by Ophelia Bell
Panting in the aftermath, he held her tight against his rain-soaked chest, one hand gently stroking her head where she rested her cheek on his sturdy shoulder.
“Only Calder ever made me feel this when we fucked. You and Calder make me feel alive, Sunshine. Free.”
She looked up at him. His green-shot eyes were studying her, his throat working as though he had more to say.
Aurum couldn’t speak, her chest too tight with emotion and all the things she wished she could tell him, but that she knew would only make their separation harder when it came. Instead, she raised a hand to his cheek, gently raking her fingernails over his short beard, reveling in the feel of it under her palm and wondering how she could have ever suggested he get rid of it.
Shaking his head as though to banish whatever feeling had gripped him, he pulled away. She reluctantly lowered her feet to the ground and leaned breathless against the cold stone. She shivered, more from the absence of Nicholas himself than from the rain that hit her breasts, now that his body no longer served as a shield.
Nicholas stared at the wet ground, his gaze deliberately averted, his fists clenched at his sides.
“I’m not going to give up on you Sunshine. You might be Calder’s mate, but if he won’t come to you, he doesn’t deserve you.”
He turned away and Aurum stared after him, hot emotion gripping her chest as she watched his wet, naked backside disappear into the thick fog that had filled the garden. Soon all that was left was the strong, greenish glow of his aura—all fertile ursa male tinged with fiery spikes of determination, but not the aura of the ursa from her dreams.
That resistance to the truth would break him if she wasn’t careful, but she feared it might utterly destroy her if she gave in.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nicholas
They left at sunset, Nicholas more determined than ever to reach the end of this journey. Aurum couldn’t see the truth that he knew deep in his soul, and so he wanted to be as far from her as possible, and the sooner, the better. But he had made her a promise which he intended to keep, and that promise spurred him forward now.
The ancestral memories his mother had given him were a strange awareness, like déjà vu. Some things were familiar to him in ways he couldn’t explain otherwise. The mandala in the garden was one of those things. He hadn’t lied about Vrishti’s father’s journal mentioning the garden, but when he’d seen the dead man’s sketch of the pattern, he’d found he knew the path already. He’d gone out and walked it with his eyes closed, much the same way he found Aurum strolling through a little later before he tried convincing her that they were meant to be.
Now he knew the way up the worn and moss-covered stone stairs at the far end of the garden would take them along the path toward the portal. He took the steps slowly, inhaling a deep breath while he made an effort to push his frustration down so he could focus on the task at hand. The ritual required a steady flow of words, which he planned to recite as he walked, but he wouldn’t need to begin just yet … not until they reached the first milestone demarcating the southern edge of the stone circle that would allow them entry into the Sanctuary.
Into his home.
Vrishti followed close behind and walked beside him for a time through the waning light of the rainforest. The vibrant sounds of life receded as they walked along the path, until the entire forest was eerily silent.
“Why is it so quiet?” Vrishti whispered, leaning close.
Behind her, Aodh said, “Our fault. Even one dragon’s presence would scare the smallest bug into flight. With four immortals, the entire forest is likely empty for miles. They’ll all return once we’re gone, don’t worry.”
Vrishti nodded and glanced shyly at the big, white-haired dragon. Nicholas wanted to tell her there was nothing to fear, but held his tongue.
Ahead of them, Nicholas spied the first marker—a huge stone pillar covered with heavy vines in an oddly uniform, crisscrossing pattern. In his mind’s eye, he could visualize the center of a huge circle, and in the center was a massive boulder with a giant flowering tree growing from it. The boulder supported the tree, and the roots of the tree held the cracked pieces of the boulder together.
“This is where he died,” Vrishti said, brushing her hand over the mossy vines. “Do you think his body made it inside at the end? I didn’t have anything of him left to bury.”
“If he made it to the end of the ritual, yes. We’ll make the circuit, and when we reach this apex at the end, the portal will open and let us through. Are you ready?” He looked down at her, knowing full well how anxious she must be. They were both going to meet mothers they had never known—families they never even knew existed.
