by Chant, Zoe
“She’s no ordinary human,” Gregory said, challenging the shadows before them with confidence. “She’s my mate. I know that you can sense it. You have no case to bring against her.”
The darkness laughed. “Perhaps. But we do have a case against you, Gregory Drago. A rather serious one. Dragon of the Storm, you are accused to have brought strife to human lands. A fight between dragons where humans can observe us. You have willfully endangered human lives. The burst of power was so large we felt it here in Sky Home—it was a power unlike anything you have ever wielded before. Gregory Drago, you are here to be judged for having broken the limit of power available to you. You have gained—and used—an alpha’s power. And you are not mated. You cannot control the power that has woken in you. You are a danger to dragons and humans alike. You cannot be allowed to leave again. And perhaps—perhaps you cannot be allowed to live.”
“No!” The word escaped Naomi without thought. “You don’t know what you’re saying. He wasn’t attacking anyone. He was defending me!”
One of the dragons behind her roared, but Naomi refused to be intimidated.
Gregory took a step forward, protectively placing himself between her and the shadows before them.
“She says the truth,” he said calmly. “You have no case against me. I came into my full power, that’s true—but it was because I’d found my mate. And because a fire dragon had kidnapped her.”
“A fire dragon?” The shadows before them flickered and grew larger.
The shadows don’t look like a dragon, Naomi thought, blinking at what looked almost like the head of a goat. Or... was that the tail of a snake?
“That is impossible,” the darkness continued. “No fire dragon has been seen for centuries. But we did sense your power, Gregory Drago. It was the power of the storm, which grew until it finally escaped all control.”
He is dangerous, a voice behind them said, speaking straight to Naomi’s mind.
When she turned, she saw that it was the dragon sitting atop the plinth marked with the symbol of the mountain who had leaned forward, staring at Gregory from suspicious eyes.
I say he has lost his mind. He’s trying to distract us all by bringing up that ridiculous story of a fire dragon. We all know the warning signs of the madness that can take us all. Why chance another catastrophe that could give our existence away to humans?
“I was there,” Naomi said fiercely, glaring at the dragon. “You can’t judge him for something you didn’t see. I saw. I was there. I’m the one who was kidnapped by the fire dragon, damn it! Are you telling me that I’m making all of this up?”
He has brought a human here, to Sky Home, the same dragon coldly continued. That, more than anything, shows his lapse of judgment. I say let us restrain him before he causes further destruction in his madness.
The sound of mighty wings beating the air made them all fall silent. When Naomi turned, she saw that the dragon on the other plinth had spread his wings, descending towards the ground of the cave. A second later, his form shimmered before her eyes, and human feet landed on the rock.
“The water element votes to give him a chance to prove himself.” The dragon spoke confidently, then flashed Naomi a smile that was nearly cocky. “You all heard him. He found his mate; he even brought her before us. I can’t sense any madness in him—and who of us hasn’t been itching for a fight for a while now? The council’s peace is all very well, but who wouldn’t lash out if some other dragon laid hands on our mate? Fire dragon or not, I say Gregory’s completely sane. Only you really should’ve shared the excitement with us, cousin.”
Gregory seemed unperturbed by the water dragon’s amusement.
“I’m serious,” Gregory said flatly. “Timothy. Damon. Set aside our differences for a moment. This is bigger than me. A fire dragon, when there has been no sight of one for centuries. That’s what we should all worry about.”
“You have no vote in a meeting called to judge your—”
“I’ll vote anyway,” Gregory said coldly, fury in his voice at the earth dragon’s challenge. “The element of air votes to investigate the dragon of fire, and where he vanished to.”
There was a moment of silence.
Naomi chose that moment to speak out. “I’ll vote as well. I don’t care that you dragons think I’m just a human. I’m the one who was attacked. I’m the one who was abducted! And while you just sit here like big, lazy cowards hiding in a cave, it was Gregory who went and fought the dragon. He nearly got himself killed trying to defend me! So I’ll vote as well, because this damn well concerns me too, and I vote that you go and look at that bloodthirsty fire dragon yourselves, because if there is one dragon here that’s mad, it’s that fire dragon.”
For a moment, the dragons stared at her in startled silence. Then the earth dragon reared up and spread his wings, descending from his plinth to join them on the ground. Naomi could see the by now familiar shimmer as the powerful body of the dragon turned into that of a human.
“Damon Drago,” the man who was the unfriendly earth dragon said, giving Naomi a polite bow, even though his eyes were still full of suspicion. “No offense, but you’re just a human, and you don’t understand—”
“Enough.” Once more the mysterious voice came booming out of the darkness before them.
Naomi shivered instinctively. She still couldn’t see who it was who was speaking. Every now and then, the flickering shadows on the rock before her almost seemed to form a picture—but she could never make out more than the form of a goat’s head, or a serpent’s tail, before the shadows shifted and scattered.
“I am the master of the council. I will have no quarreling here. Human, come forward.”
Naomi swallowed, her throat dry. She hated to admit it, but she was terrified. Furious with anger on Gregory’s behalf—but still terrified of these strange, powerful creatures that shouldn’t even exist.
