Dragons Live Forever
Page 15
The baby is silver. He spreads his small wings and I see just a hint of yellow on the underside. Our laughter fills the tower. “That answers that,” Tahr laughs. “Now all we need is a name. I’m still thinking Rahr,” he tells me.
I roll my large yellow eyes and then notice something strange. I tip our child slightly so I can see his underbelly. Well not quite his underbelly. Things are not as they should be and what should be there isn’t. “I’ve always liked the name Jewel myself,” I say into Tahr’s mind.
Tahr can do little more than sputter as he looks closer at the missing appendage that draws my attention. “He’s a girl?” he says in complete bewilderment.
“Is there something wrong with a girl?” I demand. I would hate to char my mate beyond recognition for a few days, but I’m very close to doing it.
Tahr throws his head back and yells upward, “We have a daughter, Betty. Another miracle from my incredible mate.”
Right answer.
Betty claps and I gaze up to see her gentle smile before she heads back up the steps.
“Jewel is the perfect name,” Tahr says as he leans his head against mine.
***
Six months later…
Tahr
It’s our first family day out since Jewel’s birth. We’ve spent the day frolicking in the water and enjoying the sunshine. Sarn, Bastian, and Laryn along with their families join us. In another few months Sarn and Sierra will have an egg to protect.
Many of our humans are here too. They’ve become part of the family. I find it strange that they continue to make our life pleasurable. We gave them a choice to go to the brides’ village to live or stay with us. Each one chose to stay, though they share what we have with the village. A type of commerce has been set up and they are happy. I know this because I am quite proficient in their hand language and converse with them daily. I owe them so much for what they sacrificed and all the dragons feel the same. The humans are our equals and having them happy, makes our brides happy. We can’t ask for more.
My thoughts turn to my uncle. He had a talisman around his neck that interfered with our magic and lured us from Sarn’s castle. Dmitri’s witches said it came from another witch but Dmitri’s been unable to get more answers. It’s a problem within his realm but if he needs us we will come.
Sarn and Sierra moved back to his lair and they’ve been fixing it up with the help of the humans. Sierra still has her wolf form as well as being dragon. I’ve never seen Sarn this happy and the same thing can be said for us all. Life is beyond good.
And Ashrac. He’s different and not the carefree young dragon he was before his battle with Drakon. I understand. We all do. He breathes fire now and I’m actually hoping Acasia and Bastian move up his earth realm education. Maybe being around men and women his age in a competitive college atmosphere will bring back the delightfully arrogant and lighthearted boy he once was. Only time will tell. I turn my head and see him standing alone and looking into the distance. Acasia walks over and whispers something in his ear. He picks her up and spins her around and I see one of his rare smiles. A very lucky woman will catch his eye some day and that smile will light her world.
We haven’t heard from the Goddess since the day Drakon died. Pepper says she senses her from time to time. She stops what she’s doing, tips her head back, and speaks to her offering praise and thanks. I stop whatever I’m doing and offer the same. I will never doubt that my mate has a bond with a Goddess. Pepper is dragon and incredibly special.
I’m lying in the grass and daydreaming because that’s what lazy father dragons do for about three minutes each day. I’m imagining the portrait of Jewel and Pepper that now hangs in our great room. Mikael drew it. He barely survived Drakon’s attack and his injuries keep him from a fulltime job. He has become our resident artist because he’s surprisingly good. He lost most of the fingers on his left hand, but it doesn’t keep him from producing amazing portraits that are now sprinkled around our castles.
The latest portrait of my mate and child is my favorite—Pepper, in human form, wears the headpiece Meagan gave her and she’s dressed in a skimpy green outfit that Roxy presented as a motherhood gift. Jewel is in dragon form and much larger than Pepper, though still obviously a young dragon. Her horns have not yet grown in and her bald head reminds me of Pepper’s. They stand on a rock ledge with Pepper’s hand resting on our daughter’s head. Mikael painted Jewel’s peevish expression perfectly. Our daughter hates to stay still. We already know she will be a handful when she matures. I don’t mind. I want ten more just like her.
“I heard that,” Pepper whispers. “Think again.”
I can’t help laughing as I roll over and gaze down into her beautiful green eyes that have gentle flakes of yellow that change to searing yellow when she’s angry or lustful. I, of course, prefer the lustful. “I want ten more exactly like you and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You love me too much,” I tell her and lift my hand to her belly to gently rub her.
Pepper is smiling when she replies, “Ten is a bit excessive don’t you think?”
“I want twenty, so this is me compromising.”
“Mother, are Uncle Tahr and Pepper having another baby?” Cantor demands.
Pepper turns bright red and I laugh as Roxy shushes her son. I look to Cantor as he goes back to building a sand castle for Jewel. The curse is truly broken and we can’t help but wonder what this means for our children. Their story is waiting to be written. Will they love a dragon or a human? A shifter or maybe even a vampire?
When dragons live forever, the possibilities are endless.
