Chapter Twenty-One

S AVANNAH WASN'T SURE what happened after she and her friends went into the fiery ring that had led them back to their mates. All she knew was she'd do anything to save her mate and daughter. Anything to save everyone in every Viking kingdom because she felt connected to them all. Part of them all.

Her life meant nothing in comparison.

Nothing as she and her friends chased evil straight back into its curse, only for everything to go incredibly silent. White light filled her vision, and a massive, otherworldly bearded Viking held up his horn of ale to her, smiled, and nodded to a job well done, filling her with an indescribable warmth. Something she knew her friends saw too. Moreso felt, especially Athena, as Savannah sensed rather than saw her heart connecting with the child lost to her.

The daughter who had an eternal seat beside Odin in Valhalla.

That's when she understood she'd just witnessed her All-Father. Felt his love and approval. And it seemed that was all that mattered and why she was here because a second later, she and her friends shot out of the great golden ash at the center of the Realm. Flew free on golden wings from Níeh?ggr's Ash, the Yggdrasil overlooking everything, to the roars of thousands of dragons who looked from Ulrik and Zane with blazing crowns standing on the Keep back to her and her sister Valkyries.

Dragons that cleared a path and escorted them home to their mates.

Everything became a whirlwind of activity afterward, but not before Zane and Freya welcomed her back, their angst and sadness when they thought they'd lost her palpable. Zane didn't say a word but wrapped her and his daughter up in his great wings and released such a deep rumble of pleasure it undoubtedly reverberated through all dragons everywhere.

"I must take my leave now," Tréan said softly, respectfully, clearly not wanting to interrupt the reunion but eager to return to his pack.

Understanding this moment was important and theirs alone, dragons dispersed, giving those on the balcony privacy. Ulrik spoke on behalf of them all when he gripped Tréan's arm, hand to elbow, in camaraderie and lowered his head, prompting the others to do the same. "What you have done for me and my kind will not be forgotten, friend. Call on us if you are ever in need, and we will come. You have our word."

They looked at each other for a heartfelt moment, remembering the battles they had fought together, before Ulrik backed away and Zoey embraced Tréan, holding on tight as she murmured in his ear, "I love you, my friend. Thank you for taking care of Aeda."

Magnus came next, surprising everyone when he fell to a knee and lowered his head in the way of the wolves when paying respect. "I cannot thank you enough for taking my daughter in and saving her life. For protecting and loving her." With his head still lowered, he held out a blade, resting it on the flat of his palms. "May this sword touched by the blessing of my people and by my mother, Astrid, a seer medicine woman, keep you and yours just as protected and may I henceforth call you not just my ally but my brother."

"I accept your offering." Tréan admired then sheathed the stunning blade and held out a hand. "Rise, brother, as you are henceforth part of my pack."

Magnus clasped his hand and stood, embracing him tightly before Zane and Savannah approached.

"There are no words," Savannah managed softly, tearing up as she embraced Tréan and held on tightly. "Thank you and your pack for saving and raising my sweet daughter." She blinked back tears, holding on to him before pulling back, taking his hands, and staring into his eyes. Her vision hazed red and golden with her dragon and inner goddess. "If ever you need me and my fellow Valkyries or any Viking dragon, but think it, and we'll be there because yours are ours now as you made ours, yours. We might be different species, but we are kin forever and always."

When her fellow Valkyries lowered their head in acknowledgment of that, a soft golden glow raced over Tréan before fading. When she stepped away, Zane didn't bother with formalities but embraced his friend tightly before he gripped his shoulder, and his dragon eyes met Tréan's wolf eyes. "You have long known you have my deepest thanks and utmost respect, so until we meet again, brother."

Tréan grasped his shoulder in return and nodded once. "Until we meet again, brother."

Next came the girls, who invoked great emotion from all and brought tears to Savannah's and Zoey's eyes when Tréan fell to a knee and lowered his head to Freya and Aeda this time, clearly an honor that meant a great deal to them.

"You have earned the respect and unending loyalty of your Alpha and pack this day," he said, with emotion clear in his voice. "Might you always bear the name Wolves of Ossary and continue to make us proud with your strength and courage."

The girls, both in human form, fell to one knee, lowered their heads in return, and vowed their loyalty through soft sniffles before they raced into Tréan's waiting arms, and he held onto them with all the love he clearly felt. Love that shifted him back into his great white wolf, only for them to embrace him more tightly.

