21. Nik

Night settles over us like a velvet cloak, the darkness broken only by the silvery glow of the moon and the myriad stars that dot the sky. We sit on the terrace overlooking the ocean, huddled together on the garden couch, a heavy wool blanket wrapped around our entwined bodies. The firepit crackles and pops, casting a warm, flickering light over our faces.

We’ve been silent for a while, the weight of anticipation hanging heavy in the air. Waiting for the unexpected, the inevitable. Not knowing how or when or even if it will happen.

The headache has returned, stronger than ever, but it’s become such a constant companion that I barely register the pain anymore. It’s just another reminder of the chaos that churns within me, the beast that threatens to break free at any moment.

Sam slips a warm mug between my hands, the heat seeping into my skin, grounding me in the present. But the silence grows tight with tension, and I can’t stop the words that spill from my lips. “Are you sure about this? Would you not rather leave?”

She gives me a look, her eyes soft but unyielding. “Drink your tea,” she says, dismissing the choice I offer, the out that I so desperately want her to take.

I bring the mug to my lips, inhaling the floral aroma that wafts up from the steaming liquid. Lavender and chamomile, with a hint of sweetness that makes my eyebrows lift in surprise. “Honey?” I ask, a faint frown now creasing my brow.

Sam bats her lashes, the picture of innocence. “Yes, dear?”

A snicker escapes me, warmth flooding my cheeks. Gods, she’s merciless, taking such delight in making me blush.

“Yeah. I added honey,” she admits, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Juliette said it would sweeten your beast’s temper.”

I nod, taking another sip of the tea, letting the warmth spread through my body. “Is this going to make me drowsy right away?”

“No.” She curls up against my chest, her head resting over my heart. “It’s going to take a while for it to kick in. Juliette said she’d make sure Willem was out of the house whenever he looked like he was about to shift. But apparently, the guy was a shifter pro. He mastered his dragon at all times.”

“I’ll get there too, Sam,” I assure her, my voice low and fervent. “I promise.”

“I know you will.” The conviction in her voice, the unwavering faith that shines in her eyes... it takes my breath away. I wish I had the same certainty, the same unshakable belief in myself.

I finish the tea and set the mug aside, my arms coming up to wrap around her, holding her close. “Alright,” I whisper, leaning in until our faces are just inches apart, our breath mingling in the cool night air. “I’m ready for... whatever.”

“It’s Juliette’s recipe, so it has to work… right?” Sam mumbles, her brow furrowing with a hint of uncertainty. “Gods, I hope she remembered correctly. I mean, the woman has been dead for three hundred years...”

A faint sense of alarm shoots through me at the hesitation in her voice, the flicker of doubt that crosses her face. “Sam?”

She starts, shaking her head as if to clear it. “No, no... Everything’s gonna be all right, babe. I promise.”

“Babe again?” I tease, trying to lighten the mood, to chase away the shadows that linger in her eyes. “That’s what you’re calling me?”

She purses her lips, a hint of concern creasing her brow. “You don’t like it?”

I shoot up an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at my mouth. “I mean, it’s hot...”

“You’re hot,” she interrupts, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

The blush returns with a vengeance, heat flooding my face. “Okay, now you’re just having fun.”

“A little...” She giggles, nuzzling her face against my chest, her warmth seeping into my skin through the thin fabric of my shirt.

I tighten my arm around her, pressing her closer, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “You’re a feisty little bear,” I purr, my voice low and rough. “My feisty Little Bear.”

“Your Little Bear,” she echoes, her voice soft and sweet. “I like that.”

“It’s fitting, isn’t it?” I muse, a smile tugging at my lips. “You, the fierce and frosty bear from the Russian clan, and me, the fiery dragon shifter.”

Sam laughs, the sound like music to my ears. “Fire and ice,” she says, turning in my arms to face me, her eyes sparkling with mirth and affection. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

“We are,” I agree, my hand coming up to cup her cheek, my thumb stroking the soft, smooth skin. “But you know what they say about opposites attracting.”

“And what’s that?” she asks, her lips curving into a playful smirk.

“That when fire and ice come together, they create something beautiful, something powerful,” I murmur, my voice low and intense. “Something that can’t be broken or destroyed.”

