Page 5 of Echoes of Fire (Drakarn Mates #2)

FOUR

RATH

The River Market roared with life as we entered, its heartbeat pulsing alongside the river winding through the city’s core. Reflections from the water and heat crystals played across market stalls and stone ceilings, casting moving shadows.

Voices rose and fell in waves: merchants hawking fire-etched jewelry, farmers shouting over crates of krysfruit, and warriors exchanging boasts while sharpening their lava-forged blades. The heat radiating from the stones beneath our feet pressed upward, intensifying with the crush of bodies.

Orla walked at my side, her eyes darting across the crowd with equal parts curiosity and unease. I let my wing brush against her, and she gave me a wavering smile. My tail flicked once, irritated—not at her, but at the stares and whispers that followed us, and the way her shoulders drew tight under their weight.

Let them stare. Let them see my claim and understand the price of disrespect.

It had been two days since the claiming, since she’d held a blade to my throat, and I’d tasted her pulse under my tongue. Two days of torture where she kept her distance but hadn’t left my quarters. Two days of her sleeping in a little burrow against one wall made of scavenged silks and pillows as if I hadn’t offered her sole use of the bed.

So close, and yet I was not invited to touch.

Not yet.

She’d wrapped herself in one of my spare tunics, cinching the fabric at her waist with a belt she’d found in her satchel.

My mate. Mine .

That truth burned beneath my ribs, stronger than the voices around us.

The problem was obvious. My bond with Orla—a human, an outsider—would be challenged. The priestess had made her doubts clear, and already the rumors were taking hold. This walk wasn’t just for her safety.

Scalvaris thrived on appearances. If they saw us together, if they saw her protected and claimed, perhaps the whispers would quiet—or at least recede to the darkest shadows where they would eventually die.

But her discomfort was a persistent stress against my instincts. It was as real as the storm-salt scent that clung to her. Her pulse stayed steady, not spiked with fear, but the tension in her jaw and the press of her lips said enough.

I reached down and brushed the back of my hand against hers. She blinked, her sharp chin tilting toward me. She drew in a quick breath, and the faint color blooming in her cheeks sparked something in my chest I didn’t fully understand.

“Are we here to get something in particular?” she asked, her gaze shifting to a vendor selling polished stone carvings.

“I thought you would like to see the market,” I lied.

Her thin brows rose, disbelief plain. I tightened my wings against my back, though their membranes itched to flare in denial. She was clever, my Orla. Too clever.

“This has nothing to do with flexing your wings at everyone here?” Her tone was dry, though a flicker of curiosity lurked behind her words.

“Nothing,” I said evenly.

Her snort was quiet but unmistakable. “Sure. I’ll play along. Show me the market, which I have definitely not walked through almost every day since I got here.”

We passed a group of younglings crouched near a tiled fountain, their eyes darting toward Orla before flicking away. She stiffened at their scrutiny, and I swallowed the growl that threatened to rise. My scales felt hot against the back of my neck, but I forced myself to stay composed.

“Drakarn diplomacy at its finest,” Orla muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

I stopped at a stall displaying stylized carvings made from heat crystals. Orla paused beside me, her eyes narrowing as she studied the goods. I reached for a hand-sized crystal shaped like a flowing wave, its edges pulsing faintly with gold light.

Her brow furrowed. “What are you doing?”

“They call this enlightenment stone,” I said, avoiding her question. “It’s said to reflect the holder’s true emotions.”

“We have something like that on Earth,” she said, her fingers twitching toward the edge of the table. I knew the habit—her engineer’s instincts itching to take things apart, to understand their workings. “They’re called mood rings. They just react to body heat.”

The merchant, a gray-scaled artisan with worn claws, grunted. “Pretty. For a pretty lady.”

I stiffened at his tone, but Orla only shrugged, her lips tilting in faint humor. “Pretty’s not bad.”

I placed the crystal in her palm, ignoring the merchant’s sharp intake of breath. Drakarn didn’t give gifts lightly, not without meaning. But I wanted her to feel something other than the weight of this unfamiliar world.

Her fingers curled around the crystal, her lashes lowering as she examined the glow. I held my breath as she murmured, “Fascinating,” the word so soft it barely carried above the noise. The crystal’s gold hue deepened to fiery orange where her fingers pressed into its surface.

My tail curled instinctively, satisfaction simmering low in my chest. Just as quickly, her hand hovered, the crystal held out in silent offering to return it. “It’s beautiful, but I?—”

“Keep it,” I said sharply enough that the merchant flinched. “It’s yours.”

She hesitated, her lips parting in protest. But when her eyes met mine, I saw the shift. Her resistance softened, something unspoken lingering in its place.

“Alright,” she said at last, the word carrying no edge.

