She reached out to him, trying to use the link that bound them together, but all she got from it was heat. A blinding and painful heat. It made her reel back, gasping for air. She shot up from her seat and turned back toward the shops lining the street, scanning for ice-cream.
Anything to ease this insufferable heat. Each step was shaky. The link fed more heat, burning down the bond. It was like the wildfire she’d started. It raged in every direction, devouring everything it possibly could.
There was a startled and confused sound behind her before Jasper’s footsteps caught up to her.
“Ice-cream,” was all Cora could manage.
His brows furrowed, but he didn’t deny her. He stayed by her side while she ordered the biggest cone available, taking out his wallet when it was time to pay for the monstrosity she’d obtained. The waffle cone was coated in cold chocolate, filled with cookie dough, pistachio, and salted caramel ice-cream.
On the way out, he leaned in and snuck a bite before she could pull it away from him.
“Get out of here!” she cried. “I need this. All of this.”
He licked his lips before falling completely still. Her breath shuddered. The heat was still pouring in. It filled her lungs and made breathing impossible. Before she collapsed under the power of it, she took a big bite of her ice-cream. The cool cream trickled down her throat and pooled in her stomach, where it eased some of her pain.
“Oh, shit!” Jasper cried out.
She felt the bond wink out. The cold April air slapped her in the face, the heat cascading from Jasper suddenly gone. It was a relief, but now that she could think again, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. He’d told her everything was okay.
Had he lied?
He’d been shifty since his metallic dragons left. He’d snuck away from her, claiming he needed to grab something from the bedroom, but hadn’t come back with a jacket or a different pair of shoes. It hadn’t looked like he’d grabbed anything at all. That’d struck her as strange.
While she couldn’t claim to know him inside and out, she thought she understood Jasper. It seemed she’d been mistaken. The thought was unsettling.
“This is not going how I planned,” Jasper said as he scratched the back of his head.
“I have no idea what you have planned. What is wrong? Why won’t you talk to me?”
He scowled.
“Don’t act like a big tough man and keep everything to yourself. That’s how you develop heart disease.”
His scowl melted into disbelief. “I highly doubt that.”
She licked the trails of melting ice-cream threatening to run over her hand. The coolness was still a welcome treat, as was the bit of sugar. It perked her up after a long night.
His hand was buried in his pocket, closed around something. She regarded the gesture for a long while. This was strange. Everything about this afternoon was strange. All she wanted was the truth from Jasper.
Before she could look up to meet his eyes, he knelt before her. The honesty in his eye was staggering. She hadn’t expected it. After the shady way he’d acted all day, the expression was a relief. It reminded her that he was her mate.
But, addled as her mind was by the recent events, she took a long moment to realize what he held in his hands. The little blue box was open. Light behind her caught the gemstones and created a rainbow cascade on the nearby wall.
“Oh,” was all Cora could manage to say. “Oh!”
Jasper looked up, hopeful and cautious. His breath slid out between his lips as he watched her. When she didn’t move, didn’t speak, the hope began to fade. Cora realized she was supposed to say something.
So was Jasper.
“I think you’re supposed to ask me a question,” she whispered.
“Shit,” he muttered. He straightened and brought his chin back up. “Cora, will you marry me?”
She thought she was ready to answer, but hearing the words blew her mind all over again. Her heart threatened to burst, beating so fast she would have thought she was running a marathon and not standing still.
“You’re supposed to answer him!” someone shouted from across the street.
Cora’s cheeks heated and she let out a nervous laugh while fighting the urge to hide her face. “Yes! A million times yes!”
Jasper launched himself from the ground and enveloped her in his arms, swinging her wide. He wasn’t as hot as he’d been earlier, but his presence was still a warm comfort. She clung to him before remembering the ring in his hand.
She felt a little greedy about wanting to wear it, but Jasper said nothing when she snatched it from the box. He gently took it back and slid it onto her finger. Cora laughed and leaned in.
“That’s the wrong hand.”
“Why is this so hard?” Jasper whispered back.
In the end, he put it on the right hand, which was actually the left hand. The elegant collection of diamonds, a ring perhaps older than Grove itself, glittered on her hand. It was a small token of what they felt for one another, a physical representation of the bond that brought them together.
“And here you thought I’d be some beast you had to tame,” Jasper teased.
“Let’s be honest. You took a bit of taming. Your cousins no longer have to leash you.”
Jasper growled and captured her lips. Cora bent backwards from the force of his passion. People on the street whistled, shouted their congratulations, or told them to get a room. Sometimes all three. She grasped the front of his shirt and held on tight while his tongue explored her mouth.
When he pulled back, Cora saw the position of the sun, creeping ever lower. Darkness was starting to rise on the opposite horizon. If all had gone to plan, Ashton and Wyatt had sent the invitation to Cal. He would be right where they wanted him.
Cora wished they could retreat back to the manor and cozy up together for the night, but no night would be safe until they dealt with Cal. Jasper squeezed her hand, his mind brushing against hers. She could feel the promise in it. There would be many more nights to celebrate their love.
Perhaps a whole honeymoon, too.
That was not something she’d ever considered before, and she hoped the thought of it would get her through the night.
