157. Epilogue Welcome Home

CHAPTER 157

Epilogue Welcome Home

TIAMAT

One year later -

The last few nights, I've felt like my blood was on fire. My dragoness calls out in my dreams to a male I do not know. The only thing I do know is that he's mine or meant to be mine. His back is thick with muscles, still lacking definition from his apparent youth. He never faces me, no matter how much I scream for him. I need to get to him, find him. The desperation I feel is from my dragoness. She wants her mate, and for some reason, she has an idea where he is.

This morning is worse than the others; my bones feel like an electrical current is running through them. My muscles burn and feel as though they are being ripped apart. Restlessly, I flop around in bed till I feel myself hit the floor. I can't open my eyes and wake up from this painful nightmare. The most blood-curdling scream escapes my lips, and it doesn't even sound like it's me. My nightgown is tight and feels as though it's constricting around me like a snake. A loud ripping noise is the next thing I hear, and the restrictive fabric is gone. What's happening to me? I'm terrified. I shift my arms to my gauntlets and attempt to summon my dragoness's scales to protect me.

My muscles tense, and my back arches off the ground with the surge of power that's going through me. Voices are soft at first, then sound as if they are underwater. Hands lay upon my flesh, and I know it's my mother. "She's frightened; get me her blanket. Dad? What can we do?" My mother's voice is clear because of direct contact, but everything else is garbled. I feel something get laid on me, and I can only assume it's my blanket. The next set of hands I feel on me is my brother Ladon's. I can feel his fear through our bond. What's wrong? Why is he scared? Someone answer me, please. I can feel the pull of my brother, and soon I'm in the astral plane with him.

My eyes finally focus, and my brother is a full-grown man standing before me. "Ladon? What's happening? Why can't I wake up?" I rush to my brother and into his waiting arms. He holds me tightly, letting me cry it out.

"Grandpa says you're going through your first ascension. He said that you seem to take after our great-great-grandmother the Blood Queen, which means you have one more ascension to go through," he says calmly as he kisses the crown of my head. It's now that I realize I'm much taller than I was earlier.

Backing away quickly, I start to study myself closely. I have breasts larger than my mother's and very long legs. It seems I've hit adulthood literally overnight. I stare at my brother in disbelief and then examine myself again—so many changes from yesterday to today.

"Why can't I wake up, Ladon?" Sighing softly, I look to my brother, and he frowns.

"I'm not sure, Tia. Grandpa and Mom don't understand. From what Pappa Bear says, Mom never went through anything like this." He shrugs lightly, then looks around the Astral plane. "Where's your dragoness?"

At my brother's question, I look around, trying to locate her. His dragon stands tall and proud behind him. He's huge compared to how he used to be. I stare at my brother's dragon in wonder.

That is, till I feel my dragoness approach. She's heavily armored and larger than my brother's dragon, almost by a whole head and shoulder. Her coloration is different as well. She has more silver to her scales, and they seem to have a much more aggressive appearance to them. She also has what looks like a frill that runs from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. Her frill has a faint tinge of purple along the edges. On top of her head are two huge horns that start out a silver purple then turn black at the tips. Her wings are more rounded than my brother's dragon, and she has two talons on each versus his one. Her scent has even changed; she smells like it does just before a rainstorm. That scent of rain has now become my new favorite smell, that is, besides the smell of my mate. His scent has been haunting me since that first dream; he smells like sandalwood.

My eyes drift back to my brother to see the look of shock on his face. "Tia, your dragoness is huge! Fuck! Look at her!" Ladon flails his arms around wildly as he looks between our dragons. My dragoness moves over and curls around Ladon's dragon slowly; she extends a wing over him and almost covers him entirely. Females are supposed to be smaller. Why is mine larger? I feel a pull back to the real world from my mom, and I go willingly.

Slowly, I awaken and look around the room with blurry eyes. My skin still feels as though it's on fire, and I start rubbing my arms. To my surprise, my skin has a light layer of dragon scales. Everyone is staring at me in disbelief as I look over my adult body. My mother shoves my father Dimitri's shirt over my head, and it hangs on me like a dress.

My dragoness is roaring in my head, begging me to let her out to go find our mate. My mom senses the struggle within and tries to use her Alpha power on me. I lock eyes with her and do not bow or break under pressure. A deep rumble builds in my chest as I feel my flames wanting to escape. The room temperature starts to drop suddenly, and I know what my mom is trying to do. I narrow my eyes then take off, running for the balcony door. Running as fast as I can, I launch off the balcony rail, and my dragoness explodes into existence. We are a freaking mammoth, several pumps of our large wings, and we are up in the clouds.

I roar louder than I've ever roared in my life. The power this adult body holds is no joke. My dragoness tells me we must turn south, and I listen. We don't know why we must head that way, but instinct drives us in that direction. It doesn't take long for Marco, my father, and my grandfather to try to block my path. The three of them are blowing their breath weapons at me, and the only one that concerns me is Marco. Sadly, through my distraction, I didn't notice my brother till he was almost on top of me. He comes at me quickly with his talons extended, intending on stopping me in any way possible.

