She wanted this freedom away from the pain and grief of life, to become pure magic and light. Her life as Lisa—her parents far away in Hawaii, her disastrous marriage, her sadness at losing Li Na, her hard work grubbing for a living—fell away. She could become the silver dragon alone and have nothing but peace.
"Lisa!" Caleb shouted behind her.
The silver and gold threads which had twined when they'd fought Donna hadn't dispersed. They pulled her sharply, solidifying her body into its silver dragon shape. Suddenly she was very cold.
It is not cold here, the stars promised. Join us.
Caleb seemed to know exactly what was going on. "Lisa, you need to stay in the human world and protect the orb."
No, the stars answered. You have protected it long enough. Time to pass the task to another.
Lisa wavered, wondering if she could let her grandmother Li Na down by leaving the task behind. Saba, though a strong witch, could not protect it like a silver dragon could. Ming Ue, another strong mage, likely wouldn't be able to either, and it wasn't fair to ask her after the help she'd already given.
Caleb, then. Caleb could spend his entire life watching television in Lisa's apartment, making certain that no one touched the orb. She had given up her silver dragon existence long enough.
"Lisa!" Caleb's call was desperate now. "I need you."
Lisa turned, her body glittering and almost insubstantial.
She felt her pull to Caleb, not enslavement, not the binding threads of the mark, but something deeper that bound her more tightly still.
Caleb hovered far, far below her, a golden speck in the rising sun that was just visible on the horizon. His words were was faint as he projected them to her.
"I love you," he said, anguish in his voice.
Dragons don't love, the stars told her. We are logical beings with no need of love.
"The hell we are," she answered.
Lisa arrowed her body straight toward Caleb, her heart giving her the answer. She descended at a rapid rate, ice sheets forming on her wings and breaking off in chunks that sparkled in the rising sun's light. Caleb moved, a flash of gold, and she dove for him.
At the last minute, she veered around him, making him swerve. He growled and snapped his teeth at her, and she nipped him back, avoiding the downward push of his wings.
"You're mine." His dragon voice filled the air around them. "Stardust dragons can find their own women."
Lisa laughed. She flew away from him, but slowly, wanting to be caught. Caleb spiraled around her, rolling on currents of air, his gold scales glittering in the sun. She followed him, letting him draw her farther and farther away from the stars, heading back to the portal to the human world.
They flew almost leisurely to the gap that waited for them, enjoying flying together over Dragonspace, rolling over one another and playing impromptu games of tag. At last, Lisa streamed toward the gap that led to the Earth world and plunged through it, changing shape and landing on her backside on the living room carpet.
A few seconds later, Caleb burst through and landed on top of her, human once more, his gold armband in place.
"I want you," he said, holding her down with his strong arms. "I love you."
She touched his face, loving the warm, strong feel of it. "I want you, too, Caleb. And I love you."
"I want to stay here with you. You'll need my help."
"But can you stay? Saba said the magic would wear off once I'm safe. And now that Donna's gone and Malcolm can go home…"
"I don't want to go." He kissed her, his very male body hard under her touch, his eyes deeply blue. "The silver dragon has enough magic to let me stay, doesn't she? If she wants me, that is."
"Dragonspace is your home."
Caleb shook his head, his golden hair brushing her face. "It is lonely there. Here I have you, and television, and delivery pizza."
He was trying to make her laugh but she couldn't quite yet. "Dragons don't mate for life."
"They don't fall in love either or protect their children, but I've learned to do all that. I've found my life-mate, and it's you."
She traced his lips, her heart aching and full of hope at the same time. "I saw all the silver dragon's mates when we restored the balance. Not one of them was a dragon. Li Na must have known I was destined to fall in love with a dragon, since she disguised the orb as a bowl with a golden dragon on the bottom. She could have chosen any dragon, but she picked a golden."
"Goldens are the strongest dragons."
"She knew it would take a pesky golden to keep a silver dragon at home." Lisa snuggled into his side. "You need to teach me how to be a dragon, how not to get lost in the stars."
"I will if you teach me more about being human. Which will include having lots of sex."
She laughed. "I think I can make that bargain. The silver dragon was never alone through the centuries, you know. She always had someone she loved nearby."
Caleb growled. "Now it will be me." He nipped her neck, as he liked to do as a dragon and moved her thighs apart to enter her.
"I love you, Caleb," she whispered as excitement took her. "Love you so much."
"I love you, too, Lisa," he murmured. "My magical, beautiful mate!"
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Four
One more task had to be performed. At noon, a knock on the door woke them, and Lisa answered it to admit Malcolm. Saba, looking unhappy but resigned, entered behind him.
"Are you certain you want to go?" Lisa asked in a low voice as she and Malcolm stood in front of the doorway to Dragonspace. Malcolm had removed his clothing and now stood straight and tall in front of the door.
"Yes," he answered, laconic as ever.
Caleb watched, leaning on the door frame to Lisa's bedroom, the golden armband gleaming against his bronzed skin. He no longer needed the armband because the silver dragon had infused the doorway to Dragonspace with enough magic so he could come and go as he pleased, but he kept the armband because Lisa liked how it looked on him. The gold glistening against his bicep reminded her what a sexy warrior he was.
