by T. J. Quinn
“Three. The last one is the most important and the most dangerous. Certainly, nothing you would try with a woman you weren’t sure was your soulmate. You would certainly kill her,” he explained.
She kissed him again. They both knew she had doubted his feelings a few times. But now she was pretty sure of them.
Chapter 2
They left for his cabin on the beach the following morning. They could have flown there since it would have been faster, but Asgar considered it would be a great opportunity for her to know the planet. They still traveled at high-speed, and parts of the journey were made over the water, but she had loved every second of it. It had given them time to chat about their childhoods and their lives and that was priceless.
By the time they reached his cabin, the sun was starting to set in the ocean.
His cabin was made of glass and the metallic material they used in construction and it stood proudly on top of a small hill, with a magnificent view of the ocean right below it. Sasha fell in love with it immediately, especially when she realized there was no one in miles and miles around them. It felt as if they were alone in the world.
“It’s an amazing place,” she assured him, as she walked from room to room. The cabin had three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a huge stance that was a combination of kitchen, dining room and living room. There was even a small room Asgar used as his office so that he could contact the palace in case of need.
“Yes, it is. But it’s very secluded. Our communication devices don’t work out here. Our only way to communicate with the outside world is using the communication system I have in my office,” he explained.
“That only makes it even more perfect,” she assured him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer.
He claimed her mouth with a passionate kiss and in just seconds, they were entangled in the wings of their wild passion.
They went through the second stage of the conversion without much consciousness of what they were doing.
The next couple of days went by as they explored the place and the passion they conjured each time they were together.
They hadn't gone through the third stage of conversion because Asgar had decided it would be better to do it when they were back at home.
“I rather have Colborn nearby, just in case something goes wrong,” he said, with a scowl.
“Nothing will go wrong,” she assured him, chuckling.
“Call me cautious, but I’m not taking any chances with you.”
“You could always teleport Colborn here,” she suggested, with a grin.
“We could, if we had a portal big enough. The one we used for the food can only transport inanimate things,” he informed her.
“Why don’t you teleport everywhere?” she asked, puzzled. “It would be faster.”
“Each teleportation implies a risk too high to be taken lightly. With food, there isn’t much you can lose, but with people and animals, things are a bit different. We only use it in the case of emergency.”
“What kind of risk?”
"Well, you're transporting matter through waves at an incredibly high speed. Some of that matter can be lost in the process. It's not entirely safe."
“Yes, I guess it makes sense.”
They had been walking along the beach, hand in hand and Sasha felt transported to her teenage years when she would have loved to have someone to walk hand in hand with.
She guessed men didn’t think she was the kind of girl that would appreciate this sort of thing. They would have been wrong, of course.
If it hadn’t been for Eleanor, she would have been way too lonely.
“Let’s climb the hill, all the way to the cabin,” she suggested, with a naughty grin.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea. The rocks might not be stable,” he warned her.
"I'm sure it is. I haven't climbed a mountain in so long; I'm starting to miss it. Of course, this can barely be called a mountain, but I'm sure it will be fun,” she insisted.
“Very well. Just be extra careful. Remember, you still don’t have wings,” he told her, scowling.
She chuckled and headed to the rocks. She had been examining the steep wall and she was sure she could do it, easily.
And she did. It only took her a few minutes to reach the top, with Asgar following her, up close. She really had missed climbing. The rush it gave her was like no other and reaching the top was amazing.
She turned around to look at Asgar as he reached the top right after her. “I just love this,” she told him, with a wide smile.
“Yes, it feels good,” he agreed with her.
She turned around to look at the shining sea underneath her when she stepped on a loose stone and stumbled with it. Her body flew over the edge and smashed violently against the rocks above them.
Asgar watched her fall as if he was in some kind of slow motion movie. Despite he moved forward at full speed to grab her, he wasn’t able to reach her on time.
His heart thundered in his chest as he flew down to where she had fallen, crying out his pain and fear as he watched her still body over the sharp rocks.
He landed next to her, and dropped to his knees, immediately looking for her pulse.
She couldn't be dead; he couldn't lose her, not now, not ever.
A tiny beat greeted him, and he let out a loud sob, trying to decide what to do. They were too far away from anywhere. Even if he could call Colborn, he was sure the doctor wouldn’t arrive on time.
He watched the blood coming out of her wounds, and the pain inside him became excruciating. He was losing her. He had to act and quickly if he wanted to save her life.
Cursing his decision of not finishing her conversion, he decided he would act as if he had. She needed his blood, and she needed the breath of fire, the two things he would give to any of his wounded men. He knew she still wasn’t a drogon, but he needed to act quickly or she would die on him.
Gently, he grabbed her wrist and slashed it open, sucking some of her precious blood, before he offered her his. He prayed to all the magical forces of the universe to help him save her, as he closed the wound on her wrist and opened his own, to offer her his own blood.
