Page 16
To distract his mate the next day, Keres led her down the hall after breakfast. “Let’s go see your special room.”
“You called it a nursery, Keres. Isn’t that for babies?”
“Not only infants need a special nurturing place of their own. Look, here it is. Across from our chambers.”
He opened the door and ushered Rimi inside. Stepping in behind her, he waited to see her reaction. “We can change anything in here that you wish.”
“It’s beautiful, Keres.” She glanced around the room before walking toward the fluffy clouds painted on the walls. Rimi pressed a finger against the decoration. “It’s like I’m in the clouds.”
“That’s what I hoped. If you would like, we can fly over Wyvern together and I can show you your new home this afternoon. It’s raining right now, but it will be beautiful later.”
“I’d love that,” she said, before asking, “Is it safe?”
“For you? No outside dragon will invade our territory in Wyvern. If they do, that will be the last mistake they make.”
“Really? No one will bother me here? I can fly around?”
“Yes, Snowflake. ”
She darted forward to throw herself against Keres’ chest. He hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her uplifted lips. Instant heat flared between them. Keres deepened the exchange before forcing himself to lift his head.
“You, Mate, are a temptation. Before I tuck you in that bed for something other than a nap, go explore your room. You have to be eager to check everything out.”
Rimi nodded and hugged him tight once again before stepping back.
Under his watchful eye, she flitted around the room, trying out the big pillows on the floor and looking at the games in the toy chest. She oohed and aahed over the books on the shelves and moved them around to put the ones she wanted to read first on the right.
He noticed her hand hovered over a book of dragon fairy tales several times, but didn’t select it.
Keres reached around her and tugged the thick volume from its space. He glanced through it, enjoying the pictures. Rimi leaned against his side, seemingly interested as well. “I’d like to read this. Would you like to hear a story?”
When she nodded eagerly, Keres wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to the large, oversized rocker. “Hold this for me, Snowflake,” he requested, handing her the book before sitting down. He guided her onto his lap before reclaiming the beautiful hardback.
“What shall we read?” he asked and turned to the index. “Do you want to read about a gold or silver dragon?”
“Is there a black one or… maybe a crystal?”
“There is a crystal dragon here. Let’s read that one first,” Keres suggested and turned the pages.
“Check out this beautiful crystal dragon. He is very handsome, but your dragon makes him pale in comparison,” Keres told her.
“You’re a bit biased,” she suggested .
“Of course. No one could out-sparkle my mate,” Keres said proudly. “Let’s see what happens.”
Reading aloud, he started the story. It didn’t take long for Rimi to relax against his chest. The story captivated them from the beginning. The crystal dragon was daring and brave. He detected the bad guys with his cunning skill and won the heart of a beautiful amethyst dragon.
Keres finished the story and checked in with his precious mate, “Did you like the story, Rimi?”
“It was amazing. Can we…” Rimi’s question was interrupted by an enormous yawn. “Can we read another one?”
“Yes. The next one is about a bronze dragon. Shall we read that?”
“Bronze like Oldrik.” She sighed and nodded.
Rimi closed her eyes as he read. Within a few minutes, her head dropped heavily to his shoulder and a slight snore wheezed from her parted lips. Keres rocked his mate gently and closed the book before setting it on the table nearby. They would read that story another day.
Holding his mate in his arms felt like heaven.
Keres absorbed the sensation, fighting to keep himself from imagining what would have happened to them if he hadn’t found Rimi.
The madness that had threatened him would have overtaken his mind.
And her luck in evading capture by another couldn’t last forever.
But he had found her, and she had fought off the others. Keres pushed other possibilities from his mind. He brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “I love you, Snowflake,” he whispered.
“Daddy.” She sighed and cuddled closer.
“Can we go fly?”
“Of course,” Keres told his mate. “You lead us outside.”
In moments, he launched himself into the air and looked back to see Rimi follow him.
She was the most magical of creatures. His staff was completely used to seeing dragons shift, land, and take off.
