“I know,” he said, but there was still an anxious edge to his voice. Adrissu supposed he couldn’t fault him for being nervous; he felt a bit of it himself, too. But itwouldwork—of that, there was no doubt in his mind. Words wouldn’t assuage him, though, so instead of trying to talk Pollux out of his anxiety, Adrissu moved to the other end of the room to inspect his work. The circle was flawless, as the first had been, but a smaller size suited for Pollux’s elven body. Not a rune was out of place.
“Perfect,” he rumbled, and Pollux managed a small smile. “Put your things down, and let’s begin.”
Pollux nodded, his smile falling away, and he carefully removed all his weapons and equipment, placing them near where Adrissu had slept. He hesitated, then stripped down to his underwear, folding his thick doublet in a neat pile beside his equipment and his boots, and tossing his sweat-soaked cotton undershirt to the side.
“I’m ready,” he said softly, the soft sound of his bare feet against the floor echoing through the wide chamber as he entered the smaller circle. Adrissu nodded and watched him lay down in the center, hearing his heart beating a rapid, uneasy rhythm in the near-silence.
“Pollux,” he breathed, looming over the elf. He lowered his head until his snout was pressed against Pollux’s chest, and after a moment, the elf sat up again to hold Adrissu’s head in his arms. His face felt warm and flushed against the cool scales at the top of Adrissu’s skull. “I understand why you’re frightened. But I promise everything will be fine.”
“I know,” he whispered.
“Do you trust me?” Adrissu murmured, and without a beat of hesitation, Pollux nodded.
“I trust you,” he said.
Adrissu wished he had changed back to his own elven form just so he could kiss him in that moment; it was a frightening prospect, but Pollux trusted him. That alone was a gift, nevermind everything that was to come after.
“Lay down,” he said softly. Pollux released him to lie back down, then took in a long and shuddering breath before closing his eyes.
Adrissu picked up the stone he would use for Pollux—a finely carved emerald, one of the original pieces of dwarven craftsmanship in his hoard, and a far lovelier specimen to behold than the massive, uncarved hunk of stone that he had used on Tyrsun. He held it carefully to Pollux’s bare chest; the elf’s eyes remained closed, but he flinched slightly as it touched his skin.
Adrissu launched straight into the ritual, unable to wait any longer. The runes around Pollux flared to life as Adrissu suffused them with magic, then pushed through the stone into Pollux. Finding the core of him was simple compared to the dragon’s: it felt like a coin he could easily pluck up. Still, Adrissu pulled at it carefully, easing it into the bright emerald in his claws. There was no resistance as he pulled Pollux’s soul from his body, absolute trust emanating almost palpably.
When the soul was sequestered in the emerald, Adrissu released his hold on it, and the emerald glowed with vitality and warmth. Pollux’s body shuddered, but his eyes remained closed, and his breathing became rhythmic and slow—if Adrissu had not known better, Pollux might have been enjoying another blessedly untroubled sleep.
What had been the hardest part with Tyrsun had been simple, even natural with Pollux—because Pollux’s soul knew it belonged with Adrissu. This was the part of Ruan that had always come back to him: the part that was the same between Volkmar, Braern, Kian, and now Pollux. Emotion swelled in his chest at the thought that this was the closest he had ever been to his mate—that this glowing gem he held in his claws was what fate had bound to him so entirely. Whatever forces of magic had brought them together, everything had culminated into this.
He looked down at the gleaming emerald for a long while, marveling at the way it flickered with movement and vitality; and he wondered if Pollux had any awareness in the stone, or if it was truly like a deep sleep from which he would awaken in an entirely new body. But he shouldn’t make him wait, he thought, so he carefully carried the emerald over to Tyrsun’s slumbering body. In all his experiments, it had been as simple as placing the soul-containing stone against the new host body. Fearing that Pollux might wake with a start, he took care to position himself away from the red dragon’s teeth and claws, then pressed the emerald against the warm scales.
In his experiments, it had felt simply like pouring water into a receptacle. This time, though, there was some resistance—a sensation he could not quite name, but was unmistakablythereas he held the emerald in place. The stone flickered where it touched the dragon, as if something in it was stuck. He hesitated, but there was no reason it shouldn’t work. Maybe it just needed a push, something small to get it going. He reached out with his magic again, gently nudging the contents of the stone—when he touched it, he felt the resistance fade.
At the same moment the soul departed from the emerald, the red dragon’s body shuddered with life.
Chapter Thirty
Pollux’seyessnappedopen,the bright yellow orbs flickering around the room as a low, rumbling growl resounded through his chest. Adrissu stepped back from him carefully, moving slowly, but still he seemed to shrink in on himself. Fear and confusion skittered across his face as he looked at Adrissu, baring his fangs.
“Pollux,” Adrissu murmured, and the dragon shuddered again, turning his head away. “You’re alright. It’s me. I’m here with you. You’re okay.”
Pollux did not respond, but his claws scrabbled against the earth beneath them as he struggled to push himself up. He was still growling, the noise interrupted by the sharp staccato sound of his rapid breathing. Adrissu wanted to hold him, to comfort him, but took a further step away in uncertainty. The red dragon’s wings flexed tentatively as he stood on all fours, his limbs moving awkwardly—he tried to step toward Adrissu, but slipped back down to the ground, falling onto his belly.
“Relax,” Adrissu urged him, taking a step toward him. “Breathe, Pollux.”
When he stepped toward him, though, a territorial snarl flashed on Pollux’s face, embers sparking from his mouth. Adrissu easily dodged the weak stream of fire that Pollux spat at him, but worried confusion started to make his heart beat faster. He had expected Pollux to perhaps be disoriented, or even confused, but couldn’t he recognize who he was?
But Pollux never would have felt that unsettling awareness of another dragon, Adrissu realized, and instinctively saw him as an intruder. He would not know to ignore it—would not know that it would fade after a little time being together—so all he could do was try to keep Pollux from hurting him until the feeling faded. Though with how uncoordinated Pollux was in this state, he did not think that would be terribly difficult.
“Pollux,” he said again, keeping his voice low and gentle. Pollux’s yellow eyes flickered back up to him, though his teeth were still bared. “You’re alright. I’m not here to hurt you. You know me, don’t you? Don’t you know who I am?”
The dragon made a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl, turning away even as he nodded his head.
“Do you remember what happened?” Adrissu asked, and Pollux nodded again. “Can you speak?”
Pollux breathed in shakily, uncertainty on his face, but he made a low rumbling sound, before stuttering out, “A-A-Adrissu.”
“Good,” Adrissu encouraged, stepping closer to him slowly. Pollux’s jaws snapped open and shut a few times, his tongue moving strangely—it must have been difficult to adjust to being so much bigger, not to mention the many sharper teeth, Adrissu thought. “You’re all right. It will take some getting used to, but you’re all right. Are you in pain?”
Pollux paused, as if having to consciously focus on whether or not he was in pain, then slowly shook his head.
