by Rinelle Grey
Ostrian’s heart constricted, and for a moment, he could barely breathe. But she was still breathing, even if the rise and fall of her chest was barely imperceptible. So long as she was breathing, there was hope, wasn’t there?
Even if he couldn’t imagine a miracle that could save her.
A fluttering of wings near the entrance caught Ostrian’s attention. His heart skipped a beat. More Trima dragons? It couldn’t be…
He lifted his head to check, but the dragon filling the sky behind the lightning dragons was blue. A deep ocean blue. White wings fluttered beside his.
Not Trima, surely? They were almost exclusively lightning dragons.
So who was it?
“I did not expect to find this when I returned to my lair,” a strong male voice filled Ostrian’s head. “The news gave the impression there was peace between Trima and Rian clans. I have to admit, I was surprised to learn my clan had even survived. I thought you all long dead.”
“Calrian!” Lyrian’s voice called, happiness filling it. Verrian and Taurian echoed her.
Another prince. Ostrian’s heart lifted a little. Would it be enough to turn the tide? If those wings flapping next to him were a life dragon, then maybe. But where had he found a life dragon?
Prince Calrian hovered just beyond the ledge, right behind Ultrima, and the Trima dragon had swung around to face him, away from the rest of the clan. So had his other two dragons. The fear that had been flooding through Ostrian from the Trima life dragon, ebbed. He took a deep, shaky breath.
“You are outnumbered,” Prince Calrian’s voice was firm and strong. “Your life dragon may have given you an advantage over my clan but that is gone now. As you can see, Rian clan now has a life dragon of its own. Let me introduce you to my daughter, Morian.”
His daughter? Prince Calrian had a fully grown daughter? How long had he been awake? And where had he been all this time?
Everyone else seemed similarly shocked. No one said anything for a few moments. No one even moved.
Mary’s erratic heart sounded loud in the silence. Was it getting fainter?
Yet, despite that, hope filled Ostrian’s heart, pushing out the last of the Trima life dragon’s fear. Ostrian glanced towards the Rian life dragon and wondered, was this coming from her? She smiled at all of them, her expression young and full of life.
If Rian clan actually had their own life dragon…
This changed everything.
Ultrima could see that too. His tail swished angrily once or twice. Then he turned back to Sarian. “See,” he said earnestly. “They don’t need you to mate to make a life dragon. They already have one. You can mate whoever you like.”
“I always intended to mate whoever I liked.” Princess Sarian lifted her chin. Her expression of disgust was unmistakable and her voice frosty. “And I want a dragon who supports my clan and respects my choices. That isn’t, and never will be, you.”
Ultrima stared at her in disbelief, the princess’s words appearing to hurt him more than Mary’s bullets had. He really didn’t understand why she kept refusing him. Did he just think that all he had to do was profess his interest, and she would fall at his feet?
Ultrima didn’t seem to even comprehend that Princess Sarian was not interested. He was so sure that she had only refused him because her clan had pushed her to. He couldn’t even imagine any other option.
The Trima dragon lifted his head and gave a roar that chilled Ostrian’s blood. Was it a signal to attack?
Ostrian scanned the skies, looking for other Trima dragons swooping down on them. But the clear blue sky was empty.
Ultrima flapped his wings and lifted into the sky, followed by the other two dragons. Latrima did glance over at Prince Calrian’s daughter before she left, her expression unreadable. But she followed her leader as he lifted up into the sky.
“This is not over yet, Rian clan. Mark my words.”
His voice faded into the distance.
Prince Calrian and his daughter landed on the ledge in their place. “Bring your wounded,” Morian said gently. “I will heal all that I can.”
Ostrian lifted Mary into his arms and walked the few steps separating him from the life dragon. “Please, help her.”
Morian smiled gently at him, and he could feel calmness washing over him, seeping into his bones. But he didn’t care about himself. Mary was the one that needed help.
Morian bent over her, laying a hand on her chest.
Mary’s heartbeat strengthened, and the redness of the lightning streaks on her arm faded, though they didn’t completely disappear. Her eyes fluttered, and opened, and she smiled up at him. “Ostrian?”
“I’m here,” he said quickly. “And I’m going to stay here for as long as you’ll let me.”
Morian moved on then, to the other humans and dragons who had been injured, but Ostrian didn’t care. He had eyes only for Mary.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” she asked, her voice trembling a little. Ostrian wasn’t sure if it was because she was still recovering, or because she was concerned about his answer.
One, at least, he could set her mind at rest about. “I meant every word. I love you.”
Chapter 17
Mary and Ostrian sat near the back of the gathering. Mary would have liked to sneak away, to spend some time alone with Ostrian to find out if he really meant what he’d said earlier. She still found it hard to believe that he loved her. Or that he was willing to admit it at least. Was it possible he’d only said it because he’d thought she was dying? She itched to ask him, to hear him say it again.
But the new dragon prince, Calrian, was talking, explaining his story, and it would have been rude to walk away. Especially when Ostrian was one of the elders. She knew that even without being told.
