The Dragon Legion Collection(78)

Aura knew all of that, but when the firestorm flooded her body and the dragon flew closer, when she could see the dragon he was and the man he could become, she could only think of his potent kiss.

This was not good. She had to find out about this son. Aura didn’t want to be abandoned by her lover to have his child alone. No matter how wonderful the firestorm was, it couldn’t be worth that life.

It was clear that she could run but she couldn’t hide.

Which meant she had to convince him to stop this firestorm. Sooner would be better. Aura licked her lips in trepidation, held her ground, and waited for her dragon.

* * *

He’d found her!

Thad flew directly toward his mate. She stood straight and tall by the side of a pool with a surface as smooth as glass. She held his gaze, as fearless as any dragon, even as the firestorm burned brighter and brighter. By the time he landed in front of her, shifting shape just before he touched the earth, there were sparks flying between them as brilliantly as fireworks.

Thad watched the orange and yellow light with wonder. He could feel the firestorm heating his body, sending a surge of desire through his veins. It was like the change slipping over him but intensified a thousand times.

It was all focused on his mate. He took a step closer to her and smiled, seeing the flush in her cheek and the sweet fullness of her lips. He wanted another kiss, if not a hundred of them, and wanted to make love to her forever.

For a moment, she looked soft and willing, then she shook her head. She took a step back, her move dimming the firestorm’s intensity a bit, and folded her arms across her chest. “What do you want from me?”

“To satisfy the firestorm.”

“What does it mean?”

“I told you. The firestorm means that you’re the woman who can bear my son.”

“And he’ll be like you?”

Thad nodded.

“And what are you?”

“A Pyr. We are dragon shape shifters, charged with defending the treasures of the earth and the four elements.” Thad cleared his throat and recited the foundation story of his kind, placing his hand over his heart as he did so. “In the beginning, there was the fire, and the fire burned hot because it was cradled by the earth. The fire burned bright because it was nurtured by the air. The fire burned lower only when it was quenched by the water. And these were the four elements of divine design, of which all would be built and with which all would be destroyed. And the elements were placed at the cornerstones of the material world and it was good.”

“But the elements were alone and undefended, incapable of communicating with each other, snared within the matter that was theirs to control. And so, out of the endless void were created a race of guardians whose appointed task was to protect and defend the integrity of the four sacred elements. They were given powers, the better to fulfill their responsibilities; they were given strength and cunning and longevity to safeguard the treasures surrendered to their stewardship. To them alone would the elements respond. These guardians were—and are—the Pyr.” He finished with a flourish, because the passage was his favorite.

“To them alone?” she echoed, her skepticism clear.

“That’s the story.” Her question made Thad wonder whether she knew something he didn’t.

She surveyed him, nibbling on her bottom lip. “It doesn’t mention anything about a firestorm,” she noted and he was disappointed that she wasn’t more impressed.

“Yet here it is!” Thad lifted a hand toward her and a spark shot from his fingertip. It landed on her chest, right above her heart, and there was an explosion of light on contact. She gasped even as Thad felt a stab of hot pleasure in his chest. He heard her heart skip a beat again, then felt that dizzying sensation of his own heart matching the pace of hers. They could have been one being, drawn together by destiny and fated to remain together forever. He reached for her, but she backed away again.

She had doubts.

That wasn’t unreasonable. Thad wanted her to choose to be with him, not to just be overwhelmed by the firestorm. He didn’t want her to have regrets.

“I can imagine that this is a surprise to you,” he said, keeping his voice low. “My kind say there is nothing like the firestorm. I knew of it and it’s still shaking my universe.”

“You expected it?” Her skepticism was clear. “It happens all the time?”

Thad held up a finger. “Once in the life of each Pyr, he will experience a firestorm. He has one chance to create a son and a future.” He knew she didn’t think much of his answer.

“A future for your kind, you mean.”

“A future for himself.”

“What about the mate?” she demanded, and her tone was a bit sharp.

Thad swallowed and tried to make a coherent argument, even as his body raged with desire. “Pyr and mate are brought together by destiny. Once it was believed that satisfying the firestorm was the end of it. But I have met those of my kind who create a permanent relationship with their mates, who become partners for the future.”

She eyed him warily. “Why?”

“Because they complement each other. The firestorm finds the mate best suited to the Pyr in question. It seems incredible, but that’s how it works. They make a team and raise their sons together. It’s what I want.”

Something in her eyes softened. “How long of a partnership?”