I felt the tension in my shoulders ease as I handed over a few coins and we moved on.

The market’s edge opened into a quieter stretch, where the crowd thinned and the noise faded to scattered conversations. The cobblestones beneath our feet gleamed faintly, their grooves worn smooth by countless years of footsteps. Here, the air didn’t press as heavily, though Orla’s posture stayed stiff.

“This …” Her voice broke the silence, hesitant. “All of it. It’s a little overwhelming. I feel like everyone’s staring at me. Even more than usual.”

I fell into step beside her. “It will calm down. I’m sure some warrior will make a spectacle of himself, and all eyes will turn to him.”

She let out a short laugh. “Like he’ll claim a human in the middle of a crowded temple to save her from certain death?”

I considered her for a moment before speaking. “When you put it like that, I concede it may take a little more time.”

“Great.”

Dwelling on possibilities would do us no good. “Come,” I said finally, gesturing to an alcove ahead. Its sloped ramp curved upward, a decent launch point.

She glanced at the entrance, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Where?—”

“Not far. Trust me.”

Her brow arched, skepticism plain. “The last time I trusted you …”

I smiled faintly and held out a hand.

She walked with me. Each step carried us higher, the market noise getting fainter. I glanced back once, checking her footing, but she moved steadily, her gaze focused.

She squinted at the view, her hands braced on her hips. “Is this … a vent? You really know how to show a girl a good time.”

I barked a laugh. “A vent? No, this is a launch point. From here, the air will carry us above the city.” My wings flexed slightly. “Would you like to see it?”

Her brows furrowed, her lips parting in what I guessed was an objection. “Wait— You— What are you suggesting?”

I stepped closer, letting my wings spread to catch the air. “Fly with me.”

Her gaze darted to the cave ceiling high above, then back to me, her hesitation clear. But there was something else, something fragile that flickered behind her sharp exterior. She was a scientist, a curious woman, and fearless enough to wonder. She bit her lip, and I could see the moment curiosity won out.

She stepped close. “If you drop me, I swear?—”

I grinned, something warm unfurling beneath my ribs. “I wouldn’t dare.”

She stiffened as I wrapped an arm around her waist, my claws brushing the fabric of her tunic to steady her. My tail curled lightly around her knees, ensuring her balance, and she made a surprised sound that went straight through me. I had to clench my jaw as blood rushed to my cock. The warmth of her seeped through the thin layers of clothing, her scent filling the space between us.

“Relax,” I murmured when her hands clutched reflexively at my shoulders. Her tension rippled through me, though it was matched by a steady courage I couldn’t help but admire. “I have you.”

Without giving her time to second-guess, I crouched slightly and leapt, wings snapping open to catch the warm spirals of air. The force of the launch pressed her tighter against me, her gasp muffled as the currents caught us, my wings lifting us effortlessly into the sky.

Below, the ledge and the narrow shaft vanished, swallowed by the shimmering cityscape of Scalvaris. The river wound through the volcanic architecture like glass, its glow constant against the dark stone. The spires of the city stretched high to where they brushed the edges of our cavernous home in some places.

Orla clung to me, her arms locked tightly around my shoulders. Her breath came in quick bursts against my neck, but her fear began to ebb as she tilted her head to take in the view.

“This is,” she started, her words faltering. She leaned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the expanse below us. “This is incredible.”

I banked slightly, adjusting my wings to glide along the natural updrafts. “The city looks different from above. No busybodies.”

“It’s …” Her voice trailed off again, her brow furrowing as if searching for the right words. Finally, she shook her head. “I don’t even know how to describe it.”

Her reaction stirred something deep in my chest. I couldn’t explain why her awe mattered to me, but it did.

Her grip loosened slightly, and the tension in her shoulders melted away as she adjusted to the rhythm of the air. For the first time in days, she looked at peace.

I angled us toward the higher cavers, their jagged entrances almost invisible against all the rock. An even narrower fissure came into view, its entrance obscured by shadows. I guided us inside, the currents shifting as we dipped into the hidden space. The air cooled slightly, the light dimming as we flew through a shaft barely large enough for my wings until the cavern opened up around us, and a large skyshaft illuminated the room around us in natural light.

Luminous heat crystals lined the walls, their glow pulsating in vibrant waves of red, orange, and blue. Pools of water teeming with life shimmered across the cavern floor, their surfaces reflecting the light in rippling patterns.

I landed softly on a ledge near the cavern’s center, releasing Orla carefully. Her feet found solid ground, but she didn’t move immediately. Her head tilted back as her eyes widened, taking in the light and color that surrounded us.

“This,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “This is…”

There were no words. I stepped back and let her take it all in.

She turned in a slow circle, her fingers brushing the stone walls. The light danced across her skin, painting her in shifting hues. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. How is this here? Untouched?”