Vrishti swallowed and nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
“Is everyone ready?” Nicholas asked, turning to the others, forcing himself not to let his gaze linger on Aurum for too long.
The four dragons assented, and Nicholas began the ritual.
Taking the first step, he recited his given name, hoping that the word “Stonetree” was enough and wishing he’d known the name his mother had given him at birth. Then he spoke the names of the others, one by one.
As he walked, the way became clear in his mind, as though a slight arc had been drawn along the ground for him to follow, a greenish glow visible in the night to show him the path to take.
He began the story he’d rehearsed in his mind for the past two days, only pausing for breath; he could not interrupt the tale until the next milestone was reached and the first portion of the ritual completed.
It was Numa’s story he told first, since she was the first of them to speak to him after he’d come out of his cell. Hers was an elaborate tale that went back far beyond his concept of time, as did all the dragons’ stories, but he’d chosen to focus less on their pasts and more on what they hoped for the future. She’d spoken of her dreams to him, and so he told the story of the pair of ursa males who awaited her somewhere inside the Sanctuary, and of the fertile magic she longed to share with them, and with the Sanctuary as a whole.
Then he began Gavra’s story, that of a fierce and rebellious brother who always chose his own path, but would sacrifice everything for love and loyalty.
He’d fallen into a trance while speaking and walking, the sounds of his own footsteps lulling him. He nearly ran into the next milestone in the dark, and only saw it once he’d stopped speaking to begin the next story.
“We’re here,” he breathed, reaching out a hand to touch the second of the four pillars they had to join with their journey tonight. With the brush of his fingertips, a jolt of energy shot down his arm, through his body, and into the ground beneath his feet. Behind him, the others all gasped as a bright stripe of green light lit up along the path they had come, the ground illuminated with an elaborate pattern of knotwork that pulsed as though alive.
A roar reverberated through the forest around them, shaking the trees and making Vrishti jump and let out a little squeak of alarm. Aodh was at her side in a blink, his eyes blazing with white light and long, luminescent horns erupting from his head.
Nicholas dropped to all fours, his body transforming swiftly into his true shape of a huge, white bear as he turned to meet whatever threat was heading their way with a crashing rumble through the jungle.
“I—I thought you said the forest creatures avoided you,” Vrishti said.
“They do,” Gavra commented, his tone a casual contradiction to his brother’s defensive posture. Numa and Aurum both seemed equally nonplussed by the noise, standing alert and curious, but in no way alarmed. “That’s not your normal forest creature, though.”
Nicholas scented the air, his fur bristling with a fragrance that was both familiar and foreign.
Ursa, he thought, his heartbeat speeding up with the encroaching sounds of intermittent roars and chuffs until a dark shadow burst through t
he trees from the direction they had come.
With another ear-splitting bellow, a huge black bear became visible. He reared back on his hind legs, tossing his head. Falling back to all fours, he bared his teeth and scanned the row of figures, his gaze landing on Nicholas’s pristine white fur.
The black bear sniffed the air several times, then snorted.
“Windchaser, you are welcome, but your guests are not. The Queen’s decree forbids any but the runners from passing through the portal. This ritual is not sanctioned.”
Turning to the others, he said, “You all must turn back. Only Windchasers are allowed through.”
Gavra sauntered over, a sly smile quirking his lips. He rested a hand on Nicholas’s huge, fur-covered shoulder. “Show us your human face, and let’s all speak as equals, shall we, bear boy? Tell us your name first. I’m Gavra, Red of the Dragon Mother’s first brood. And this is Nicholas Stonetree. I believe you’d address him as Prince Stonetree would you not?”
The other bear dipped his head and shook it in confusion. Abruptly, his body shifted, the thick, black fur receding, his shape becoming human. He remained bowed, however.