What would Mom do? she asked herself as she took a tentative step forward.
Mom would... Mom would lecture them on hospitality. No guest in her house would ever go without being offered a seat and something to eat.
Her lips twitched a little at the thought of her mom—a small, curvy woman rightly famous for her formidable anger—giving one of those dragons a whack on the nose with a towel.
She would. She really would! Because unlike these dragons, she knows that manners are important.
Emboldened by the thought, Naomi continued forward on her own, until it felt like she‘d entered the shadows racing across the wall of the cave. Everything around her seemed to have dimmed. She couldn’t see very well in the gloom, and she could no longer hear the dragons behind her.
“I’m here,” she said boldly, hiding her fear.
I am here, and I am my mother’s daughter. “What do you want from me?”
Tell me, Naomi, the voice now whispered in her mind. Does Gregory tell the truth?
Naomi opened her mouth, indignant that no one seemed to believe their story when she had nearly died—but just then she was hit by an avalanche of images and emotions.
Fear. Loneliness. Fire. Sorrow. A power larger than anything she could imagine. Destruction that could wipe out an entire town in the blink of an eye.
Her heart was racing. It was difficult to breathe. She couldn’t understand what she was seeing—but even so the images didn’t stop coming, overwhelming her until the cave had completely vanished.
Gasping for air, she found herself standing before a precipice. Before her, an abyss loomed. Behind her, some dark and terrible power was gathering, the air sizzling with energy.
Whatever it was, it was coming closer, and closer, and closer...
It was coming for her. She realized it with sudden awareness. The monster of fire and darkness was coming for her—and there was power enough in her to meet it.
She would only have to turn and laugh in its face. Then she’d spread her arms, and they’d turn into wings. She’d shift, her body filled to bursting with pow
er—and she’d spew it into her attacker’s face. She’d take him out with one gust of her dragon’s breath, the power within her so vast now that she’d take out everything around them—and why would that matter when her enemy had dared to come here, to threaten her at her height of power?
Slowly, like the sound of a distant melody, she became aware of something else.
There, behind her, near to where her enemy was rushing towards her even now, there was life.
There was a human settlement, scattered houses with small gardens and winding, paved streets. Children were playing in the grass. Families were gathering at the dinner table. Market stalls were closing.
And the power inside her had grown and grown until it formed a brilliant light inside her, as strong and as terrible as the immeasurable heat at the heart of the sun.
If she let go now, she’d take out her enemy—and the human settlement with it.
What will you do, Naomi? a familiar voice whispered inside her head. Quick, Naomi. There is no time...
Behind her, darkness was gathering. Before her, there was only the abyss—and at its bottom a terrible emptiness that frightened her like nothing else in her life ever had. Even her enemy behind her, with his sharp teeth and claws and his deadly fire was less dreadful than that terrible void before her.
What will you do? the voice asked again, and this time it was sorrowful.
Naomi clenched her jaw. She did not look back. It only took one step forward—and then she was falling.
She was falling into nothingness.
It was terrible, the void tearing at her, a dreadful wind howling in her ears—but even so, as everything grew dim around her, she was warmed by the certainty that back in the settlement, families were settling down for the night, unaware of the danger they’d been in.
The town was safe. They would continue to go on, unaware that dragons existed—unaware of their terrible power.
And she would cease to exist...
“Naomi!”
The sharp call pulled her back.
Shaking her head, she found herself face to face with Gregory, who was giving her a concerned look.
“Are you all right?” he said, his eyes gleaming silver once more. “Naomi—can you hear me?”
Still feeling dizzy, she gave him a small nod. Then the voice came booming out of the darkness once more.
“She has passed my test,” it declared. “The council judges you innocent, Gregory Drago. The beginnings of the mate bond have been woven. There is no madness in you.”
Chapter Ten: Gregory
After the council had declared him innocent, Gregory led Naomi out of the large cave to a chamber more suited to his human body’s needs. During the council meetings in Sky Home, they mostly stayed in the form of their dragons. Still, occasionally it was useful to have rooms with beds and chairs and desks at their disposal.
“I’m okay.” Naomi gave him a breathless, overwhelmed look as soon as they had settled down together on a couch. “Wow. That was... I have no idea what it was, but it was intense. Do your friends test all your potential girlfriends that way?”
Gregory released a shaky breath, drawing her tightly against him. “I’ve never seen him do that before. It must’ve been because you’re my mate. He wanted to test you—to see if the bond between us was true. But the way he did it...” Gregory shook his head in apology. “There was no need to scare you like that. I’m sorry, Naomi.”
Naomi gave him a small smile. “It’s okay. It wasn’t real... was it? He just made me feel like I was in a dream, and none of it was actually true?”
Gregory hesitated for a moment.
“I saw what you did,” he finally offered. “And from what I’ve heard about it... From what I know, and it isn’t much, he might’ve made you live through his final moments. Or at least, his final decision.”
Naomi blinked in confusion. “So that voice... That shadow that talked to me... He’s a dragon, too?”
