Epilogue

A week later…

For seven days, Esha had been dreading when the elves would come. She had begun to hope that Savita had been wrong, but she should’ve trusted her sister.

“It’s going to be fine,” Kendrick said.

She stood on the cliff and kept her gaze on the approaching Rangers—some were even from her old squad. Though there were only about fifty of them, they were the best of their warriors. It had been decided that Kendrick would be the only dragon the elves saw before they crossed the border.

He took her hand in his. Esha looked at him and smiled. The unimaginable joy of being with him the past week had been everything she could have imagined. She’d met more Dragon Kings, including Eurwen’s mate, Vaughn. Kendrick had told her that when things were calmer, he would take her to meet Jeyra, Tamlyn, and Nia, all three of which were from Zora. She would even get to visit Dreagan, which was the Kings’ home on Earth.

But first, they had to deal with the elves.

“It’s time,” Kendrick said as he moved away and shifted.

He dove straight down and shot up fast, a roar sounding around her. It gave the elves pause, but they kept coming. When Kendrick swung back around toward her, Esha ran along the cliff’s edge and jumped off to land astride him. She leaned low, letting the wind whip over them both, never taking her eyes off the Rangers.

Some of the elves saw her astride Kendrick and halted, but the rest kept coming. One by one, they crossed into Idrias. The minute the last one did, Kendrick let out another roar as he soared over them .

The Rangers released a volley of arrows. They bounced off Kendrick’s scales, with a few coming close to finding their mark in her. With the Rangers focused on them, the elves didn’t see the other dragons descending from the thick clouds above.

Con landed before them with such force that the elves fought to stay on their feet. They gawked at the gold dragon. Soon, Eurwen’s peach scales and gold wings swooped down to land. Vaughn followed, and finally Kendrick.

Esha stood on Kendrick’s back before doing a forward somersault to land on the ground beside him. She walked to stand before the dragons. As she eyed her fellow elves, Rhi appeared beside her. Rhi created an iridescent orb of magic between her hands and glared at the Rangers.

“Take a look,” Esha told the elves. “Take a hard look at the dragons before you. Now, look behind them in the distance. Do you see the dark spot? That’s not a cloud. That’s more dragons. Coming here. No one wants a war. If they did, they would’ve killed you the moment you crossed into Idrias.”

Kendrick shifted, as did Eurwen, Vaughn, and then Con, showing the elves that others had Kendrick’s ability.

“I came uninvited to your land with peaceful intentions,” Kendrick said. “You’ve come uninvited to ours with violent ones. This is your one and only warning.”

Eurwen stepped forward then. “The next time anyone comes here uninvited, there will be consequences.”

“The same goes for any of you,” an elf shouted.

Con shrugged. “Agreed. Now, I think it’s time you return to your land.”

Esha held her breath until the Rangers turned and retraced their steps. Only when she was sure they were gone did she turn to Kendrick. “It worked,” she said as she threw her arms around him.

“Of course, it did. We’re brilliant, did you no’ know?” he teased before giving her a quick kiss.

Eurwen approached. “Thank you, Esha. It must have been hard to leave your home. What you did took a lot of bravery.”

“Agreed,” Rhi said with a nod.

Vaughn grinned at her. “I hope one day the elves know what you and Savita did to save them.”

“Oh, I think Dain will make sure of that,” Kendrick said.

Con looked toward Shecrish. “We thwarted a war. That is cause for celebration.” He turned to look between Esha and Kendrick. “The two of you could use a wee break. Besides, Esha hasn’t met everyone yet. They’re waiting for us at Cairnkeep.”

“We wouldna miss it,” Kendrick said as he smiled at her.

Esha couldn’t wait to see Cairnkeep. “That sounds delightful.”

“I’ll send someone to take your place here,” Vaughn said.

After the others had left, Esha and Kendrick walked hand in hand back to the mountain and their yurt. She thought it a funny word, but she enjoyed the structure.

“Just tell me when you’re ready,” he said.

She glanced at him. “Ready for what?”

“To be mated.”

“I thought we were.”

“You’re my mate, but there’s a mating ceremony. It’s quite elaborate.”

She tried to imagine what that was. “We have marriage ceremonies. They’re simple and can be done anywhere, anytime, by anyone.”

