Page 47 of Rhadan

Rhadan stood as the wounds closed on his flesh. He had always had a certain brilliance, but she had been immune to its effects. All the women groaned, and every dragon stopped fighting to stare at the man surrounded by a white iridescent glow. He looked like an angel with a heavenly body.

“Allorin.” He raised his hands and the flaming sword appeared.

“Rhadan,” Allorin hissed, but his eyes held adoration and he stepped back with his hands thrust in front of him. “Stay back.”

Rhadan lowered his voice and even Tempest leaned closer to listen. If speech had a flavor, Rhadan’s would be melting chocolate over ice cream. His tone purred in her ear, and she wondered how she had managed to catch the eye of such a handsome creature.

You didn’t catch my eye Tempest. You stole my heart. I belong to you. There is nothing more important to me than you. This effect is temporary. His voice caressed her mind gently.

Is this the way others see you?

It’s worse for them.

Wow! You are potent.

Rhadan advanced on the mage. “Remember me Allorin? Our friendship? You do not wish to cause us any more pain.”

Allorin growled, but his eyes remained locked with Rhadan’s. “Don’t do this.” His words were whispered in a plea as if he were asking a lover not to leave.

“You must be released Allorin,” Rhadan said.

Allorin released one more blast of power. The white light glanced off Rhadan’s shield as if it were made of titanium. Tempest wasn’t sure if it was the power boost she and the druids had given Rhadan or the mage unwilling to truly hurt Rhadan now that he was under her mate’s lure, but the white light fizzled quickly and Rhadan swung his sword.

The mage was able to step out of the arcing blade but when Rhadan stopped midair and thrust forward. He couldn’t move fast enough in his frail body.

The fiery blade slid through his flesh beneath his heart, and he gripped the sword, only to have his hand ignite in blue fire. He screamed, but his screech trailed off into a long gurgle as he slid from the blade to the floor.

He clutched the gaping wound with the scorched remains of his fingers. “I curse the dragons and druids. You shall reap what you have sewn.” His lips continued to move, but no sound escaped before his head turned to the side and his eyelids remained open.

The dark dragons screamed and shifted to their human forms before running from the caves. They looked like a swarm of angry rats, and in seconds, the cavern was devoid of the enemy.

The dragons resumed their human forms as Tempest and the other druids descended from the ramparts and exited the temple.

Her eyes still streamed with tears as she walked toward the body of her fallen wolf. As she neared Daisy’s white fur her body shimmered and disappeared.

EPILOGUE

Tempest stood in her white dress with silver trim inside the courtyard of the temple. The dragons had constructed a permanent altar for the bonding crystal since all their mates would be druid descendants. Tempest wiped a tear from her face as she stared down at Daisy.

“How did you do it?”

Adara smiled at the white wolf. “Her form is corporeal when she wishes it to be, but only within the temple. She is a guardian. She gave her life to save her pack. Not unlike Ren, she came to think of all the dragons and druids as family, but she couldn’t allow anything to happen to your mate. She knew the consequences of her action when she attacked Allorin, but she wanted to ensure you had a future. Even without the bonding ceremony, you and Rhadan were too intertwined to survive without the other.”

Tempest smiled. “I thought my sight was the greatest gift you could give me, but this is truly extraordinary.”

Rhadan took her hand. “Almost as extraordinary as you.”

She smiled at her gorgeous man. Even now, his looks still shocked her. His radiance wasn’t as strong as it was before and he could walk into the store without serious repercussions, but every woman still stared at him. He would always be an Adonis, but he was hers. She glanced back at Daisy. “She can’t leave the temple then? Similar to Ren?”

“Yes. She is not like Ren. She is still and will always be a wolf. Ren... evolved from his original form as a result of magic and his years with Thorn.”

Tempest glanced around. “Is Ren coming? You said he was regaining his strength.”

Adara nodded. “Rhadan sacrificing some of his power has allowed Ren to live, but he cannot form a corporeal body yet. There is a druid magic that can accomplish this, but it requires a druid with the power of transference and a certain artifact.”

“None of us have that.”

“Not yet, but my re-emergence will start an awakening. Those who have power will seek me out. There may also be those who reached their twenty-third birthday and did not claim their power.”

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