Page 6

Arrival

Ozyn

D elighted at flying for the first time in so long, I may have gone higher and much faster than was wise with a passenger. It may have also taken me longer to understand he was not shouting at me to slow down, but to land, because he wanted to talk to me.

We landed in the clearing of a forest; the trees towering even above my dragon form. With my expanded senses as a dragon, I could hear the waves of a lake nearby lapping at the shore. The trees rustled with a fragrant breeze, bringing my stench to my attention.

Safi, seeing my dragon nose wrinkle in disgust, laughed. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! I know you have to get to your mate, but surely you can spare a few minutes to bathe?”

First impressions did count. Perhaps Safilix was right, and I needed to wash the filth from my imprisonment off my skin and scales before meeting my mate. There was a chance I would be denied the right to see him if I looked as feral as I felt.

Besides, there was nothing pretty about my dragon form at that moment. My usually gleaming white body blended with fluffy white clouds on a summer’s day. The gray on my wings was like streaks of smoke from my fire. I was the only one of my color in my flight. My brothers were all shades of blue, gray, and green. My omega son was the palest gold from his father’s people.

Rather than shift back to speak to Safi, or use a mental bond, I changed my vocal chords to allow me to talk to the fae prince.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

His smile was sweet, but otherwise he did not react to a massive dragon speaking aloud to him.

“Just before we landed, I spotted a house on the shore of the lake. We should ask them if they have any soap, or anything for you to wear.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. He appeared to understand what I was thinking. “These are elven lands. From what I remember, the portal is only a few miles northeast from here.”

“Have you seen it?”

He shook his head sadly. “No, I was kept at the castle. Many of the court talked about it though, I…”

“What?”

“I wondered sometimes if they were telling me indirectly, so that I could escape,” Safi said quietly, as if his brother would hear the treasonous words. “Truly escape Glorin’s reach, like Ulrian did.”

Safilix had never been given the magical training his brothers had, so would not have been able to form a portal alone. Their sister, Pluma, had the most magical talent, but had left for the human realm as soon as she was of age, some three hundred years ago. Well before Safi would have been ready for tutoring.

Pluma had been determined not to live under Glorin’s reign when he had taken the throne from their aging father and escaped Abrocaelum, leaving a baby Safilix behind.

The last prince was born among this turmoil to his father’s young low-born mistress, making him ineligible to rule unless he was formally recognized and likely lessening the power he held. It was possible he had never been seen as important enough to train by his remaining family.

Before I married Glorin, Ulrian was already long gone, exiled to the human realm for daring to defy his brother’s decree he marry an elf for an alliance. His influence in Safilix’s life before Ulrian left was unknown to me. It was a crime to mention Ulrian in front of Glorin, thus we had never talked about Safi’s older brother.

“Wait here. You will terrify the inhabitants,” Safi said, putting some distance between us and heading for the simple, yet beautifully crafted home.

I looked down at my once beautiful form, and with barely a thought, I shifted to follow behind him. My tunic was torn, caked in dirt, and hardly covered me, but it was that or nudity. I would shed it before meeting my mate in order for him not to be distracted by trivial things such as my former captivity. Now that I was free, I would not dwell on what had happened to me.

Glorin would be dead soon, my revenge complete. His kingdom would fall to ruins before some other royal could take his place. We could put our own monarch on the throne.

The elves in the dwelling were wary, naturally so, yet they still allowed us some soap. They offered me the use of their shower, but I was too dirty to trespass on their hospitality. Besides, I longed to go to my mate. Every moment we delayed with niceties was a moment he suffered.

Washing in the lake would have to do. Safi braved the cold water to wash my hair, running a comb through the pale blond strands before cursing.

“We need to cut your hair.”

“No time.”

I walked out of the lake, discarding my ruined clothes on the shore before using magic to dry myself.

“Please!” Safi ran towards me with a dagger in hand. “Let me cut the matted parts out at least.”

Inclining my head, I allowed him that much. My mate would not like me with unkempt hair. It was important I made a good impression.

The fae’s eyes avoided my nudity carefully while he hacked at my hair, taking far too long at the task with his too blunt dagger.

“Done.” I pushed him off me with as much gentleness as I could. Once I was far enough away, I took to my dragon form once more. “Get on.”

Safi had been correct. We were nearly at the portal. The closer I flew, the more the mate bond tugged on me.

Shouts of alarm went out as I flew overhead. I wanted to fly straight through, but the elves bravely blocked my way.

“Land! Let me talk to them!” Safi yelled over the rushing wind.

Doing as he asked, I found an empty spot to set down.

“I will talk.” Shifting, I approached the elves, all of them armed. “My mate is through there.” I pointed at the portal.

The elves stared at me, then at each other, the seconds passing with aching slowness. My mate urgently needed me to go to him. I could not be delayed much longer.

“I will go to my mate,” I growled.

They flinched. Again, they looked at each other before coming to some agreement. One stepped forward.

“We cannot let you pass, dragon. You cannot harm the people of Sweetwater. They are our allies.”

