by Sophie Stern
When she opened her eyes, she was ready. She stood in the center of the clearing and she jumped.
This was it.
She was going to shift.
She was going to turn into a big, beautiful, purple dragon.
She was going to fly.
She felt the wind against her face.
This is it, she thought. I’m a dragon.
But then she hit the grass, landing on her rump, and she realized she hadn’t flown at all.
Not even a little bit.
9
Liam and Molly stayed with Cadence as she tried over and over to shift. Eventually, though, they decided it was time for a break. They all needed one. Cadence was growing frustrated and embarrassed, and Molly just seemed confused.
Cadence got dressed again and they went back to Molly’s house, where they snacked on the treats Molly had laid out earlier.
“I don’t understand,” Cadence shook her head. “Maybe I’m not really a dragon, after all.”
“That’s not it,” Molly said. “Your skin changes color, love. You’re a shifter.”
“But why can’t I change? I know there’s a learning curve, but damn.” She reached for a cookie and slid it between her lips. Liam tried not to stare, but damn, it was hard. He couldn’t stop thinking about those soft lips.
He couldn’t stop thinking about any of her.
Cadence had looked beautiful and feminine when they were in the clearing. He’d never seen her naked before, and she looked incredible. He wanted to claim her, mark her as his own. He wasn’t even a dragon, wasn’t even sort of a shifter, but he felt the primal call just the same.
“I have an idea about that,” Molly said slowly. “It’s been years since you went through puberty.”
“Thank you for noticing I’m shaped like a woman.”
Molly ignored her and kept talking. “Most shifters change for the first time when they first go through puberty.”
“Really? Not before then?”
“Very rarely, but since you never shifted, I wonder if your inner dragon is suppressed somehow.”
“If that’s possible,” Liam asked. “How can we bring her dragon to the surface?”
“You’re mates,” Molly said, looking from one to the other. Liam and Cadence just stared at her. “Oh, come on, I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ve seen the way you look at each other. You may have just met, but you’re mates! Clear as day.”
“What does that have to do with me shifting?” Cadence asked carefully.
“You haven’t claimed each other,” Molly said. “But there are legends that when you claim your mate, it brings your truest self to the surface of your consciousness.”
“Meaning that if Liam and I have sex, I’ll be able to shift.”
Molly nodded. She seemed completely unembarrassed by this, but so did Cadence. She seemed almost happy at this reveal. Liam had been wondering if Molly was going to say something like this. Dragons loved finding their true mates. It was such a life-changing experience that they often had huge ceremonies or parties to celebrate.
Liam wanted Cadence. There was no doubt in his mind she was the woman he’d been waiting his whole life to find, but he didn’t want to rush her into this.
“I don’t want to pressure you into something this serious just to bring your dragon out,” Liam said. “I’m crazy about you, Cadence, and there’s no doubt to me that we’re mates, but there’s nothing wrong with waiting.”
“He’s right,” Molly agreed. “You’ve been waiting nearly thirty years, Cadence. Waiting a little longer won’t hurt you.”
“I’ve been waiting thirty years,” Cadence repeated. “I don’t see any reason to wait any longer.”
Liam smiled and wrapped his arm around Cadence. She snuggled closer to him and he felt himself relax.
She wanted him.
He wanted her, too.
He knew he was no good for her. He knew she could do so much better. A girl like Cadence could have anyone, but fate had decided for them. They were destined to be together, and they didn’t have to wait any longer.
They’d waited long enough.
They talked with Molly a little while longer, but when the sun began to set, Liam said they should head back to the docks.
“We still have to get back to Nellenston,” he said.
“Isn’t Kelsey watching the harbor today?” Cadence asked.
“She is.”
“Can she stay overnight?” Cadence asked. “I was thinking we could stay on the island tonight.”
“You’re sure?” Liam wanted to stay, too. Dragon Isle was a magical place. He didn’t want to leave yet. He wanted more time with Cadence, more time before he had to go back to his job and his reality.
“I’m certain.”
“You’re welcome to stay here,” Molly said. “But there are also cabins available for rent on a nightly basis. You know,” she winked. “If you want some privacy.”
“I think we’re going to opt for privacy tonight, but thank you for everything.” Cadence hugged her mother. “I’m so happy I got to meet you, and I hope we get to spend more time together.”
“Of course,” Molly said. She started to tear up, and Liam stepped outside so the two women could say their goodbyes in private.
It was a beautiful thing: their connection. Despite all the years apart, Molly and Cadence seemed to get along perfectly. Maybe Liam and Cadence would move to Dragon Isle. Maybe they’d buy a little house. Maybe they’d build a life here.
It could be perfect.