His hand on her leg comforted her. Made her believe that maybe he had been telling the truth. That he truly did love her.
And it had only taken her nearly being killed for him to realise it.
She reached up and touched the scar on her arm, it’s strange, zig-zag shapes resembling the lighting that had caused it. If it hadn’t been for the life dragon, Prince Calrian’s daughter, she never would have survived.
She wasn’t the only one sporting a new scar. Jake sat not too far from her, the lightning etched into his arm too, her sister Margaret holding him as tightly as Ostrian had held her.
Because of Morian, no Rian clan members, dragon or human, had died.
Mary missed most of Calrian’s story. Something about not being able to find his clan, and eventually giving up to mate a human, the mother of Morian. She wanted to listen, she was curious about where he had been hiding all this time, but Ostrian’s hand making circles on her leg distracted her.
She was okay with that. It wasn’t like there was going to be a test later. Calrian had no idea who she was, and his brothers and sisters were paying him plenty of attention, along with most of the other dragons and humans alike.
As his story ended, Prince Taurian stood up and faced the crowd. His voice was loud enough to capture Mary’s attention. “We have won a great victory today. Not only have we chased away Ultrima together, we are also very close to completely reuniting our clan. Our new life dragon niece will be a great boon to Rian clan. Now all we need to do is wake Warrian, and then we will be undefeatable. Even Ultrima will not dare attack, and our clan can know peace once again. We will be safe from the Trima clan, and at peace with the humans. There has never been a better time to be a dragon.”
A chill ran down Mary’s spine. There had never been a better time to be here with the dragons. She was glad she had stayed, and not just because of Ostrian.
Because, for the first time in her life, she was enjoying being part of something bigger than she was.
There were cheers from the crowd, and the sound only added to her elation.
She’d been given a second chance at life, and she was going to grasp it—and the ornery old dragon who’d admitted he loved he
r—with both hands. She’d show him that he could overcome this fear, and together, they could share something amazing.
With that thought in mind, she leaned over to Ostrian, and whispered, “Do you think anyone will notice if we slip away?”
His eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across his lips. “I’m just an old dragon,” he purred. “Who is going to miss me when they have all these young princes and princesses to stare at?”
Mary ran her hand across his chest. “I’d miss you.”
He stared into her eyes, his expression knowing. “And I’d miss you.”
As if that was the signal, both of them stood. Luckily they were near the rear of the gathering, and no one noticed them slip out. Well, Margaret did smile and wink at her. Mary blushed, realising her sister knew exactly what she was up to. But her expression was approving.
Mary was pretty sure that was the first time Margaret had approved of anything she did.
The feeling was surprisingly pleasant.
There was nothing to mar her excitement as she and Ostrian weaved through the rocky tunnel. At first, Mary assumed they were going to his chamber. Or to hers. But after a few moments, she realised they weren’t anywhere near the sleeping rooms.
Ostrian lead her back to the dragon archives.
“This isn’t the most comfortable place for what I had in mind,” she teased. “But it is kind of cute that you brought us back here.”
When he looked up, though he smiled, Ostrian’s face was more serious. “I thought it… um…” he cleared his throat. “I thought it might be a good idea for us to talk, before we… do anything else.”
Mary’s heart sank. This was it. He was going to tell her that his admission had been a mistake, something said in the heat of the moment, but that he really didn’t want to be with her.
Or worse, that though he loved her, he wasn’t willing to risk being mated. That had been his issue all along, hadn’t it?
She straightened her back, determined not to let him see that she cared.
But when he took both of her hands in his and squeezed them gently, some of the constriction around her heart eased.
“Mary,” Ostrian said seriously. “Earlier today I said some things I regret. Things I didn’t mean. I spoke in fear, and that fear nearly destroyed things between us before they even started.”
It was sweet, that he wanted to apologise, but he didn’t need to.
“Shh,” Mary said, putting a finger on his lips. “I know. We all say things we regret. I’ve said more than a few myself. But I know you didn’t mean it. You don’t have to explain.”
“But I do,” Ostrian said earnestly. “You see, I’ve spent my whole life hiding from this. From a relationship that might tie me to another person. I thought… I thought risking my life by bonding to someone for life was one of the stupidest things I’d ever heard of.”
Mary felt her hackles rising, but she bit down the retort she normally would have made. Ostrian was trying to explain, not to insult her. He didn’t even seem aware that what he was saying could be insulting.
“That’s why I backed away in the hall earlier. Why I pushed you away. Because I was too scared.” The fear was in his voice, even as he said the words, and Mary wondered if he was still afraid.
Her heart wavered. She wanted to wait for him, to take a chance on him. But she only had so many more years. What if he was never ready? Today had only proven to her that she couldn’t sit around waiting for her life to become what she wanted, she had to make it that way for herself.
“If you’re not ready to take this step, I understand,” she said softly. “Maybe this just isn’t going to work.”
Ostrian’s eyes widened. “No. No, that’s not what I mean. You see, when you rushed in there, ready to attack Ultrima to protect our princess, I realised that I’d let fear stand in the way of too much. You must have been afraid, to go up against the Trima leader, but you didn’t hesitate. You did it anyway, because it was worth it.”