Eventually, he pulled away and looked at them not just like a proud alpha but also as a proud parent, letting their offspring know it was time to spread their wings and fly. A look that lingered on them before he vanished in a wisp of white smoke.

While they could visit the Wolves of Ossary anytime they liked, this had been a big moment for the girls because their lives were starting anew with their own people. With a culture, they would learn as time went on, and it began that very night.

First, though, Savannah took time aside with the families of the dragons she'd slain at the beginning. While Zane understood it, he clearly didn't like it when she asked for their forgiveness, then rested her dragon head on the ground, giving them the choice to end her for what she'd done.

Everyone had paused at the sight, and a great hush fell over the crowd.

Was a goddess and their nearly appointed high queen willing to die for lesser dragons who had meant her harm?

"Yes," she made clear in her thoughts. "Because I am no better than you but equal, and they were suffering beneath a curse."

"The same curse as you," a little, old white-haired woman said, clearly the great-grandmother of one of the slain, as she rested her human hand upon Savannah's neck and nodded once before she shifted to an equally old dragon, white around her near-toothless jaw and rested her neck where her wrinkled hand had been. "A curse that, while horrible, kept you safe from harm." As did all dragons, she clearly sensed everything Savannah had suffered in her last life, and a fiery tear slipped down her cheek. "Harm you did not deserve in any life, my new queen."

That, it seemed, led the charge because the kin of those she'd slain forgave her, too. Then they thanked her because she and her fellow Valkyries had healed their sick, giving back daughters, mothers, and mates they'd thought lost to them. Even so, she spent time amongst them, getting to know them and swearing only good things would come their way before rejoining her kin.

And what a night it turned out to be.

As the sun lowered and splashed vivid crimson across the sky, giving way to brilliant northern lights, celebrations ensued. They were full of much fanfare as Savannah became a high queen alongside Keira, and hours of enjoying one another and meeting countless others. She met Zane's parents, who she adored straight away, as well as the parents and grandparents of all Sigdirs. Couples who had met across time just like them. Unforgettable moments spent with family and new friends in both dragon and human form before their immediate kin decided their night should end at the Viking Fortress, where Ulrik and Keira ruled.

A place that had been the start of it all.

"And it wasn't just the start of it for the goddesses who just saved us, but as you know, it goes back much further..." Aeda's grandmother, Astrid, said softly, letting her words hang in the air for a moment. She looked from face to face as wee ones gathered around a campfire on the rocky shores beyond the village walls. Her face was painted, and talismans and bones hung from her hair and wrists as the children gathered close, eager for her next word. Her charcoal-lined eyes went from child to child, and her voice lowered mysteriously as she went on, telling tales of old.

"It was a time of new beginnings and great magic when our mighty ancestor dragon king, King Naer Véurr Sigdir 'the bold,' first met his fated mate, Queen Megan, and her white wolf Akita dog, across time." Pride lit her eyes, and her voice lowered even more, insinuating to all listening, including Aeda and Freya, whose eyes were wide as they, too, listened in rapture, that this was where things got interesting. "Did you know Queen Megan was a full-blooded human ?"

Meanwhile, most of the adults sat one campfire over.

"I do not blame them for their awe," ?se commented. She sat on one side of Zane with her woman tucked close to her other side while she mapped out ideas for further ocean exploration with a stick in the sand because he was just as interested in it as her. "It is baffling a mere human led to all this."

They sat with their friends and kin, including Knud and his mate, Mea and Arne, and J?rn and Rune, relishing the peace that had fallen over the land and the bright future that lay ahead. They drank, talked, and laughed, catching up on old times. Zane and his kin reconnected in a way Savannah knew they hadn't since childhood, and it warmed her heart.

"You're half human yourself, ?se," Athena reminded from where she sat on Tyr's lap. She raised her brows. "So perhaps a little leeway?"

?se narrowed her eyes and thought about it. "Mayhap, but is our human half our strength? Granted, your human half is proving to be quite the warrior so perhaps, my new sister." She shrugged and resumed mapping out where she hoped to expand dragonkind. "Though you still have a ways to go."

"A ways to go?" Athena exclaimed. "I'm fairly certain my human half helped slow down time and save dragonkind, so—"

"So you are to be commended, my beautiful mate," Tyr murmured, nuzzling Athena's neck in a way that made clear he was as eager to take her to bed as the rest of them were to be alone with their mates. Something proven when he scooped Athena up moments later, bid everyone good night, and carried her off, only for ?se to wink at them.