He sat on the front porch and looked up at the beautiful evening sky. He couldn’t have imagined that he’d be here tonight. He couldn’t have dreamt this up. Willie had left him more than just a business, as it turned out. He had left him a mate.
“All right,” Cadence said, coming outside. “I’m ready to go.”
“Good luck, you two,” Molly said. “Let me know if you want to meet up for breakfast tomorrow.”
“We do,” Liam and Cadence both said, and Molly chuckled. She went back inside and closed the door, leaving Liam and Cadence on their own.
“Are you ready to go find these cabins?” She asked Liam.
“Are you ready to find out what it’s like to be mated?” He asked her in return.
Cadence wrapped her arms around him and stood on her tip toes. She planted a kiss on his mouth and reached between them to palm his length. Even over the pants, his body reacted to her touch.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’ve never been more ready.”
10
The cabin they rented was quiet and private. Cadence and Liam went inside and closed the door. She had felt so brave when they were renting the space, but now that they were alone, she suddenly felt nervous.
She shouldn’t have.
It’s not as though this was her first time being along with a man. It wasn’t her first time. She’d been with plenty of men before, but that was when she thought she was human. Now she knew better, and she was very aware of the fact that this was her first time making love as a shifter.
At least, it was the first time she’d known she was a shifter.
Liam sat on the bed and waited for her. He was so patient. He wasn’t like other men in that way. Maybe that’s part of the reason she was so terribly attracted to him. Liam didn’t have a problem waiting. Hell, he’d waited ten years for her to come after her father died. Patience was definitely one of his virtues.
And now he waited again.
He waited for her to be ready, for her to approach him.
They both knew that this was all about her and what she was comfortable with. They were about to embark on a beautiful dance, a beautiful journey together, and she wanted it to be perfect.
Cadence walked over to Liam and stood between his spread legs. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, kissing her belly over her clothes. “But you’re wearing far too many clothes.”
Liam looked at Cadence like she was a goddess, like she was perfect.
“Lovely breasts,” he murmured. “I can’t wait to suck on them. What do you think, Cadence? Should I suck on your pretty nipples?”
She blushed, and her body grew anxious and excited.
“Yes,” she whispered. She did want that. She wanted it very much.
“Like this?” He leaned forward and slid one nipple between his lips. She reached for his head and held his hair as he kissed and sucked on her breast.
“Yes,” she groaned.
“How about this?” He sucked the other nipple into his mouth.
Cadence could only nod. She’d never been this aroused, this turned on, and this was only the beginning. They had all night. Hell, they had forever. If what she learned about mates was true, they would be bonded for eternity. That thought didn’t scare her the way she thought it should. Instead, it delighted her. It made her happy and content.
As Liam continued to tease her breasts, his hands made his way down her front. She kicked her shoes off as Liam unbuttoned her jeans. He pushed them down, along with her panties, and she stepped out of the last of her clothes.
Now she was naked in front of him, and she loved the way his eyes looked at her hungrily.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a wolf,” she murmured.
Liam only smiled. “All the better to eat you with, my dear.” He stood then and pushed her back onto the bed. She gasped as he immediately leaned over and began licking between her legs, eating her pussy. She groaned. This was one thing she’d never really experienced, and now she wondered how she’d ever lived without it.
None of the men she’d been with before had been interested in this part of sex, but now Cadence thought she might never be able to get enough of it.
When she came, she thrust her hips forward against Liam’s face, and he didn’t seem to mind. If anything, it seemed to excite him even more. He licked and kissed and sucked until he’d wrung every ounce of pleasure from her body, and then he stripped off his clothes, climbed onto the bed, and positioned himself over her.
“I love you,” he said. “We may have only just met, but I know our hearts belong together.”
“I love you, too,” Cadence told him. “I don’t know much about being a dragon, but I know this feels right. It feels like destiny.”
And then he thrust inside of her.
She groaned as he filled her body with his length. He wasn’t too big, but it had been a long time since she’d been with a man, and even longer since she’d been with someone who took his time. She loved the way he filled her so fully, and when he started to thrust inside of her, her pleasure began to build once more.
This time, as Cadence neared orgasm, she found herself reaching for his wrist. Liam looked confused, but let her slip his wrist between her lips.
“Forever,” she whispered, and she bit down on his skin until she drew blood. She was shocked as she did it, but it was a carnal instinct, something that she simply had to do. She just knew this was what she needed to do. She needed to mark him. He was hers.
Liam groaned, but didn’t stop thrusting into her. She sucked his wrist and then sealed the wound with her tongue. She didn’t even know she could do that, but it made sense. Her adoptive mother’s journal had said something about dragons having healing properties.
“You marked me,” Liam said, and he smiled at her.
“You’re mine forever,” she whispered.
“I’m a lucky man, then.”
