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  You are cold. I did not consider the change in temperature at this altitude. I will take you back.

  “Not yet. This is the most beautiful moment of my life. You can warm me up later.”

  You turn twenty-three at midnight tonight. I will bond with you, Robin, but until then, we’ll do as you wish.

  Robin hadn’t meant her words to sound like an invitation, or had she? “Now might be a good time to tell you I don’t cook, and most people find me—abrasive.”

  “I’m an adequate cook and will teach you in the coming eons. I’m aware of your abrasive behavior and why you do it.”

  “Because I’m a bitch?”

  Ash snorted. Hardly, you pushed everyone away because Samuel would’ve killed them. You were his prize possession. He could have kept you locked up, but he had your face plastered on every magazine. The world thinks you are a wealthy socialite. His ego was his ultimate undoing.

  “I thought you hadn’t seen me before?”

  I Googled you when you were sleeping.

  Robin laughed. “How very modern of you.”

  Old dragons can learn new tricks.

  She heard the incantation as the air distorted around her. “What did you do?”

  I have cast a spell to warm the air surrounding you.

  The warmth on her skin paled compared to that in her heart. “Thank you, Ash.”

  They flew for hours until Robin finally gave in and allowed Ash to take her back to the cabin very close to midnight. Her stomach refused to stop rumbling. She had finished her stew when she heard a wolf howl. “Is that Thorn?”

  “Yes. He is hunting.”

  “What about Draco and Conner?” she asked.

  “They are flying, monitoring Thorn. They will be back by morning.”

  “Oh.”

  Ash took the bowl from her. “You are nervous.”

  “I am. I want to be with you. I feel the connection between us. Even when you were in dragon form, it felt like tiny threads spinning us together. I have never...”

  “You do not fear making love. You fear me seeing you. The real you.”

  “How—yes.”

  “You think Samuel corrupted you, that the years you spent pushing people away have made you a bitter person.”

  Robin pursed her lips. “Yes.”

  “I am your mate, Robin. You cannot hide from me. You cannot hide the truth.”

  “What is the truth?” She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer, but she needed it.

  “Your soul is as beautiful as you are. Yes, you used harsh words as a shell to protect any that approached you, but you were saving them, Robin. You didn’t mean the things you said.”

  Robin looked down. “I meant some of them.”

  “I agree with your suggestions for your fish-faced admirer.” Ash smiled.

  Robin laughed. “I will never get away with anything around you.”

  Ash pulled her into his lap. “You won’t have to. I would give you anything you asked for.”

  Robin touched his face.

  He waited for her to say yes. He wasn’t pushing. His crystalline eyes held everything.

  Love. Pride. Commitment. All for her. “Are you sure I will be enough?”

  “You already are.” He kissed her.

  Robin felt the fire race along her skin. The electrical current, while unseen, arced between them. The fire in the hearth flamed up, casting shadows across the room. Was that her? Him? Them? She wasn’t sure. She only knew that inferno between them was building. An insatiable force that neither could command. When he lifted his head, his eyes held flames inside the pupils. Tiny fires, threatening to consume everything in their path.

  She put her hands on his face and touched her lips to his. If she left him, she condemned him to a life of loneliness, but wasn’t she doing the same for herself? She had never felt more free. Excited. Aroused. She felt his need. Belief. Devotion. All for her. Nothing. No one would need her more than him. She kissed him, pouring her acceptance into the intensity of their union.

  “Take off your clothes, Robin.”

  She wanted this. While fear quickened her heart, her hands were steady as she pulled off her sweater, leaving her breasts exposed. Her soul shivered under his intense gaze, knowing she was offering more than her body.

  Ash stood, undoing the buttons on his jeans and dropped them to the floor. He stood like a tanned god. The fire and shadows licked his skin as if they too revered his body.

  She tried not to be intimidated by his size. She expected that part of him to be large. “I don’t think that will fit.”

  Ash pulled her against his body. “You were made for me, Robin. If a dragon learns one thing, it is patience.” His hands skimmed her skin, heating everywhere he touched. He removed her jeans while kissing her.

  She didn’t remember him laying her down on the rug before the fire yet she felt the soft material against her back as he kissed her neck, moving toward her breasts. She clutched his arms as he nudged her legs apart, feeling vulnerable, stretched out like a sacrifice.

  He moved down to her stomach, swirling his tongue around her belly button, tugging on the silver ring. “Trust me, Robin.”

  “I do.”

  He growled his approval as he positioned himself between her legs, and his tongue took its first foray into her moist heat.

  She cried out as the erotic sensations scorched her skin. Each lash of his tongue ricocheted through her body in electric heat. She grasped his head as her body crested the apex. She called out his name as she plummeted into orgasm.

  He was nudging her entrance before she could recover from the storm of sensation that whipped through her body. “Stay with me, Robin. This will hurt for a moment.”

