Rune's eyes darkened with unmistakable hunger, gold flecks blazing as his gaze swept over her face. The possessiveness in his expression made her breath catch, heat pooling low in her belly despite the seriousness of their situation.
"Fine," Rune said, his voice rougher now. "That works."
They hurried to Ben's room, where they found him sitting on the bed, already looking more at ease in the opulent surroundings than seemed possible after less than twenty-four hours.
"Ben, we need you to get a list of who's on the dragon forum," Maple said, tossing him her phone. "You can find it on there."
He caught the device with practiced ease. "Will do. So, are you two good? Where are you two going?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Just following a lead," Maple said, hoping he didn't press for more.
"Alright, just come back in one piece," Ben said, genuine concern flickering in his eyes.
"Nothing will happen to her under my protection," Rune said, the words carrying the weight of an oath.
They left Ben to his task and made their way through the corridors to the back of the mansion. Rune led her through a set of French doors onto an expansive terrace that overlooked his private gardens—a sprawling landscape of desert plants and ancient stone sculptures that spoke of centuries of careful cultivation.
"I'm going to shift," Rune said, his hands already moving to the hem of his black henley. "But first I need to undress. It's easier that way."
"Do you need me to give you privacy?" Maple asked, though her pulse quickened at the prospect. "Although I've already seen you naked, remember?"
The reminder of their encounter on the dining room table hung between them, electric and charged with unfinished business.
"Watch all you like. Just when I shift, stand back, and then when I'm in dragon form, get on my back. I won't be able to talk to you, but you can talk to me and point the way to Serena's place."
Maple nodded, stepping back as he began to undress with efficient, practiced movements. First the henley, revealing the sculpted perfection of his chest and abdomen—muscles that spoke of centuries of physical power barely contained beneath human skin. Then his boots, his jeans, his boxers, until he stood before her in the desert sunlight, completely bare and utterly magnificent.
But what happened next stole the breath from her lungs entirely.
The air around Rune began to shimmer like heat waves rising from summer asphalt. His skin rippled, and then the transformation began—not violent or painful, but fluid and ancient, like watching time itself bend to his will. His body expanded, bones lengthening and reshaping, muscles flowing like liquid power as obsidian-black scales emerged across his skin like armor forged in the heart of a volcano.
Within moments, where the man had stood, a massive dragon towered over her—easily thirty feet from nose to tail, with wings that could have cast shadows over buildings. His scales were the deep black of midnight, shot through with veins of molten gold that pulsed with inner fire. His eyes, still recognizably Rune's but now ancient and predatory, fixed on her with a piercing intensity that made her soul sing.
Mine,her heart whispered with recognition.
This was her dragon. Her mate. The impossible creature she'd dreamed of as a child, her fantasy made flesh and scale.
Rune lowered his great head, bringing it level with her so she could climb onto his neck and back. His scales were warm beneath her palms as she pulled herself up, soon settling between his shoulder blades where natural ridges provided perfect handholds. The moment she was secure, he straightened, and she felt the coiled power in his massive frame as he prepared for flight.
Then they were airborne.
The ground fell away beneath them as Rune's powerful wings caught the desert thermals, lifting them into the vast Arizona sky. Wind whipped through Maple's hair as they soared over the canyon landscape, and she felt something she'd never experienced before—complete and utter freedom. This was where she belonged, not in dusty conference rooms or sterile laboratories, but here, flying through impossible skies on the back of a dragon who had claimed her heart.
TWELVE
RUNE
The wind rushing past them carried the scent of desert sage and ancient stone, but Rune barely registered the familiar landscape below. Every nerve in his massive dragon body was focused on the woman seated between his shoulder blades, her hands gripping his scales with a reverence that sent molten fire coursing through his veins.
In five centuries of existence, no one had ever ridden on his back. The very idea had been unthinkable—allowing someone that close, trusting someone that much. Yet here was Maple, her body warm against his scales, her voice soft with wonder as she occasionally murmured appreciation for the landscape unfolding beneath them.
Through their mate bond, her emotions flowed into him like honey—pure joy, breathless awe, and beneath it all, a profound sense of belonging that matched his own. She felt it too, this rightness between them, this perfect braiding of souls that defied every logical argument he'd constructed against the mate bond.
His dragon rumbled with contentment, a sound that vibrated through his entire frame. For the first time in centuries, he felt fulfilled. Not the hollow fulfillment of wealth and power, but thesoul-deep satisfaction of finding his missing half. The woman on his back wasn't just riding him—she was claiming him as surely as he had claimed her last night.
This is what I've been denying myself.
His logical mind attempted its familiar rebellion, trying to resurrect the walls he'd spent centuries building.