She reached for him and pulled him close. As she kissed him, her body gave way to another orgasm, and this time, she felt Liam climax along with her. He whispered her name as he came, and then he kissed her over and over and over.
Finally, he laid next to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her. He pulled her closer and snuggled against her.
“I guess we’re mated now,” she said.
“I guess so,” he agreed.
“Are you scared?”
“About being mated to a beautiful woman for the rest of my life?” He laughed. “Not at all, sweetheart.”
“You don’t think it’s too fast?”
“When you find your mate, it’s not too fast. When you’ve been waiting your whole life for that perfect person and you find them, waiting becomes meaningless. I love you, Cadence, and I’m ready to spend the rest of my life showing you that.”
He kissed her again, and her heart was happy.
11
When he woke the next morning, Liam reached for Cadence, but she wasn’t in bed. He rolled over and saw her sitting by the window. Her hair was down, and she wasn’t dressed. She looked lovely, perfect.
“Hey,” Liam said, sitting up. “How are you doing, pretty girl?” She turned to him and smiled.
“A little sore,” she admitted. “But good.”
“Last night was fun,” he said.
“It was perfect,” she clarified. She came over to look at his wrist. “I can’t believe I bit you,” she admitted, but he just laughed.
“It was a natural instinct,” he said. “I’m not sorry. Now everyone I meet will know I’m loved by a beautiful woman.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Besides, it’s one of the fantastic things about being with a dragonwoman.”
“I have super biting abilities?”
“Among other abilities,” he wiggled his eyebrows and she laughed. Then Cadence wrapped her arms around Liam and they tumbled together onto the bed.
“I’m ready to go outside,” she said. “Do you want to watch me try?”
“You’re going to try to shift?”
She nodded. “I’m not sure if it will work,” she admitted. “And I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I think I need to try. I need to see if mating you was the key to being able to shift.”
Liam kissed her on the forehead.
“You know that even if this doesn’t work, it’s okay, right? We’ll keep trying, Cadence. We’ll find a way.”
Being a shifter was so important. He couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. She had this part of herself locked away where she couldn’t reach it. Cadence needed to be able to access that. She needed to be able to grasp that part of herself.
“It’s going to work,” she said, and her determination surprised him.
“All right,” Liam agreed. “Let’s go outside, then.”
They walked outside of the cabin. He sat on the steps to the porch while she walked a few yards ahead of the cabin. She was naked in the middle of nature, and she looked beautiful. Liam knew nudity was normal and expected among shifters, but seeing Cadence in her human form this way made him feel incredible.
Masculine.
She made him feel decidedly masculine.
“All right,” she walked in circles for a few seconds, and dug her toes into the dirt. She was stalling, but that didn’t matter. She could take all the time in the world if that’s what she needed, and he would wait for her. He would always wait for her.
Then, Cadence decided to be brave.
He knew the exact moment she decided she was ready because she went to the center of the space she’d been walking in, and she stood very, very still. Her front was to Liam and she bowed her head and closed her eyes. For a minute, he thought she might be praying.
She crouched, and then she jumped into the air.
This time, she didn’t land.
This time, she soared.
Cadence shifted in the air to a beautiful purple dragon, and she began to fly. A wave of happiness rolled over Liam, and he began to tear up. She was beautiful in the sky. Everything about her was lovely, and he was lucky enough to be the very first person to see her
in dragon form.
As they’d suspected, she was a purple dragon. Like Molly, she had silver-tipped wings, but her snout was an even deeper purple: not teal, like her mother. Cadence flew higher and higher and higher. She soared up, up, up, and then she came down.
She landed gracefully and instantly shifted back. She started jumping up and down.
“Liam!” She shrieked. “We did it!”
“No,” he corrected her. “You did it.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she insisted. “Without your love to guide me, to carry me through this. I couldn’t have experienced this without you by my side.”
He kissed her.
She was the most precious thing in the world to him, and he kissed her to show her that. He kissed her to show her that their life together was going to be beautiful, that he would do anything he could to make her happy.
“Come on,” Cadence said.
“Where are we going?”
Her eyes twinkled. “I want to take you for a ride.”
He laughed. “I can honestly say I’ve never done this before.”
“Me neither, but I think we should try.”
She shifted and lay as flat as possible so Liam could climb up on top of her. Once he was ready, Cadence leapt into the air and began to fly, and this time, Liam was right there with her.
He’d never seen Dragon Isle from above before, never even imagined it was possible. The world seemed much smaller and manageable from up here. The island seemed almost tiny, but that’s because they were so high.
Cadence began to circle the island, and Liam wondered what adventures they were going to have on it. There were jungles to explore and trees to climb and rivers to swim in. There were dragons to meet and experiences to be shared. There were endless possibilities.
And he got to share them all with her.