  She felt the burn as he inched inside her, and the steel cords of muscle as they flexed beneath his skin. Every sinew seemed pulled taut. As if he, like his body, were at its breaking point. He moaned when he was engulfed within her, holding himself still, allowing her to adjust to his girth before starting a steady rhythm.

  She felt the moment his control snapped. His thrusts became more urgent, harder. Deeper. The surrounding air shimmered. Distorted. She heard electricity crackle in the air. Felt the magic within her reach for his. Saw the fireplace flames rear up in worship.

  Robin let go when he did, feeling her soul latch onto his. She didn’t know what it meant; only that it tied them for all eternity. She chose this. Chose him. In a world where she’d had few choices, this was one she would never regret.

  Her fingers drew lazy circles on Ash’s chest as she rested her head on his shoulder. His warmth enveloped her like a shield. She could feel her life force binding with his. Tiny filaments that reached out, turned to steel. “I feel different. Stronger. More aware. It’s hard to describe.”

  Ash kissed her temple. “That is the binding. It ties your life force to mine for all time. For as long as I live, so shall you.”

  “Nothing can kill you?”

  “Prior to binding with you, I could only be killed by a dragon, mage or druid.”

  “Something that possesses magic.”

  “Yes.”

  “You said prior to bonding with me. Has that changed?”

  “My life force is also bound to you. Though I possess the magic to heal you from most mortal wounds.”

  Robin sat up. “Are you saying that if I die, you die?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would you do this? Humans die. A runaway hot dog stand could hit me!”

  Ash raised an eyebrow. “While painful, that will not kill you.”

  “I’m still human.”

  “And a druid mated to a dragon.”

  “That makes me—sturdier.”

  “Yes.”

  “But I’m not as indestructible as you?”

  “No, any living being can be beheaded, a human is—”

  Robin cleared her throat. “Easy to chop up. Got it. I will avoid large sharp knives.”

  Ash smiled. “I would appre
ciate that.”

  “I’m sorry that I’m your weakness.”

  Ash pulled her to him. “Don’t be. I would rather have a few minutes of extraordinary versus a lifetime of nothing.”

  “I guess a human lifespan is like a few minutes to you, but I’m not extraordinary.”

  Ash kissed her. His tongue swept into her mouth, sending fire through her bloodstream. His eyes glowed like melted copper. Crystalline in their metallic beauty. “You are to me.”

  Robin pursed her lips. “Are there a lot of you? Dragons, I mean?”

  “The mated dragons died when their women died. The remaining dragons went to sleep in the caves except for the dozen.”

  “The dozen?”

  “We are the protectors of the cave. The sentinels left awake to maintain the peace, ensuring that the dark dragons abide by the truce. The ones tasked with finding the druid bloodline.”

  “What will happen now?”

  “The truce is broken. My brethren will rise. The war will begin again.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  There was a loud crash. The entire cabin shook, making Robin pull the sheet up to cover her body. “What the hell was that?”

  “Legion has arrived. He wishes to meet you.”

  “The dragon leader?”

  “Aye.”

  “You slipped into a Scottish accent. Tell me that isn’t a bad sign.”

  “He is angry.”

  “Why?”

  “He wants to see us downstairs. Let’s go.”

  They entered the living room holding hands.

  Legion faced the fire with his hands on his hips. He wore jeans and his feet were bare. The thick defined muscles in his back twitched under the tattoo of black dragon wings. “Cool tat,” Robin said.

  He turned to look at them with glowing gold eyes. They lit the dark room with light and anger. “You broke the truce over this?”

  Robin sucked in a breath. Ash pulled her behind him. “She is my choice, Legion. We have bonded.”

  Legion looked her over as if she were nothing. Even Samuel lacked the ability to make her feel so inconsequential. “I feel no magic from her. Your bond is a fraud.”

  “Today is her birthday. Her magic is in its infancy. She has no training and does not understand her heritage,” Ash growled.

  Legion’s eyes narrowed. “You would fight me—over her?”

  “Yes.”

  “She is not a druid. If you walk away from the clan to be with her, then you will turn dark and I will be forced to kill you.”

  Robin shivered. She felt the sensation inside her heart. It moved outward traveling down her arms. Her fingertips tingled. Unsure what was happening, she turned to the one defense that had never failed her. “You forgot to mention your leader was such a dick.”

  Legion looked at her. “A mouthy human? This was the best you could do?”

  “I may be mouthy but at least I’m not a total prick to my family.” Robin nodded. “Ash talked about you like you were some great leader. Someone to look up to. I thought living with Samuel was bad, but I would take his dark ass over yours any day. At least, he wasn’t a two-faced little bitch like you.”

  Legion’s form rippled. He moved so fast Ash barely had time to erect a shield between them. “You sorry excuse for—”

  “That is enough!” Ash roared.

  Draco and Conner raced into the room. They looked at the undulating shield between Ash and Legion. Conner turned to Ash. “What are you doing? Legion could snap you in half if he chose to.”

