by Zoe Chant
Intense pain sliced through Isaak’s chest. He was suddenly filled with powerful grief for these people he’d never known, never met...
But they were my clan, he thought. Perhaps he hadn’t known what that meant until today, but still, in his heart, he knew it was true.
These people had been his. And now they were gone.
“But I... I was put up for adoption,” he said softly. Things were beginning to fall into place for him now.
Stefan nodded. “To hide you – to give you a chance to survive the blood feud. Maybe it was only supposed to be temporary, until your parents could come back for you. But clearly, they never got the chance. So you were raised amongst humans, not knowing your true heritage.”
Isaak hadn’t realized he had sat down until he felt the sofa beneath him. Josie was by his side in a second, her hands on his shoulders, her warm, soft breath on his cheek.
Are you okay, Isaak?
It was a long moment before he could answer.
I’m... I’m okay. I just...
It’s all right. I understand. You don’t need to tell me.
Isaak felt a wave of gratefulness was over him. Of course Josie understood.
She’s my mate.
Suddenly, he knew it with a force that was stronger even than before.
She was his. And he was hers. And nothing would ever separate them.
The others, too, seemed to be able to sense that he needed a moment to himself to collect his thoughts.
Isaak wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he looked up again, but when he did, he found Darklis, Holly and Stefan watching him with pensive eyes.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to find all this out now,” Stefan said slowly. “Believe me... I was overwhelmed enough when I found out Darklis was still alive. For twelve years, I believed I was the only Novak left in the world. I thought I was alone.” He reached over, taking Holly’s hand in his. “But then I found my mate. And after that...”
Isaak took a shaky breath as he looked across at Josie’s beautiful face.
I know the feeling, he thought as he stared into her deep black eyes. Once I found Josie...
“How was it that you survived?” he asked, forcing himself to turn away from Josie and look back at Stefan.
“My mother hid me,” Stefan answered. “She took me to a remote forest, along with some of our hoard. I lived there alone for years. I was old enough to know what I was, and I could still shift since I had the hoard to give me power. But I was alone.”
Isaak frowned. “So... a dragon needs to have contact with its hoard to retain its ability to shift?”
Nodding, Stefan pointed to the ring on Josie’s finger. “That’s right. I’m guessing that’s why you could shift now. And it’s how we knew you were still alive.”
“But how?” Josie asked. “And... and why was my grandmother’s ring part of a dragon’s hoard, exactly?”
“The hoard wants to stay together,” Holly explained. “Once it’s claimed by a dragon clan it... well, it becomes connected to those dragons. I don’t fully understand it myself,” she laughed. “But it’s a mystical bond. Even if the hoard is broken up, as the Novak Clan’s hoard was, it still keeps that bond. So when you, Isaak, claimed your mate...”
Isaak found his mind turning back to the nights he had spent with Josie.
Is that what happened, then? he thought, recalling the way his dragon had risen within him, urging him to crown his mate. I was... I was claiming her?
Holly had turned a little red, but she continued on. “We could sense that you were alive. The hoard knew. And it helped us to find you.”
“Oh,” Josie breathed, as she stared down at the ring. The sapphire glistened, dark blue and beautiful, upon her finger.
“You said it was your grandmother’s,” Holly said. “Do you know where she got it from?”
“No,” Josie replied, shaking her head. “I didn’t even know it was valuable.”
Stefan nodded. “That’s the Blue Moon Sapphire. It’s been in the Novak Clan’s hoard for generations. It’s one of the most powerful jewels of the Novak hoard. Obviously, since it could help Isaak to shift for the first time all by itself.”
“But how can a jewel be powerful?” Josie asked, sounding somewhat bewildered.
Holly laughed. “You’re getting way back into dragon shifter lore there now,” she said. “I’m still researching that. Thankfully, dragons tend to be... a little obsessed with their own history. It means everything gets written down, but it also means there’s a lot of things to look through when you’re trying to find the answer to your question.”
“But then... there are answers, then?” Isaak asked, feeling his hands involuntarily clench into fists. “Answers about my biological parents? About my family? About... about who I am? What I am?”
“Yes.” Holly’s voice was gentle, and she smiled as she spoke. “There’s answers to everything, I promise. Just as soon as you want to know them.”
Isaak closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging. Josie’s hand was on his shoulder, warm and gentle.
I know what I am.
At last, he understood himself.
He understood why he had always felt different from everyone else.
He understood the beast that he had lived with inside him all his life.
It had never been a monster or something to be frightened of.
It had been his dragon, trying to tell him who and what he was – trying to come out and show itself to him.
And he understood his connection to Josie – why it had been that she had spoken directly to his soul, from the very first moment he had laid eyes on her that morning on the dock.
She’s my mate. My precious, perfect mate.
And in the end, Isaak wondered if that wasn’t the only answer he needed.