They didn’t pause in their regular duties as he came and left.
Rimi didn’t notice the crowd that grew outside when she shifted, but everyone who could gathered to see the sun reflect on her breathtaking scales.
No one found her more beautiful than Keres. He flew proudly by her side as Wyverns gathered below, pointing into the sky.
There’s a lot of people in Wyvern, she commented.
Yes, Mate. The horde helped gather all Wyverns back into the city after the change. Now the borders are closed so those inside can sustain their existence.
Is that a dragon down there? She pointed a talon at the center square of Wyvern.
It is. That is where all the mates are celebrated.
Celebrated? How?
Let’s land and I’ll show you. There is a space for dragons to land on the east side of the square. Keres led the way. He moved his bulk to the side of the wide area so Rimi could settle next to him.
A man knelt on one step. He’d turned around to watch them, holding tools in his hands.
Keres and his mate had arrived at the perfect time.
The worker smiled at the beautiful crystal dragon, obviously in awe of her sparkling appearance.
Keres nodded at the stonemason. Thank goodness the skill of chiseling into the stone still existed.
The workman inclined his head to both dragons and returned to his task, placing two more careful strikes of the mallet.
They are updating names on the steps .
Those are all the mates from the beginning of Wyvern?
They are. You can see Aurora, Ciel, Lalani, Skye, and Brooks there now.
The man blew on the riser before him, scattering small pieces of stone in all directions. After a quick brush with a large brush, he gathered his tools and moved out of the way.
Even in dragon form, Rimi gasped. She quickly shifted and ran forward. “You were adding me.”
Keres mirrored her actions to stay by her side.
“Yes. I am twice blessed today. Once to record you as a mate and then to see you in dragon form,” the workman said, bowing to Rimi. “My family has recorded mates since the pact began. It is an honor to meet you and to see you again, Keres.”
“Thank you, Samuel. I’m giving Rimi a tour of town, and she spotted the dragon. Did your family also carve it?” Keres asked.
“Yes. My many times over great-uncle carved it from a huge chunk of stone. My skills are not so artistic,” Samuel said, modestly.
“I’d be so afraid to make a mistake. You could ruin the entire stairway,” Rimi pointed out.
“I prefer not to think about that, Miss.”
“I bet,” Keres said with a smile. “Thank you again.”
“I have a great story to tell my kids tonight. They will be very jealous that I got to see the new crystal dragon,” Samuel said before nodding his goodbye and walking down the steps.
Rimi dropped to her knees in front of her name and ran her fingers over the grooves. “I guess that makes this permanent.”
“No, Mate. This makes it permanent.” He lifted her hand to kiss the dragon pattern etched into her flesh. A thrill zinged through him at the light contact. Her eyes widened as she shivered in reaction.
Rimi nodded. “I’m glad. ”
“I am too, Snowflake. Shall we shift and continue our tour?”
“I’d like that, please.”
“I’ll show you where each of the dragons live. You can always find mine by the black stone. Oldrik, Ardon, and Skye rotate between their two mountains,” he told her as he led her down the stairs.
“Are they close? Their territories?”
“Luckily, they’re neighbors. Let’s start there first.”
Back in the air, Keres heard the faint sound of music playing. Could that be what Ardon had referred to yesterday? He tracked the sound and verified it came from the same direction.
Music again, he sent to the entire horde. I am with Rimi. I won’t leave the borders of Wyvern.
Same direction? Drake asked.
Yes. I believe so.
Let’s watch and see what happens, Khadar suggested.
Definitely. It could be a festival someone is putting on. Keres turned to look at his mate. Before her arrival, he would have flown that way to investigate due to boredom. She was his focus now.
Can we make another circle around Wyvern? Rimi asked him privately.
He nodded. Flying without fear was a new sensation for her. He didn’t wish to cut her fun short.
Try this, Snowflake. Keres did a barrel roll through the air.
How?
Carefully, he coached her through some daredevil moves all young dragons learned. Her absolute joy went straight to his heart.
Wooohooooooo!