Rhea frowned. "What do you mean, all the time in the world?"
"That's how it works. A blood bond made in the heat of passion has bound us together, for all eternity," Saras explained.
Her eyes widened as the meaning of his words sunk in. "You learn something new every day."
"Can't get rid of me that easily now," Saras remarked.
She let out a laugh; the sound made his heart sing with joy. He'd make it his mission to hear her laughter every day going forward.
Saras sunk back into his seat, watching and listening with a smile on his face as the citizens of Black Mountain continued to sing and even dance. Some tunes he knew, others were unfamiliar, but it was still a pleasure to behold.
No longer was he hiding. After a thousand years of torment, he was back at last. With a woman by his side who accepted him for what he was.
This truly would be the age of the dragon.
Epilogue
In her moment of clarity before the feast, Rhea had formulated a plan. A way to secure a peace with the Sea Folk that would last.
Broc had grudgingly agreed, and even Saras was ready to play along.
Rather than attack the Sea Folk in their own homeland, they would negotiate a new truce.
The enemy had retreated after Saras joined the fight, so they clearly did not think they could beat a dragon in combat. Not without suffering terrible losses.
The answer was so simple, so obvious, Rhea couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before.
Saras' presence was needed. Not to attack, but only to threaten.
They would travel deep into enemy territory, just to show that they could. And then they would show mercy—something the Sea Folk themselves seemed incapable of.
Then, Rhea would tell them the truth about Teaq and their princess. This was the part of her plan that Broc had been most skeptical about. But the enemy knew already, or at least suspected it, and that was why her approach would help pacify them.
She had a simple offer for them. Stop using the princess' disappearance as an excuse to attack her people, or feel the dragon's wrath.
It was a bluff, of course, but the enemy didn't know that.
More than brute force, it was this sort of diplomacy that would help their people. This was what a general was supposed to do, rather than blindly lead people to their deaths against an unbeatable enemy.
She had learned so much over the past couple of days. She had experienced loss, regret, and guilt, as well as hope and of course, love.
She had learned that in one moment with Saras, her entire reality had changed.
No longer was she mortal, but as his consort, she was like him now. That truth had not yet fully sunk in, even though she'd felt the change in herself after they'd bonded. That sense of invincibility and power, it was unmistakable.
Time would take on a different meaning going forward. But she was still sufficiently attached to her old life to know that the Isles did not have that much time unless something was done soon.
And so, Rhea and Saras were up early the next day.
"Ready?" she asked, looking over at Saras, who was already standing by the window looking over the east.
"It's been a thousand years since I've seen a sunrise, do you know that?" he asked.
Rhea joined him and took in the view. This was the best spot in the entire castle, she had to give him that.
"Both of us will see a thousand more, apparently." She took in the beauty of it all. How long would it take for her to get used to the idea of eternity? Probably, a very, very long time.
Saras turned and smiled at her. "True. But first, there's a job to do."
Rhea nodded. "Yes, the sooner it's finished…"
"…the sooner we can truly start our life together," Saras said.
Rhea smiled and took his hand. She had no idea what exactly that meant, or what he had planned, but that was fine.
It was going to be a great adventure either way. And if she had learned one life lesson along the way, it was that she didn't always need to be in control of everything in order to enjoy it.
- THE END -
That's it for now... If you'd like to read more books by Lorelei Moone, why not sign up to Lorelei's mailing list to find out about new releases, and get Scottish Werebear: An Unexpected Affair absolutely free!
Shifters of Black Isle started with...
Claimed by the King
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About the Author
Dear Reader,
Thanks for reading A Dragon's Treasure. This third book in the Shifters of Black Isles series explores the darker side of life on the Isles. Saras was an intriguing hero, a powerful immortal, and yet so haunted by the mistakes he's made in the past that it takes a lot for him to leave behind the isolation of his cell. I hope I was able to portray him fairly. As Kelly said in the story, his mind is a confusing place to be.
And then we have Rhea, who has her own baggage, and plenty of it. I felt they made a very fitting, beit unconventional couple. Hopefully you agree with me ;-)
I may have only released my first book in 2015, but I'm not new to writing in general. In fact, my mom still tells me to this day about how I would make up stories, and attempt to record them in my clumsy, shaky handwriting from the moment I learned to read and write. From there I went on to write fan fiction and other stuff meant for my own eyes only.
I've always enjoyed stories of the fantastic and paranormal. Vampires, shape shifters, witches and magic, all featured in the books I loved the most, even when I was still growing up. But it wasn't until much later that I got into romance. One of the first writers (an independent author just like me!) I came across was Tina Folsom, via her Scanguards Vampire series. I was hooked. From there I went on to read more paranormal romance until I found a new kind of hero I loved: bear shifters, like the kind written by Milly Taiden, Zoe Chant, and T.S. Joyce. What I love about bears is how they can be all strong and independent, a bit reclusive, and almost grumpy, but they always end up having a heart of gold (plus they tend to know their food, and we all know that a man who can cook is doubly sexy). All that (except for the shifting into a powerful bear) almost exactly describes the sort of man I ended up falling for and marrying in real life, so it's no surprise that this is what I started my publishing career with.
As thing stand right now, I plan to release all of my work on all major ebook retailers. Most titles are also available as paperbacks, as well as in audio, as length permits.
To find out more, check:
LoreleiMoone.com
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x Lorelei
The Shifters of Black Isle:
The Alpha Squad Series:
Scottish Werebears:
Vampires of London:
A Dragon's Treasure Page 10