***
Angelos, daughter of Hera, granddaughter of Zeus
I’m weary. I never dreamed it would take this long to break the curse. Dragons are so very stubborn. They had only to open their hearts, give up their pride, and love someone more than they loved themselves. It took a child for them to see the light. I understand this because I love my daughter in exactly the same way.
Of course, Pepper was different. I couldn’t twist the curse so Tahr could see her clearly. She’s his missing half. I knew it and so did she. He wasn’t yet ready to evolve and needed a not so gentle push. By giving her to another man, Tahr gave away his greatest treasure to save her from mental anguish. He finally understood.
I took notice of Pepper when she was a baby. The fight in her was amazing. She was destined to die in infancy, though Pepper had other ideas. She had the heart of a dragon and the determination of a Goddess with a bit of unearthly magic thrown in. Where it comes from, I have no idea. There was nothing in the curse saying I couldn’t grant Pepper the ability to become a dragon. My mind was set from the time she was young. It didn’t matter if Tahr changed his ways or not. Pepper always had the gift of joy and unfailing loyalty to her friends. She was as a dragon should be. I sent a message to Dmitri through a dream when Pepper was young. He didn’t question it and went in search of this special child to give her a chance.
It was only later that I discovered Pepper’s greatest quality—she has the ability to forgive the mistakes of others, even when they caused her so much pain.
The biggest question I had back then—was Tahr good enough for her?
Only he could answer that.
I knew Drakon was alive. I held my vengeance in check because the dragons had the larger claim. My mother took her great sleep thousands of years ago to help alleviate the pain of losing my sister. Hera now resides in the mist. One day she will return.
Will she be angry at me for interfering? Most definitely. My power has grown, so it matters not. The deed is done and the dragons have broken the curse. My work is finished.
The dragons were once the mightiest of magical nobility. They slowly lost their way by deciding one scale color was better than another and that they were more important than other beings. Somewhere along the way, they forgot that there is nothing more powerful than a woman’s love and a dragon’s heart.
I hope they never forget
what it took to break the curse. I leave their fate in their hands now.
As it should be.
Forever is a long time. Let’s hope they stay on their current path.
D’Elen gets real,
What a wild ride and thank you for joining me. I had so much fun with these characters and maybe someday we’ll get another peek into their lives. I see green sometime in the far off future.
I want to thank Sharon DeBruin for naming baby Jewel. I threw the baby naming contest out to the Fang Chronicles Readers Group on Facebook and told them to give me a boy or girl name. In the scene where Pepper and Tahr are discussing names, I used some of the boy names that were given in the comments. Sharon won with Jewel but she was sworn to secrecy because no one knew the child would be a girl.
For those of you who read my Fang Chronicles books, you know I love nothing more than killing off a good character. Then, we have Ashrac. There was no way I could let him go. I apologize for dragging his death out (not really) but I wanted to fit in the thoughts of each character from the previous books so it took a little longer than I planned.
From the beginning, I knew the destiny of each dragon. Sierra from Fang Chronicles was meant for Sarn, Tahr would love one of the humans in his castle, Bastian got a feisty lady, and Laryn a warrior. I also planned to answer many reader questions in Tahr’s story and hope I’ve accomplished that.
I’m hard at work on my next Completion Book written under my a.k.a. Holly S. Roberts. “Pass” is about Mick, an NBA leading scorer and Della, a college referee. I love Mick and he may be my favorite book boyfriend yet. He’s such a dream guy and his story will hopefully release in September.
I love hearing from readers, wickedstorytelling@gmail.com and you can also find out about my pennames and links to all my books at www.wickedstorytelling.com.
May a dragon’s heart always be yours. Peace and love,
D’Elen
Bibliography
Writing as D’Elen McClain
Fang Chronicles – Paranormal Romance
Amy’s Story
Emily’s Story
Zenya’s Story
Mandy’s Story
Dmitri
Ivan
Tyboll
Fire Chronicles – Paranormal Romance
Dragons Don’t Cry
Dragons Don’t Love
Dragons Don’t Forgive
Dragons Live Forever
Writing as Holly S. Roberts
Completion Series – New Adult Romance
Play
Strike
Kick
Slam
Pass (coming soon)
Crimson Series – Vampire Erotic Romance
Crimson Warrior
Crimson Brothers (coming soon)
Club El Diablo Series – Kinky Romance
One Dom at a Time
Piercing a Doms Heart
Touched by a Dom
Domination in Pink (short and kinky sequel to One Dom at a Time)
Two Doms for Angel
Bad Boy Dom (Bad Boys of Rock)
Loving Two Doms (Bad Boys of Rock)
Caught by Two Doms (sequel Two Doms for Angel)
Temporary Dom (Bad Boys of Rock)
Writing as Suzie Ivy
Bad Luck Detective Series – Police Humor/ Inspirational
Bad Luck Cadet & Officer
The Forever Team (appropriate for young adults)
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
D’Elen gets real,
Bibliography