"Sometimes it only takes a nudge to get things where I want them, and that's with Athena loving Tyr as they both deserve." She grinned and scooped up her mate before carrying her woman into the night, tossing her final words over her shoulder. "I suggest you all do the same, my kin."

That was all they needed to hear because soon enough, couple by couple, all wandered off, eager to be alone in one another's arms, until she and Zane sat alone with Ulrik and Keira. Savannah knew they were as eager to be alone as she and Zane, but they understood these last few moments alone, king to king and queen to queen, were important before life began anew.

"Because the life we begin anew this life is important and should be recognized," Ulrik said, following Savannah's thoughts. He looked back and forth between Savannah and Zane. "No thanks to all you sacrificed in two lives, and my queen and I could not be more thankful for it."

"We could not be more thankful to you for standing by us always. For standing by me. " Zane nodded once at Ulrik, acknowledging that he'd always supported and tried to trust him no matter what. "And that, believe it or not, made all the difference." He struggled to find the words. "It made me want never to give up finding our unseen enemy when all turned against me."

Ulrik nodded in return, his dragon eyes flaring as he looked at Zane and Savannah with pride and held up his cup. "Then let us toast to a bright new future." He smiled and rested a hand on Keira's stomach affectionately. "One full of peace, prosperity, and many, many offspring."

" Skald!" everyone replied, smiling as they lifted their cups as well.

Not long after, Ulrik scooped Keira up in his arms and glanced into the darkness down the shore. "Freya and Aeda are well cared for tonight in the arms of their grandparents and enjoying all the new friends they're making, so go be together as you always should have been." A small, whimsical smile curled his lips. "I think you might like the accommodations you find."

It turned out he wasn't wrong.

When, at long last, Zane scooped her up in his strong arms, having counted down the minutes until they could be alone as man and wife and headed down the shore, they didn't come upon some grand lodge but a small cottage that had once belonged to the original Viking King and his mate. A getaway lit by a small fire and a single fur-covered bed. While they knew their lair at the Keep would be filled with far more interesting toys for lovemaking, including straps, blindfolds, and anything else they could come up with over the years, this, tonight, felt right.

It didn't matter they were in human form. The moment and place were all that mattered as Zane kicked the door shut and set her down inside. His gaze took on a hungry edge as he skipped using magic and untied the strings of her tunic with a few quick flicks of his fingers. Her heartbeat kicked up a few thousand notches, and breathing became impossible when he ripped away the leather material altogether. His dragon eyes erupted, and he made a deep rumble of approval at the sight of her full breasts and hard nipples struggling beneath her thin white tunic.

Sweet anticipation rolled through her as he trailed a slow, purposeful finger down her upper chest. She stilled as his finger hooked over the top of the thin material between her breasts, making her suffer. Need. Want. Crave him so much it hurt.

"No more," she whispered hoarsely, swallowing hard, ready to touch him, but he shook his head slowly, making it clear she wasn't to move. Not yet. Instead, he let her anticipation build until finally, at last, tore away the material, and his ravenous, appreciative gaze lingered on her nudity.

In turn, she licked her lips slowly and admired his strong, muscular, tattooed body when he yanked off his tunic, loving that it was all hers. She trailed her fingers down his muscular chest and over his six-pack abs until she hooked her finger over the top of his pants, mimicking what he'd done to her.

The corner of his mouth curled, and desire saturated his gaze as his slow and thorough appraisal of her shifted to an expression of increasing challenge. Rigid and eager, his thick erection leapt, pressing against the tight confines of leather.

Muscles strained as he kept his hands fisted by his side and, for now, allowed her all the power. Let her dragon remain in control. With her finger still hooked over the top of his pants, she squeezed what she could of his sizeable arousal and flicked her tongue beneath his collar. His nostrils flared, followed by a small, knowing grin. One that told her he'd sensed the same thing she did.

She was in heat.

Yet he waited and watched, a hard set to his jaw as his hooded gaze continued making a slow walk over her exposed skin until he fixated on her lips. Drawn to the heavy sweep of his dark lashes and the unrelenting slashes above, she ran her finger along his eyebrow, then followed down over his strong cheekbone. All the while, she stroked his erection, tempting and toying with him until she squeezed his cock hard.

