“The bond.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Not telepathy. Not emotion-sharing. Just… knowing. Where you are. That you’re safe. That you’re mine.”
“Possessive.”
“Very.” His arm tightened around her. “You’re not angry about the pain?”
“I asked for it. I wanted it.” She looked up at him, her eyes soft with something that looked like wonder. “I wanted you. All of you. Even the parts that burn.”
Something cracked in his chest—something that had been frozen for centuries, finally thawing in the warmth of her acceptance.
“What do you want now?” he asked, his voice rough.
“Honestly? A nap. Then food. Then probably more sex.” She grinned up at him. “In that order.”
“I think I can accommodate that.”
She settled against his chest, her hand resting over his heart. He could feel the brand pulsing gently on her hip—dragon fire that would warm when he was near, a permanent reminder of what they’d become to each other.
Outside, the shattered window let in the evening breeze, carrying the salt scent of the ocean and the distant sounds of celebration from the Overlook. The town was still partying. Let them. He had everything he needed right here.
Cassia traced lazy patterns on his chest, her touch light and wondering. “Your heart really does beat differently. Slower. Stronger.”
“Dragon physiology.” He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Does it bother you?”
“No.” She smiled against his skin. “I like it. It’s… reassuring. Like a drum, I can feel even when I can’t hear it.”
“Aero?”
“Mmm?”
“Thank you for not asking me to be less.”
His arms tightened around her. “Thank you for making me feel more.”
She made a soft sound of contentment and closed her eyes. Within minutes, her breathing had evened out, her body going lax against his.
Aero lay awake, holding her, counting the slow beats of his dragon heart. Outside, the sky had cleared for the first time in weeks. The storms had settled. The weather was calm.
For now.
He knew it wouldn’t last. The surge was still ongoing. The supernatural world was still in flux. And somewhere out there, the Deepwater Courts were passing judgment on a siren who had nearly destroyed everything he loved.
All of that could wait. There was only Cassia’s warmth against him and the steady pulse of the mate bond and the knowledge that after all of it—the centuries alone, the silence, the walls he’d built to fill the space where feeling used to be—he was finally, irrevocably, exactly where he was meant to be.
His dragon rumbled contentment, settling into a peace it had never known before. The beast that had paced and raged and demanded for weeks was finally still.
She’s ours,it said.Finally. Forever.
Aero pressed a kiss to Cassia’s hair and closed his eyes.
Not alone anymore.
Never alone again.
FORTY-NINE
DELOS
ONE MONTH LATER
