“Yer head dropped forward and yer wings folded in—ye lost consciousness completely,” he explains, and there’s pain visible in his eyes as he searches my face. “I moved as fast as I could and grabbed yer dragoness around her middle, then curled myself around her tae protect ye. The impact hurt somethin’ fierce—felt like every bone in my body cracked.”
He pauses, swallowing hard. “I held ye tae me as hard as I could so my body would take tha impact, not yers. When we finally stopped slidin’, I looked down prayin’ tae tha goddess you were still alive. That soft purr that escaped yer lips made me want tae weep with relief. Ye were alive and safe in my arms.”
His smile is devastating—beauty, and pain combined in one expression that makes my heart ache.
I close the distance between Solaris and me without hesitation and hug him tightly around his waist, pressing my face against his chest. I can hear his heart beating strong and steady beneath his formal coat. “Keir, can you please take us home? I want to go to the cavern beyond the egg chamber—the one with the hot springs.”
Keir approaches immediately and grabs hold of both of us, one hand on my shoulder and one on Solaris’s arm. Reality folds around us in that distinctive sensation, and we blink out of existence together.
The last thing I see before we disappear is my father’s approving smile and Finlay’s knowing look. They understand what I need right now—safety, warmth, and time alone with my newly hatched mate.
Home. Finally, home.
The world foldsaround us as time and space collapse in on themselves—that distinctive sensation of reality bending that always makes my stomach flip. When we emerge on the other side, we’re standing in the old egg chamber where I was born. The air is warm and humid, carrying the mineral scent of the hot springs beyond. My heart races knowing I’m finally home, finally safe, and finally with all five of my mates.
“Thank you, Keir,” I say, kissing him softly and smiling up at him with genuine gratitude that makes my chest tight. “Please get the others and maybe drop Dad off at his home so he can rest.”
“Will do, babe,” Keir says with a wink, then blinks out of existence with that familiarpopof displaced air.
The moment we’re alone, the reality of it hits me—Solaris is here. Actually, here. Not trapped in an egg, not a voice in my head, but solid and real and standing close enough to touch. My hands are shaking slightly as I let go of his arm.
I step into the hidden cavern beyond the egg chamber. The first thing to go are my shoes—I kick them off with relief, my feet aching from hours of desperate flight. I’m still wearing the formal gown from that cursed diplomatic mission, now torn and stained and a reminder of how close I came to losing everything.
I extend my silver talons with deliberate slowness and slice the ruined fabric off my body in quick, efficient movements. The gown falls away in pieces, and I don’t care about modesty or propriety. I need the water, need to wash away the fear and exhaustion and poison. I spread my wings wide and use them to fly the short distance across the cavern. Three powerful flaps of my wings, and I dive into the center of the hot spring with a splash that sends water droplets flying everywhere.
The warmth of the mineral-rich water soaks immediately into my stiff, aching muscles like a blessing from the goddess herself. I sigh with profound relief and shift back into my skull dragoness form, needing to be myself—my true self—with him. The transformation happens almost instantly; my body recognizing this as home, as safe.
Our mate is handsome...my dragoness observes with obvious pleasure and barely contained excitement.His human form isn’t bad either... He’s finally here. Finally, real. Finally, ours.She purrs in my head, the sound vibrating through our shared consciousness with joy and satisfaction and desperate longing.
I rise slowly out of the water, letting my white, skull-like face and silver horns—curved like scythes and wickedly sharp—breach the surface first. Water streams off my bone plates and down my neck in rivulets. Slowly, deliberately, I lower my massive head toward Solaris, where he stands at the edge of the spring.
He looks up at me with what I can only describe as awe, his amber eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. His lips part slightly, and I can see his chest rising and falling rapidly with emotion he’s struggling to contain.
“Ye look absolutely beautiful, my mate,” Solaris breathes, his voice rough with emotion. He reaches out with a hand that trembles and gently strokes my maw with reverent fingers, like he’s touching something sacred. “A thousand years I waited. A thousand years of darkness and silence, and ye’re more magnificent than any dream I had.”
The touch sends pleasant shivers racing down my spine and makes my heart clench with overwhelming emotion.He’s here. He’s really here. He saved me. He caught me when I fell.
He shifts his hands with visible effort, his own black talons extending, and uses them to carefully preen my face—removing dirt and debris from between my scales with practiced precision. The gesture is so intimate and caring that I feel tears prick at my dragon’s eyes. His hands are shaking as he works, and I can feel waves of love and devotion and desperate relief pouring through our bond.
I rumble with deep contentment; the sound vibrating through the cavern. I lay down in the shallow area, keeping most of my body submerged in the steaming water, making myself vulnerable and open to him in a way I’ve never been with anyone except my other mates.
“Tha skull dragonesses of tha past preferred places exactly like this fer their lairs,” Solaris explains as he works, his accent thick with emotion that makes his words rough. “Hot springs, deep caverns, places where they could soak and heal and be themselves without fear. It does my heart good—goddess, it makes me want tae weep—tae see how much yer dragoness knows from ancestral memory. Ye’re perfect, lass. Absolutely perfect.” His voice cracks on the last word, and I can smell the salt of tears on him.
I rumble questioningly, asking without words what he means by ancestral memory, needing to hear his voice, needing the connection.
“Tha older bloodlines were able tae access tha memories of tha dragons that came before them,” he explains, moving to the other side of my face and continuing his careful preening with hands that are steadier now. “Yer father's being of tha oldest bloodlines, I’m not shocked yer dragoness’s instincts are so strong and sure. Ye know things ye’ve never been taught because yer ancestors knew them. Ye’re everything they were and more.”
I rumble softly in understanding, pressing my face more firmly into his touch.They told you I’m a chimera;I state rather than ask, opening one sapphire eye to stare at Solaris, suddenly vulnerable and uncertain. Does he care? Does it matter to him I’m not pure-blooded?
“They did, aye,” he confirms immediately, meeting my gaze without even a flicker of hesitation or disgust. His amber eyes burn with fierce pride and love. “Chimeras are born when a species is in trouble—when tha bloodlines need strengthenin’ or when somethin’ threatens dragon kind. Ye’re not an accident or a mistake, lass. Ye’re a gift. Remember, I could hear everything when ye took me everywhere in that carrier. I know more about yer family than ye might think. I know yer heart. I know yer soul. And I’ve loved ye since tha first moment I felt yer presence.”
He reaches up and cups my massive jaw with both hands, his expression so tender it makes my chest ache. “I’ve waited a thousand years fer ye, Raven. A thousand years of darkness and silence. And I’d wait a thousand more if I had tae. Ye’re worth every second of suffering.”
Tears—actual tears—slide down my scaled face and drip into the water below.
He smiles warmly, looking at me and then at the expansive hot spring with obvious longing that he’s trying to contain out of politeness. I can feel through our bond how desperately he wants to be close to me, to be in the water with me, but he’s holding back, waiting for permission.
I scoot to the side immediately, my massive form displacing water that sloshes against the cavern walls with urgency, making more room for him.I believe it’s deep enough for you to fit too, if you would like. Orange dragons prefer hot springs and marshes, just like black dragons do.
