We did it. We actually did it.
Lyric stepped forward, his voice ringing with authority and wonder. “The ritual is complete! The bond has been tested and proven true! I present to you?—”
His words were cut off as the sacred ring suddenly exploded.
White-hot flames erupted from the stones with violence that sent shockwaves through the amphitheater. The magical fire must have been too fierce. Draven’s massive form was caught directly in the blast, his agonized roar echoing off the stone walls as the sacred flames engulfed him.
The crowd’s cheers turned to screams of terror.
“Help him!” Lyric shouted over the chaos. “Someone help the king!”
But Lila was already moving. Without conscious thought, she sprinted toward the inferno that had consumed her mate. The heat seared her face, making her eyes water instantly, but his agony tearing through their bond was far worse than any physical pain.
“Draven!” she screamed. “I won’t lose you!”
The sacred fire was magical and ancient, designed to test and burn away anything false. Her skin should have been incinerated the moment she entered the flames. Instead, something deep in her soul answered the call.
Her dragon heritage exploded to life again. Her bones cracked and reshaped, muscles expanding as crimson scales erupted across her skin. The ceremonial dress disintegrated as her body grew massive, her consciousness shifting to accommodate her dragon form.
My second transformation, and it feels like coming home to myself.
Her crimson dragon seized Draven’s burning form with careful claws, lifting his weight despite the sacred flames still clinging to his scales. The white-hot fire couldn’t touch her now—her dragon recognized it as a part of her, as something to be absorbed rather than feared.
Hold on, my love, she whispered telepathically as she took flight.
The Ring of Fire glowed behind them like a dying sun as she carried her mate toward the only place that felt safe in this moment—their secluded cove where their love had first bloomed.
TWENTY-TWO
DRAVEN
Through the haze of searing pain, Draven’s dragon consciousness recognized the familiar landscape below—volcanic ridges giving way to crystalline cliffs, and there, nestled like a hidden jewel, their secluded cove. The same place where he’d first claimed Lila’s body, and where their mate bond had ignited into something transcendent.
She’s taking me to our beginning.
Even through his agony, pride flooded his chest. His crimson queen hadn’t hesitated—she’d shifted into her magnificent dragon form and seized him from certain death without a thought for her own safety. The sacred flames that had nearly consumed him whole couldn’t touch her noble dragon heritage. She was fire incarnate.
My brave, strong mate. My equal in every way.
Lila’s dragon dove toward the waterfall with precision that spoke of instinct older than memory. The cool pink water of the lagoon rose to meet them as she plunged his burning form beneath the cascading falls. Steam exploded around them in violent hissing clouds as the magical fire finally surrendered to the ancient healing waters.
Relief washed through every nerve ending as the intense heat that had been cooking him alive for the past five minutes finally abated. His obsidian scales, though burned and blistered, had held. He would live—because of her quick thinking and fearless action.
She saved my life without hesitation. My queen, my protector, my everything.
Lila cradled his massive dragon form against her smaller but equally powerful crimson body, her claws gentle despite their lethal capability. Dragon to dragon, they floated beneath the waterfall until every trace of sacred flame had been extinguished from his scales.
This is how it should be. Partners. Equals. Protecting each other.
The thunder of approaching wings announced new arrivals. Lyric’s golden dragon landed on the shore first, his mental voice radiating awe across the telepathic link all dragons shared.
By the stars… she’s a dragon. The Queen of Fire reborn.
Draven’s pride blazed hotter than any flame he’d ever produced.You see her now. You see what I’ve known from the beginning—she’s not just my fated mate. She’s my equal, my queen, the other half of my soul.
Veyra’s emerald dragon touched down with less grace, her fury practically visible in the way her scales rippled with tension. Her telepathic voice trembled with barely contained rage.
This isn’t over. You think this changes anything?