“This is a sanctuary,” I said simply. “Few know of it. I discovered it when I was a boy.”

Her gaze flicked to me, questioning. “And you brought me here.”

“Yes,” I said, my tone steady. “Because I wanted you to see it.”

She hesitated, her fingers pausing over a crystal vein that pulsed faintly under her touch. “Why?”

The question hung between us, heavier than I’d expected. I could have given her a hundred reasons—about trust, about showing her my world—but the truth felt too raw, too unformed to articulate. She was my mate. All that I was belonged to her.

“Because you should,” I said at last. “This place is … it’s what Scalvaris is beyond the fire and ash. It’s what matters.”

She studied me for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she turned back to the crystals, her hand tracing the patterns with a softness I hadn’t seen in her before.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

I didn’t respond, letting her take it in. Her presence here felt right in a way I couldn’t explain, like the cavern itself welcomed her. Watching her, I felt something settle deep in my chest—something dangerous; something I couldn’t yet name.

She moved toward one of the pools, crouching at its edge. The liquid shimmered faintly, its surface undisturbed. Her reflection wavered as she leaned closer, her curiosity pulling her into the moment.

But then, her footing shifted. A loose stone cracked under her weight, and she wobbled, her arms flailing for balance.

I lunged, my wings flaring as my tail wrapped around her waist. She yelped softly as I pulled her back, her feet dangling briefly above the edge before I set her down, steadying her with both hands.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her pulse a beat against my palms. “Um … thanks,” she muttered, her cheeks a charming shade of red.

“Be careful,” I said, my voice low. My grip on her tightened briefly, the edge creeping in despite myself. “This place isn’t forgiving.”

She looked up at me, her face inches from mine. Her breath was warm against my jaw, and for a moment, the cavern seemed to shrink around us, the air thick with something unspoken.

“It’s just a pool of water,” she reconsidered. “Right? It’s not acid or filled with some sort of flesh-eating bacteria, is it?”

“It’s water,” I confirmed. But I hadn’t let her go.

I didn’t move, my gaze locked on hers. The urge to close the distance, to claim what was mine, burned through me, sharp and insistent. But I held back, the weight of the moment balanced on a fragile edge.

Her eyes—so green they put the finest gems of Scalvaris to shame—held mine with an intensity that made the cavern feel smaller, the air between us warmer. She was breathing a little faster now, her chest brushing lightly against me with each inhale. The moment was pressing in on her too.

Good. She felt it.

Everything about her drew me in—her stubborn tilt of the chin, the faint smudge of krysfruit still on her cheek from earlier, the way her hair caught the flickering light and haloed her head in fire.

My mate. Everything in me roared with the truth of that word.

I shifted closer, just a fraction. Her gaze dropped to my lips, then shot back to my eyes, a quick flicker that didn’t escape me. She was thinking about it. I had to choke back a groan as her tongue darted out, wetting her lips.

Orla, my storm-salt human, had no idea the ruinous effect that small action had on me.

Her lips were full, softly curved, and I imagined how they’d feel against mine—how they’d taste. The memory of her pulse beneath my tongue still haunted me, that intoxicating warmth lingering in my senses long after we’d pulled apart. Giving her a mark, a claim she couldn’t ignore, had been the only thing that quelled my lust that night.

For now.

I angled my body closer, allowing my wing to brush against her. Her quiet intake of breath told me she wasn’t entirely unaffected. The tension in her shoulders had loosened, her weight shifting ever so slightly toward me.

The cavern echoed around us, the water’s soft lap against the stones providing a rhythmic beat. She tilted her head up just a fraction, presenting that delicate curve of her neck, and my mind spun with the images of my teeth grazing her soft flesh, of her moans vibrating through me as I worshipped her body.

Calm down.

Patience.

“I—” she began, her voice barely a whisper, but she didn’t continue.

My tail, still possessively curled around her lower body, loosened its grip just enough to let her feel the tension coiled in me. She looked down, surprised by the delicate hold I had, then back at my face, her eyes wide and unguarded.

That thought alone stoked the fire within me. My lips twitched in a half-smile as I imagined her, hair wild and flushed, biting her lip as she hovered over me in our bed. Ours .

She caught her lip between her teeth—and there it was again. That small action, that sliver of vulnerability that threatened to rip what little control I had left to shreds. I leaned in just a breath more, my mouth a breath from hers, the heat between us undeniable.

But she stepped back, her hand brushing against her waist where my tail had been. “You’re right,” she said, her tone lighter now, almost teasing. “I should be more careful.”

I exhaled, the tension in my chest easing just enough to speak. “You certainly keep me on edge.”

Her lips quirked faintly, the barest hint of a smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

If I wasn’t careful, this human would be the end of me.