharp with interest. The king and queen had paused their conversation, heads tilted toward the spectacle their dance had become.
And the prince was still missing… gone from his chair.
Danger pooled around them like shadows. A century of survival had taught Ignis to recognize when curiosity transformed into threat.
“Ember,”he projected the thought to his disguised guard across the room.“The mission concludes now. Signal the others to withdraw. Staggered departures through the designated exits.”
His delta guard’s acknowledgment brushed against his mind—a subtle flicker of assent. Across the ballroom, he caught the momentary gleam of amber eyes as Ember passed the message to Blaze and Enixa, his Wing Leaders. His warriors, scattered throughout the crowd in nobleman’s finery, began their practiced retreat.
The woman in his arms—this mysterious creature with dragon blood stirring beneath her skin—moved with him as though crafted to match his every step. Her body knew truths her mind still denied.
She stumbled slightly as the music shifted, her gaze darting to the royal family who watched them with undisguised interest.
“You seem flushed,” he said aloud, for the benefit of those listening. “Perhaps you need some air?”
Confusion flickered across her features, but she nodded. “Yes, I... I think that would help.”
Ignis placed his hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward the balcony doors. The crowd parted before them—not from courtesy but from the subtle wave of alpha authority he projected. Even in human form, confined by the enchanted mask, his presence commanded deference.
Through the glass doors, the winter night air greeted them with its crisp bite. The balcony stretched empty before them, a half-moon of stone overlooking the castle grounds. Below, the frozen lake reflected moonlight like shattered glass.
Ignis released her, stepping back to allow her space though every instinct screamed to keep her close. To sweep her into his arms and take flight, to carry her far from these humans who would harm her once they discovered what she was becoming.
She moved to the stone balustrade, her fingers gripping the weathered edge. Her breath escaped in small clouds of vapor as she inhaled deeply, eyes lifting to the night sky. The great white moon hung full and luminous, partially overlapping its blue companion, appearing smaller behind its glorious beauty. Their celestial dance painted the world in silver and indigo, casting her features in ethereal light that coaxed the dormant scales beneath her skin to shimmer faintly.
“What are you looking at?” Ignis asked, moving to stand beside her, careful to maintain a respectful distance despite the dragon within him that raged to claim her.
She gestured toward the twin moons. “No matter how many times I look at the sky, it always amazes me.”
“The Great Mother embracing her Blue Knight,” he offered, studying her profile rather than the heavens. “Their convergence, the final step in their monthly dance.”
“Like lovers,” she whispered, the words seeming to surprise even her.
“Like mates,” he corrected softly. “A joining that brings balance—life and magic.”
CHAPTERFIVE
SORA