Zane growled with approval, grabbed her ass, and lifted her, giving her no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist before he hopped onto the bed and locked her into position above the headboard. He held her that way for a moment, red-hot desire flaring in his dragon eyes. The longer he made her wait, the more she wanted him. Her heart hammered. Blood pounded through her veins as wildly as the wind battering the roof. As rhythmically as the sound of distant drums.

Clearly sensing she was at her limit and ready to make a countermove to seduce him, Zane dug his hand into her hair and only allowed her close enough that her overly sensitized nipples brushed his hard chest. She tried to squirm closer, but he kept her at bay and licked the seam between her lips as if sampling a rare delicacy.

She half purred, half growled, dug her nails into his back, and grabbed his lips with hers, kissing him hard. Hungrily. Though it seemed he'd take back control and continue his slow, sensual assault, instead, he groaned, yanked her against him, and kissed the world right out from under her.

She raked her nails down his back and ground her pelvis against him, so damn needy it hurt. He pulled back just enough to reach between them and yanked hard, ripping her trousers down the center. Cool air slipped between her legs before he ground his hot, leather-clad length between her thighs.

Savannah whimpered, tightened her arms over his shoulders, and moved against him. Sweat slicked their skin, and a raspy mewling sound broke from her chest as she ground and rolled her hips once, twice, then a third time before a climax tore through her. Non-stop flutters fanned out from her center, and her muscles convulsed, leaving her at his mercy. So much so when he pulled her off the headboard and braced back on his heels, she could barely focus, never mind keep her arms over his shoulders.

Though she still straddled him, Zane tucked her head against him, cheek against his chest. As her muscles kept jerking and fluttering uncontrollably, he stroked her hair gingerly. Stroked her as she felt the heavy throb of blood pounding within the thick erection pressed between her legs.

He wasn't finished with her yet, nor should he be.

Instead, he rested his chin on top of her head and continued stroking her hair. After her peak ebbed and her body calmed, his lust-ridden gaze met hers and held for several loving moments before his lips whispered over hers tenderly, and he rocked his hips just enough to rekindle her arousal. When she started moving against him, he shook his head and swung her so she kneeled on the bed, then yanked away the remnants of her pants and paused.

She didn't have to look back to know he was admiring her.

" Hell, you're beautiful," he half whispered, half groaned, before he curled over her prone, bare body, braced her hands over the headboard, and wedged her knees apart. Brushing aside her hair, he pressed his warm lips against the vulnerable area at the base of her neck near her collar. When she arched her chest forward, he gripped her hips firmly and trailed his tongue down her spine.

Jaw quivering, she pressed her forehead against the headboard and pushed up with her backside, wanting, no needing , more. As if determined to drive her lusty anguish through the roof, he nipped at her backside while wrapping his hand down between her thighs. When she yelped, he growled. One hand clamped over hers on the headboard while the other wrapped into her hair tightly.

A warning.

One that had saliva pooling on her tongue.

She whimpered, desperate for him, when he freed himself and rested his heavy arousal against her backside. Even just the rock-hard weight of him and the way his hand lingered on her hip suggestively as if ready to clench it and control her made heat whiplash through her, and her inner beast squirm with anticipation.

With a rampant need to breed.

Hearing her thoughts and feeling the same, Zane growled, turned her lips to his, and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Possessed her. Owned her on a deeply primal level. When she arched against him again, growing frantic, he clamped a hand over hers on the headboard and ever-so-slightly dragged his free hand along her belly until he brushed his finger over her clit and drove into her at the same time.

She cried out, vision dimming as his nimble, talented fingers kept at her center, and he thrust deep inside her, filling her so completely her throat clogged with emotion. She pressed her cheek against the headboard and dug her nails into the wood. Keeping one hand between her legs and the other clamped hard on her hand, he thrust with long, deep strokes, wringing all sorts of delicious feelings from her.

When his mouth came close to her ear, and he murmured several tempting, dirty words, she thrust back against him. It seemed that's what he was looking for because he flipped her onto her back, scooped his arms beneath her knees, and filled her again.

She lost herself in the fiery, primal, claiming look in his eyes, and a long, low, steady moan broke from her lips. He thrust fast and furious, his movements so powerful they dragged the furs across the bed. She dug her nails into his forearms as pleasure swelled so high she knew what was coming would be cataclysmic.

