Zaden cut me off with a squeeze to my knee. "Stop. It's her fault. Not yours."
I didn’t. "If I’d told you sooner, or figured it out, maybe you could've?—"
He lifted my chin with a single finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Krystal. This was never your fault. You were trying to protect him. That’s what parents do."
I blinked back the burn of tears, angry at how easily he could break through my armor. "He almost died."
"But he didn’t." Zaden’s voice went low, serious. "You saved him. You and me. And even Vivienne, I guess, but?—"
I interrupted him this time. "You don’t like her much, do you?"
He shrugged, but I could feel the tension through the bond. "She’s dangerous," he said. "And not just because of the magic. She wants something. I don’t know what it is yet, but I don’t trust her."
I considered that. "She seemed like she wanted to help tonight."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Because she wants to see how far she can push us. She’s playing a long game, Krys. There's just something about her."
Then I asked, "What happens now?" I meant it in the biggest sense, parenthood, immortality, the mate bond running wild in my blood, but I realized Zaden could take the question any way he wanted.
He grinned, sharp and a little mean. "You mean, do you turn into a dragon tonight?"
I elbowed him in the ribs, but he didn’t even flinch. "Not funny."
He leaned closer, his hand sliding to my hip. "Maybe a little funny."
I snorted, then sobered. "But seriously. How does it work? Do I, will I, shift, or change, or what? I need to know."
Zaden drew back enough to look me over, all the way from hairline to toes. He tucked my hair behind my ear, then explained, "Only humans turn into dragons when they get claimed. Wolves stay wolves. But you and me, our lives are tied together now. You’ll heal like I do. You’ll live as long as I do. That’s the curse and the gift."
I thought about that, then said, "You didn’t bite me."
"Not yet," he said, and the look in his eyes sparked heat under my skin. "That’s the last step. But it has to happen in bed."
I blushed. "I know. It's the same for wolves."
He grinned, cocky, but then his face went serious. "I want you, Krys. But if you’re not ready, we wait."
I looked at him. Really looked. My body felt like it belonged to someone else. My heart jackhammered in my chest, my mouth was dry, but my palms were sweating. The mate bond prickled every inch of my skin, a thousand little needles of anticipation.
I swallowed. "I want you to bite me."
He stilled for a second, as if he couldn’t believe I’d said it. Then he stood, one motion, and offered me his hand. I took it.
He led me down the short hall to the bedroom. Zaden closed the door behind us and turned the lock, even though we both knew nobody in this county would dare show up uninvited.
He looked at me, and in the glow, his eyes burned hot, the gold rings around his pupils shining like lit fuses.
I let the world drop away. All the guilt, all the fear, all the years of waiting, I let them go. It was Zaden and me, the space between us charged with a promise.
I unbuttoned my shirt and let it fall. The chill in the air hit me, but the heat in his stare burned it away.
He stripped off his own clothes with practiced ease, then crossed the room and gathered me up, his mouth hard on mine.
I tasted the start of a new life, wrapped up in the touch of a man who’d waited a century for this and was finally done waiting.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he carried me to the bed.
He set me down, then crawled in after, pressing his weight into me but careful not to crush.
