She tried to hold him back, but it was too late.
Their joined emotions, their love, their need for each other, all of it rushed out and fired up the Web.
The darkness of the Sian Web burst to life, their joined emotions lighting up the hearts of all the Elysians who were connected to the Web.
The energy was sucked back into Rage, firing up his dragon heart, pushing his dragon spirit to the fore.
Their spirits twined, growing stronger, and then slammed through the bond to burn through Vesta’s dark psychic presence.
On the physical plane, Pandora’s body shook with the vibration of the feedback.
Vesta’s control snapped.
The pressure on the mating bond ceased.
The grief that poured down the mating bond twisted Dora’s heart and bowed her spine.
She jerked and sat up to see Rage on his knees, head bent, hands curled into fists at his sides.
She reached out to him through the mating bond. Fight. She shared her strength with him, urging him to move.
His shoulders shuddered, but he stayed where he was. Head bent, one knee up, the other flat on the floor.
His hopelessness and despair tugged at her. He thought she was dead.
She had to convince him otherwise.
She focused all her attention on him. She jutted her chin out she pushed herself up to stand. The muscles of her legs trembled as she put the full weight of her body on her feet.
“Rage, I’m here.” Her voice echoed around the room.
Rage shook his head, as if he didn’t quite believe what he’d heard.
She had to go to him and show him it was true, that she was still there for him.
Pushing her intent through to Rage, she took a step forward, then another.
Ahead, Vesta’s shoulders hunched, and she staggered.
Tibor’s arms came around Vesta to support her. His gaze snapped on Pandora.
Dora knew she had to move fast and use the element of surprise. Closing the distance between them, she dropped to the floor next to Rage and put her arms around his big body.
He hunched into himself.
His eyes were shut. Blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth. He was giving up.
She gripped his chin and forced his head up. “Fight, damn you!” She swore at him.
His eyes opened. “Dora…” His voice was heavy, monotonous.
It sent a chill of panic down her spine. “I’m here, Rage.” She fought to keep the urgency out of her tone.
“You’re alive?” His gaze showed he was confused.
“You brought me back. Your dragon pulled me back to this plane.” Her voice shook, and she fought to bring her breathing under control.
She had his attention.
She just had to show him the strength of his beast, let him see who he truly was. “You can’t give up, Rage. Reveal your dragon and channel his power to bring them down. It’s time to rejuvenate the Sian Web and give all Elysians a chance to lead a normal life.” A chill shivered down her back. She cupped his face with shaking hands. “Fight with me.”
“I’ll hurt you if I show my dragon. My fire will burn you.” He twined her braid around his palm.
The familiar gesture had her throat closing.
She loved this man so much. She wanted a life with him. She wouldn’t settle for less. They both had to get through this and survive.
“You won’t hurt me.” Her voice was fierce. “I am your mate; your dragon fire can’t harm me.”
A nerve jumped to life at his temple. “Mate…” He swallowed. His eyes cleared.
The breath rushed out of her. He’d heard her, he was back.
She stood and held out her hand.
He gripped it, his gaze still on her face.
She tugged, and he allowed her to pull him to his feet.
Behind her she sensed movement. The air thinned. The hair on her forearms stiffened.
The energy built up until the air seemed to throb with electricity. Her skin tingled. She scented the metallic smell of aluminum.
Vesta and Tibor were gathering their telekinetic force.
The space around her hummed. Her lungs contracted. The pressure in her head built.
The energy gathered into a vortex, then it smashed into her back. She reared back from the impact, and her eyes rolled back in her head
30
Rage
He caught her as she fell, gripping her waist with his hands, and cradled her close to his chest. Her eyelashes fluttered, and the breath rushed out of him. She was alive. She had come back from the dead for him.
He hadn’t been able to protect her in the past. He was going to take care of her, make sure nothing harmed her this time.
He placed his fingers against her cheek. Her skin was warm and so soft. Her breath shimmered over the back of his palm. Her scent filled his nostrils. He would never let her go again, would never leave her unprotected.
She stirred in his arms and opened her eyes. Those silver-green eyes were clear. Reaching up, she curled her fingers around his neck. “Kill them,” she rasped.
His dragon’s energy reared up and twined with her silver-green essence. It raced through his blood, fired up his nerve cells, up his chest.
His lungs caught fire, and his eyes blazed.
He was holding her in his arms and he didn’t want to let go of her to transform. Following instinct, he opened his mouth, and the dragon fire poured out of him.
It gushed out in a stream, crashing over Vesta. The amber flames laced with green danced over her skin.
She screamed.
The sound cut off as the flames hissed and swept over her face. Her hair caught fire, the edges sparking.
The smell of burning flesh laced his lungs.
Tibor yelled. The sound throbbed with a primitive grief that echoed around the space. He raised his arms, drawing in all the oxygen from the air, casting a large bubble of telekinetic energy over both of them. The edges of their bodies grew transparent.
Tibor held out his arms as Vesta slumped, catching her before her body hit the floor.
