Page 20 of Fire's Storm
She belongs with me, my dragon half roars with absolute certainty. Tempest female. Compatible beyond all statistical probability.
Phoenix reaches for me as awareness returns, her hands seeking contact, wanting to reciprocate the pleasure still cascading through her system. Her fingers trace the scales along my abdomen, moving lower with clear intention.
"Wait," I manage, capturing her wrist despite every instinct screaming for completion. "The exchange is complete. Your system is stabilized for now."
Confusion crosses her features, followed quickly by understanding tinged with frustration. "You're stopping? After that?"
The disappointment in her voice nearly shatters my resolve. My body throbs painfully, scaled skin hypersensitive as my body remains in partial shift, prepared for mating.
"Full claiming would complete the bond," I explain, each word a struggle as my body protests the delay. "Once sealed, it cannot be severed. You deserve time to understand the implications before making that decision."
Her expression shifts from frustration to thoughtful consideration, the leader in her appreciating the strategicimportance of my restraint even as the woman in her craves completion.
"We would both be making decisions driven by biological imperative rather than informed choice," I say, though the words cost me dearly.
She studies me with those intelligent eyes, now permanently changed—amber rings surrounding electric blue centers that will never return to a fully human appearance.
"You're protecting me," she concludes, a statement rather than question.
"I'm protecting us both," I correct, releasing her wrist once certain she won't pursue contact my resolve cannot withstand. "What forms between us will reshape dragon society if acknowledged.”
She nods slowly, analytical mind processing political ramifications alongside personal desires. "The Guardian leader didn't seem thrilled with the possibility."
"His priority is clan safety," I confirm, forcing myself to move away from the bed, from temptation personified in her still-naked form. "Anything threatening established order is viewed with suspicion."
"Because of the bond?" she asks, belting the oversized robe around her much smaller frame.
"Because of what you are," I clarify, retrieving my own clothing though my body refuses to return fully to human form, maintaining scaled skin and enhanced musculature. "The Tempest lineage was thought extinct, hunted specifically for abilities that threatened technological advantages. If word spreads of your existence?—"
A sharp knock interrupts my explanation, echoing through the chamber with unmistakable urgency. I tense immediately, scenting the air, recognizing the visitor before they speak.
"Vulcan," comes Spark's voice through the door, tight with barely controlled anxiety. "Security council wants tests run on Phoenix.”
“So they’re not going to kill me?” my mate says with humor in her voice. I can’t contain the growl that escapes me.
Spark smiles. “It seems they take my opinion more seriously than they want to admit.”
FIVE
PHOENIX
Isit rigid on the examination table, knuckles white against the stone edge. The medical chamber pulses with crystal energy—ancient and advanced simultaneously. The stone walls are embedded with technology that makes my scientific mind scream impossible.
Kellamir, a scholarly dragon with perpetually disheveled auburn hair, practically vibrates with excitement as he studies the holographic display of my test results. His copper eyes glow as if he's discovered buried treasure instead of genetic anomalies in my blood.
"You're saying I'm definitely part dragon?" Skepticism drips from my voice despite the evidence floating before my eyes—DNA strands highlighted with markers that shouldn't exist in any human.
After years of medical examinations that found nothing abnormal, these results both terrify and validate me.
"Your genetic structure contains dormant dragon markers," Kellamir confirms, manipulating the holographic display with obvious glee. "Quite rare, actually. Tempest lineage—associated with weather manipulation, electrical affinity, and atmospheric sensitivity." He leans closer, pupils expanding. "Fascinatingto see it manifesting in someone with predominantly human appearance."
My mind reels. Adopted at birth, I've never known my biological parents. The sealed records provided no medical history, no family background, nothing to explain my inexplicable heat resistance or strange affinity for electrical storms.
I press my palms flat against my thighs to stop their trembling. My body continuously orients toward the chamber door—toward where I know Vulcan waits, forced to remain outside during my examination. The separation, though only by a stone wall, makes my skin prickle with discomfort. The storm energy beneath my skin builds without his presence to help regulate it.
"The dormant genes are activating rapidly," Kellamir continues, oblivious to my internal crisis as he points to shifting patterns in the display. "See these energy signatures? Your cellular structure is rewiring to accommodate electrical current storage and distribution." He beams. "Quite remarkable adaptation rate."
"What exactly is this bond thing everyone keeps mentioning?" I cross my arms over my chest.