  Strain creased Ash’s brow. “I’m aware of my predicament.”

  Legion huffed. “If she were your mate, her magic would strengthen you. She is—”

  The power exploded out of Robin in a rush. Heat and unnatural electricity discharged from her hands, slamming into Legion’s chest.

  Legion launched into the air, crashing through the fireplace, annihilating the stone craftsmanship as he smashed through the wall, skidding across the ground outside. He rose, shifting into a massive gold dragon.

  Robin understood death. She had looked into its eyes her entire life. The gold dragon could kill any one of them. All of them. “I’m sorry. Um, don’t take this out on Ash. It’s my fault. Please don’t hurt him.”

  Steam blew from the golden dragon’s nostrils before he shifted back to human form. Robin turned to Conner. “Are you going to help us here?”

  Conner had a whimsical look. “Can’t. Clan politics, sweetheart.”

  Ash pulled her close to him. “You have nothing to fear.”

  “Legion is the size of a mini-mall! He’ll turn me into a Scooby snack!”

  Legion pulled on a pair of jeans Draco handed him. “I do not eat humans.” He winked. “Anymore.”

  Ash squinted. “You provoked her on purpose.”

  Legion shrugged. “Reactive magic is the easiest to invoke.”

  Robin looked at the grinning men. “What’s reactive magic, and why are you all smiling?”

  Ash kissed her. “It’s magic used for protection. It’s invoked without thought or malice.”

  “You never intended to hurt me? Everything you said was total bullshit.”

  Legion laughed. “Yes, but you didn’t know that, so your magic rose to protect you.”

  “What if I turned you into a chipmunk?”

  Legion smiled. “Only an experienced druid possesses the power of transmutation. You may never gain that skill, and if you do, it will take decades to learn. My hide was safe.”

  “Sorry I threw you through the wall, but why did you want my magic to surface? You don’t strike me as the guy who enjoys getting his ass kicked by a girl.”

  Conner laughed. “I like this one.”

  Legion nodded. “I want, no, I need you and Ash safe. With your protective magic up and running, I can focus on the upcoming war.”

  “I didn’t want to start a war.” Robin’s face fell.

  Legion shook his head. “This has been a long time coming. You have simply given us something to fight for. For that, I thank you.”

  Robin looked between the men. “What do we do?”

  Legion smiled. “We celebrate your union and wait for our brethren to wake.”

  Epilogue

  Robin kissed her new husband. “The ceremony was beautiful. I thought I wanted a big wedding, but this was better.”

  “Our mating ceremony is simple compared to a human wedding.” Ash smiled. “We can have one if you wish.”

  “I don’t have friends, Ash. I wasn’t allowed, and if I did, I would have put them in danger. You are my only family. The dragons are my friends—especially Thorn.”

  “He’s taken with you.”

  “I hope we can help him someday.”

  “We will. With you in my arms, I believe anything is possible.”

  He kissed her. “Are you ready to go?”

  “You haven’t mentioned, but where is our new home?”

  Ash shrugged. “We have many properties, but my home is in your arms.”

  Robin felt the power. The magic swirled in her heart, mixing with her love for Ash. “I feel the same way. I never dreamed of a real life. Not one where I love someone like I do—you.”

  “Was that so hard to say?”

  Robin stepped back. “Ash Rule. I love you with all my heart. I promise to stand by your side for all time.” She winked. “And cause you as much mischief as possible.”

  Ash pulled her back to him and laughed. “That I believe.”

  “You didn’t think I was going soft, did you?”

  “Robin, you are the light in an eternity of darkness. You bring meaning to the uncertainty of life. You are, and shall always be, the treasure of my existence.”

  She hugged him. “I didn’t know dragons were so poetic.”

  “What you call poetry—I call truth.”

  Robin circled her arms around his neck. “Where are we off to?”

  “I thought we would go to the Sahara. I haven’t flown
over the desert in decades and find I am eager to show you its beauty.”

  Robin cleared her throat. “Are you concerned that I make you vulnerable? Legion says I have a lot to learn before he will allow us to travel alone.”

  Ash kissed her forehead. “To live. Love. Have a family. That is a life I will take. Choose. Whether it’s for a hundred years or a thousand, I want those years with you. I love you, Robin, and no amount of time will change that.”

  “Thank you for choosing me—for being mine.”

  “I would give you the moon, the ocean, and the stars, but you already have something more valuable.”

  “What?”

  “You have this dragon’s heart, and his love for you is eternal.”

  About Tia Didmon

  Tia Didmon is an award-winning and bestselling author. She writes exotic paranormal romance and is happily married with three kids and one fur baby. While she calls Vancouver Island, Canada, home, she loves to travel and can usually find a zipline along the way. She loves to connect with her readers as well as share her favorite meme’s. You can check those out on her Facebook page or Instagram.

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