The energy inside Rage’s dragon grew denser, his amber and her silver-green clashing together as he drew on it, coalescing it into a ball of burning energy which flared out of his open mouth. The fire slashed at the joined figures.
The flames pulled back to reveal the space was empty.
The fire receded back into his mouth, sliding down his throat, into his lungs, coiling back into a vibrant amber glow that shimmered with green.
In his arms, Pandora trembled. “They’re gone.” Her hands gripped his biceps, nails biting into his skin.
“Yeah,” he breathed. He placed his forehead against hers.
“I didn’t know you could use your dragon fire in human form.” She placed her palm on his cheek. Her breath whistled over his skin.
“Neither did I.” He pulled her close, his arms around her, feeling her skin, drawing her scent into his lungs.
Drawing back, she gazed into his eyes. “The essence of your beast is so powerful. There is so much more your dragon is capable of. You are just beginning to tap into your full potential.” The silver in her eyes gleamed.
He swallowed the thick ball of emotion clogging his throat. “All that matters is that my dragon came to your rescue.” The thought of life without her twisted his guts.
He ran his fingers over her shoulders, her neck. She was really there. He was never letting go of her again.
He pushed the strands of hair back from her forehead. “Never leave me again. I can’t live without you.”
She coughed, her chest heaving.
The metallic scent of aluminum and sulfur lingered in the air. His dragon swiped at him. “Let’s get out of here.” Placing one arm under her knees, around her shoulder, he picked her up, his touch gentle. His cheek grazed her hair as he tucked her head to his chest.
She twined her arms around his neck, her cheek flush to his neck.
&n
bsp; He ran out of the building and onto the short promenade that separated the building from the beach.
Her heartbeat was steady against his chest. Her body fit just right close to his. His mate was where she belonged, in his arms. How had he survived all these years without her?
Vance burst into the area from the opposite side. “You made it. You rescued her.”
Rage halted.
His dragon snarled a warning. His back stiffened.
Vance came to a stop and raised his palms, faceup.
Rage narrowed his gaze. Vance had teleported him here, and thanks to him, Rage had rescued Pandora. It didn’t make any sense that his dragon saw this man as a threat.
Another man raced in just behind Vance. He bled from a cut on his forehead.
The faint scent of ozone mixed with copper teased his nostrils. This man was an Elysian, and he was dangerous.
He stepped forward and inserted his broad shoulders in front of Dora, shielding her from the stranger. He bared his teeth, and a growl rolled up his throat, the sound guttural.
Vance put out an arm and stopped the other man from moving forward. “This is Zach, the leader of the Elysians.” His muscles were relaxed. “I rescued him from where he’d been locked up by Tibor.” His arms were loose at his sides.
Rage raised his head and thrust out his chest.
His dragon pushed against his skin, and his nostrils flared.
The rational part of his brain told him he should listen to Vance, but his dragon snarled.
He’d just lost his mate and found her again. He wasn’t going to allow any threat close to her, never again.
Red filled his vision, and anger thrummed his blood.
Zach met his gaze, his lips pressed together. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me. If I were in your place, I’d feel the same.”
Rage growled and broadened his stance. His muscles tensed. His legs braced, he curled his fists and brought them up, ready to take the other man down.
“If killing me is what will soothe your beast then I won’t stop you. However”—he shifted his weight from one leg to the next—“I am of more use to you alive than dead.” Zach’s eyes flicked to Pandora, then back to Rage’s face. “Besides, you are linked to the Sian Web through her. You are one of us, whether you like it or not.”
31
Pandora
Rage’s arms stiffened. A ripple of awareness ran through his muscles. His breathing quickened. “What is he saying, Dora?” He kept his voice low.
Dora’s heart thumped. “I’d meant to tell you earlier.” She hesitated, trying to curl her tongue around the words and failing.
She straightened in his arms, the blood thudding at her temples. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek.
His glance dropped to her face. His forehead furrowed.
She slid her fingers up and around his neck, pulling his head down toward her. Look inside yourself.
She brushed her lips over his.
The cords of his neck moved as he swallowed. His eyes widened. You can speak to me inside my mind?
We’re connected, baby. She traced her finger over his eyelids so they fluttered down.
She reached out to him through the mating bond.
His amber energy was twined with her silver-green in a double helix. It was the blueprint of their joined-up selves. The helix stretched out into the vast ocean of the Sian Web which was…lit up.
Flashes of red and pink and blue and violet, lights of various colors winked back at her. Two of the sparks zipped across the space, racing toward each other.
They paused, tentative, then circled each other.
One of the sparks closed the distance, merging into the other, a small explosion of colors splintering from the joined-up light.
Around them other lights gathered, some in groups, some in pairs. The Web was awash with emotions. The Elysians were rediscovering what it was like to express themselves.
“Do you see?” she whispered against his lips.
He nodded. His breath stirred the hair at her forehead.
