Page 17 of Dragon Enchanted (Secret Kingdoms: The Draquonir #1)

CHAPTER 16

T he first sign that the world had shifted was the earth-shaking impact.

The window exploded inward in a rain of shattered glass and stone, a massive, red-scaled creature tearing through the room like a living nightmare.

The floor quaked beneath her as its bulk slammed down, massive talons digging into the wooden floorboards like razors through silk. Smoke and dust billowed outward, swallowing the dim light, filling the air with the sharp scent of burning wood and charred stone.

And in the center of it all, a dragon. Massive. Living, breathing scarlet fury.

Not just a dragon.

Vector?

Raven’s breath hitched as the monstrous creature lifted its massive head, serpentine neck arching, molten emerald eyes scanning the room.

He was colossal. A beast. A true monster of legend, just as the men had tried to tell her.

Wings still partially unfurled, their massive span blocking the moonlight spilling through the gaping hole where the window used to be. His scales were a stunningly beautiful array of scarlet, ruby and dark blood red, glossy and perfect in some places, slashed and battle-worn in others. The long, sinuous tail whipped once, knocking a chair across the room as he exhaled, sending out a low, guttural snarl that vibrated in her bones.

Smoke curled from his nostrils.

The two Guild operatives went dead silent.

For one breathless moment, the only sound in the room was the crackling of fire somewhere outside, the distant shouts of dying men in the fog.

The dragon’s emerald eyes locked onto her.

And Raven knew.

It was him.

It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t possible.

But those were Vector’s eyes.

And that was Vector’s snarl of raw, untamed fury—because he wasn’t looking at her like she was prey.

He was looking at her like she was his world.

Like she was his.

Her breath came in short, ragged gasps. Her pulse pounded in her ears.

The Guild operatives moved.

The dragon turned on them.

Raven flinched, instincts screaming run, hide, survive—but she couldn’t move, could only watch in stunned horror as the massive, obsidian-scaled beast unleashed hell.

One of the men scrambled for his weapon. “Shit.”

The dragon exhaled.

A column of red fire engulfed them.

The entire room lit up with the fury of it, magical flames pouring over their bodies, their screams barely lasting a second before they were reduced to nothing.

The fire raged, licking at the walls, at the ceiling, before Vector cut it off with a snap of his jaws. The heat disappeared as fast as it had come, leaving nothing behind but blackened, unrecognizable ash.

Silence.

Raven’s hands shook.

Her pulse hammered.

And the dragon turned back to her.

Her heart stopped.

Smoke curled around his massive frame, blood and soot and battle still clinging to his hide, glittering green eyes searing into hers.

He was monstrous.

A being of legend. A predator. A goddamn dragon.

And yet?—

She wasn’t afraid.

She should have been.

She should have run screaming, should have pleaded for her life, should have felt terror clawing at her throat.

Instead…

She felt relief.

He came for me.

The realization crashed through her like a lightning strike.

Vector—her Vector—had torn through fire, bullets, magic, and death to get to her.

He had burned men alive for her.

And when he lowered his massive head, his deep, thunderous voice vibrated through the entire room, through the walls, through her very bones.

“GET. ON. MY. BACK.”

Raven stared.

A breath—sharp, disbelieving—escaped her lips.

Because she had two choices.

One was logic.

Logic told her that she was looking at a monster, a creature of myth and nightmare, a beast who had just incinerated two men in front of her.

Logic said this wasn’t the man she loved.

Logic told her she should be terrified.

The other choice?

Truth.

And the truth was?—

She loved him.

No matter what he was.

Her lips parted, a slow, trembling exhale escaping her.

She didn’t care if he was a man or a dragon or something else entirely.

She loved him.

And she was getting the hell out of here.

She stood.

Her limbs were shaky, her breath ragged, but she didn’t hesitate.

Vector lowered his colossal head, glowing green eyes locked on her, watching—waiting. Then, in a slow, deliberate motion, he extended his front leg, bending his massive wrist to create a platform for her to climb.

The movement was so human, so deliberate, it nearly shattered her.

Even in this form, even as a beast of war, he was still Vector.

Her Vector. Taking care of her. Protecting her. Offering her everything he had. His wealth. His touch. His protection. His life.

Love. It pulsed between them with an ebb and flow she was beginning to recognize as magic, the inexplicable, undeniable bond between them. The connection that drove her wild when he touched her, that melted every defense around her heart as if her past hurts, her doubts, every struggle she’d ever faced was nothing more than wisps of paper tossed into the fire of her dragon’s heart. He burned it all away until there was nothing left to hide behind, nothing left to fear.

