The Dragon Legion Collection(72)

“Maybe we should follow the flame together,” Drake managed to say before the light in the crystal shimmered again.

“Your turn is next!” Thad insisted, then shocked his commander by pulling him into a tight embrace. “Thank you, Drake. May the Great Wyvern always be with you.”

And then he was gone, leaping over the rocks in pursuit of the firestorm’s flame. His figure was swallowed by the fog in no time, leaving Drake looking down at the blinking stone in trepidation.

He closed his eyes when the wind raged around him. He kept them closed when he was swept off his feet. He grimaced as the maelstrom spun around him, casting him this way and that, tearing at him like he was made of straw. He both wanted it to end and feared what he’d find when it did. He winced when he fell hard against a smooth surface.


Like concrete.

The wind stilled and snowflakes landed on his face. It was cold and there was a stiff wind, one that smelled of water. It could have been blowing off a lake. He could hear the distant sound of traffic and he sensed the presence of a dragonsmoke barrier, breathed thick and deep. He caught a whiff of gunpowder and sulfur, of the chemicals used in pyrotechnics, mingled with the scents of Pyr he had known.

He sensed one particular dragon shape shifter, the leader of the Pyr himself.

Drake opened one eye warily, already having guessed where he was. He was in Chicago on the roof of the building that contained Erik Sorensson’s loft, and despite himself, he was relieved. He looked down at the crystal in his hand, only to find that its heart was completely dark. Even when he peered closely at it and strained his vision, he could see no glimmer of darkfire within it.

Its quest was done. Drake was cast into the future to stay.

The darkfire crystal had brought him here as its last act, because its rightful place was in the hoard of the leader of the Pyr. Drake pushed to his feet wearily, only having the strength to rise because he knew he would be able to sleep as long as necessary within the protective barrier of Erik’s dragonsmoke boundary.

And that was a greater gift than he’d ever expected the darkfire to give him.





Chapter One



His firestorm!

Thad barely managed to contain his excitement. He was surrounded by a dense white mist, a fog that obscured everything beyond an arm’s reach. Even so, the fog was lit with a radiant orange light, the light of his firestorm, and he spun in place, trying to discern which direction was brightest.

She would be there.

He could see the rocky path beneath his feet and feel the chill of the air, but not much more than that. In three steps, he’d lost Drake completely.

Suddenly, a blue-green flash of the darkfire illuminated the fog behind him. It grew to blinding brilliance then disappeared completely. Thad swallowed, knowing that Drake was gone.

He was alone.

But the firestorm’s light meant he wasn’t really alone. Its golden glow shimmered on his fingertips. He lifted his hand and turned in place and, just as earlier, the firestorm sparked to flames that leapt from his fingertips to guide him to his destined mate. He felt a heat in his body and a tingling of desire, one that reminded him of the earthly aspect of the firestorm. The sparks leapt from his fingertips, as if to urge him to hurry. He took a step, saw the flames build a little higher and felt the heat increase in his body.

What did she look like? What was she feeling? Would he fall in love with her immediately, or would it take time? Thad was desperate to know. He summoned the change in his body with impatience, wanting to have the fullness of his dragon powers for this moment of moments.

Even the change seemed to be fueled by the firestorm. It swept through his body with a vehemence he’d never experienced before, making him feel so powerful that he might have been invincible. In his dragon form, Thad breathed fire at the sky in triumph. He was delighted that even his plume of flames bent in the direction of his mate. Could she feel the firestorm? Was she waiting for him? He took flight, using his keener dragon senses to try to discern more.

The fog was impenetrable, but his heart skipped at the faint scent of perfume. It came from the same direction as the firestorm’s sparks led and was wonderfully feminine. It smelled of flowers and made him think of soft warm skin. Thad closed his eyes and took a deep beguiling breath of it, then flew on at reckless speed.

His dream was coming true.

Before he and his fellow Dragon’s Tooth warriors had been enchanted, he’d had few expectations about the once-in-a-lifetime mating experienced by his fellow Pyr. The sparks flew to identify the woman who could bear the child of the dragon shape shifter in question. For most of the Pyr Thad had known then, a firestorm was the chance to create a son and not much more. His own mother had been loving and kind, but as a child, Thad had always felt the household was incomplete. He hadn’t been able to name the omission until he came of age.

Thad had met his own father when he’d been collected from his mother’s household and taken to Delphi. Theirs had been a short acquaintance and not a talkative one. His father had believed in leaving the training of young dragons to those who did it best. His obligation to his kind had been fulfilled by satisfying the firestorm, creating a son, then bringing the son to be trained when he came of age. Even though Thad had felt a yearning to know more about his father and to build a connection, his father hadn’t shared his dream. After their arrival at Delphi, Thad had never seen his father again.