by Amelia Jade
This was a critical juncture. A pivotal moment in his relationship with Megyn. It was now or never for him. If he wanted to keep her, he’d have to tell her the truth.
Hel took a step forward.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Megyn
One of the other dragons moved to stand between them, but Hel stopped him with little more than a look.
She watched him, shivering with multiple emotions. The power she’d witnessed from Hel tonight was immense. As a dragon shifter he was at the top of the pyramid. She knew he probably could have slaughtered the wolves if he’d wanted, but instead he’d only inflicted as much damage as necessary to cause them to retreat.
Now he was stopping another dragon shifter in his tracks by looking at him. She was thrilled to see this, to know that this man was interested in her. But most of all, she wanted to hear him tell her what the word “mate” meant to him. She’d heard what he’d said to Ian. Heard the exact word, and the importance that he put behind it. Now she needed to know a little more.
“Hel,” she whispered, not sure what else to say.
“Megyn.” He reached out for her with one hand, only to realize it was coated in that strange metal he’d summoned during the fight. “There’s something you should know.”
“Yes, Hel?” She held her breath. Was this it? Had tonight been the necessary catalyst for him to have a breakthrough?
“I’m a dragon.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious. I rode your back tonight if you forgot,” she teased, amazed at her ability to take everything in stride. She should probably be freaking out right about now, but strangely enough, this world felt right. Like she’d belonged to it all along.
“Play your cards right and you can ride the other side of me too,” he shot back in a joke that would have had much more appeal if he wasn’t covered in blood.
“Maybe after a shower and sanitization,” she said, arching her eyebrows and giving him the once-over.
“Ah. Yeah. Listen, what I meant by telling you I’m half-dragon is that things for us are…different, when it comes to partners.”
“You have a lot of them?”
He rolled his eyes at her. “I’m not a virgin, you knew that going in. We’re adults, get over it. No, what I meant was a partner. There is only one.”
“Only one?”
“Ever. A dragon is always longing for its mate. For that one person they will have forever. The one and only person they will ever love.” Hel came closer, ripping off his shirt to give her something somewhat clean if she chose to hug him.
“Oh.” Her voice was very small now. “I see.”
“When a dragon finds their mate, it can be tough for them to deal with the onslaught of emotions that comes with it. With knowing you’ve finally found the one. Your other half.” He looked away, his voice tightening as he spoke the last sentence. “It can get to the point that they’re afraid to act. To tell the truth.”
She nodded, not sure what else to say.
“That’s why I told Ian you were my mate.” He took her hands in his. “Because I love you, Megyn Wekkle. Since the day I met you, I’ve known we were meant to be together. I was just too afraid to tell you. Every time I tried, I just clamped up.”
“I noticed.” She squeezed his hands to let him know she was just teasing. “I always felt the tension between us, Hel. I just wasn’t sure what it meant. I waited for you to make a move, you know. When we first met. I was more than ready. Then you didn’t, so I thought you weren’t interested.”
“I was,” he said fiercely. “It’s just...humans don’t feel the bond the same way a dragon does. Not until they’re ready to admit how they feel. There’s a tendency for us dragons to rush things, which can scare humans off, so I understand.”
“I think ten years is moving slow enough,” she drawled, smiling up at him.
“Too slow,” he muttered in agreement. “That’s on me. I’m here now though. Telling you that I love you, and that when you’re ready, I want to be with you.”
She didn’t have to think about it. It was a no-brainer a decade in the making. “I love you too, Hel.” She flung herself into his arms, feeling them wrap strongly around her, holding her tight. “But I swear to God, if you wait another ten years to ask me to marry you, we’re going to have problems.”
Hel’s face opened up, until he was looking like a deer caught in headlights. “Uhhh, I had no plans on asking any time soon, Megyn. I thought…after Ian, that you would want to wait, and that we could just...well you see, if I were to do that, then…and you would, but we could. I mean, if that’s what you wanted?”
Unable to control herself, she started laughing hysterically. “You big oaf. It doesn’t have to happen tomorrow! I’m not ready for that either. All I’m saying is it had better not take that long.”
“We’ll talk.”
She was about to give him a piece of her mind when she saw the twinkle in his eyes. “Very funny, mister.”
“Hel.”
Glaring at the interruption, she held up a hand to silence the other dragon from speaking. “This man is a good man,” she said, staring up at the man she now knew she’d always meant to be with. “A very good man. His actions may have been unorthodox, and a few years too late, but they were right. He was right. What he did saved me from someone who would see me as a possession. You saw how he’s reacted so far.” She gestured to where the shifters had recently vacated the field. “He’s not a danger. He’s my protector. I’ve been marked now as his, and any others who come along will know that. So leave us alone.”
