by Amelia Jade
“Excuse me?”
“I did not stutter,” she said firmly. “I love you, and always will. But you have got to get with the times. I love this man,” she said, extending a hand behind her to gesture at Dominick. “Do you understand that?”
Klara just shook her head. “Rhynne, you’re not thinking right. Let’s get you home, so you can recover. We’ll talk about this tomorrow, okay?”
The ice in her mother’s tone would normally have cowed Rhynne, forcing her to accept the command. But not anymore.
“No,” she said fiercely. “I will not. I am going to go home with Dominick.”
Her mother reared back as if she’d been slapped. “What are you doing? This man is…is a nobody! He’s not fit to touch my daughter.”
“Mother, you are a miserable person. Just because he wasn’t born into a certain family, does not make him unworthy. Dominick is a good man. Isn’t that what you should be concerned about? I mean, shit, Mother, you tried to set me up with a man who would hurt me, and kidnap me, all because you think his blood is purer than someone else’s. Do you have any idea how crazy that is? You would rather your daughter be abused as long as he has good social status, than be with a man who loves her completely? What kind of mother does that make you?”
Klara’s jaw dropped open.
“How dare you talk to me like that!”
“I dare, Mother,” she snapped, “because you are being a bad parent, and you’re too blind to see it. If you don’t get with the times and accept that I love Dom, and he loves me, then I’m not sure I can continue to have you in my life.”
“Fine!” Klara snapped. “Have your little tryst, dear. We’ve let you before. But when you tire of him, don’t come crying to us anymore.”
Rhynne’s frustration boiled over at the density of her mother’s attitude, and she screamed at her. “It’s not a tryst. We love each other, and I am carrying his child. As soon as I get him alone, we shall be bonded as well.”
“A child?” Klara gasped, her pale face going even whiter. “A grandchild?”
“Not unless you come to terms with the fact that Dominick is a good man,” she shot back.
“Why you—” Klara intervened, coming at her daughter as if she meant to hit her.
A wall of black shot down between the two women.
“Enough,” Zoltan rumbled, his wing forming a barrier between the two. “Rhynne, go on,” he continued.
“What?” Klara shrieked. “You’re taking her side in this?”
“Yes,” Zoltan continued, his voice like an earthen reverberation, so deep it vibrated the rock underneath. “She is our daughter, and you are forgetting that. You’re treating her like some possession who you wish to use so you may gain more power. Leave her alone, Klara. We’re going home.”
Klara made to protest, but Zoltan growled. “Now. We shall talk once we’re there.”
Rhynne listened to her mother rage inarticulately, but there was a rush of heat and a Fire Dragon shot into the sky a moment later.
“I am sorry, daughter,” Zoltan said as he lifted the wing. “I’m not sure what has gotten into her, but I shall speak with her. Hopefully I can knock some sense into her. She does love you, deep down. Remember that, okay?”
“I will,” Rhynne said. “And Dad?”
“Yes dear?”
“Thank you,” she said, reaching out to rest a hand on his scales. “For everything. I know it’s not what you may have wanted, but it’s what I want.”
The big dragon smiled, six-inch long teeth visible as he did. “All I want is for you to be happy,” he said.
“I am,” she assured him as Dominick moved up to her side, his arm snaking around her back to hold her steady. “I promise.”
“Good,” he replied, then shifted his attention to Dominick. “Take good care of her, and your child.” His voice dropped an octave. “She’s still my daughter.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Dominick replied seriously, nodding respectfully to Zoltan.
“I know you will,” he said, and launched himself into the sky, following swiftly after the quickly receding red dragon.
Once he was gone, Rhynne sagged into Dom’s arms.
“Come on, let’s get you inside,” he told her, and they began to walk toward the Academy, which thankfully was still mostly intact. It would need some repairs, but they had gotten the fire put out before too much damage had been done.
Together they walked up the steps. Behind them, she heard another dragon settle to the ground. Pausing, she turned and saw Daxxton land not too far away. The gold dragon looked at her, and she gave him a tired nod. Satisfied, the Wing Commander turned his attention to Asher, as the Frost Dragon began to speak, telling him everything that had happened.
With Dominick by her side, she walked inside, comforted by his presence.
***
“Did you really mean what you said?” Dominick asked the next morning as they landed on a wide flat ledge of Forlorn Peak. They were on the far side of the mountain from the Academy, where they could simply just be alone without risk of interference for the entire day.
They were relaxed now. Garviel was in jail, awaiting trial, meaning they didn’t have to worry about him getting up to any more antics, thankfully. The pair could just focus on themselves and each other, which is what had brought them up there.
“Which part?” she asked. “But yes, I don’t think I said anything I didn’t mean last night.”
“About wanting to bond,” Dom asked, and she sensed his nervousness at what her answer might be.
Rhynne rested her long neck against his. “Completely,” she told him. “Assuming that that’s what you want as well,” she added, suddenly feeling butterflies of her own as she realized that maybe Dominick didn’t want to take part in such a ritual with her.
“I thought you would never ask,” he replied, nuzzling her head with his own, his yellow dragon eyes with their oval pupils staring at her.