Sensing she was close, he pushed his arms higher, pulling her legs further up, nibbled the side of her neck, then clamped down on her collar as she vice-gripped his collar in the heat of passion. Tears leaked from her eyes as he rolled and ground his hips. The room tilted and swayed as powerful sensations battered her. Lost, drowning, done, her stomach clenched so painfully she threw back her head and screamed.

In turn, he dug his hands into her hair and locked his teeth on the vulnerable flesh beside her collar. The unbearable pain in her stomach grew into a tiny pinch before everything exploded in a myriad of colors and unparalleled ecstasy. Right there with her, he thrust one last time, roared in pleasure, locked up inside her, and let go.

They stayed that way for a long time, trying to catch their breath and letting his seed take root. It was a deeply intimate sensation that immersed them in a golden glow born of gods and good things, eventually bringing their lips back together.

And it didn't stop there.

Not nearly.

They loved and made each other climax so often she was thoroughly awash in it. Eager, just like him, that all the pleasure they brought each other might give Freya lots of brothers and sisters. Something she suspected deep down had already begun to happen, but best to be safe.

"Wake, mitt hjertes flamme ," Zane rumbled, stirring her from what seemed endless passion, yet her eyes shot open, and she realized at some point they had dozed off in each other's arms.

"What is it?" she whispered, concerned something had happened to Freya.

"All is well," Zane said softly. "Yet I sense something." He chanted them into clothing and took her hand. "Come."

Unusual warmth filled both her dragon and human as she took his hand and followed him outside onto the rocky beachfront, only to find her friends and their mates drifting that way, too.

It was the wee hours of the morning, the witching hour as they called it back home, and the ocean sparkled beneath the northern lights. That wasn't what drew them, though.

Rather, it was the three impressive ghostly Viking ships sailing by.

"What is this?" Savannah whispered, afraid to interrupt the intense moment because it felt so very powerful. "Who are they?"

"They are bringing everything full circle," Rune said softly, reverently, as she and J?rn appeared nearby. "Those are the ships of Viking King Naer Véurr Sigdir and his brothers, Ragnar ‘the hunter' and Kol ‘the lucky.'" She lowered her head in respect. "And they carry all those who came before us. All fated mates who connected across time between Maine and here. All who helped make the Sigdir tribe what it is today."

Rune gave Zane and Savannah a small, knowing smile before her gaze flickered from Savannah's stomach back to the ships, and she continued. "While it's no longer manned by King Naer Véurr Sigdir because he makes his way back to life and his people once more, all else remains tried and true from the afterlife." She looked from the Fortress in the distance to the vast expanse of sky overhead before her attention returned to the ships. "And where Kings go, their Queens and fated mates typically follow..."

Savannah warmed at those words, rested her hand over her womb, and met Zane's eyes, no longer speculative but certain they had a strong, noble son on the way. More certain still that their Sigdirs had, indeed, come full circle, and all was as it should be.

"Now our ancestors pay us tribute," J?rn continued softly when Rune trailed off, too emotional to continue. "As we pay them tribute. They bid us farewell as all has been made right, and fated mates found across time are no longer needed. Because of the many connections made over five generations and everything they overcame, dragonkind will live on well into the future, giving rise to dragons all over the world."

There was no need to ask more questions as the ghostly ships sailed into the night, filling their hearts with love, joy, and a sense that the future would be bright indeed. All would go on in peace and thrive in a new world where dragons would remain off the radar until humankind evolved enough to understand they meant no harm. Then, and it wouldn't be much further into the twenty-first century, all would become one and accepted just as they had been here.

So it was that the Age of Embers came to a close and gave rise to the Age of Flames, similar to the Age of Technology in modern-day terms but one much needed for dragonkind as the years rolled on and dragons adapted. Evolved. Became the sort of beasts who would someday travel back in time and ensure things happened as they should. Save not just dragonkind but the entire world on more than one occasion.

Not just that, but unbreakable bonds had blossomed time and time again amid so much turmoil. Bonds that paved the way and ensured change happened. Progress. Most of all, though, that love and acceptance of others, no matter what their breed or origin, brought together different societies and creatures from all spectrums when it was needed most.

Above all, though, and most importantly, despite all the trials and tribulations over time, peace was found, and life and prosperity flourished often against the odds but ultimately, no matter what.

DEALING WITH THE FALLOUT of having helped Viking dragons for so long, follow Tréan and his Wolves of Ossary as they find love across time and grapple with old and new enemies alike in Of Beast and Brawn (Wolves of Ossary, Book One.)