Epilogue
Josie
“... And as you can see from my next slide, we’ve had stunning success re-introducing the white speckled kingfisher to its former habitats along the southern European coast. Our captive breeding program has meant that we’ve been able to release birds across almost the full extent of their former range.”
Standing behind the lectern, Josie looked out over a sea of faces, all of them with expressions of rapt attention. She was here in Uppsala, Sweden, addressing some of the world’s foremost scientists in the fields of biology and conservation, as well as young students who had come specifically to hear her speak at this conference.
She had been offered a full professorship on the basis of her work with the white speckled kingfisher, and she now ran her own lab dedicated to studying them – and ensuring their continuing survival in the wild.
“Thanks to the small population of birds we found on the island of Calauria –”
That you found. You found them, Josie. No one else believed you.
Isaak’s voice in her head was clear as a bell, and Josie found herself struggling not to smile.
Not now, Isaak! I’m giving a presentation!
Okay, okay. I’m sorry! But it was your work, and you deserve the accolades.
“– we’ve now been able to ensure the white speckled kingfisher’s survival, so that future generations will know the beauty of this stunningly gorgeous bird. Thank you.”
Applause rang out through the hall as she stepped back from the lectern, letting out a long, slow breath.
She felt more comfortable addressing large crowds now than she had when she was younger, but it was still a nerve-racking experience. In some ways, she still felt like the awkward girl who had trouble making friends at school, and who preferred to sit in her mother’s garden watching the birds than spend time with the other girls her age, talking about boys or whatever the latest fashions were.
As she walked down from the stage, Josie managed to plaster a confident smile on her face as her colleagues came forward to congratulate her on her presentation.
“Fantastic work, Professor Torres.”
&nbs
p; “Such a hopeful look at the future!”
“It’s great to see a good news story!”
“Wow, can I just say, Professor Torres – ”
Josie managed to shake their hands, replying to each of them in turn with a smile and a word of thanks. To tell the truth, though, she felt a little overwhelmed – there were a lot of people in the room, and this was her second presentation of the day. Besides which, she’d spent lunch talking with a group of distinguished professors all several years her senior, not to mention several representatives of companies who were looking to spruce up their public image by funding some worthy cause.
It was fun, and Josie couldn’t say how much she appreciated all the opportunities she had now.
But it was also exhausting.
Especially when it meant she’d barely had a chance all day to spend time with Isaak.
My mate.
I’m here.
Isaak’s warm, calming presence washed over her mind at once as she made her way through the crowd.
She saw him as soon as she managed to make her way out into the aisle. It wasn’t hard – amongst the bookish professors, scientists and grad students he stood out like a sore thumb.
Or, well, like six foot and change of solid muscle and sexiness, Josie thought as she smiled at him, and watched as an answering smile spread across his handsome face.
A year later, and she still couldn’t believe he was really all hers.
“You were great up there,” he said as she approached, leaning down to give her a brief kiss on the top of her head. “Really amazing.”
Josie laughed lightly. “Thanks. But I mean... you don’t think you might be just the tiniest bit biased?”
“Not at all,” Isaak said smoothly. “I think you’re exactly the right amount of brilliant. Which is extremely brilliant.”
“Oh my God,” Josie muttered, shaking her head. “Stop. My head will be too big to get out the conference hall if this keeps up.”
Isaak laughed softly, curling his arm around her waist. “Do you have anywhere else you need to be right now?”
Josie shook her head. “No – that was the last thing on my schedule for this afternoon. I should come back for the closing address and dinner later, but... well, we have a few hours to kill before then.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him, and watched the heat gather in his bright green eyes.
An answering heat immediately began to build in the pit of her stomach. It had been days since they’d last been able to touch each other – Josie had been collapsing into bed and falling asleep within minutes since the beginning of the conference, worn out by hours of presenting, debating and schmoozing.
But now, for the next few hours at least, she was free.
“C’mon,” she whispered, just loud enough that only Isaak could possibly hear her. “Let’s get out of here.”
Isaak’s smile held a world of promise as she began to tug him across the hall toward the door.
But she’d only taken a few steps when someone caught her eye.
She only saw him briefly in the crowd, but that was enough. He stood out almost as obviously as Isaak did, with his hulking shoulders and muscular build. But it wasn’t only that which had caught Josie’s attention: it was also the bright blue of his eyes.
She recognized him almost immediately.
Magnus.
Sucking in a quick breath, Josie drew closer to Isaak’s side, clutching his arm.
It’s all right. I see him too, Isaak sent to her, his jaw clenching. I won’t let him hurt you.
But... but why is he here? Josie wondered, licking her lips nervously as Magnus’s eyes, ranging through the crowd, finally settled on her face.
His expression didn’t change, but he immediately began moving through the crowd toward them.
She wasn’t about to back away from him – not when Isaak was here, anyway – and she boldly stared as he approached, refusing to drop her eyes.
What does he want?
“I only want to talk to you, I swear it.”
It wasn’t until Magnus spoke that Josie realized that she had never heard his voice before. He hadn’t spoken at all throughout their confrontations back in Chora or on Calauria.