“When do you want to do it?” she asked, still nervous.
Bonding with another dragon was a major thing, and not something that could be undone, except by the death of one partner or the other. It was not an agreement to be entered into lightly. Even her parents, together now for nearly seventy years, had never bonded. They loved each other, she was sure, but it wasn’t the same type of love she shared with Dominick. They had been forced together by their stations in life, and had found a way to love each other out of it.
Not so with Rhynne. Bucking that trend, she was going to bond because she loved him from the start. He was her mate, and her dragon wouldn’t accept anything less.
“Right now,” Dom said, surprising her. He moved slightly away from her and in a rush of sparking electrical lightning, shifted back into his human form.
“You’re positive?” she asked seriously.
“Completely,” he said, echoing her earlier response.
“Okay,” she said and curled her tail around, choosing a scale just a little larger than her fist would be. With a sharp talon she peeled it off, ignoring the pain it sent through her.
Holding it up to her snout, Rhynne breathed fire over it, until the scale glowed on the inside.
“Ready?” she asked, and Dominick removed his shirt.
“Ready,” he told her.
He was nervous too, she could tell. His hands were clenched as he prepared himself. Without further hesitation, she gripped the shield awkwardly in her talons, and then reached down and pressed it firmly to his chest.
Dom cried out once, a sharp, barking noise, and then it was over as the heated scale seared itself to his flesh, and suddenly she could feel him in her head.
“Oh Dom,” she said, the feeling of love and adoration, trust, and powerful, overwhelming passion flooding through her new connection with him. “I should never have pushed you away from the start,” she said, nearing tears as she understood, truly understood, just how much he cared for her.
It was a powerful thin
g, understanding another person’s emotions as they were feeling them. Rhynne had heard from others about how spiritual and uplifting it could be, and she’d scoffed at the glazed-eyed way others who had bonded had spoken of it. But now she understood, and vowed never to doubt someone again.
Her love for Dominick burned brighter almost instantly as she let go of the last of her worries and allowed herself to believe completely and thoroughly that they were meant to be together forever.
“Your turn,” he said, and they reversed places.
Rhynne watched as Dominick picked a tiny scale from his body, perhaps the size of her own palm. He held it to his snout, and a bolt of lightning cracked out and ran over it, imbuing it with the power necessary to bond it to another.
She removed her shirt without a shred of self-conscious doubt, imbued by the slight spark of arousal that ran through Dominick as the curves of her breasts were bared to him, even though they were still covered by her bra.
“Ready?” he asked.
Rhynne nodded, not trusting her voice.
Dominick, like her, didn’t hesitate as he pressed it to her flesh.
She cried out, not at the feeling of his scale bonding with her skin, but at the fact that it was so cold. She’d expected it to be hot, but instead it felt like ice. A jolt of fear burned its way through her mental bridge with him, but it was almost instantly replaced by a sense of astonished wonder.
“What? What is it?” she asked, scared at the power of his emotion.
Dominick disappeared in a cloud of lightning, swiftly returning to his human form. Rhynne ran to him as she realized there were tears in his eyes.
“Dominick?” she asked, shaking him gently. “What is it? Speak to me.”
“Beautiful,” he whispered as tears tracked their way slowly down his cheeks.
She reached up and brushed them away before wrapping her arms around his neck. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she agreed. “I feel like I know you so much better already.”
“Rhynne,” he said, looking at her glassy eyed. “I can feel you.”
“I know,” she said with a happy smile. “I can too.”
“No,” he said, his eyes suddenly focusing on her. “I can feel both of you.”
“Wait,” she said, abruptly standing up straight. “You mean you—”
Dominick nodded happily. “Yes! Yes, my love. I can feel you and our child.” His eyes bore into hers. “I can feel our daughter.”
Rhynne’s legs wobbled and Dominick guided her to the ground, where he held her tight. She brushed a hand over her stomach, holding it there as Dominick took her hand in his.
“A daughter?” she whispered, stunned.
He nodded. “Yes, a little girl.”
Rhynne giggled hysterically. “We’re going to have a girl.”
“We’re going to have a girl!” Dom said, picking her up and swinging her—gently—around in a circle.
“We’re having a girl,” Rhynne said, and pulled his head to hers so she could kiss him thoroughly.
When they parted, she knew the silly grin plastered on Dominick’s face was mirrored on her own.
Then he put her down and looked at her seriously.
“You know what we have to do now?” he said happily.
“What?” she asked, sensing his elation through their bond.
“We have to pick out names.”
Rhynne smiled and kissed him again.
THE END
This concludes Book 3 of the Top Scale Academy Series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Keep turning the page for Gale Dragon – Book #4!
Gale Dragon
Chapter One
Zander
He was not ready for this.
The unhappiness within must be reflected upon his face, because passersby of all types parted around him like water around a lethal predator as it moved gracefully through their midst. That was what he was, after all. A king of this domain, though he did not deign to rule over it. That was left to others. For now.