“If you’re wrong, your life could be in extreme danger. Likely it will end.” It was a warning, but one spoken without much heart or conviction behind it. Just washing their hands in case something did happen.
“I know. That’s true of anyone though. Any person can be a danger to the other. That’s why there’s this thing called trust. You give it to someone, because you believe in the better part of them, you believe that they will never hurt you. And I trust Hel.” She took up his hands and kissed the uninjured one. “Just as he will protect me from threats external, I’ll protect him from those that come from within. That’s why we’re such a good team. You have nothing to worry about with us together.”
The other shifters looked at one another. The speaker, she believed his name was Stoen, shrugged. “Very well. If this is your wish.”
“It is. He’s got a lot of explaining to do, but he’s mine.”
The pair just nodded, and then moved away.
Hel turned to face them, speaking up just before they shifted. “Wait. Why don’t you two stick around? I’ve got a proposition for us. All of us.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Megyn
“You want to WHAT?” she shouted, dropping the hammer, hopping back out of the way on her good foot.
“I want to stay here and fight.”
“I heard you. I just don’t understand you. Let me get this straight. There’s some sort of magic doorway under the mountains right over there.” She pointed out the window. “The mountains near the city where you brought me. You could have taken me anywhere in the world, but you brought me here.” She picked up the hammer, put another staple over the electrical wiring and hammered it home, taking out some of her anger with each swing.
Hel, wisely, stayed silent, not doing anything except keeping a wary eye on the hammer as she wielded it awkwardly. Not ineptly, but just without the ease of practice of someone who’d used one a lot.
“You told me all about that. I believed you, since you can do that thing where you become big, scaly, and even stupider than normal. Fine, aliens on the other side, they want to kill humanity. I’ll believe it. You still keep me here. Close to the deadly aliens. Am I getting it all so far?”
Hel cringed, but nodded.
“Right. Now, you tell me that instead of going home, you invited the other two stooges Kase and Stoen to n
ot only stick around, but you convinced them to go volunteer to help a bunch of other dragons fight these things. Something you didn’t have to do. You could have taken me home, spoiled me rotten, married me, had some babies, and lived a great life. Instead you want to go risk it all?!”
“If they get out, there won’t be a home to go to,” he said quietly. “There will be nowhere safe for you, or our children. They will come for them. For you. And I will lose everything I hold dear in this world.”
She blinked furiously, not willing to face him. “If I lose you, then the same thing applies,” she ground out. “Soldiers die, Hel. It’s their job to do so to protect the civilians.”
“The more dragons who lend their strength, the fewer of us will die. The fewer people in general will die. I can’t just sit around and grow rich and lazy while my kin are over here sacrificing themselves for the good of the world. Think about that, Megyn. We’re not talking about some wealthy dictator trying to take over another country. We’re talking about an alien race hell-bent on eradicating all life on earth. How can you expect me to not do my part and still be who I am?”
She took in a deep, shaky breath. The idea scared her to the core. It had taken her ten years to get Hel. She didn’t want to lose him. They’d just begun a life together. She wanted to live it to the fullest, not become a widow. But he was right.
“I know.” She stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, moving awkwardly on an ankle that was still sore three days later. “But just because you’re right doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
He came toward her, wrapping her up in the big, warming hugs she’d come to love. It made her feel tiny and safe in his arms, and she stole one every chance she could get. Now she basked in the feeling, wanting to memorize how it felt, so she would never forget. Just in case.
“Do you have to go live on the base?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I haven’t actually talked to anyone over there yet. Same with Stoen and Kase. They’ve been over there touring and learning about it, but they don’t know what I intend yet either.”
She nodded. After the fight with the wolves he’d asked them to stay, wanting to mend bridges, and also to give them a first-hand view that he was in fact quite sane. Megyn had been worried to realize that there was a genetic disposition around their kind. That there had been a legitimate reason to believe Hel had been losing his mind.
He wasn’t, but that had surprised her. But things had gone smoothly, and the quartet had worked hard on the renovations to the building. The framing was done, and the electrician had finished wiring most of it. She had no idea where Hel had found one on such short notice, but she suspected he’d paid him a hefty fee. Either way, it was coming together and she couldn’t wait to see the finished product.
The other three units would take much longer, but with the head start that had been given to them by the previous contractor, they were moving along quite quickly. To everyone’s surprise Hel, Stoen, and Kase had found they made an excellent team. Everyone had just sort of fallen into roles, and things flew along. She’d stepped back to watch, happy to see him enjoying the company of someone else besides her. Maybe he’d find some friends eventually too, though she didn’t want to share him too much.
“Do you have to go soon?” she asked nervously, squeezing him tight once more.
“No. After the renovation is complete. I gave my word we’d do that. After that, we’ll take a trip home, and then I’ll go over and sign up I guess. Who knows, maybe they’ll have found a way to close the portal by then.”