Raven hesitated only a second.

Then, she reached out, fingers brushing over scales still warm from the fire he’d unleashed moments ago.

The texture was smooth, like polished metal, but hot, like the surface of a sun-warmed stone. Power pulsed beneath her palm, as if something alive ran through his very bones.

She swung herself up, gripping one of the thick, ridged spines along his back.

A sudden rush of something electric coursed through her—hot and overwhelming.

She gasped, eyes widening as a strange warmth wrapped around her, through her, inside her.

And suddenly?—

She was part of him. One flesh.

Part of his essence, his soul, his very being. Whatever her gorgeous dragon was doing, he was making her feel like they had melted into one being. She was almost dragon now, part of his form.

Like his wings.

Like his beating heart.

It was impossible to fall, impossible to be anything but his.

She sucked in a sharp breath, her pulse hammering. "Vector—what?—?"

His voice rumbled, a deep, ancient sound that vibrated through her entire being as the dragon spoke to her inside her mind. You are mine.

Then—

He moved.

The massive, ruby-scaled dragon twisted, his talons crunching through glass and stone as he turned back toward the shattered window.

The night outside was alive with war.

But Vector had her now.

And the moment his enormous body cleared the wreckage, he lifted his head and roared.

The sound shattered the sky.

It was victory.

It was vengeance.

It was the warning of a beast that had taken back what was his—and would NEVER be denied again.

From all around, more dragons answered.

Twelve voices lifted as one, a chorus of ancient, primal fury, shaking the very heavens.

Raven felt it vibrating through her bones, her blood, her soul.

They were one in that moment. She was with the dragon and somehow, she knew the others. Knew Erik and Talon and the other guardians were here, dragons as well. The dark, cold tingle of Prince Alrik’s magic brushed over her senses, rude as an ice bath in summer. Dragon—Vector—hated that magic. Found it repulsive. Foreign.

And through their bond, Raven understood .

She knew what was happening below.

She knew who fought beside them.

She knew what Alrik was.

Elf.

A being of ancient magic, calm and calculating, ruthless in the execution of his duty. He walked through the battlefield like a wraith, untouched by the destruction, black hair stark against the darkness, dark eyes burning with something cold.

With a simple gesture, the fog thickened, coiling around the remaining Guild operatives, seeping into their lungs, their skin, their very bones.

Raven didn’t know what kind of spell he was casting.

She only knew it was the last thing they would ever feel.

Elves. Dangerous. Dragon’s deep voice whispered the warning inside her mind.

Before she could be afraid, Vector launched upward, powerful wings beating against the night, sending them soaring into the air.

The world fell away beneath them.

And for the first time, Raven saw what dragons saw.

Her breath hitched as her vision changed, shifting, brightening.

The fog below wasn’t fog anymore.

Now, she saw life.

Pulsing, golden-red heat signatures flickered beneath them—men scrambling, running, some firing blindly into the thick mist, their hearts hammering in terror. She could hear every beat, every breath, every whispered prayer for mercy. She could feel the telepathic connection between the dragons, the shared agreement that there would be no quarter given. No mercy. Hell itself had come for The Guild this night, for these human men had done the unthinkable, the unforgivable…they’d stolen a dragon’s mate.

Vector snarled as he circled the battlefield, his massive wings silent death against the night sky.

Hidden by Alrik’s unnatural fog, the dragons were hunting now.

One by one, the dragons dove, massive bodies tearing through the night, ripping apart the humans who had dared threaten them. Take one of their own. Take her.

There were no prisoners.

There was no mercy.

Only obliteration.

The estate itself collapsed, massive chunks of stone breaking away as fire and dragon talons ripped it apart, burning it down to nothing but ruin.

Raven should have been horrified.

She wasn’t. She had never been protected before. Part of something bigger than herself.

Part of him. She reached down and wrapped her arms around the dragon’s neck, as much as she could. Not because she feared falling, but because she needed to be closer, needed him to know she accepted all of him, dragon and man. Magic and myth. Passion and destruction.

The world fell away as they flew farther away from the others. She could feel the dragon’s need to get her as far away from the attackers as possible, to make sure she was safe.

Vector’s wings stretched wide, catching the wind, lifting them higher, higher, higher until the ruins of the battlefield below became nothing but a distant memory.

They soared into the night, his massive form cutting through the air like a shadow, his powerful wings beating slow and steady, each stroke effortless, carrying them across the sky.