“His name is Gareth,” Gregory said. “And he’s a dragon no longer. He is a chimera. He’d found no mate, and his power was too large for him to control. Usually, we go mad, unless we’re taken out first. He... he retained his sanity, but his body broke. He is cursed, forever shifting into different shapes at once, never finding rest or peace.”
Naomi shuddered at the explanation. “And the same thing might’ve happened to you?”
At Gregory’s nod, she reached out to gently rest her hand on his chest, right where his heart was beating.
“But there’s a bond,” she said. “I can feel it too. I can feel your warmth, and your concern for me. That’s why I got so angry when they said you were a liar. Because I can feel you. It’s like I can see right to the bottom of your heart, and there’s nothing but goodness in there.”
And heat. He wondered if she could feel that too, that steady, low beat of desire for her. Even now it pulled at him with a seductive rhythm, until his heart throbbed with the same, sweet pulse of her own need for him that came flowing through the bond.
With a deep sigh, Naomi relaxed against his chest. “But that’s over now, right?”
“Yes,” Gregory agreed. “He has accepted you. And he’s the master of the council. The others will follow his ruling—even Damon. We’ve never been friends, but he’s a sensible man. Headstrong, but sensible.”
“Mm.” With a small sound of contentment, Naomi curled an arm around his neck. “And now, all that’s left is stopping that dragon before he can kidnap someone else, right?”
“It’s not going to be an easy task,” a familiar voice interrupted as the griffin shifter Jared came bursting into the room.
He flashed Gregory an apologetic grin when he saw them curled up together, but didn’t offer any excuses.
“I’m not here on official business this time, so you can relax. And I’m going to leave you two alone in just a moment.” Jared gave Naomi a little wink. “Just thought I’d let you know that the three of us are heading out. Earth, water—and griffin. We’re going to scout out the area where the fire dragon attacked you, see if we can find any lingering trace of his power.”
Gregory clenched his jaw when he remembered the way the dragon had seemed to come from out of nowhere, threatening the one person he’d give his life to protect.
“I should come with you,” Gregory said, rage welling up within him once more at the memory. “I saw him. I fought him. I should—”
“No.” Jared gave him another apologetic look, more serious now. “I’m sorry, brother, but that’s impossible. The chimera himself ordered it. You might’ve found your mate, but the bond hasn’t been sealed yet. And that dragon attacked your mate quite deliberately. Your place is by her side until this is all over. We don’t know where that fire dragon is hiding. Until he’s found—”
“I’ll stay with her. You’re right, of course.” Gregory forced down the anger at the fire dragon once more. His first instinct couldn’t be to attack blindly, not anymore. It had already led to him losing a fight once. He had to stay calm and collected now, for Naomi’s sake.
“But we cannot stay here,” Gregory continued.
Sky Home was the seat of the council—but it wasn’t a home. It was a place where they gathered when there was an important event that needed the attention of the council. But even as a dragon, he’d never felt comfortable here. If it was a home to something, then it was a home to the chimera’s curse. The walls themselves tasted like Gareth’s centuries of loneliness. It was no place for Naomi.
“We’re going home,” Gregory said softly, giving Naomi a hopeful look. “Home. Mountain View. Everyone there will want to see you.”
Mountain View was his childhood home. It consisted of a large mansion that almost looked like it had been carved right from the mountainside it was built into—and of course, that was probably exactly what happened back when the first dragon of his clan had settled there.
By now, it had grown into a small town, consisting mainly of shifters, and humans bo
rn to shifter families but without the power to shift themselves.
It was a good place. A peaceful place. It was the sort of place to raise a family.
“I think you’ll like it.”
***
The flight to Mountain View had been uneventful. Naomi had clung to his neck once more. Through the bond he’d been able to feel her awe and joy when they descended and before them, the sleepy, small town with its colorful roofs and whitewashed houses appeared.
“It’s beautiful!” Naomi called out, laughing when Gregory spread his wings.
Carefully, he slowed their flight even more until he landed in the small square right before his clan’s home. Contentment washed over him. It had truly been far too long since he’d been home.
Gregory opened his jaw, and then he roared—not the loud roar of challenge to another dragon, but a happy roar that made the wind pick up, the breeze blowing against the ornamental, silver dragon that crowned the fountain standing in the square.
With a silvery sound, it sent the soft tolling of a bell echoing from the mountainside. In the town below, lights sprung up in response.
The dragon had returned home, and soon, everyone who knew and loved Gregory would welcome his mate with the same love the town had always shown him.
***
The first thing Gregory’d shown Naomi was his bedroom.
Ordinarily, he’d have proudly shown her off to the families that had settled in Mountain View. But they hadn’t been able to find much rest in Sky Home, and the council meeting had been harrowing for both of them. Through the bond, he could feel his mate’s tiredness, even though Naomi was doing the best she could to hide it.
Mountain View was a beautiful, small town—the only home he’d ever known, even though he’d chosen to spend much of the past decade traveling and seeing the world. But now that he was home again at last, that old pull on his heart that had made him want to ride the currents of air and explore the world had quieted.
He knew why. It was the oldest instinct, the one thing both his dragon and his human half could agree on without the slightest argument.