He didn’t sound very confident.
“At least we’ll have some time together first,” she told him, sighing, knowing full well that he would do this.
Oh how my world has changed. I’m doing my best to roll with the punches, but it’s kind of funny to look back. Two weeks ago I was about ready to marry someone I thought I knew. Now I’m happier than I’ve ever been, with someone I knew better than I thought.
Except for the dragons, wolves, and aliens of course. That was still strange. And fascinating. But mostly strange.
“We can have all the time you want,” he told her.
Megyn frowned, pushing away. “What do you mean by that? This job will take a while, but you can’t put it off forever. That sort of defies the purpose.”
He laughed. “That’s not what I meant. When you’re ready, and only when you’re ready, we can have more time than you could ever imagine together.”
“I’m thirty-three, Hel. At best I’ve got fifty, maybe sixty years left in me. Sorry to burst your bubble.”
Her man—her mate—grinned. “Perks of dating a dragon, baby,” he rumbled in a false accent. “No, I’m serious.” He pulled out a black box. “Now, I am not proposing to you. Yet.” He winked. “But I want you to know that what’s inside is made from me. It’s a part of me. By having it on you, it will strengthen our bond, and provide you with some perks as well. The benefits you should have had from being a dragon.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
“Freedom from disease and illness. Greatly extended lifespan. A small increase in strength and speed, albeit nothing crazy.” He shrugged.
“I’m sorry. This is a thing?” she asked, stunned. “Are you serious? How long of a lifespan?”
“As long as mine,” he said quietly.
She frowned. “How old are you, Hel?”
“A lot older than I look. Not bad, don’t you think?” He looked left and right so she could admire him.
“This isn’t funny. How much longer will you live?”
Hel sobered. “Anywhere from eight to ten centuries.”
“Oh.”
The world spun around her, not stopping when Hel picked her up.
“That’s a long time. Eight hundred years?”
“If you put on the ring, yes.”
Right. The ring.
“Well, this is a lot to think about.”
It wasn’t, though. Even as she tried to grapple with the numbers he was throwing at her, Megyn knew there wouldn’t be an ounce of doubt in her final decision.
A thousand more years with Hel?
Yes, please.
********
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This concludes Dragon Marked, Quicksilver Dragons Book 1.
Kase’s story is up next! To be notified when it’s available and to get a bonus scene between Megyn and Hel, click the link below.
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Want More of These Characters?
Hey!
Thanks for digging in to my back matter for more books to read. I’ve written a number of series now, in three main worlds. All worlds have an easy and convenient to read introduction, with a number of stories in it that will drag you right into the world.
The Outsiders
Ancient Dragons have been awakened to fight a monstrous enemy from out of this world. But they have one condition first: They must be allowed to find their mates.
Dragon Temptation (Crimson Dragons Book 1)
Cadia
In this world shifters and humans live apart. Will imaginary barriers prevent real love? Not sure where to start? Try reading:
Frost Dragon (Dragons of Cadia Book 1)
Genesis Valley
This is the other world I have written extensively in. There are a number of books in the series, and the order can jump around a bit. The best way to start is here:
Jade Crew: Alpha Bear (Ridgeback Shifters Book 1)
Flip the page for the complete rundown of all my series and the recommended reading order.
Thanks!
-Amelia Jade
The Outsiders
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This is the series/book list for the Outsiders world.
Crimson Dragons
Crimson Dragons: The Box Set
Includes:
Dragon Temptation
Dragon Seduction
Dragon Devotion
Onyx Dragons
Dragon Fixation
Dragon Obsession
Dragon Addiction
Ice Dragons
Dragon Eruption
Dragon Redemption
Dragon Rebellion
Emerald Dragons
Dragon Passion
Dragon Desire
Dragon Craving
Cobalt Dragons
Dragon Blood
Dragon Heart
Dragon Soul
Quicksilver Dragons
Dragon Marked
Dragon Bound
Dragon Betrothed
Cadia
Here are the main series in the world of Cadia. Find them below!
Start with:
Dragons of Cadia: The Complete Dragon Shifter Series.
The Full 6 Book Bundle (Link)
Includes:
Frost Dragon
Fire Dragon
Electro Dragon
Gale Dragon
Fume Dragon
Aurum Dragon
Next:
Base Camp Bears
The Full 6 book Bundle (Link)
Includes:
Green Bearets: Luther
Green Bearets: Aksel
Green Bearets: Jarvis
Green Bearets: Garrin
Green Bearets: Kiefer
Green Bearets: Gabriel
Then:
The Koche Brothers
Blackjack Bears: Pierce
Blackjack Bears: Kean
Blackjack Bears: Gavin
Blackjack Bears: Kassian
Blackjack Bears: Maximus
Then:
Bad Bear Shifters
Big Bad Wolf Dad