He gave her as much as he could, feeling his heart pounding so hard inside his chest, he thought it might explode.
She opened her eyes after a few moments, while he was still nurturing her with his blood.
“I’m … sorry…” she muttered against his wrist, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Don’t you dare to die on me,” he snarled. “You’re stronger than that. I know you are.” His last words sounded pretty much like a play, but he didn’t care.
All he wanted was to save her, to bring her back to him.
Reluctantly, he finally took his wrist away from her lips and closed the wound with his tongue, waiting to see what would happen next.
She locked her eyes on his and her lips formed the words ‘I love you’ before all life fled her body.
He let out a cry of sheer pain, as he picked her in his arms. But even through the waves of pain blasting through his body, his instincts urged him to give her the breath of fire. Unwilling to leave any possibility untried, he kissed her cold lips before he blew inside her.
As expected, blue flames came out of his lips and into her inert body, going all the way to her very core. Though he could feel her blood soaking his hands and arms, he didn’t stop. He would go as far as he could.
A sudden blast of energy threw him a few steps away from her. Startled, he watched as her whole body burst into flames and rise from the rocks, arms and legs wide open. Slowly at first, she started to swirl but soon, she was whirling so fast he wasn’t able to see her, just the whirl she was in.
After a few minutes, her body finally started to descend gently to the rocky ground, until it formed a leathery cocoon.
Asgar was so astounded; he was paralyzed. Only when the cocoon began to open up, was he able to move and approach her.
> Her wings spread wide open and she moaned, stumbling a bit. “What happened?” she mumbled.
Asgar pulled her into his arms and let out a loud cry of happiness. It had worked. He had been able to convert her.
She seemed to remember what had happened and she let out a cry of disbelief. “I feel… I thought I was going to die…” she sobbed, as tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks.
“You almost did,” he confirmed, hugging her tighter.
“You saved me.” There was no doubt in her mind. She just didn’t know how.
"I was desperate; I couldn't stand the idea of losing you, I just couldn't."
“What did you do?”
“I finished your conversion.”
“But how… I mean…” She was clearly confused.
He chuckled, though the pain he had felt still lingered in his heart. "I took your blood and gave you as much of mine as I could. For a moment, after that, I thought I had lost you, but I couldn't accept that, so I blew the breath of fire into you,” he explained. "And it worked. It brought you back to me."
Crying harder, she wrapped herself around him, without realizing her wings had formed a cocoon around them. “I should have listened to you. I’m so sorry,” she cried.
“Shush my love… it was an accident. If I had finished converting you, you would have been able to fly back up,” he said, oozing his pain through each word that came out his lips.
“It was an accident. You just said it yourself. We couldn’t have known it would happen,” she said, kissing his lips, with all the love he inspired in her.
She finally realized her wings were around them. “I have wings,” she said, astonished.
He laughed out loud. “Yes… you have wings, and scales and claws…” he said, amused.
She laughed pleased. “Oh, I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with these. But right now, they’re standing in my way. How do I make them go away?”
He smiled. “Just order them to.”
“Just like that? A simple order?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, just like that.”
She did as he told her and amazingly, the wings disappeared. Pleased, she got even closer to him and cradled his face. “Thank you for saving my life,” she murmured.
He kissed her ridged forehead. "It wasn't just your life I saved. It was mine as well since life without you wouldn't be life,” he assured her.
She closed her eyes and leaned down her head. She could have lost him forever, in such a silly way.
When she opened her eyes, she saw all the blood puddled on the rocks and her whole body shuddered. “Can we get out of here?” She asked him.
He followed her look and immediately nodded. Picking her in his arms, he flew her up and towards the house.
“Are you alright? You were pretty hurt when you got converted.”
She frowned. “I think I am. I don’t feel that much pain, just soreness, though I think I’m covered in dried blood,” she replied, scowling. Her clothes had disappeared with the burst of fire.
“Let’s get you to the shower. It will allow us to see if there’s still any open wound,” he suggested, guiding her to the main bathroom, and right to the shower stall.
Sasha stood under the warm stream of water and allowed Asgar to wash her. Though she was alright, her body still felt sore, as if she had been hit by a train… or fallen off a cliff.
“You’re in pain,” he stated, with a frown.
“A bit, yes… but it’s more soreness than pain,” she admitted.
"You must have broken several bones with the fall, so I guess it's natural you still feel some pain,” he said as he finished washing her hair. It had been soaked in blood.
“How the hell did I survive that fall?” she asked, still astounded.
“Probably due to the conversion process.” Was his best guess. “Either way, we’re heading back home, right away. I want my mother to run a full scan on you,” he said, in a firm tone.
She rested her forehead on his chest and closed her eyes. “I should have listened to you,” she murmured.
“Love, it was an accident. We had finished climbing with no problem,” he assured her, hugging her tighter.
