The Dragon Legion Collection(69)

“It’s not always that,” Alexander protested. “Sometimes, it’s just habit.”

The women shared a smile, then Katina dropped her voice. “I’ll guess that Alexander is asking for tidings of Drake.”

“He’s still with the darkfire crystal, as far as I know,” Petra murmured and the other woman nodded. “How did you know where to find us?”

Katina smiled. “I don’t mean to alarm you, but I’m a naiad. Some call us Waterdaughters. I have very strong intuition and I had a compelling sense that we should come to this place right now.” She glanced around, her gaze assessing. “It seems a powerful place,” she mused, then looked at Petra.

“For a woman to choose to give birth, you mean?”

Katina nodded.

“I don’t mean to alarm you, but I’m an Earthdaughter,” Petra echoed with a smile. “You are standing on sacred ground for my kind.” She gestured to the stones. “These are the Mothers, those of my kind who have gone before and provide sanctuary to us in times of need.”

Katina surveyed the stones, assessment in her eyes. “Does it violate the sanctity for us to be here?”

“Not if it is in aid of me and my son.”

She glanced down at the scale Petra held in her hand and seemed to know immediately what it was. Relief crossed her features, then concern. “We would ask your permission, and that of the Mothers, to repair Damien’s armor here, within the circle of their protection.”

Petra felt a lump in her throat. “I believe they would be honored to witness it.”

“We will leave an offering, of whatever is fitting.”

“The request is enough,” Petra said, because she knew it was true.

“There must be a gift from the mate,” Katina said quietly, her gaze searching. “It ensures that the repair holds and that his armor is complete.”

“A gift?”

“Something of one of the elements associated with you in this partnership would be best. You must decide and you must give it freely.”

“I am earth and Damien is fire,” Petra mused.

“But one of you also represents air and one, water, as well,” Katina said. “Having all four elements in concert gives the firestorm its power.”


Petra had Damien’s scale already. What she most wanted to do was share the protective powers of the Mothers with her dragon. She looked around the clearing, wondering how that could be done. One of the Mothers wavered, just outside her field of vision, and when Petra turned to look, a small stone broke free of the large standing stone. She hurried to pick it up, liking how powerful it felt when her hand closed over it.

She glanced up to find Damien’s gaze upon her, and his smile warmed her to her toes. Of course, he and Alexander had heard every word, with their keen hearing, and she wasn’t surprised to see Alexander summon the others to the fire as soon as she had chosen the stone.

“We will take our dragon forms, each in turn,” he said and the younger Pyr nodded. They were all attractive men and clearly a disciplined company. Each one had a mark on his body, like the dragon mark on Damien’s arm, even though they couldn’t be of his company of Dragon Legion Warriors lost in time. She wondered how these Pyr had obtained their tattoos.

There was no time to ask, though, for the dragon warriors were moving with purpose. Damien stood on Alexander’s left, with Petra and their son beside him. Katina stood on Alexander’s right, with Lysander and then Theo beside her. The others took their places around the fire, forming a circle.

The fire in the middle burned higher when the circle was complete, and Petra realized that these Pyr warriors had their own link to an element. She remembered the prophecy and smiled.

Fire and stone must pay the price.

That was Damien and herself, and they’d paid it in full.

Now the firestorm’s promise would be theirs.

Alexander shifted shape first, becoming a dark dragon in the same moment that the flames leapt skyward. Damien shifted next, and Petra loved how the fire again stretched for the sky, its light reflecting off his newly golden scales. The other Pyr shifted shape in unison and she saw that they were all darker and smaller than the two fully fledged warriors. She saw glimpses of color in the scales of each, but guessed that their hues had yet to develop.

When all had shifted shape, Alexander extended his claw to her, obviously requesting the fallen scale. Petra surrendered it to him and he held it between the tips of his talons, then pushed it into the flames of the fire. The bonfire burned higher, as if fueled by the scale and Petra couldn’t see it in the brilliant blaze of orange.

“Fire,” Alexander intoned and the Pyr echoed him. He extended his hand to her again, and Petra gave him the stone. Alexander removed the scale from the flames and it was the same bright golden color of the rest of Damien’s scales. He pushed the stone against it and Petra saw that the scale was so hot that it was molten. Alexander drove the stone into it, as if forcing a gem into a setting.

“Earth,” he said and the other Pyr repeated his word.

Alexander pushed the scale back into the fire and the flames licked it hungrily. When he removed it again, both it and the stone from the Mothers had fused into one and were so hot that they were pale yellow and smoking.

He extended the scale and Damien blew on it.