“Forgive me, Stonetree. I … no one in the Sanctuary believed you still lived.” He raised his head and moonlight glinted off a mass of thick, black hair, as shining and smooth as his fur had been.
A chill shot up Nicholas’s spine. He shifted back to his human shape, hoping the change would destroy the sudden sense of foreboding. From the corner of his eye, he saw Aurum take a step forward.
The ursa stared up at them. “I’m Silas, ursa guardian from the Rainsong clan. I am sorry, sire, but I cannot allow your friends to enter. The security of the Sanctuary is paramount with the Ultiori threat on the rise.”
Aurum stepped closer, moving to stand beside her brother. Both red and gold dragons regarded the kneeling figure, the air growing thick with curiosity.
“We have to enter the Sanctuary,” Nicholas said. “I made a promise. One of these dragons’ mates is in the Haven.”
Silas stood and brushed the dirt from his hands. “No. There is no way I can let any but a Windchaser in.”
“Did you say you were from the Rainsong clan?” Vrishti asked, taking a hesitant step around Aodh and resting a gentle hand on the big dragon’s arm. “My mother is your clan leader, but I have never met her. I was raised out here. Surely you wouldn’t deny me a chance to meet my own mother?”
Silas looked down at Vrishti and closed his eyes with a grimace. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you continue. Not until I hear word from the Queen that it’s allowed.”
Looking back at Nicholas, he said, “You can go in. Bring back a message from the Queen granting her permission, and I will allow the girl to join you. The others, I’m afraid, are forbidden from entering.”
The ursa seemed completely oblivious to the pair of dragons who were both giving him strange, hungry looks.
Nicholas couldn’t keep his eyes off Aurum, and had stopped breathing while he waited to see what she would do.
Silas looked around at them all, confused when nobody replied. “So … you’ll leave?” he asked.
Aurum moved close and raised a hand to his head, brushed her fingertips lightly over the straight, shining black of his hair. Silas craned his head away, turning to stare at her.
“He might be the one …” she whispered.
Gavra shook his head. “If you’re not positive, then he isn’t, sister. Let me take care of this.”
Nicholas tensed when Aurum ignored her brother and stepped closer to the dark-haired ursa. Her familiar scent washed over him like a wave, filling him with elation, but it was superficial. Deep inside his rage grew, obliterating the power of her magic.
Silas wasn’t so well-armed. His gaze was locked onto her, an awed smile spreading across his lips, his entire face lighting up. Dumb from the proximity to Aurum’s magic, he moved toward her.
Nicholas let out a roar and launched himself at the other ursa. His naked body hit the other man with a heavy thud, throwing Silas to the ground. Nicholas shook with rage that this ursa would dare to even think about touching Aurum. Straddling Silas, he pinned the struggling man with one hand and raised a fist to punch.
“No! He might be my mate!” Aurum yelled. “Dammit, Nicholas! Stop!”
Just before his fist made contact with Silas’s jaw, a huge hand grabbed his wrist and held it with unrelenting strength. Close to his ear, Gavra said in a low voice, “Stop, Nick. He is not Aurum’s.”
Nicholas gritted his teeth. “How do you know?”
In a whisper that was barely audible, Gavra said, “Because he is mine. Let me deal with him so we can move on.”
A hot gust of air brushed past Nicholas’s ear and he jerked back, his skin prickling with the sensation of a different type of magic in the air now.
He moved to stand with the others again as Gavra took over. The red-haired dragon’s lips were parted in a slight “O” shape while he exhaled, his attention still fully focused on Silas. The ursa blinked up at him, then groaned, his entire body twisting as though in ecstasy and his naked cock growing more engorged by the second.
In the moonlight, the breath from Gavra’s lungs had a reddish glow, the smoky tendrils of it snaking their way into Silas’s mouth and nose, into his lungs. When it stopped, Gavra glanced over his shoulder at Nicholas.