“Ah. This is a bit different. Con officiates them. And you’ll get a tattoo.”

That intrigued her. “Do I get to choose what it is?”

“Nay,” he said with a grin as he met her gaze. “It’ll be the same one every mate has.”

“Is it pretty?”

That made him laugh. “I think so. It’ll be on your upper left arm.”

“Is that all that happens?”

“You get to pick what you wear.”

Esha laughed out loud. “Well, I should hope so.”

“And after, you’ll live for as long as I do.”

She halted and stared at him with wide eyes. “Can you repeat that?”

“A Dragon King’s mate lives for as long as he does.”

“Are you telling me I can’t be killed?”

His lips curved in a smile. “That’s what I’m saying.”

“Oh. I don’t think I’m interested in that,” she teased, but she couldn’t hold a straight face.

Kendrick playfully grabbed for her. She squealed as she tried to run away, but he caught her in his arms. They laughed as they tumbled to the ground. He rolled on top of her and gazed at her with passion burning in his green eyes .

This was her Dragon King, her mate. She hadn’t thought she could love anyone as much as she loved him. Esha reached up and pulled his head down for a scorching kiss—and the pleasure that awaited her in his arms.

* * * *

“She’s safe. I saw her with Kendrick,” Dain said as he stood in Savita’s tent in Flamefall.

The Reader nodded slowly. “Does she look happy?”

“Very.”

“And there was no bloodshed? The dragons didn’t attack?”

Dain held back his grin. “They didn’t attack the elves. I give the Rangers credit for not running at the sight of them. I would have. It was…impressive.”

“Fools. Every last one of them.”

“They were following orders.”

She sneered. “Not all of them. Some asked to join the cause.”

Dain clasped his hands behind his back. “Did you get anything today?”

“Nothing concrete,” she said, agitation deepening her voice. “Yet. I suspect I know who sent the nightwraith after my sister. This particular Conclave member is…devious. I’ll get the proof I need, though.”

“We’re treading on dangerous ground.”

Savita shoved her long, tawny hair over her shoulder. “No one suspects us.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“What about your lead?”

“I’m about to head there now. I’ll contact you when I have something.”

Savita stepped toward him. “Thank you for helping me.”

“I’m helping me,” he said before calling the shadows to him.

* * * *

Stonemore

Merrill looked west. He’d stopped trying to reach his brethren weeks ago. He should be angrier than he was that they hadn’t tried to contact him. Maybe it was for the best. He wasn’t the same dragon he had been. There was only so much a man could take, and he had reached his limit.

He’d actually reached it long ago, but he had kept a firm handle on it. While at Stonemore, he’d just stopped caring. The residents of Zora might not know the history of the dragons, which meant they couldn’t know that they were close to repeating the past. But he knew. So did the other Kings.

He was tired of innocents dying, tired of pretending to be something he wasn’t.

The mortals on Zora were just as brash and arrogant as those on Earth. He swung his head to the side to look at Villette, who lay naked beneath the covers of their bed. He couldn’t explain why he remained with her. She hid many things, and he intended to get to each of them in time.

She stretched and opened her eyes, searching until she found him at the window. “Still nothing from your friends?”

Merrill shook his head.

She flung back the covers, exposing her lush, sensual body. “Let me take your mind off it.”

He strode to her as she smiled triumphantly. Merrill grabbed her wrists when she reached for him and pinned them above her head before settling between her legs. Her eyes glowed with excitement.

“Yes,” she whispered urgently.

When he didn’t move, she lifted her hips and ground against him. The light from the fire in the hearth danced along the scarred side of her face. She was using him. He was certain of that. But then again, he was using her, too. Stonemore held many secrets, and he intended to uncover each and every one.

She pouted up at him, then leaned forward to lick his nipple. “What do you want, lover?”

That would come soon enough. For now…

He thrust into her, burying himself deep.

And her gasp turned into a moan.

* * * *

Merrill and the rest of the Dragon Kings will return in DRAGON ARISEN, coming June 2023.

* * * *

Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Donna Grant, discover Dragon Kiss , Dragon Unbound , Dragon Revealed , Dragon Lost , Dragon Claimed , Dragon Night , Dragon Burn , Dragon Fever , and Dragon King .