"Do you want time to say good-bye to Saba?" Lisa asked Malcolm. "I'll give you a minute alone."
"We have already said our good-byes," Malcolm said.
Lisa glanced at Saba. She waited by the shelves of Oriental curios, Malcolm's leather coat folded over her arms, her face white. Lisa touched her mind softly so as not to disturb her and found no trace of Malcolm's dragon mark. He'd removed it.
"May we get on with it?" Malcolm asked tersely.
Lisa sighed. She extended her power to the door and drew a line of silver fire that would allow Malcolm to pass through unharmed. "Good-bye, Malcolm. And thank you."
Malcolm nodded once, his gaze sliding to her and away. Lisa smiled, realizing he was embarrassed at the reminder that he'd changed into one of the good guys.
Malcolm raised his arms above his head and dove into the opening. As he did he became dragon, blacker than night, dark velvet on the darker sky. He looked back once, his silver eyes luminescent. Hot wind from his wings washed through the portal, stirring the wind chimes across the room, then the slit in the air vanished, leaving nothing but the ordinary spare bedroom. Malcolm was gone.
Lisa closed the door. Saba had drifted out to the balcony and stood at the railing, looking out at the city. Lisa shared a glance with Caleb, then she joined Saba on the balcony, inhaling the warm summer air.
"It's stupid to cry." Saba stared out over the rooftops, her cheeks wet. "I knew from the first he didn't want to stay."
"He'll be back," Lisa said.
Saba wiped away the quiet tears. "I don't think so. He's found his freedom. It's what he wanted."
Lisa slipped her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "Don't punish yourself too much. You're allowed to miss him and wish things were different."
"He won't come back."
"Yes, he will. I feel it."
Saba reached into the pocket of the leather coat Ma
lcolm had given her and pulled out two crystalline spheres. "He gave me these."
Lisa touched one interestedly. "What are they?"
"Black dragon's tears. He said if I ever needed him, the direst necessity like the world coming to an end, I could use them to call him. Long distance to Dragonspace or something." She tried to smile.
"He means it."
"I know." Saba dropped the dragon's tears back into the pocket. "But I don't think he'll consider it a dire emergency if I'm lonely at night."
Lisa said nothing, knowing knew Saba wouldn't listen to reassurances that Malcolm would one day return for her. Saba's heart was too tender right now, and she didn't want hope. But Lisa knew even without her silver dragon magic that he'd be back. She'd seen the way Malcolm looked at Saba when he thought no one observed him. He'd come back.
Lisa smiled to herself as she gathered Saba in a comforting hug. The silver dragon in her hoped she'd be around to see Malcolm and Saba finally get themselves sorted out.
"There's a rerun of Buffy on," Caleb called from the living room. "It's the one where they become their Halloween costumes. Want to watch?"
Lisa and Saba exchanged a glance, laughed, and drifted back into the house.
"Caleb," Lisa said a month later. They sat on the sofa late in the darkness, the television playing, Lisa's head on Caleb's shoulder. He trailed his fingers through her hair, once in a while turning his head to softly kiss her.
"Mmm?" he asked.
"We should get married."
He smiled into her hair. "Like humans do? That sounds nice."
"Nothing fancy," Lisa said, stretching her legs. On the television, the audience roared at Conan O'Brien's quip. "Just a few friends, some cake, some champagne. We can ask Mrs. Bradley to make cookies."
"Mmm," he said, chest rumbling under her ear. "I like those."
"That will make things easier when we make the announcement."
His lips grazed her forehead. "What announcement, love?"
"About the little dragon on the way." She laid her hand across her abdomen. "My doctor is amazed how strong she is. It will be a girl, of course. To carry on the silver dragon legacy."
Caleb went motionless. Lisa raised her head and found him staring hard at her, eyes fixed, his pupils pinpricks of black in the blue. "Little dragon?"
"Yours and mine." Lisa touched his face. "Remember all that dragon mating? Not to mention all the mating here in our bedroom. We already broke one bed."
"I thought…" He trailed off, voice strangled, then cleared his throat. "I thought lady dragons went off and laid a clutch of eggs in hiding."
"Nope." She took his broad, shaking hand and placed it on her belly. "The silver dragon chose to take human form and reproduce the human way. So you and I are going to have a little human child. Who will also be a dragon. It will be interesting explaining that to her."
His gave her a frozen stare. "You're telling me—I'll be a father?"
"Yes. Again. You did a wonderful job the first time. I'm sure you'll be fine this time, too."
Caleb's face was sheet white. "Oh, sweet gods."
Lisa tilted her head and kissed his cheek. "You'll be fine."
Lisa watched his eyes widen in fear then soften as he thought of his son taken from him long ago. Hope entered his eyes, then fondness, and love. Last of all, the wicked Caleb gleam returned.
"Our child," he said, his voice strong. "Half-golden, half-silver dragon. She'll be insufferable."
"Just like her father," Lisa said, and kissed him.
* * *
Author Bio
Jennifer Ashley writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romances, mysteries, historical fiction, and erotic romance under several different pseudonyms. She lives in the warm southwest with her husband and cat and spends most of her time in the world of her stories. More about Jennifer's books can be found on her web site: www.jennifersromances.com. Or contact Jennifer via email at [email protected].
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