“Keep her with you. There’s something I must do.” With that, he bent and lifted Silas’s stunned form in his arms and threw him over one shoulder, then trotted off into the darkness.
Aurum let out a cry of protest and moved to follow. Nicholas and Aodh both grabbed her by her arms and held her back.
“But I couldn’t tell if he was the one from my dreams!” she yelled. “Bring him back, you ass!”
Numa moved in front of her sister and gripped both her shoulders. “He was not the one. Let Gavra take care of him—his magic is best for this particular job.”
Shaking her head, Aurum said, “But how do you know? He could have been!”
“Because my dreams have also shown me ursa males, sister. One with dark hair, and one with light. Their faces are never clear enough to recognize entirely, but I know them from the way my body responds. The way their voices speak to my soul, the way their auras reach for mine. Silas might also have been one of mine, but I know he wasn’t. I know he wasn’t yours, either.”
Aurum let out a frustrated yell and wrenched her arms free of their grips. She stalked away in the opposite direction Gavra had taken and plopped down on a fallen log.
“You’re right!” she finally yelled over her shoulder. “I know he wasn’t, but I’m sick of not knowing who that ursa is.”
Nicholas let out a little grunt, her words yet again feeling like a punch in the gut. Numa gave him a meaningful glance and moved in close. “I don’t understand it either, child. Our dreams are powerful visions. If she believes what she saw, it will take a lot more than the connection you two have to convince her.”
“But she is so fucking sure it isn’t me. Why should I have hope that she’s wrong if the dreams tell her so? You all seem to know with such certainty, even if you don’t act on it.” He shot a quick look at Vrishti, then at Aodh, who narrowed his eyes in warning. Nicholas snorted.
“Fuck. If living in a goddamn prison cell my whole life taught me anything, it’s that freedom is overrated. At least in there, I knew where I stood. I knew what was mine while I had it right in front of me. Now it’s gone. All freedom means is that everything I believe is mine just slips through my fucking fingers.”
Numa gave him an understanding smile and a soft pat on his shoulder. “You haven’t been free long enough to know what it’s worth. Give it time, child. Give it time.” Then she passed by him and went to comfort her sister.
Nicholas sat on the ground, naked and not even caring that the clothing the drago
ns had conjured for him had been obliterated when he shifted. The air was damp and chilly, and the leafy earth beneath his ass even colder. Vrishti dropped her pack on the ground beside him and sat on top of it.
“I think she’s right, you know. When we get inside, you’ll see your mother again. You’ll see your family. Once that happens, I think your perspective will change. And who knows? Maybe I can make some ursa girlfriends to hook you up with. I wonder if we’ll be neighbors …”
Nicholas shook his head. “The clan lodges are days apart. The inside of the Sanctuary covers thousands of acres—these little ritual circles are only access points. But that would be nice.”
He smiled at her, appreciating the comforting presence. So far they’d only been able to exchange the rote details they’d learned about their home. Neither of them had actual living knowledge of what was inside. His all came from his lessons with Calder. The ancestral memories his mother had bestowed him with gave him images and feelings, but no hard data.
His soul ached to be inside as much as it ached for Aurum to come around and admit that maybe, just maybe, her dreams were wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gavra
Gavra found a small clearing hidden in a copse of trees that was illuminated by the full moon. Silas’s naked body slid limply to the ground, and he supported him as he lay the ursa down on the leafy forest floor. He hadn’t meant to feed the man so much magic, but had been forced to counteract Aurum’s involuntary flood of power. Her magic seeped from her pores when she wasn’t careful. Someday he hoped his sister would learn better focus, but knew that if she hadn’t by now, she never would.
Silas. Now he had a name to put to at least one of the faces that had haunted his dreams for so long. It looked like he and Aodh would both get Rainsong mates, which was fortuitous. They were the most fertile ursa, though fertility among ursa was on another plane entirely compared to the other races. And not that it mattered to Gavra, since it was the female who completed their trio that would be bearing their children, after all.