She sobbed and just stayed there until he finished. He dried her and carried her to the bed. A few minutes later he had packed all of their things and they were on their way back home, at full speed.
He parked his car in front of his mother’s house way past midnight. He had called his mother and she was already waiting for them.
She hugged Sasha and guided her immediately to the room where she had stayed last time she had been there.
“Tell me what happened,” she demanded, as she pulled the scanner up and started to scan her body.
"We were spending a few days at my beach house when she fell off a cliff. We had gone through the second stage of the conversion, and I believe that was what saved her life,” he explained.
“She was alive when you reach her?” she asked, with a deep frown.
Asgar rubbed his face remembering the terrible images. "Yes, barely. She was covered in blood, but her heart was still beating."
“What did you do, then?”
He explained the whole process to his mother and Sasha. Both women were astounded.
The scanner beeped and Oydis turned her attention to it. “As expected… there were a lot of broken bones: arms, legs, her spine, her hips and even fractures on her skull,” she explained. “The conversion healed the major wounds, but the bones still need a bit more time to finish healing, that’s why she still feels pain.”
“But she’ll be alright?” he asked, still worried.
"Yes, I'm sure of it. Her body, like Eleanor's, is still mostly human, but her blood is now drogon. It will heal her completely. But, just to be sure, you should make a few blood exchanges." She advised him.
“Yes, we’ll do that.” He nodded.
“So, there’s no permanent damage?” Sasha asked Oydis.
“Not as far as I can see. Your pelvis was severely damaged, for what I can see, but the bone seems to be recovering well.”
She nodded, relieved.
“Can I take her home?” Asgar asked, taking Sasha’s hand and kissing it.
“Yes. I can give her the same painkiller I gave her last time. There shouldn’t be any problem, but if there is, call me and I’ll come immediately,” Oydis replied, disconnecting the scanner.
“Thank you, mother.”
“You know I’m always here for you,” she said, kissing his cheek.
He hugged her and there was so much love and affection between them, that for a moment, Sasha felt like an intruder. She had never had a close relationship with her parents, so watching the love between those two was amazing. She wanted that for her children, that was for sure.
“Well, take good care of your válkana. Despite all you’ve been through, you’ve discovered new things about the conversion,” Oydis said, with a scowl. “Now we know the sex part isn’t essential, at least not in the third stage,” she added, with a wicked grin.
“That’s the fun part of the whole thing,” Sasha protested, with a smile.
Oydis chuckled. “Yes, I’m sure of it.”
Chapter 3
Asgar took her home and spent the next few days taking care of her as if she was made of glass. It got to a point Sasha had to throw him out of the house to have some peace and quiet.
She was feeling a lot better, as if the incident on the beach had never happened. That was great, but she was starting to feel restless, spending the whole day in the house with almost nothing to do, since the whole place was automated. She needed to find a job.
Eleanor was busy preparing the baby’s room and clothes, Gil Ra had her new baby to take care of, and Rosalind was living happily up in her mountains. Erin was always in her labs, learning more about the drogon’s reproductive system and teaching them all about the human’s. Even the other girls had found ways to entertain themselves. She
was the only one that didn’t seem to have a place in their society and though she tried hard to dismiss those thoughts, she hadn’t been able to do so.
When the men finally decided to make their official announcement of their mating, Gil Ra had immediately offered to design the dresses for all of them, with the help of Olaf, the owner of a clothing factory. It was then when Eleanor suggested she should organize the whole event.
“But I have no idea how an announcement should be presented, she protested, but the idea had settled in her mind.
“I’m sure you can find someone to help you with those details and this one has to be a bit different since we are a bit different.” Her friend pointed out.
“It’s a great idea. I even have the man for you,” Gil Ra told her. “He’s a worker at the palace and he used to help me a lot. I’m sure Ingvar will be more than happy helping you.”
“Yes… I guess I could try,” she said, still not very sure.
“You’re a natural organizer. You’ll do perfectly.” Eleanor assured her. “Just think of this as another prom dance you have to organize,” she added, with a naughty grin, remembering how Sasha always ended up organizing the prom dances at school even when she wasn’t graduating.
“Well… you’re right. How hard can it be?”
Very hard, as she soon discovered. The event would be broadcasted to the whole planet and a feast would follow it for hundreds of people. But it gave her something to do and that felt amazing. She had worked her whole life. Being home with her arms crossed over her chest wasn't her idea of a pleasant day.
Ingvar turned out to be an immense help. He had taken her to all the places she needed to get what she wanted: carpets, tables, chairs, table cloths, flower arrangements, decorated green bushes, all she could think of to make that day a special day for all the women participating in it.
“You’ll change this ceremony forever,” Oydis told her, a few days before.
“In a good way, I hope,” she replied with a scowl.
"Oh, yes… you have no idea the fuss your shopping has caused all over the city. People can’t wait to see what will happen that day,” her mother in law told her.