We're locked in an aerial battle, talon to talon, and I have him upside down. I won't hurt my twin. I love him too much, but I also won't allow myself to lose to him either. During my distraction, I feel something land on my back. Suddenly, there's a piercing pain, and I release my brother quickly. I do several barrel rolls and finally, dislodge whatever was on my back. I turn to pursue my attacker and realize it's my mother free falling. Her great white hybrid beast falling quickly. Without hesitation, I fold my wings tight to my body and dive after her knowing I'd gain on her quickly. My taloned hand reaches out and plucks her out of the sky, and I pull her close to my chest. Quickly, I open my wings and slow us down, then rise back up into the sky. Mom's talons sink into my hand again, and I angle my head to look at her.

Through the bond, I hear her say, I'm sorry, it's for your own good. There's remorse in her beast's eyes as I feel myself getting sleepy.

My dragoness is roaring in my head about an ice sleep that we must fight. I'm so tired, though. We're starting to lose the fight. I see my father, grandfather, and brother on the ground blowing their breath weapon at the ground, trying to build a large cushion of snow and frost. I open my hand, and my mother's beast climbs up my scales onto my back. Through the bond, I can feel her panic; she's unsure if we're going to land alright. It's getting harder to keep my eyes open, and it feels like my head weighs a million pounds.

Several circling attempts happen before I'm finally low enough that I'm not going to get hurt if I fall. I feel my mother's talons sink into my dragon hide just before the darkness takes me. Sleep pulls me under quickly as my body crashes into the pile of snow my family had made for me. Just before everything goes completely black, I see my mate one last time. The man seems to be struggling just like I was, but I can't get to him... I can't wake up.

Aurora

I watch as Oberon appears in a shimmering mist not far from where Tiamat crash-landed. "You need time to grow, young one. The mind must catch up with your body," he says musically as his glowing hand touches the temple of Tiamat's dragon. His eyes turn to me, and he bows his head. "Young Queen, I must confess, I did not foresee the resurrection of the Blood Queen's line in your daughter." His eyes drop as his lithe hand glides over Tia's scales.

"What do you mean resurrection? What have you done, my King?" Alaric asks, trying to reign in his temper.

Oberon keeps his glowing hand upon Tia's temple; slowly, his lavender eyes lock with Alaric's. "The world needs a protector, a guardian, besides your mate. Which, I must admit, we engineered her birth as well." Oberon narrows his eyes in thought for a moment before continuing.

Alaric's and Nicodeamus's tempers radiate from them like the waves of the ocean. "So my mate died, so you could create a hybrid so you could bring back the Blood Queen?" Nico asks through gritted teeth.

"Essentially, yes," Oberon says with a scary finality. "Though this knowledge will not be yours after I leave. The only one to remember will be Aurora. She must protect Tiamat at all costs." Oberon's lavender gaze moves to me, and he tilts his head, studying me.

"You cannot tell anyone of the future your daughter holds. Just like her knowledge of her mate's location will be hidden from her until the time is right." Oberon slowly removes his hand from Tia's dragon's temple. "She must sleep through each of her heat cycles till her twenty-fourth birthday; after that, I will make it possible for her to locate her mate."

He turns his head until he looks at Alaric, Nicodeamus, and Ladon. "Sleep and forget all that you learned here today. You must keep the princess pure and strong until she meets her mate. Protect her at all costs," Oberon says and waves his hand. As his hand passes each male, they crumpled to the ground, fast asleep.

"I do not envy the burden you now carry, young Queen, guard your secrets well," Oberon says before disappearing in a shimmer of glitter.

I stand there up to my knees in snow, gobsmacked by the information relayed to me. My daughter will be stronger than all of them combined. I walk over and lightly run my hands over Tiamat's scales. Not long after Oberon's departure, the guys slowly start to awaken and hold their heads. Protective details are created. Each day a different family member will stay with Tia until it is safe to awaken her.

In a land across the sea and far away, Oberon appears in a young man's bedroom. He looks down at the male that one day will be Tia's mate. Lightly, he touches his temple, taking away his dragon's ability to navigate to its mate that it met in his youth. "Forgive me, young Prince; what I do is the best for the two of you. Ladon Kraus is your best friend and eventually the key to finding your mate." He runs his glowing fingertips over the young man's forehead.

"Yourself and your mate shall be the most powerful the world has seen in generations. Be patient, learn and grow into the warrior she will need you to be, the warrior she deserves." Oberon rests his palm flat over the prince's heart. "Bide your time; family is everything and your mate the most precious treasure you could ever hope for."

Oberon removes his hand from the prince's chest then looks back to Queen Gisella. "He will rest peacefully now and no longer attempt to fly off to find her. They will meet when the time is right. I swear." Gisella nods slowly, and then Oberon vanishes in a wisp of glitter.