If everything he’d just found out was true and came to pass, then he might find himself amongst the circles of the ruling elite sooner than he’d expected. But Zander Pierce wasn’t overly eager for that to happen. If it did, it meant that his mother had passed on from this world.
Despite his ambition, even he wasn’t that cruel. No, he loved his mother as much as any son could, and would sorely miss the old Fire Dragon when she moved on. As crusty and rude as she could be, she had raised him well.
Now she’d given him a mission, which reflected his current misery.
“Zander Lennir Pierce. You find yourself a mate already, or your cousin Kieran will get everything!”
He didn’t need a mate. For nearly two centuries he’d done things his way, on his schedule. Why did that have to change now? The idea of having to give in to something so fully that he lost most of his independence not only did not sound appealing to Zander, it flat out scared him shitless. He did not know if he was capable of such a thing, even if he had wanted it himself.
So here he was, in “downtown” Cadia, walking down the streets with a glower on his face that sent all but the most powerful of shifters scrambling from his path. Even the mighty grizzlies respectfully moved aside, cognizant of the fact that nobody wanted to deal with an angry shifter, let alone a dragon.
The smaller ones—panthers, wolves, and the like—practically scampered from his path, many of them opting to move to the other side of the cobblestone road, or flattening themselves against a building. Their abject fear satisfied a small part of his mind, though he wasn’t normally such a towering mountain of rage that demanded said respect.
The glint of sunlight off a nearby window caused him to pause and look at his reflection.
As a dragon shifter he was naturally tall, though he wasn’t the largest of his species. Just a few inches over six feet in height, he had the broad shoulders and thick slabs of muscle typical of dragons. He wasn’t as massive as a grizzly, or even some of the bigger members of his race—Blaine Wingstar was well over six-and-a-half feet in size—but the coppery glint to his skin and sandy-colored hair told everyone what he was, and offered a suggestion that they stay the hell out of his way.
Even without that warning sign, Zander was fairly well known in Cadia, as was his temper. Already short to begin with, it became explosive if he was in a terrible mood. Like he was now, with the knowledge of his mother’s failing health, and her decree to him. All of it combined had made sure that even the odd dragon he passed in his wanderings had stepped to the side, rather than make a scene of it.
Looking at his reflection, he reached up and brushed the finger-length hair off his forehead and to the side. The black button-up shirt tucked into blue jeans was a good look on him, especially with the slight tan to his skin and the brown shoes to match. It was a classic style, but he suddenly got the feeling that it wasn’t what he needed just then.
No, something more…
“Stylish,” he rumbled as his eyes focused on the products displayed behind the glass window he’d been looking through.
Two mannequins stood side by side, showing off competing styles of suits. His eyes flicked from the gray to the black and back again. The slim, form-fitting cut and elegant pinstripes on the black one were very sharp, while the gray had a more modern look, lacking any breast pockets.
Either way, it was an upgrade over what he had.
Zander stepped back, looking at the sign above the door.
Challer’s Fine & Formalwear
He shrugged, having passed the store many times in his life, but never having actually been inside. The wooden door with checkerboard glass windows embedded in it opened smoothly under his pull. Like outside, the redwood color continued through the walls and floors, giving the place a warm earthen feel to it. Crown molding and intricately carved wooden posts marked the ceiling and corners.
Suits hung on racks, as did shirts of all styles, ties, shoes, belts, and all manner of things
necessary to outfit someone in the latest fashions. Overhead soft yellow lights bathed the place in a comforting glow.
At the back, a tall man with slicked-back black hair was looking down his hooked beak-like nose at a short—for a shifter at least—woman wearing a black dress with white vertical stripes, cinched just below her breasts with a black belt.
He felt himself stir at the way it emphasized her cleavage, visible through the low V-cut neckline, and her waist, as the lightweight material draped itself to her figure. Inside, his dragon perked up at the sight of her, and he was forced to take a moment and quell its thoughts before he approached her.
“Hello, may I help you, sir?” the woman said, pulling herself away from the tall man. He watched her go with a look of disdain that sent a flash of anger through Zander, much to his own surprise.
“Yes,” he said, his voice deep and powerful, like tectonic plates shifting and grinding against each other as it rumbled through the room. “Yes you can.”
“Indeed, what brings you to Challer’s today?’ she asked with a bubbly smile, her soft pink-stained lips curling up in a manner that showed off wonderful dimples.
“I need a new suit,” he said bluntly, working hard to ensure that was all he said. It was harder than it should have been. He was into his second century of life; it should have been easy for him to ignore the effect she was having on him.
But it wasn’t.
“Well, you came to the right place!” she burbled, looking up at him.
Zander found himself staring for a moment as he realized they were a beautiful gray color, unlike anything he’d ever seen before. The swirl of foggy mist in the morning light, he thought, mesmerized by their depths.
Who is this woman?
“Is, uh, something wrong, sir?” she asked hesitantly, and he realized he’d been staring.
“No,” he said simply, wrenching his eyes away and panning them around the store. “Stylish.”
“Pardon me?” she asked, leaning in closer to him, the movement wafting a scent of wildflowers across him.
Zander tightly clenched a fist, focusing on the moment.