She hadn’t even stopped to think. She just hadn’t been able to stand by and watch that brute of a dragon think he could force a woman, dragon or not, to love him.
She hadn’t been trying to be brave.
“Then… then he threw that lightning at you.” Ostrian’s voice wavered. “And in that moment, I realised that if I didn’t take this chance, I may live longer, but I was going to regret every second of that life if I didn’t get to spend any of it with you.”
This time, Mary’s eyes did fill with tears. She had known the grumpy old dragon had a soft, squishy side in there somewhere. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. “I want a chance to spend some time with you too,” she mumbled, her voice muffled.
Tears welled up, thickening her throat, making it hard to talk. But saying all that couldn’t have been easy for Ostrian either, so she took a deep breath, and tried. “I’ve spent most of my life chasing after money and power. For a while, the challenge was enough to satisfy me, but over time I found their acquisition didn’t bring me the joy I wanted.”
Ostrian nodded, as though he understood what she meant. Perhaps he did. Their struggles hadn’t been that different really.
“I realised I was lonely. I thought that was because my sister didn’t really approve of my life. That if I could convince her to join me, I’d feel better. I nearly lost her that way, when I tried to push Gretchen into a job she didn’t want.”
She felt ashamed when she remembered that day, the argument at Christmas, storming out of Margaret’s house. It didn’t help that she’d come back to apologise. The fact that her sister, and even Gretchen, had been so ready to forgive her just made her feel small.
“Instead of drawing them into my life, I caught a little glimpse of theirs. Gretchen’s feelings for Jayrian, the excitement, the thrill of being part of something big and dangerous. I admit, it drew me in. But even here, I’ve been on the fringes. Watching, but not really part of this. Until you.”
She leaned forwards and put her forehead against his, letting herself soak in his closeness, his warm, supportive presence. It also meant she didn’t have to look into his eyes as she confessed the truth. “I thought I could help you to fit in more here. I thought you didn’t really know how to be part of the clan. In reality, it was me who didn’t know how to fit in.”
Ostrian made a disbelieving noise. Then he heaved a sigh. “It was both of us. Both of us are guilty of thinking we know best simply because we’ve been around the block a few times. I’ve spent half my life trying to convince the clan to do things my way. Until Prince Taurian, I mostly managed. But when I look at what he’s achieved since he took over the leadership, I can’t help thinking that maybe I was wrong about all of it.”
He sounded glum. Depressed. That wasn’t what Mary wanted.
She wanted the excitement back. The elation.
“Maybe we’ve done our bit,” she offered. “Maybe it’s our time to step back from the responsibility and take a little time for ourselves now? I mean, we’re still around if the youngsters need advice, but maybe it’s time for them to do it on their own?”
Ostrian stared at her as though the idea were completely foreign. Then one corner of his mouth twitched. “You mean… I could just take some time to spend with a beautiful woman who struck my fancy?”
Mary grinned. That was more like it. “Sounds perfect,” she agreed, slipping her arms around his neck.
Ostrian hugged her back, but even though his breathing hitched as she pressed her body up against his, he didn’t seem quite ready to move on yet. “I think… maybe we should wait a little…”
There it was again, that hesitation that never seemed to disappear. Mary bit back a sigh, and released him, pulling away. “Look, I get that this is scary for you, but you are going to have to make up your mind. Do you want this, or not?”
“Oh, I want it,” Ostrian said without a single hesitation. “I just… well, I thought it would probably set a good example if
we were officially mated first.”
Mary felt her eyes widen and her heart beat a little faster. “Mated?” she breathed. He hadn’t been hesitating at all. He’d just been thinking about the way he wanted to do this. Her heart swelled with love.
“Well, that’s probably going to happen one way or another,” Ostrian admitted. His eyes warmed as they stared at her. “But I figured that it would be best to make it official. It’s not like we have much else to do right now anyway, while we wait for this meeting with the humans. This might at least keep everyone from climbing the walls.”
Even this he couched in terms of how it would help his clan. That was just who he was. But Mary didn’t miss the light in his eyes. The way his gaze lingered on her, his mouth twisting in a smile.
“That sounds perfect,” she said, slipping her arms around his neck again. She didn’t mind waiting, so long as it wasn’t too long. “I love you, Ostrian.”
“I love you too, Mary,” he whispered, and bent to kiss her.
The End
Want to know what happens next? Prince Calrian's story is coming soon!
When Prince Calrian wakes from a three hundred year sleep, he doesn’t expect to be alone. He certainly doesn’t expect to be woken by a human. In order to regain his energy and shift into his dragon form, he needs to bond with someone, but a human could never understand what he requires.
Single mother Rylee has enough on her plate. When her eleven-year-old son, Rowan brings home a strange man he found asleep in a canyon, she’s determined to keep her distance. She’s just escaped one controlling relationship, she certainly doesn’t need another.
But the pull she feels for him is not only unmistakable, it could be deadly. For both of them.
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