Chapter Seventeen
Just as they’d asked, Cal and his dragons gathered in Jasper’s lawn. It was a lot larger than the courtyard, leaving plenty of room for Cal’s inevitable display of power. The green dragon slithered out of the shadows behind him. Cora felt her skin crawl just being near him. He wasn’t a shifter she knew personally, but she felt she knew enough about him to understand that he meant trouble.
Other dragons appeared, including the red dragon who’d brought some of Cal’s clan members to them. Cora wanted to acknowledge him, but restrained herself. Any hint of betrayal would have Cal scrambling.
This needed to take Cal by surprise.
Cora stood beside her mate, on equal ground. Neither wore a crown, but they were king and queen of these mountains all the same. Cal watched her, almost confused. She tried not to shrink under his scrutiny.
Finally, Cal’s gaze cut away from her and moved to Jasper. Cal spread his arms wide and flashed a cocky smile. It was all the greeting he needed.
“Your territory is mine,” Jasper announced, unwavering.
Cal guffawed. “How do you plan to do that? You aren’t there. You can’t take over a place when you’re not there.”
Jasper’s grin spread wide, wicked in the light of the moon. “I think you’re forgetting where you’re standing, Cal. Aren’t you the leader of the clan?”
It was then that Cal’s face blanched. Understanding of the situation sank in and drained every ounce of blood from his face. He stepped back, between two dragons.
“Nothing can help you now,” Jasper informed him. “You have two options.”
Cal snarled.
“Fighting isn’t one of them, so shut up and listen.”
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Cora gripped her mate’s hand, worried that Cal would attack them anyway. The only reason they could do this was because they could defeat Cal if it came down to a fight. Jasper had been holding back since her arrival, but he and his court were more than capable of stopping Cal.
It was the cost of such a fight that Cora worried about. She knew Jasper worried, too. He squeezed her hand, needing the touch as much as she did. It was the only hint that either of them were nervous. Thankfully, Cal was too angry to notice.
The green dragon stepped in front of Cal. Jasper sighed and shook his head. The gesture made Cal pause.
Two dragons dropped out of the sky. They fell on the green dragon, pinning his head and tail to the ground. He tried to thrash, but Mila and Lilah held him in place. They bared their teeth and met the gazes of the other dragons Cal had brought with him.
“So, you have a couple of women willing to fight for you,” Cal spat. “That’s nothing. I will take what belongs to me. You will learn your place in this world.”
Cora glanced at the sky. The metallic dragons were waiting, circling overhead. She turned to the horizon, unable to see past the darkness. Fear tried to take hold of her, but she shook it off. It was only a matter of time before it crept back. This could not go as planned. Only hope that all their work had paid off could keep her worry at bay.
Cal didn’t bother arguing any longer. His words fell away and became grunts. Cora’s attention dropped to the ground to find Cal shifting. His beast was huge, a brown scaled creature with bone colored spines all the way down it’s back. He tossed his head and let loose a roar.
Jasper shoved her aside the moment before Cal’s beast collided with him. She rolled away, over stones and snow. Her shoulders throbbed when she got back to her feet. The snow hadn’t chilled her, but when she realized Jasper hadn’t had time to shift, cold poured through her.
She looked to the sky once more, but could find nothing among the thin clouds and stars.
Her beast swam inside her head. It was her only option. She let it out, claws slamming into the snow and earth. Her tail swept snow into the air so that it rained down in a sparkling veil. The sight of her caused Cal to pause.
That was his mistake.
She leapt off the ground, claws out and jaws wide. He spun out of the way at the last moment. She didn’t care. It meant that Cal had released Jasper. Her mate’s anger burned so hot that it melted the snow around him. His head fell back and the roar that left his mouth was more beast than human. Barely a second later, his demon joined them.
The gold beast pressed its flank against hers, a soft reminder that they were in this together. No matter what happened.
She needed it, especially when it was beginning to look like their plan wasn’t going to pay off. Cal crouched low before them, his tail flicking in the air. It cracked against the naked tree branches, twigs raining down to surround him with evidence of his destructive nature. He’d never been right for their clan. He’d only gathered the power he had by taking it and putting it in the hands of those who were willing to do horrid things.
Like that green dragon.
Cal moved first. He jumped at Jasper. There was barely time to swat him away. Jasper let out a cry of pain as claws sank past his scales. Cora felt a fire inside her burst with unbearable heat. She attacked, biting the back of Cal’s neck. The spikes pierced her tongue, but she held on to Cal’s neck. If she could pull him back, then Jasper could do the rest.
But Cal must have been desperate. He’d killed before. He planned to kill again.
Cal would not take this from her. He wouldn’t take her mate, her clan, her future. She sank her teeth deeper until they grazed bone. All around her, the sounds of fighting filled the air. Beasts cried out. Claws scraped against scales. It was madness and destruction.
She was done with it.
Cal’s spikes pierced the roof of her mouth, but she refused to let go. He tossed his head, but it wouldn’t shake her. When he tried to claw at her, his claws only slid off her crystal scales. She was unbreakable.
