Page 31

Her body convulsed, her back arching off the table as her orgasm ripped through her. He felt his own release building, the pressure coiling in his gut. He leaned down, his hand pressing against her heart, his palm glowing faintly with the power of his dragon magic.

"Danica," he said, his voice steady despite the intensity of the moment. "Will you accept my mate mark? Will you be mine forever?"

"Yes," she whispered, her eyes locked on his. "Yes, Asher. Always."

His palm burned against her skin as the Ectorius family emblem—a crimson dragon in flight—etched itself onto her chest, just above her heart.

At the same time, his release tore through him, his seed spilling deep inside her, sealing their bond.

He groaned, his body shuddering with the force of his orgasm, his forehead resting against hers.

When the world finally stopped spinning, he pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. The mate mark glowed faintly before settling into her skin, a permanent reminder of their bond.

"You're mine now," he said, his voice filled with a mix of pride and possessiveness. "Forever."

"And you're mine," she replied, her voice soft but firm. "Forever."

He kissed her again, slow and deep, pouring all the emotions he couldn't put into words into the connection.

This woman, this human, was finally officially his.

Her body lay beneath him, her skin flushed and glistening with sweat, their bodies still intimately joined on his workshop table.

The mate mark glowed faintly above her heart, pulsing with ancient magic that bound them together for eternity.

His dragon preened with satisfaction. Mine. Finally mine.

"Asher—" Danica's voice hitched. Her body suddenly tensed beneath him, her eyes widening. "Something's wrong. I feel... strange."

Alarm shot through him as she began to tremble. Her skin grew hot beneath his palms, far beyond normal human temperature.

"It burns," she whispered, panic edging into her voice. "My skin feels too tight."

Asher pulled back, studying her with sharpened senses. Her scent had changed—subtly at first, but now unmistakably. The sweet lavender undertone that he'd come to associate with her was shifting, taking on notes of smoke and spice that were distinctly...draconic.

"Holy shit," he breathed, realization dawning. "It's really happening."

"What's happening?" Her voice rose as another wave of discomfort washed over her, making her arch her back.

Asher moved with decisive purpose, lifting her naked body effortlessly into his arms. "We need to get outside. Now."

"Outside? Asher, I don't understand?—"

"Your dragon," he said, kicking open the workshop door and striding into the cool night air. "The mate mark—it's awakened something dormant inside you."

The yard stretched before them, bathed in silver moonlight. Asher carried her to the center of the grass, far from any structures or trees. Above them, stars punctuated the velvet darkness, witnesses to the miracle unfolding.

"I don't have a dragon," she protested weakly, even as another tremor shook her frame. "I'm human. Always have been."

"Not entirely." He set her gently on her feet, keeping his arm around her small waist for support. "Some humans carry dormant shifter blood. When they bond with their true mate, sometimes—rarely—that blood awakens."

Fear flashed in her eyes. "I'm going to transform? Like you do?"

"Yes." He cupped her face, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. "And I'm going to be right here with you through every second of it."

"I'm scared," she admitted, trembling against him. "What if I can't control it? What if it hurts?"

"The first shift is intense," he acknowledged, his voice softening to a warm, commanding rumble meant to soothe and guide. "But you're strong, Danica. Stronger than anyone I've ever met." He pressed his forehead to hers. "Let it happen. Don't fight it."

She nodded shakily, gasping as another wave of heat rolled through her. "This explains a lot, actually. I've always felt so restless, like I needed to move, to fly?—"

"That was your dragon," Asher confirmed, his heart swelling with fierce pride. "She's been waiting for this moment."

Danica's back suddenly arched, her skin beginning to shimmer with a golden light. Asher stepped back, giving her space while keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

"Focus on my voice," he instructed as her body began to elongate. "Breathe through it. Your bones will stretch, your skin will change—welcome it."

Her transformation accelerated, skin hardening to scales that caught the moonlight like polished coins. Her neck extended, limbs reshaping into powerful legs and wings. Asher watched in awe as his mate—his beautiful, fiery, impossible mate—completed her first shift.

Where Danica had stood only moments before, a magnificent golden dragon now raised her head toward the stars. Her scales gleamed like captured sunlight, her wingspan impressive even for a female. Eyes the same rich brown as her human form blinked at him in wonder and disbelief.

"You're spectacular," Asher breathed. "A golden dragon—one of the rarest colorations."

He'd never seen anything more beautiful in his existence. Without hesitation, he triggered his own transformation, bones cracking and reshaping as his red scales emerged. Within seconds, he stood before her in his dragon form, his crimson hide a striking complement to her gold.

He approached her carefully, rubbing his snout against hers in an affectionate dragon greeting. Can you hear me? he projected into her mind, using the telepathic connection that dragon mates shared.

Asher? Her mental voice was startled but clear. This is... incredible. I can feel everything. The air currents, the ground beneath my claws... I can smell the bayou from here!

Ready to try those wings? he asked, extending his own with a playful flap that stirred the grass around them.

Yes. Oh, God, yes. I've waited my whole life for this without even knowing it.

Asher nudged her gently, showing her how to position her wings. Follow my lead. Trust your instincts.

With a powerful downstroke, he launched himself skyward, hovering as she mimicked his movements. Her takeoff was clumsy but effective, sending her rocketing up beside him with an exuberant mental whoop of joy that made his heart swell.

Together they soared above his property, above the sleeping town, climbing higher until they broke through a layer of clouds. The moonlight transformed the mist into a silver sea beneath them, their shadows dancing across its surface.

I love you, he projected, the emotion behind the simple words vast and overwhelming. I would have loved you as a human or a dragon or anything in between. But seeing you like this—free, powerful, and truly yourself—is a gift I never dared hope for.

She banked toward him, their wings nearly touching as they carved a path through the night sky. This is what I was always missing. This feeling... and you.