"It's done," Caelus confirmed, and through the bond I felt his relief crash over him so intensely his arms tightened around me. "You survived. You're here. You're mine."
The other Dragon Lords stepped back from their positions, the ritual circle breaking as its purpose was fulfilled. One by one they came forward—not to speak but simply to acknowledge what I'd become. Davoren's nod held approval. Sereis's small smile spoke of understanding. Garruk's hand on my shoulder was brief but grounding, reminding me that stone and earth still recognized me even transformed.
Their mates approached too, and in their eyes I saw myself reflected—not the human girl who'd fallen from a cliff but something new. Something stronger. Something that belonged to this world of dragons and ancient magic and bonds that transcended mortality.
"Welcome, sister," Kara said simply, and the word held weight that made my chest tight with emotion.
Sister. Not just to her but to all of them. Bonded to a Dragon Lord, transformed by sacred ritual, claimed by collar and Pact and blood.
I was one of them now.
The transformation was complete.
And then, I felt the world slip away, as exhaustion claimed me.
Iwoketosilenceandgolden afternoon light, the ceremonial chamber empty except for Caelus and me. The others had left while I was unconscious—granting us privacy for this first awakening into my new existence. His arms still held me, my head pillowed on his chest, his heartbeat a steady drum that seemed to echo through my bones differently now, as if my body had been retuned to harmonize with his.
Everything was different. The word felt inadequate for the magnitude of change, like calling an ocean "wet" or the sun "warm." My body was simultaneously heavier and lighter—bones dense as stone but movement flowing like wind. When I shifted slightly, testing, muscles responded with fluid grace that hadn't existed before.
"How do you feel?" Caelus asked, his voice reverent, barely above a whisper. Through the bond I felt his wonder mixing with relief that I'd survived, that I was here, that we'd made it through every impossible barrier to reach this moment.
"Like myself," I said, then laughed because it was both true and absurd. "Like myself, but more. Clearer. Stronger. I can feel the world breathing."
It wasn't metaphor. I could literally feel the slow, geological respiration of the stone beneath us—the way it expanded and contracted with temperature changes, the way it settled into itself over centuries. Could taste the storm that was forming three hundred miles west, its potential like electricity on my tongue. Could sense every current of air in this room, how they moved around our bodies, how they carried information I'd never been able to read before.
I sat up carefully, marveling at how the movement required no effort despite my exhaustion. My muscles knew exactlyhow much force to apply, my balance perfect without thought. When I raised my hand to examine it, I could see beyond the visible spectrum—heat patterns dancing across my skin, electromagnetic fields shimmering like aurora, ultraviolet markings that had always been there but never perceivable.
"Your eyes," Caelus murmured, reaching up to touch my face with wondering fingers. "They've changed."
"Changed how?" But even as I asked, I could feel it—the way I was processing visual information differently, taking in ranges that shouldn't exist, seeing the world in dimensions that human eyes couldn't access.
"Storm-colors, like mine, but with gold threads through them now. Dragon-sight." His thumb traced my cheekbone. "You're magnificent."
I turned to look at him properly and gasped. He'd always been beautiful, but now I could see him completely. His body radiated power in visible waves—wind magic that danced across his skin in patterns that looked like equations written in light. His bond marks glowed with inner fire that matched mine, creating a circuit between us that pulsed with each heartbeat.
But it was the bond itself that stole my breath.
Before, I'd felt it like a cord between us—present, important, but still separate from myself. Now it was everywhere, woven through every cell, connecting us at levels I hadn't known existed. I could feel his physical state with perfect clarity—the exhaustion he was hiding, the arousal he was fighting, the overwhelming relief that I'd survived. Could sense his thoughts not as words but as impressions, intentions, the shape of his mind brushing against mine.
"The collar," I said, touching it with trembling fingers. It had been warm before, but now it hummed with active magic, creating a feedback loop with the bond that amplifiedeverything. Through it, I felt his claim like a living thing—not just symbolic but real, tangible, absolute.
"A symbol of my protection," he confirmed, his hand coming up to cover mine where it rested on the collar. "And my authority. And my devotion. Everyone who sees it will know you're mine."
The possessiveness in his voice should have been frightening. Instead, it made heat pool low in my belly, arousal spiraling through me with intensity that left me breathless. My new body responded differently—more intensely, every nerve ending alive with want that felt larger than my skin could contain.
"What happens now?" I asked, though I could feel through the bond that there was still something stopping us, some final barrier between us and completion.
His eyes darkened with want barely restrained, pupils blown wide with desire he was holding back through pure will. "Now we wait."
The words felt like cold water on my heated skin. "Wait? Still? After everything—"
"Your transformation is complete, but your body needs time to stabilize." His hand moved to my waist, and even that simple touch sent electricity racing through my new nervous system. "Twenty-four hours, maybe thirty-six. If we consummate now, before everything settles, it could damage you. Your systems are still integrating, still learning how to work together."
I wanted to scream with frustration. We'd come so far, survived so much, and still we had to wait. The bond between us thrummed with shared need, both of us desperate for completion but forced to deny ourselves yet again.
"How will I know when I'm ready?" I asked, trying to focus on practical matters instead of the way his thumb was tracing circles on my hip through the ceremonial dress.
"Your body will tell you. Right now, you're running too hot—magic still integrating, systems still adjusting." He helped me stand, and my legs held steady despite feeling like I'd been remade from starlight and storm. "By tomorrow evening, everything will have settled into its new equilibrium. Then it will be safe."