She supposed that made sense, if he’d been under Bain’s control.
She shuddered as she remembered everything that had happened. It still struck her as unspeakably cruel – but that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous at the sight of him.
“About what?” Isaak asked, his voice sounding as wary as Josie felt.
“About... what happened,” Magnus said, swallowing visibly. “And I want to apologize. I wasn’t... I wasn’t myself. At least, I don’t think I was. Everything from that time... it’s so hazy. It’s like I’m trying to remember it through a mist. I don’t feel like I can be sure of anything.”
Almost despite herself, Josie felt her heart go out to him.
He’d still been unconscious when Holly, Stefan and Darklis had gathered both him and Bain up. Stefan had said that he would take Bain back to his coven of dragon hunters to face whatever punishment they chose to give him for breaking their treaty with the Novak Clan.
In the following months, she had come to understand a lot more about the strange new world she had been thrust into as a dragon’s mate. Holly had taught her so many things about life with dragons – as a human herself, Holly hadn’t known that dragons existed until she had met Stefan, and discovered that she was his mate.
The Loric Coven of Dragon Hunters and the Novak Clan had signed a treaty with each other many years ago, long before Stefan and Holly had become the clan leaders. The Loric Coven had understood for decades now that the Novak Clan wasn’t interested in conflict with humans, and would never do anything to harm them. The Novak dragons had only ever wanted to live in harmony with others – and this wasn’t something that Stefan and Holly planned to change. They had taken up the treaty again, wanting to focus on rebuilding their shattered clan, no matter how much they personally might have disagreed with the Loric Coven’s ideas.
They could only fight so many enemies at once, Josie had come to realize. And with a weakened clan that had only just reclaimed its hoard and its territory, the Novak were in no position to fight both rival dragon clans and dragon hunters.
It was a strange new world she had walked into. One of magic and beauty, but also one characterized by blood and rivalries. Dragon clans were always fighting for more power, for bigger hoards and more territory.
She supposed that the myths about dragons were true, in that way. They really did have insatiable appetites for power and gold!
But that wasn’t the only thing about them.
She had also learned they were kind, loyal, and fiercely protective of their friends and family – and their clans.
A dragon without a clan was lost, just as Isaak had been, during all those years alone.
But now, he was back amongst his own kind, a member of a clan once more.
And I’m his mate. Together, there’s nothing we can’t face.
Josie had also learned a lot about dragon hunters themselves – how they drank a dragon’s blood in order to temporarily gain some of their powers, which explained how Bain had been able to read her mind, despite the fact he was a human like her. It also explained his interest in her ring – he had taken on a dragon’s insatiable desire for gold and jewels.
Josie shuddered. She didn’t want to think about that right now. It creeped her out.
And it meant that now, she found herself feeling very sorry for Magnus. What must it have been like, to be controlled like that?
“But mainly, I wanted to apologize,” Magnus said. “It’s taken me a while to find you. In the end, I did an internet search on your name, and found out you’d be speaking here. I thought meeting you in a crowd would be best, so you’d know I wasn’t trying to attack you – but then, I wasn’t sure whether you’d want to see me. I could understand it if you didn’t.”
&n
bsp; Josie shook her head. Now that her nervousness was dissipating somewhat, she was glad to know that Magnus was all right.
“No – I understand. And I appreciate it.” She swallowed. “Is... is everything all right?”
He seemed to understand what she was hinting at. He shrugged. “Yes and no. I have good days and bad days. It’s hard, not being able to remember who you are.”
“You don’t remember your past?” Isaak asked, blinking.
Magnus shook his head, grimacing. “Not at all. I remember nothing from before the collar was put on my neck. And everything after... well, like I said, it’s hazy.”
Josie shook her head. “That’s... that’s awful. You mean you don’t even know who your family is?”
A look of deep sadness passed over Magnus’s face. “No – nothing at all. I don’t know how to even begin looking for them. Or who they are, and whether they’re people I even want to know.”
Josie nodded. She could understand that. There were many different dragon clans in the world, and not all of them were nice.
“If you ever need our help, I hope you’ll come to us,” said Isaak. “I know what it’s like not to know where you belong. And I’d never wish that on anyone.”
Josie nodded. “We really mean that,” she said sincerely, hoping that Magnus believed her. “If there’s ever anything either of us can do to help, or any other Novak dragon for that matter...”
Magnus dropped his eyes, but not before Josie saw them becoming misted over.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice quiet. “I’ll try to remember that.” When he looked up again, his eyes were clear. “But please, for now, it’s enough to know that you’ve forgiven me for what I’ve done. I still don’t know everything that happened, but I do know I owe you everything. Without you, I’d still be collared, and under Bain’s control.”
“Thank Darklis for that,” Isaak said. “I don’t know how she did it – but then, she’s been studying dragon magic for some time, now. I don’t understand half of what she’s able to do.”