Raven’s heart pounded, but not from fear.

It was from wonder.

She had expected to be cold—exposed, trembling from the sheer height, the cutting winds, the thin air.

But she wasn’t.

She was warm.

A gentle, invisible heat wrapped around her, a cocoon of protection, as if she were nestled inside the very heart of him.

The wind should have been blinding, should have stung her eyes and stolen her breath.

But instead, it was soft, whispering against her skin like the lightest caress, like the hand of something ancient and unseen cradling her in the arms of the sky.

Dragon magic.

It protected her. Held her.

Kept her safe.

Not even the wind could tear her from his back. Nor gravity. Cold. Nothing could touch her when she was with him.

She tightened her grip against the smooth ridges of his back, pressing closer, feeling the slow, steady power of his muscles beneath her.

And then she looked down.

Her breath caught.

The city stretched below them, an endless sea of golden lights, winding streets and glowing highways weaving through the darkness like veins of shimmering gold.

Beyond the city, the land rolled in endless waves of midnight blue, silver rivers snaking through hills and valleys, shimmering like stardust caught in motion.

Mountains rose in the distance, their peaks kissed by moonlight, stretching toward the heavens as if they could touch the very stars.

And above them?—

The sky.

The real sky.

Not the sky as she had known it, the sky glimpsed through car windows and city skylines.

But the sky as dragons knew it.

The clouds lay far below them now, a soft, endless ocean of white, tinged with silver where the moonlight kissed their edges.

And above?—

The stars.

A thousand, a million, an infinite sea of diamond-bright constellations, burning in the deep, endless void of the universe.

She had never seen them like this.

Never seen them so clear, so endless, so free.

Raven’s eyes burned.

He had saved her.

Fought for her.

Burned the world for her.

And now?—

Now, he was giving her this.

This moment. This gift.

A view of the world no human had ever seen.

Perfect.

Endless.

Bliss.

Something in her broke open, something deep, something vast and overwhelming, something she had never felt before.

Love.

Not just love. More than love.

A love so deep and unshakable, so absolute, that it settled into her very bones, into the very fibers of her being.

She pressed a hand against his scales, feeling the heat of him, the life of him.

And she whispered it.

"I love you."

The dragon rumbled beneath her.

A deep, low vibration that traveled through his entire body, wrapping around her, through her, inside her.

Warmth—pure, red-gold warmth—poured into her.

A rush of love, protection, devotion, waves of pure emotion and power, so raw, so overwhelming, it nearly took her breath away.

She felt it—all of it.

Not just Vector’s love.

But the love of his beast.

His dragon.

The part of him that was ancient, wild, untamed, the part of him that had chosen her long before she even knew to choose him back.

She wasn’t just loved by a man.

She was loved by his monster.

By his dragon.

By everything that he was.

And she knew, without question, without doubt, without hesitation?—

She would never be alone again.

Never be afraid again.

Because he was hers.

And he would never leave her.

Never.

The dragon’s voice, deep and endless, drifted through her soul. I am yours, Raven. Only yours. Forever.

She closed her eyes.

And for the first time in her life?—

She knew she was home.

Vector flew fast, his wings slicing through the night, carrying them far from the ruins of battle, far from the ashes of The Guild.

Raven didn’t know how long they had been in the sky. Minutes? Hours? It didn’t matter.

Because she never wanted this feeling to end.

But then?—

The landscape shifted.

The golden glow of the city faded behind them, giving way to jagged cliffs, crashing waves, and endless, moonlit ocean.

Her breath caught.

She knew this place.

The same cliffs where she had found him, broken and bleeding, on the very edge of death.

The structure stretched along the cliffs, built of sleek glass and ancient stone, modern luxury merging seamlessly with raw, untamed nature. The mansion sat atop the world, perched high above the endless expanse of the sea, waves roaring beneath it like a symphony of power.

Moonlight spilled over massive balconies, towering arched windows, and a private garden carved into the rock, filled with lush, cascading flowers and hidden pathways that led down to the private beach below.

It was stunning.

Her heart clenched as Vector circled once, then angled downward, descending toward the cliffs.

He landed with practiced grace, the wind from his wings sending waves rippling through the tall grass. His claws dug into the stone pathway that led up to the front of the house, smoke curling from his nostrils as he exhaled.

Raven hesitated, confused. “This is the property I listed. Why are we here?”

Home , Dragon replied.

“I don’t understand.”

