by Zoey Ellis
Oshali wasn’t sure how she felt about Tyomar anymore. She still loved him, of course, but love wasn’t everything, was it? She couldn’t help but notice that his dragon had put in a lot of effort to keep her alive and away from the south… and hadn’t that been exactly what Tyomar had done too? She rubbed her forehead, becoming confused about what she was supposed to think.
Finally, she decided to continue toward the realm.
She landed in the valley by the border, and this time she headed north. The North Dominion wasn’t any better than the South Dominion—it was just different—but she had to stay as far from the queen as possible.
Continuing along, a familiar screech thundered overhead, and she glanced up to see Tyomar’s dragon circling in the air. He landed near her, causing the ground to shake, and he let out a gust of smoky air. Oshali came to a stop. She couldn’t travel the realm if he was going to follow her. It wouldn’t be safe for either them.
“You can’t come with me,” she called to him. “You will draw too much attention.”
The dragon huffed out another puff of smoke.
Oshali smiled. “You may not care, but I do.”
Suddenly, another screech came from overhead. Oshali jumped in surprise and looked up to see another dragon circling. Ryn let out a rumbling roar before launching upward to meet it.
Oshali’s heart sank. That had to be one of Tyomar’s brothers’ dragons, which meant that Tyomar was either here, or she would be brought back to him.
A large male figure descended from the new dragon, his robes whipping in the air as he headed toward her. As he lowered, his face came into view.
Tyomar.
Her heart quickened again at the sight of him; she didn’t think it ever wouldn’t. Both dragons landed nearby and Oshali tried not to stumble.
Oshali,” Tyomar barked as he landed, his heavy boots clunking on the ground as he headed toward her. He grabbed her neck, a dark fury in his eyes, and he stepped close until he was towering over her. “Where are you going?”
Oshali shrugged. It didn’t matter where she went if the dragon kept following her. Confusion overwhelmed her.
Ryn clawed the ground and let out a rumbled noise with another puff of smoke.
“Don’t worry,” Tyomar shot at him. “I’m angry with you too!”
Ryn released a roar as Tyomar turned back to Oshali, breathing heavily. “You cannot go anywhere without one of us, me or him.”
Oshali eyes filled with tears. “I know.”
“Then you must know that he has decided? He decided long ago.”
Oshali nodded, the tears streaking down her face.
“And you know what that means, when a dragon decides?”
She nodded again, and Tyomar drew her into his arms, lifting her off the ground. “So you know you belong with me.”
“I know I’m supposed to,” she said, brushing the tears from her face. “It doesn’t mean I have to.”
“Oshali,” Tyomar ground out.
“You cannot deny anything I said before, Tyomar,” Oshali responded, somewhat exasperated. “I don’t want to be unhappy.” Just because they were mates did not mean they would be happy if they had certain problems. She had read enough accounts of real-life relationships to know that the ones most fated were not always the ones that lasted the longest.
Tyomar growled. “You won’t be, Oshali. I accept that I left, and I told you that you need to trust me, just like I trusted you not to get killed or hurt while I was away.”
“I did nearly get hurt,” she pointed out.
“And you were already getting yourself out of that situation when I found you, like I trusted you would.”
“I guess I will never know if I really could have,” she mumbled. “If I’m really capable.”
Tyomar released a low growl. ”I wouldn’t be interested in you if you were not an impressive female, Oshali. That doesn’t mean I won’t be concerned for your safety.” He looked at her. “Surely you do not think I wanted to leave you?”
“I think you choose when you want to be concerned about me.”
Tyomar exhaled, his arms tightening around her. “You are my mate, Oshali. There is nothing more important than you. You are bound to feel that way about my approach to some things, because sometimes you will want something different to what I want, but I have treated you no less than I would treat a dragorai female who I respect and am deeply in love with.”
At that Oshali started, her eyes widening as he continued.
“I would protect her at all costs, regardless of what she said. I would keep her sheltered. I would question her choices, and I would ensure that above all she is my priority. Not because she is incapable, but because she is so important I cannot risk any possibility of a life without her. That is you.” He leaned in. “I knew you could travel across the realm and complete that mission, but I didn’t want you to. Just because it was dangerous didn’t mean you wouldn’t succeed, but I wanted you safe.”
Oshali frowned, thinking carefully about what he was saying.
“When I left, it was about trust. It was about me trusting that you would complete your mission and stay safe—I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t think you were capable of doing that. And you had to trust I had not abandoned you.”
Oshali shook her head “I couldn’t do that. Not completely.”
Tyomar drew her close. “Can you now?”
Oshali lifted her gaze to his and searched his dark eyes, and what she saw there was worry, desperation, and pure adoration. She threaded her arms around his neck, and nodded. He pulled her forward and captured her lips with his, pressing a hot, deep kiss on her mouth. Immediately Oshali relaxed and her thoughts ordered, his taste and scent calming her.
As he pulled away, Tyomar turned, carrying her toward the dragons, but Oshali kept her nose at his neck, breathing in his scent.
“Is she all right,” a deep voice asked.
“She is safe,” Tyomar said. “Thank you for allowing me to ride with you to find her, brother.”