“Sweetwater?” I shook my head at the strange name. It felt right on my tongue. “I am Ozyn, former king of the dragons, father of Rezoth, the reigning king of the dragon people. My mate is through the portal. I will bring no harm to the people there as long as they allow me to find my mate.”

This time, the elves huddled together to discuss their options in low voices.

Brother? Vale asked. I feel you close by. Can you hear me?

I can. We are at the portal.

We?

The fae, Safilix, I own him.

Turning, the same elf spoke. “We cannot let you through with the fae.”

“I am going!” I roared, unable to take being so close to the portal. So near my mate.My dragon form dropped over me, my gleaming white scales glinting in the light. Without having to ask, Safi climbed on my back, clinging onto me.

With a jump, I was in the air once more, barely off the ground. The draft from my wings toppled elven soldiers, hopefully leaving them embarrassed but not harmed. I had no argument with people performing their duties.

I shot towards the portal, following the pull tugging me to my mate. His life thread felt so fragile. Did his people not know how close they were to losing him?

My magic, the precious magic I had been storing, stretched the portal, expanding it to fit my dragon form. It was all the magic I could afford. The rest I had to keep for my mate’s sake. My brothers, who I could feel growing closer, would have to expand it again if they wanted to join me in Sweetwater, wherever that was.

Breaking through the portal, I found myself in the air over a green lawn, a large building close by. There were metal carriages. Everything looked so strange. The clothing the shifters wore was form fitting in unusual fabrics. The scents were almost overwhelming. Safi slipped from my back, using his damaged wings to glide to the ground out of sight. He slipped into invisibility, his only usable power.

All eyes were on me.

I let out a roar, feeling my mate so damn close to me, his life a flickering candle on a breezy night.

Then I landed, taking a human form. Scanning each of the shifters and elves around me, I could tell none of them were the man I sought.

“Where is my mate?” I growled.

Silence followed my words. I stalked towards two men, one shifter, the other elf, the prince if my memory was correct. Both of them wore a look of responsibility. Others were glancing at them, encircling them protectively.

“My mate, where is he?” I asked once more, failing to curb my frustration at being kept from him.

“Lark!” an elf called. “We didn’t let him through. The others say there are more of them!”

“It’s fine, Farryn. He just wants his mate, right?” He looked at me. “You and the others aren’t here to harm us, are you?”

I scoffed. “No. My brothers want to check on me. I just want my mate. He’s hurt. Dying.”

With my words, the shifter’s skin paled. “Deke is dying?”

“Deke? Is that his name? I felt he was hurt a few days ago.” I rubbed my chest. His name felt wonderful in my mouth.

Lark, the shifter had been called Lark, looked at the elf prince. “I want to take him to Deke. Something is telling me to trust him.”

Surprisingly, the elf smiled. “Then that is what you must do, Larken. I will wait here for the other dragons. Welcome, King Ozyn. It has been such a long time since I last saw you. I am prince Teárlach and I am mated to a shifter here, my dear Axel.”

My footsteps paused. “You know of me?” The rest was too much to process. All my thoughts were of Deke.

Prince Teárlach smiled. “We met once. Ulrian was to marry my mother. We can talk once you have seen Deke.”

Shouts rose once more as the portal expanded to fit my brothers flying through, one after the other. Laer dropped a head at my feet. It rolled before showing me just who it was.

King Glorin was dead.

Present for you, brother!

“Ah, I see Glorin is dead. Mother will be pleased.”

The clinic, as Larken called it, was a squat, white, clean building not too far from the portal. My brothers stayed behind to discuss our arrival with the Alpha, a shifter called Blake. He and the elf prince looked amused at the head dropped on the ground. I thought I might like them given time to get to know them properly.

Larken must have used his pack bonds, similar to what dragons used, to alert everyone we were coming. I was handed soft pants to cover my nudity, though I knew shifters did not mind me being naked. The pants were stretchy and very comfortable, made of a light blue fabric.

I was led to a room where a man lay prone in a bed, his head was covered in white bandages, his limbs hooked to strange contraptions which made beeping noises. They irritated my ears.

“Sorry, I’ll turn these down,” a bear shifter, if my nose was right, said. He gave me a tentative smile. “I hope you can help him. We don’t know what’s wrong. There was a bleed on his brain—“

“He sleeps deeply. He is stuck. My magic will pull him out.”

My eyes never left him. His hair was the same black as the raven’s feathers of Glorin’s wings, though I found I liked the shade on Deke. I wondered what color his eyes would be when he finally opened them.

Unable to resist, I walked to the bed and took his hand, the one free from the strange things poking at his skin.

I was finally touching my mate. “Mate,” I rumbled. “Come to me.” Without even thinking about it, my magic flowed into him, looking for injuries, healing as it went.

Deep in his mind, Deke was curled up, a dark gray wolf with small patches of white acting as his pillow and protector.

“There you are. Wake now.”

In this dreamscape, I was in my dragon form. Careful of my claws, I lifted both the man and the beast and took flight upwards towards the light.

I opened my eyes and waited.

Stunning silvery-blue eyes met mine. Deke smiled.

“Mate,” I rasped in wonder.

He nodded, his smile stretching wide. He was so beautiful. “Mate.”