Suddenly an envelope appeared in her hands. She opened it, a little rattled that he could magically make something appear. But then, he was a dragon, so why not? She tore the flap open and pulled out the papers inside, quickly skimming the contents. “Oh my god. This is a deed to a house. It––it has my name on it.” She began to cry. “You bought me a house? My dream house?”

Gift.

Raven laughed through her tears. A home. The dream she’d whispered, and he’d made come true. The estate was massive. Breathtaking. All the more awe inspiring because she never expected it to be hers. “I love it, but my home is wherever you are, my love. Always.”

Always.

For one breathless moment, she just sat there, perched on his massive back, feeling the warmth of him, the steady rise and fall of his breathing. She never wanted this feeling to end. And she desperately wanted to feel Vector’s arms around her. She wanted them both.

We are both yours, mate. Dragon sent her images of them flying again, high above mountains, chasing whales in the ocean, dancing with the stars. Every night, if you wish.

“Thank you.” She spoke aloud as she slid off his back—slowly—her feet touching solid ground again with a jolt she wasn’t prepared to feel. She didn’t want to give him up. This all felt too surreal, as if he would vanish the moment her back was turned.

She kept her eyes on him, her dragon, her protector, her love.

He watched her, those molten-green eyes unblinking, endless.

She exhaled, heart hammering, chest tight.

Then, without thinking?—

She reached up and placed her hands on his snout.

His scales were hot beneath her palms, smooth and solid, and alive.

He shuddered beneath her touch.

A deep, soul-rumbling sound vibrated from his chest, a low, rolling purr that sent shivers racing down her spine.

She let out a breathless laugh, stroking the length of his jaw, running her fingers over the ridges of his face, touching him like she’d dreamed of doing but wasn’t sure she would find the courage because…dragon.

“I can’t believe this is real,” she whispered, pressing her forehead against him, closing her eyes.

He exhaled deeply, a warm gust of dragon-scented air ruffling her hair.

She pulled back just slightly, her gaze softening.

And before she could stop herself, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his massive cheek.

His body went completely still.

The world held its breath.

Then—

A low, pleased rumble shook the earth beneath them, content, wild, absolutely wrecked.

Her dragon liked that.

Her heart flipped.

But before she could say anything?—

Heat.

Light shimmered around his body, red-gold and electric, a ripple of pure, ancient magic rolling through the air.

His form shifted, changed, collapsed inward?—

And then he was there.

Vector.

Standing before her.

Tall. Powerful. Impeccably dressed, his hands smeared with soot, battle scars, and raw, untamed power. His bright silver hair practically glowed in the moonlight. He looked like a dream come to life. A painting from some fantasy world. Too beautiful to be real.

His breath was ragged.

His eyes—those dragon eyes—locked onto her like she was the only thing in the universe that mattered.

And before she could even breathe?—

She ran.

Straight into his arms.

He caught her with a low, desperate growl, wrapping his arms around her so tight she thought he might never let her go.

She didn’t care.

Didn’t care that he was too strong, that he was heat and power and unrelenting need, that his body was shaking, just barely holding on.

Because so was she.

She fisted her hands in his hair, her breath catching as she felt him everywhere, all at once?—

And then he crushed his mouth to hers.

The kiss was devastation.

It was chaos, fire, relief, madness.

A storm of unstoppable hunger and soul-deep love, pouring through her like a surge of wild magic, unchained, absolute.

She gasped into him, clutching at his shoulders, his arms, his back, pulling him closer, closer, closer.

Vector growled, deep and dark and ruined, his hands roaming over her body like he had to touch every inch of her to prove she was real.

Heat flared between them?—

Dragon magic.

Dragonfire. She heard the word spoken in her mind. That’s what he called his magic, the power flowing between them. The need.

Wild, unfiltered, rushing through their bond, burning through her skin, through her blood, searing through her soul.

It was too much.

It was everything.

She couldn’t breathe.

Didn’t want to.

Didn’t care, because this was Vector, and she had almost lost him, and she was never letting him go.

His lips moved hungrily against hers, his breath rough, desperate, uneven, as if he was losing control.

And she—God help her—she wanted him to.

She needed him.

Like air.

Like life.

Forever.

He tore his mouth from hers, panting, his forehead dropping to hers, his hands shaking as he cupped her face.

Her own breath was just as uneven, her body on fire, her blood singing.

His voice was wrecked. “I almost lost you.”

She swallowed hard. “You found me.”

His hands tightened, his dragon eyes flashing, fierce, possessive, endlessly wild. “ I will always find you, Raven. ”

She exhaled sharply. “Good.”

And then she kissed him again.

Because she was never letting him go.