***
Jasper and the demon that lived inside him fought against the pain. Cal had hit on his blind side. While the curse had been burned away once and for all earlier in the day, it didn’t stop Cal from being a strategist. The dragon might have been desperate, cornered by Jasper’s proclamation, but he still knew how to bring a colossus down.
Then Cora latched onto Cal’s neck and the pain began to lessen. Cal was being pulled away. Jasper’s heart lurched when Cal swiped at her, but Cal’s claws only glanced off Cora’s scales. Jasper’s mate was safe beneath her own scales.
He didn’t have to worry about her yet.
He worried about his clan, though. The metallic dragons, his knights, were here. They were fighting for him. He caught Lilah and Mina with the green dragon. The red dragon had switched to their side and was helping Griffin push back one of Cal’s dragons. No one was unmarred, though. Every dragon would bear the scars of this night forever.
This should have been easier. Had everything gone to plan, Cal never would have been brave enough to fight. He couldn’t think about that just then. He needed to get Cal off of him. Gathering heat on his tongue, he snapped at Cal’s face. His bite missed, but tongues of flame slipped between his teeth.
Cal’s eyes widened, but he didn’t run away. His claws dug deeper, they began to tear down, ripping through flesh. Jasper damned his soft gold scales, but he would not be stopped. He would wear scars proudly for the rest of his life if he could win this night.
This was for his mate. It was for his clan. It was for everyone who’d had to deal with Cal.
Like a well oiled machine, Jasper grabbed at Cal’s throat just as Cora let go. She flew back, wings buffeting the air to put distance between Jasper and Cal. Without sparing a second, Jasper brought Cal to the ground. The creature’s back hit the snow and sank into the soil. Jasper had wanted to spare him, but he was starting to think a grave might be best for this man.
Jasper looked down at Cal. The fire on Jasper’s tongue glowed in the reflection of Cal’s eyes as they widened with fear. This was a warning. The heat of his fire was not the only thing Jasper could produce. It was only enough to singe Cal’s cheeks and burn his nostrils.
While pinning Cal felt like a win, Jasper saw that not everyone else was having as much success. The metallic dragons were limping, gashes leaving trails of blood across the snow. Grove needed them. Grove needed them to win. This was not the win Jasper envisioned.
Just when he thought he’d failed his clan, the sky overhead darkened. He thought a cloud had passed over the thin moon. Then Cora let out a sound of surprise and excitement. It drew his attention up to the dragon bodies gathering above.
They moved in sync, though he was sure none of them had ever worked so closely. This was more than the metallic dragons. It was all of his clan, both old and new. It was those who’d lived in Grove for generations and the dragons who’d tired of Cal’s threats. Jasper didn’t know what had taken them so long, but he was proud, nonetheless.
One by one, they landed until they formed an impenetrable circle around the fight. Cal’s dragons looked around, wary. Jasper let go of Cal. The demon issued one more tongue of flame, a warning, before it let Jasper return to his human form.
“Do you still think you can take us? All of us?” Jasper asked.
Cora crouched behind him, a creature that shone in the night like an angel sent to earth. That’s what she was to him. An angel to his demon. She brought light to every dark place in his life. He would continue to bring heat to hers. In the form of passion, of course.
“You have two options, Cal.” Jasper scanned the clearing. Cal’s dragons snarled and snapped, but they didn’t attack. “Leave and never bother my territories again, or you will find yourself six feet beneath the ground you stand on.”
Cal’s beast slunk low to the ground, stepping back. He thought the idiot might attack,
but then his wings snapped open and he took to the sky. He was nearly out of sight before his faithful dragons realized they’d been abandoned. If Jasper was lucky, they would turn on Cal and take care of themselves.
Watching them go, he let out a sigh. His shoulders sank and his head felt heavy. It was over. Not only that, his clan had shown up. All around him stood the dragons he’d spoken to not long ago when he was going door to door. They looked back at him with pride and a little bit of relief.
He’d been right in guessing that their presence alone would push Cal away. None of them had to lift a finger. That was up to his metallic dragons, his knights. It was good to know that he had brought his clan together as a whole, that if push came to shove, they could band together. They might fear a fight, but they would not shy away from it.
Jasper never imagined this kind of life for himself. He’d always wanted to be the distant king. The lives of others were not something for Jasper to rule. The problem with that ideal was that he didn’t understand what it meant to rule. He’d thought his fingers had to be in all of their lives to be a ruler.
All he had to do was stand when they needed him.
Chapter Eighteen
The entire metallic court limped home.
Jasper was now the king of two territories. There was no way to hold it for long without someone challenging him. He knew he would give it up to the first dragon who could prove themselves, but until then caring for the other clan was his responsibility.
Inside the house, he reached for the whiskey bottle, but stopped. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of wine. The cork popped and zoomed through the room. Ryker’s hand darted out and snatched it from the air.
Jasper took a long moment to regard his court. Up until a few months ago, they’d been spread across the country. Each had found their own life in the world until they’d been summoned back to Grove. While he knew they had new lives unfolding in Grove, they wouldn’t say no to him.
Someone had to go protect the new territory.
Aurum Court Dragons: Boxset Books 1-5 Page 67
