Page 18 of The Magic of Eternity
‘Brother, you must stop this.’
I panted heavily, coming back to reality after being knocked out again.Who said that?
‘I did. Open your eyes.’
Slowly, my eyes opened, and I tried to recoil from the small group of males surrounding me. These were dragons that were working with Asrael; they couldn’t be trusted.
The largest male of the group, who was bright orange, snorted.
‘If you truly believe that any of us are here of our own free will, then you’ve been shocked by that magical fence a few too many times,’he rumbled, glaring down at me. His voice reminded me of Vaeryn. I hoped he was still on that mountain, evading capture and rallying a defense.
‘Who are you?’I asked, slowly pushing myself to my feet. I wavered, the lightheaded sensation seeming to come out of nowhere, and a dragon with deep crimson scales stepped up beside me, allowing me to lean against him for stability.‘Thank you,’I said to him, and he nodded.
‘We are the dragons of old. We’ve spent many decades in captivity, and we’re desperate to defeat Asrael and reclaim our lives for our own. My name is Emrys—and you are?’
Feeling a bit steadier on my legs, I pushed myself away from the dragon at my side.‘My name is Sloane. I only recently developed the ability to shift into this form. My family, my brothers, and my mate, they’re being held captive at the castle. If they’re still...’I let the sentence hang. I couldn’t finish it. Shock rippled through the group, several of the dragons shaking their heads.
A slightly smaller dragon stepped forward. His green scales caught the sun, shimmering gloriously.‘You speak of a mate?’
My hackles raised as my eyes narrowed on him. A threat? A competitor?
‘I mean no harm, nor disrespect.’The green dragon stepped back a few paces, and the relief I felt was immediate.‘Finding a mate is a dream for most of us. I was merely curious.’
‘She is mine,’I hissed, snaking my tongue out.
The dragons shared glances between themselves as I sank my claws into the earth beneath me. Flashes of her rounded belly, the blood on her palms, tears streaking her pretty face, all of it assaulted my mind. A mournful sound—a cross between a wail and a growl—escaped my mouth.
My body began to shake from the onslaught of memories, and I was growing more and more agitated with each passing second.‘It’ll be an act of the stars themselves if I don’t raze this fucking city to the ground the moment I’m free of these wards,’I snarled.
Emrys approached me cautiously.‘Breathe, brother. This is a miracle for our race. We’re merely curious.’I huffed, still feeling protective, and smoke spilled from my nose in warning. Emrys switched his line of questioning.‘So you not only have a mate, but you are able to shift from man to dragon as well?’
‘Normally, yes. Asrael’s done something to me to block the ability though,’I grumbled. My temper was running at an all-time high. I was agitated, and my thoughts were unmanageable. It was fucking chaos and I. Hated. Chaos.
‘Your mate,’he said carefully, slowly.‘You have bred her, yes?’
Every male in the vicinity gasped; some shouted out in shock and some in glee.
I. Needed. Her. Now.
‘How do you know?’I bit out.
‘A male dragon is not to be separated from his mate. We are built to protect and provide for our mate during the course of her pregnancy. To part a male from his mate is abhorrent! It is torture of the cruelest variety!’Emrys bellowed, and the answering roars of the other males could’ve been heard all the way in the human realm.
‘I think... I think I’m dying without her,’I admitted, suddenly just so fucking tired.
‘It will feel that way. Which is why it is barbaric. The false king will pay for this with blood—I promise you that, brother. We’ve not had a natural mating occur in centuries. Times are changing,’he murmured.
Then I remembered what Red had told us about Vaeryn’s reaction. He’d called her his queen. Would these dragons feel the same? Would they risk their lives to ensure her safety?
‘It was foretold. A prophecy.’
The silence that followed my words lasted for what seemed like forever, eventually giving way to whispers of‘the queen.’
‘Your mate is the prophesied one?’Emrys asked, his voice full of awe.
‘She is,’I replied, pride rushing through me.
‘BROTHERS!’he barked, gaining the attention of every dragon within our holding pen.‘THE PROPHECY HAS COME TO PASS!’Cheers and roars exploded through the grassy field as dragons of all colors and sizes moved closer to hear more. Hope bloomed in the field, as potent as a field of wildflowers, leaving no beast untouched.