Oshali lifted her head to see which brother had come with him. Zendyor.
“You are very welcome, Ty,” Zendyor said, looking between them both. “I am encouraged by you finding your mate so soon after Nyro has found his.”
“I’m sure you will too,” Tyomar said. “I’m still interested to know who is capturing all your attention in your lair.”
Zendyor shot him a look before nodding his head at Oshali. “Welcome to the clan, Oshali.”
Oshali smiled and watched as Zendyor drifted up to his dragon’s back, and they both took to the skies.
Tyomar muttered, casting to lift them gently and to drift over to his dragon, where they landed on his back. He sat down and settled Oshali on his lap. “We have to talk, Oshali. There is much you don’t know.”
Oshali nodded. “And you too. What’s your dragon’s name?”
“Ryndross”
Oshali repeated it. It suited him—it felt familiar to her.
Ryndross took to the air, floating gently back to Tyomar’s mountain range.
Oshali took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for leaving your lair like that,” she said. “I know that would have been worrying for you, but I truly was not intending on coming back, and I knew you would stop me.”
Tyomar scowled. “It is an unacceptable way to behave, Oshali.”
“Not if you would prevent me from leaving,” Oshali said.
“I wouldn’t,” Tyomar said. “You can go anywhere on this mountain range you wish.” He glanced at her. “Anywhere. There are no boundaries to that. If you want to go to my brothers’ territories, that would be a difficult thing, but it doesn’t sound like you went onto any of them.”
Oshali shook her head.
“Good.”
“So are you saying that you accept that you are my mate now?” he asked.
Oshali opened her mouth but hesitated. “Your dragon has been invested in me for a long time,” she said finally. “I ca
nnot ignore that.”
Tyomar nodded. “But you can ignore the rest?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about what happened when I was a baby?” Oshali asked. “You never mentioned it in all the years we have been talking, even when I asked you when we were in the realm. What were you trying to hide?”
Tyomar was silent for a long moment, looking over his mountain range as they drifted over it. “Twenty-five years ago Ryn started behaved strangely over the course of a few months. He would suddenly disappear from my territory for long periods of time, and I wouldn’t know where he was. I assumed he’d been hunting farther afield than normal, and didn’t think much of it. Then one day he was acting strangely, he didn’t want to land anywhere, and he was flying around in a very agitated state. After a few hours, he settled down but he was favoring one foot. When I looked closer, I saw that he had something in it.” He glanced at Oshali. “And it was you. I was shocked. Obviously I got you out of his foot as fast as possible and I was at a loss as to how he got you and what he wanted with you. I didn’t mention it to anyone, not even my brothers, because of the rumors being circulated about dragons eating babies and children. I didn’t want Ryndross’ actions to tarnish the rest of the clan or for them to think differently of him. If you had been hurt, I would have told them, but you were sleeping peacefully for most of the time.
“The Mheyu were on my range already, and they accepted children. I trusted them to raise you well. I knew you’d be with other children and that nothing that Ryn did would have any long-lasting effect. I thought, no one had to know.”
Oshali smiled at him. “You did the right thing,” she said. “But you should have told me.”
“No,” Tyomar insisted. “You would have been afraid of Ryn if I told you what happened. And I didn’t want you to be, even before I knew you were my mate. It was the only time he’d acted strangely, and now I understand it. Once I told my brothers, they confirmed it and agreed you are my mate.” He glanced at her. “Ryn is a very levelheaded dragon.”
Oshali nodded. “So is that how you realized?”
“It contributed,” Tyomar admitted. “There are other things.”
“Like what?”
“There were similarities with my brother’s mate. Your ability to speak and understand Thrakondarian, your ability to cast…”
“The Mheyu said the same thing,” Oshali said. “They said I had an affinity for it and that I had to have been touched by the Goddesses.”
“I think that is accurate.”
“Is I'mya the same? Your brother’s mate?”
“No,” Tyomar said. “You were raised with the opportunity to study, surrounded by stories of Thrakondarian origin. It was a gradual thing for you to be able to learn about the culture and see it as it used to be, in all its glory and madness and authenticity. I'mya grew up in the north trying to navigate the war.”
Oshali shook her head. “That’s terrible.”
“It is, which is why any proficiency she has is also astonishing. But she could have reached the levels that you did if she’d had the same opportunities.” Tyomar leaned forward. “You are lucky to have had all of that available to you.”
Oshali nodded. “Yes, I’m grateful for it,” she said to him. “If you hadn’t put me with the Mheyu, I would have been in a terrible situation in the south.”
“What do you mean?”
Oshali sighed, and then began to tell Tyomar everything that happened with the queen, what she knew about her; then she finished up with her father’s letter.
Tyomar listened, his face becoming graver and stonier the longer she spoke. When she finished he roared out a cursed long and loud. “You didn’t tell me all of this before! The queen, it needs to be stopped!”
“She does,” Oshali agreed. “But the main thing right now is that I got away and you and Ryndross were not hurt. I’m not sure anything else is important.”