“The energy of our mating bond is bleeding into the network. It’s bringing out the emotions in the other Elysians. When your dragon mated with me, it also bonded with the Sian Web.”
His muscles tensed. “How can our mating influence the entire Sian Web?”
She wound her arms around his back. She wanted to soothe him but resisted the urge. It was best she tell him the reality of their situation first. “Not only am I one of the major anchors of the Sian Web, I am the Web.”
His gaze locked on hers.
She gasped.
His irises slit vertical. His dragon peered at her through his eyes.
Her throat went dry. It was the hottest thing she had ever seen. It turned her on. It also scared her. “In mating with me, you also bonded to the Web.”
His jaw clenched, the muscles of his cheeks throbbing with the effort.
“I tried to tell you earlier.” She clutched at the front of his shirt with her fingers. It was the second time she had withheld information from him. He’d forgiven her once. Would he do so again?
He shook his head.
Her chest ached. He wasn’t happy. He was going to think that she had deceived him again. “It’s just things happened so fast, and I thought you wanted me, so when I saw the danger you were in from the Elysians, I just reacted. I reached out and accepted the bond. I am sorry…”
He bent, lowering her.
When her feet touched the floor, she straightened.
He kept his hands on her waist until she found her balance. His touch was light, impersonal. He angled his face away and took a step back.
A breeze rushed between them.
He was going to leave her.
Her heart felt like it would shatter. “So, this is goodbye?” She brought her palms up before letting them drop to her sides. She bowed her head, turned, and walked away. It was over, and it was all her mistake. Her eyes burned. She was not going to cry.
“You are wrong.” His voice stopped her. “I don’t just want you, I love you. I need you in my life.”
She swiveled on her heels, her hand pressed to her chest. Did he mean it?
“When I heard you speak to me, asking me to fight, just like the first time, I thought I was imagining things. I’d thought you were dead, and then to find you again is the greatest gift I could ask for.” The rough tone of his dragon seeped through his words. His beast was close to the surface.
Her skin tingled. A warm rush of emotion coiled in her chest.
His eyes, they blinked vertical at her. “I reached out to you and bonded with you. I did it knowing you would not be able to take the psychic impact of mating with my dragon.” The muscles above his cheekbones jumped.
“Don’t.” Closing the distance between them, she placed her finger on his lips.
He clasped her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers before kissing her fingertips. “The overspill from the psychic impact of our mating swept into the Web. It helped neutralize any side effects of our bonding.” One side of his lips quirked up. “Being so closely connected to the Sian Web saved your life.”
“Our bonding also flushed emotions into the Web.” She peered into his eyes, marveling at the beauty of the man before her. “Thanks to you, all the Elysians can now express what they feel to each other.”
“Thanks to both of us.” He gripped the nape of her neck, his hold possessive. “You saved my life—again. Gave me the courage to fight back against the Elysians.”
Hope bloomed in her chest. “You don’t mind being bonded to the Web? To the Elysians?” Her voice showed she was cautious.
“Will our joined energies impact everyone? Even Tibor and Vesta, if they were alive?” He frowned.
“Even them. Every single Elysian, wherever they are, if they are linked to the Web, they will be able to feel the impact of the mating bond.”
“Where you are, so am I.” He pulled her close. “If our mating gives ne
w life to a species, gives them a chance to express their emotions to each other, then I can’t think of a better outcome of our union.”
Relief skittered over her skin. She raised herself on tiptoe, lifting her chin.
His lips captured hers. His kiss was so sweet. She shivered.
Was he holding himself back again? Didn’t he realize that she could match his every move?
Angling her mouth, she slid her tongue onto his.
His muscles went still. Then a growl rumbled up his chest.
A shiver of need tugged at her core. She couldn’t stop herself from brushing her hips against his hardness.
He yanked her close. Heat from his body surrounded her, pulled her to him. She felt like she was melting into him. Her legs trembled, and she held on to him for support.
It felt so right, being there with his arms around her. Like she had been handed back her life, like she had everything to look forward to.
Vance cleared his throat. The sound pulled her out of the haze she’d fallen into.
She made to pull away, but Rage’s arm was a band around her waist.
He yanked her flush against his side.
Vance looked between the two of them, his eyes gleaming. Moving toward them, he held up a fist.
Rage bumped it. “Thank you.”
Vance held his hands loosely behind his back.
“You revealed your true identity to the dragons; you risked being banished from their tribe.” Rage sounded worried.
Vance shuffled his feet. “The two of you were meant for each other, it was the least I could do.” He tucked his elbows against his sides.
Pandora looked up and saw Rage’s eyebrows furrow.
He was thinking of Serena, the lion shifter who Vance was in love with. If Eve extradited Vance as punishment, it would make it impossible for them to be together.
Vance’s jaw tightened. “It was a risk I took.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Besides, I needed to get here to free Zach.” He jerked his chin to where the Elysian stood at a distance.
Zach was her leader. He’d always been good to her and her family, unlike Tibor.
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