Sam’s breath hitches, her eyes widening as she takes in my words. “You really believe that?” she whispers, her voice trembling slightly.

“I do,” I say, my gaze locked on hers, unwavering and sure. “I believe in us, Sam. In the strength of what we have.”

She smiles then, a radiant, heart-stopping smile that makes my pulse race and my heart soar. “I believe in us too,” she says softly, her hand coming up to cover mine where it rests on her cheek. “Fire and ice, dragon and bear… you and me.”

Gods, her nearness is driving me wild, desire coiling hot and heavy in my gut. Images of last night flash through my mind, memories of our bodies tangled together, lost in the throes of passion. “So, um... what are we gonna do now?” I manage, my voice strained with the effort of holding back. “Just sit around the firepit and wait?”

Sam bites her lower lip, her eyes darkening with hunger. Her hands come up to cup my face, her thumbs stroking over my cheekbones as she leans in, her lips brushing against mine in a soft, tender kiss.

And just like that, all my worries fade away, the tension melting from my body as I lose myself in the sweetness of her kiss. Nothing else matters but this moment, this connection, the love that burns between us like an unquenchable flame.

Slowly, the hunger grows, my kiss turning deeper, more demanding. I sweep her into my arms, lifting her effortlessly, a low growl rumbling in my chest as she straddles my waist, her thighs clenching around me.

“Oh gods. Sam...” I groan against her mouth, my hands roaming over her curves, mapping the contours of her sensual body.

“Uh-huh,” she breathes, molding herself against me, her fingers slipping beneath my shirt, tracing the planes of my chest.

“I want you,” I manage, my voice rough with need, with the desperation that claws at my insides.

“Me too...” She tugs at my shirt, yanking it over my head and tossing it aside. In a flash, I’m on my feet, the blanket falling to the grass as I lift her with me, ready to lay her down and worship every inch of her body.

I ease her onto the blanket, my eyes drinking in the sight of her, chest heaving, lips parted, eyes dark with desire. My hands glide up her thighs, pushing her skirt out of the way.

“Yes,” she moans, arching up into my touch. “Gods, yes...”

I reach for my belt, my fingers fumbling with the buckle, my entire body thrumming with need. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flicker of movement, a spark of light that makes me pause.

At first, I think it’s just the firepit—embers drifting on the night breeze. But as I turn my hands over, my heart stops, my breath catching in my throat.

Cinders peel off my palms, glowing bright and hot as they float up into the air around us. And then, before I can even begin to process what’s happening, a wave of heat crashes over me, so intense that it steals the air from my lungs.

My arms and chest start to gleam, the same bright red as the night before, but this time, the light only grows brighter, the heat more intense with each passing second. It’s like there’s a fire burning inside me, consuming me from the inside out, and I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything but gasp for air that won’t come.

Sam sits up, her eyes wide with fear, her face awash in shades of ivory and pink as the glow from my skin casts an eerie light over her features. Her maroon eyes are the last thing I see before the world fades away, swallowed up by the darkness that descends like a crushing weight.

And then, there is nothing. No sound, no light, no sensation. Just an endless, yawning void that stretches out before me, beckoning me into its depths.

I try to fight it, try to claw my way back to consciousness, back to Sam. But it’s like swimming through molasses, like trying to run in a dream. No matter how hard I struggle, I can’t seem to break free, can’t seem to find my way back to the surface.

Panic claws at my throat, a scream building in my chest, but it’s trapped, locked inside me, unable to escape. And still, the darkness presses in, thick and heavy and suffocating.

I’m drowning, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Nothing I can do to save myself.

Just when I think all hope is lost, just when I’m sure that I’ll be lost forever in this endless sea of black... I feel it. A spark, deep within me. A flicker of light in the darkness, small at first, but growing brighter with each passing second. It’s warm and familiar, like coming home after a long journey. Like the first rays of sunlight after a stormy night.

And as it grows, as it spreads through my body like wildfire, I realize what it is—my dragon. My beast. The part of me that I’ve been running from, the part that I’ve been so afraid to embrace.

But now, as it rises inside me, as it fills me with a strength and power that I’ve never known... I’m not afraid anymore.

I am the beast. The beast is me.