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“I mean. I guess. Yes,” he confessed, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment.
Blinking, I just stared at him, feeling my insides melt. I had to admit he was absolutely adorable right now, and my ovaries squeezed knowing he wanted to have babes with me.
“Like, in a few years though,” he nervously added. “And years, and years—"
Imogen’s laughter cut the tension, and from the expression on my mate’s face, he was glad for the interruption.
Unable to be stopped, my heart began to swell with the prospect, making me reconsider everything I had once set aside, locked away in the recess of my being. So many depended on me that I never dared to think it could actually happen. The truth was, I was afraid. It would hurt too much to dream, just to see everything burn down in flames.
And then Braxton changed my life. He was hope itself for me. He changed me every day, without even realizing it.
“Well, you two clearly need to have a talk,” Imogen added, utterly amused by our predicament. “But don’t you worry, darlings. You will have plenty of time for planning your future together. In the meantime, I’ll answer your very important question.” Her attention shifted to Braxton. “Seeing as you are the one who carries the abilities in this pairing, then yes. Your kids will be equal parts Dragon, Wizard, and Healer.”
She paused for a second, considering her own words.
“Your father said genetics evolve with time, and since the Dragons’ essence is strong within you—the first Soulris born from their blood—it is possible you may even procreate Dragon Shifters.”
In Braxton’s own words… Holy shit!
Shock made my every muscle clench, and I turned startled eyes to my mate. Could our kids really be Dragon Shifters?I mean, Braxton does have scales already…
“We will bring forth a new generation of rulers, greater than anything Caelisium has ever seen,” I echoed Imogen’s statement, truly realizing its meaning. A brand-new start, not only for our realm, but for our race.
My mate remained quiet for a few moments, seeming sobered by the turn our conversation had taken, and part of me started to worry. It was certainly a lot to process. “Brax?”
After releasing a burdened breath, his attention returned to me.
“My mother told me once that there would come a time when I would stop seeing myself as a young man, and claim my place in life as a man,” he idly began, pondering everything that was happening. “I never understood what she meant, because I never really thought of myself as a child or a teenager—at least not like others were. Raithian took that from me the night he burned my world to ashes, forcing me to grow up way too fast.”
Turning to face me fully, Braxton took my other hand in his, holding them tightly. My chest tightened with the sadness in his words, unsure of where he was going, but soon another emotion captured him.
“This is it,” he continued. “This is what my mother meant. The loss of whatever innocence I still had, to accept the reality and burden of this life.”
“Braxton, don’t—”
He stopped my words with a shake of his head, a small smile overcoming the sadness.
“It is also the realization of a destiny I want to claim as mine. A life I finally feel worthy of living, because of you.” Lifting our joined hands, he lay them over his heart. “This is bigger than us ending Raithian, Evie. It is about being happy and making a life with you, the woman I love, in a world where we can raise our kids without fear. A world where they can grow up to be whoever they are meant to be—Wizards, Healers, Dragon Shifters, or Soulris like everyone else—yet be accepted and appreciated for it. I deserve that. I deserve you. I deserve everything.”
Emotion clogged my throat while I looked up at him, because he finally saw himself as I saw him. As we all saw him.
His arm slid around my waist, bringing me closer to him, and I stepped into him willingly. Also, I was glad he was holding me tightly because I felt dangerously weak in the knees with his intense gaze on me this way.
“I want you as my wife and queen, Evanna,” Braxton declared, completely unaware of the effect he had on me. “I want to create a family with you. And I am going to fight with everything inside me to make it happen.”
Shaking his head again, he slightly chuckled, but there was not an ounce of humor in his eyes.
“I don’t say that lightly. This realization falls on me with the weight of an iron crown. But I welcome it, because I have made myself strong enough to carry the weight. I am the man you deserve, Evanna. The man I was always meant to become.”
Blinking away the tears threatening to fall, I lifted a hand to his cheek, letting the love he awoke in me brim from my heart until a smile bloomed on my lips. “Braxton Skystorm,” I finished for him. “The Dragon King.”
I pulled him closer against me, and he gave me exactly what I needed, his full lips closing over mine.
With our kiss, our joint destiny was sealed, a silent promise to each other to fulfill our dreams, together, and make this world not only what we wanted it to be, but what we all deserved.
Once I finally let him go, his forehead rested on mine, and he looked straight into my eyes. The winds of change flowing through us.
“Accepting this responsibility doesn’t mean you have to let go of that hope and light you have always carried in you, Brax,” I urged, needing him to understand. “You gave that back to me when darkness, horror, and duty had consumed my life. When each battle and loss robbed me of hope and innocence.” Cupping his cheeks, I smiled at him, my eyes still glistening. “I want, I need that light to still shine in you… Let’s nurture it together.”