“It’s very important,” Tyomar said. “The rest of the clan have said that the queen is planning an attack on us in retaliation for taking you. We need you to share your experiences so we can make plan.”
“So I need to speak to Sethorn?”
Tyomar growled viciously and she jumped. “What is it?” she asked.
“I do not want him near you,” Tyomar said. “I did not appreciate his behavior in the interviews.”
Oshali laughed. “He didn’t mean anything by it,” she said. “I think it was more that he was very curious about how I looked.”
“He has no right to be curious,” Tyomar muttered. “I have been meeting you for seven years without daring to ask you to remove your veil, and he spends a few moments in a room with you and thinks he has the right.”
Oshali grinned at him. “But you know I have no interest in him, don’t you? He is not who I want.”
“No,” Tyomar said. “I am who you want. But I still do not want you in the same room as him.”
Oshali smiled, shaking her head at his possessiveness. “I am not what he wants, either. He was just curious. And if we want to stop the queen, were going to have to speak to him. He’s the best strategist we have.”
Tyomar growled. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” He lowered his head to her neck as he stripped her of her tunic and squeezed her breasts. Within his beautiful scent, the urge to claim and possess her was heavy in his arousal, and Oshali needed it as desperately as he did.
14
Tyomar was much more soothed once Oshali was impaled on his knot, and his saliva smeared her nipples and neck.
He checked on his claiming bite and sank his teeth into it again to make sure it remained deep and fresh. Oshali winced, but remained still and let him do what he needed to do. “I’m not looking forward to this,” she said grimly.
Tyomar rocked her in his arms and purred for her. “I am,” he said. I cannot wait for you to finally be mine in every way.”
Oshali leaned in and kissed under his chin and down his neck, and he savored every moment of it.
When they arrived back at his lair, he instructed his stewards to get everything prepared for her, excitement jittering in his stomach about what was about to happen. He was so caught up preparing the lair that he almost didn’t notice Nyro and I’mya standing in the main lounge room by the entrance to the lair..
“For someone who doesn’t like one of our brothers showing up unannounced, you seem to be doing it a lot lately,” he said wryly to Nyro.
“I’m glad to see you smiling again, brother.” Nyro chuckled. “Actually I’m here because I’mya insisted.”
“Is she all right?” I’mya asked, her eyes were crinkled with what seemed like worry.
“She is fine,” Tyomar assured her. “She knows what to expect. She’s been studying us for years.”
“I know,” I’mya said, wringing her hands. “I just can’t imagine anyone wanting to do it willingly.”
“Are you saying that you wouldn’t willingly do it for me?” Nyro’s said sharply.
Tyomar chuckled and turned to see another brother descending onto the entrance. “Zendyor?” he said, stepping forward.
“Just coming to make sure everything goes all right,” Zendyor said, entering the lounge.
A few moments later, Sethorn and Khyros strode in. Tyomar looked at each of them in shock. “What are you all doing here?”
“I don’t know what they’re doing here,” Sethorn said, “but I was coming anyway, and Khyros said he would like to come.”
“Why wouldn’t we want to be here?” Zendyor said. “It is no secret that you are our favorite brother. We might hate each other, but we all mildly tolerate you.”
The others chuckled, yet none disagreed.
“If there is any way to make this easier for you, Tyomar, then we want to be here for you,” Khyros said.
“No one deserves to be happy more than you,” Zendyor said in agreement. “You keep us all sane.”
“You should have seen the clan meeting we had when you were absent
,” Sethorn said rolling his eyes.
Tyomar laughed but it was gratifying that his brothers had all come to support him and his mate on this day. At that moment, Oshali entered, and she froze in shock at the number of people in the room.
Tyomar beckoned her to him. “This is Oshali.”
They all greeted her ,and Sethorn leaned forward. “I apologize for my inappropriate behavior, Oshali.”
Oshali waved away his apology. “No need to apologize—”
“Yes, I’m afraid there is,” Sethorn is gravely. “I don’t want Tyomar to feel uncomfortable if you are around me, and we are a small clan. We have to be there to help each other, and I don’t want my careless comments to get in the way of Tyomar asking me to help when necessary.”
Oshali glanced at Tyomar and then said, “Then I accept your apology.”
“As do I, brother,” Tyomar said.
Sethorn inclined his head.
I’mya step forward. “Welcome, Oshali. I’m so glad there’s another girl in the clan.”
“Thank you,” Oshali said, nervously. “I’m a bit nervous that you will all see me go through this.”
“We won’t be there for the whole thing, just the beginning,” Khyros said. ‘There is some level of privacy you must have for it to take.”
I’mya pipped up again. “After this, please get pregnant quickly so I have someone else to go through it with!”
“She will be pregnant as soon as possible,” Tyomar confirmed.
Oshali laughed along with I’mya, while the brothers all nodded in agreement.
“Don’t worry,” Oshali said. “I studied a lot about dragorai pregnancies, so I’ll help if I can. I’m sure you have some good stewards who have been through it too.”
I’mya step forward, looking at Zendyor. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, but it never seemed like time.… How is Elora?”
Zendyor visibly tensed, and Tyomar frowned at his reaction.