The Dragon Legion Collection(85)

“And thus was violating your mission.” She squeezed his hands. “I like that you ensure the integrity of your own kind.”

“We have to. It’s part of our responsibility.”

“I still like it,” she admitted with a smile that encouraged Thad.

“He triumphed over us that first time, and we became dragon’s teeth. Each warrior was enchanted to be a tooth in his maw.” To Thad’s relief, this didn’t seem incredible to Aura, but then she was a nymph who heard regularly about enchantments.

“You each became a weapon to be used against others. That’s very unpleasant, if clever. What saved you?”

“He was ancient then and withered, and soon he became no more than a pale worm in the shadows. Over the centuries, his teeth fell out and were buried in the earth. We slumbered in that form, trapped.”

Her eyes were round. “Beguiled by his song?”

“Probably to some extent,” Thad admitted. “One day we were found. The collection of teeth sold and traded hands, until it came into the possession of a Pyr who knew what we were and how to break the spell.”

“How did he do it?”

“He sowed the teeth in the earth, like seeds, and we sprang forth from the soil, warriors once again.”

“Was Cadmus dead?”

“Faded but not dead. He still sang his poisonous song to beguile men, even without his teeth, even with his faded strength. Under the direction of our old commander, we gathered and hunted him anew, and the second time, we triumphed.”

Aura’s smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. “But you said centuries had passed.”

Thad nodded. He wasn’t sure how she would accept or believe what he told her, but he wouldn’t have any lies between them. “This happened almost twenty-five hundred years in the future.”

“Yet you are here now. Can you journey through time? Is this a magical power of your own, or of your kind?”

Thad shook his head. He was glad that she was asking questions, and even more glad to be able to answer them honestly. The firestorm lit the night to a golden glow around them, and they spoke quietly together even as they walked. It was intimate and romantic and honest, everything Thad had always wanted to experience with his mate.

The answering light in Aura’s eyes convinced him that the firestorm had chosen the perfect mate for him. He loved how she helped him in battle, and how they were already learning to use their powers together. He liked that they were both shifters, too.

They didn’t have to have any secrets from each other.

“There is a force known to the Pyr called darkfire,” he explained. “It’s a strange and unpredictable power, and centuries ago, it was trapped within three quartz crystals to keep it contained. One crystal was broken in that distant future and the darkfire was set free. The light in another crystal was awakened and it called to our leader. When he had it in his hand, it carried our company through time and space, gradually separating us from each other.”

“Which is why you are alone,” she said, her sympathy clear.

Thad smiled. “I’m not alone. The darkfire brought me to my firestorm.” He gripped her hands more tightly and the flames emanated from their linked hands. “It brought me to you, Aura.”

“You don’t miss your fellow warriors?”

He held her gaze with resolve. “I do, but I have faith that all will be as it should be. The darkfire brought me here for a reason, and I will see this firestorm a success if it is the last thing I do.”

Aura studied him, so serious that he waited for whatever she was building up the courage to say.

“Will you do something for me?” she asked finally, her tone hinting that it was a request Thad might prefer to decline.

He nodded immediately.

She smiled at that. “Without even knowing what it is?”

“Of course. I trust you and I want you to trust me.”

Aura reached beneath her flowing tunic and produced a golden apple. It was more than yellow in tone; it looked to be made of gold. It was perfectly formed, like a sculpture of an apple. “Take a bite, and tell me that everything you’ve said to me is true.”

Thad smiled then, his confidence unshaken. “So, one of the stories is true,” he murmured. He didn’t wait for her answer, but took the apple from her.

Their fingers brushed during the transaction and a flurry of sparks erupted from the point of contact. The brilliant orange light was reflected in the gleaming surface of the fruit and in the darkness of Aura’s eyes.

Thad bit into the apple, uncertain what to expect. It tasted as sweet as honey, and the flesh was firm. “It’s pretty good,” he said, surprised at the discovery, and Aura smiled. She might have laughed, but she was waiting. He sobered and looked into her eyes. “Every single thing I have told you, Aura, is the absolute truth.” He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, savoring the heat that built between their palms. “Let me love you.”

“You don’t want me to take a bite, too?”

“I trust you.”

“And I trust you,” Aura replied with a smile. She leaned closer and bit into the apple, her gaze locked with his. Her smile broadened, then turned mischievous. “Let’s satisfy the firestorm,” she murmured and Thad’s heart leapt.