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"Ready," I said, squeezing his hand in return. I had no idea what to expect, but I wasn’t going to turn back now.
One by one, the shifters transformed. It was magnificent, an awe-inspiring sight as their bodies contorted, skin rippling and changing in a flash of light that was magnified under the silvery wash of the moon. Their human forms melted away, replaced by shimmering scales and wings that unfurled, stretching out to embrace the night in a rainbow of colors.
The change wasn’t all at once but in waves, as some shifted faster than others, giving each other space to transform and take to the skies.
“Come with me.” Evan led me toward the edge of the crowd, to a secluded area near the trees where the shadows were thick. He turned to face me.
"I know you've seen my dragon once before," he said in a lower pitch while he searched my gaze. "But we didn’t know each other then like we do now. I had no idea what you would come to mean to me. Or that you were my mate.”
“Evan—”
“It’s time you two formally met."
It felt like a wild bird took flight in my chest, fluttering and darting about with a mix of apprehension and exhilaration. But even as my pulse thrummed in my ears, there was no fear there, either. I trusted Evan.
He cupped my cheek, tilting my head as he bent down. And there it was, that…awareness that I’d experienced in Miami. I hadn’t known how to describe it before, but now that I was feeling it again, I knew it had to do with his dragon or being his mate. It was as if I could sense him in a way that went beyond the physical.
I could feel his love wrapping around me as he breathed the words, “I love you so much, Mariah. Don’t be afraid.”
I kissed him hard before I pulled back and said, “I could never be afraid of you.”
He looked at me, then he took a step back, putting several yards between us. I stayed at the tree line while he gave himself some space. His eyes never left mine as he began his shift.
At first, it was nothing but a light breeze, then it picked up, swirling around him as the air seemed to pulse with his power. His body shimmered, the transformation so smooth and graceful, as if he were shedding one skin to reveal another.
It wasn’t like the first time I’d watched him shift where it felt forced. Being here among the others made a difference, even if he didn’t see it. His transformation was swift, yet every second was etched vividly into my memory as his new form expanded, his human from giving way to a much larger, more imposing one. His clothes seemed to simply dissolve as his body morphed, his skin replaced by shimmering black scales that caught the moonlight, casting a prism-like glow all around him. His body elongated, muscled limbs stretching into powerful legs, his back arching to accommodate the growth of colossal wings that bloomed from his back, dark and imposing.
Where Evan had once stood, there now was a magnificent dragon. His wings were vast, their span dwarfing the trees around us, yet he settled and tucked them in with hypnotic grace. His eyes, now the molten gold orbs of his dragon, bore into mine. They were the same gold I’d seen flash countless times, only now they held a depth that was both familiar and utterly foreign.
This was Evan, yet not Evan, a separate entity, yet still a part of him. And in those dragon eyes, I saw the same intense emotions I so often found in Evan’s: passion, love, a fierce vow of protection. Fear was a distant concept, the furthest thing from my mind in the face of the indescribable connection I now felt.
It was like before but magnified tenfold, an awareness of this creature’s very soul. A soul that was staring back at me through dragon’s eyes, and one I recognized as the other half of my own. This was Evan, wild and untamed, and I was ready to embrace this other part of him.
"You're beautiful," I whispered, the words slipping from my lips as they shook with emotion. Was this the mate bond I was feeling now? With Evan in dragon from, was it easier to feel that connection? This was undeniably the soul of the man I loved, yet it also felt as though I were meeting him anew.
He remained still while I stepped forward, tentatively extending my hand to touch the scales of his snout as he bent his head low. They were cool under my fingers, harder than any material I'd ever felt, yet there was a pulsing warmth beneath them, and a vibrancy that thrummed in time with my own heartbeat.
A raw, primal force vibrated in the air around us, and my breath caught in my throat. It was a potent reminder of how physically fragile I was compared to him—a powerful, majestic beast compared to a mere human woman.
Soft, warm breath blew my hair back as he brought his massive head closer, his eyes still locked on mine. His body was rigid, but his gaze was gentle, inviting, even. I gave his snout another gentle caress.
Then he nudged me, ever so gently.
I chuckled softly. “What are you telling me?”
He swung his head around slowly, glancing behind him, then brought it back, this time nudging my backside with his snout.
“Hey,” I said in protest, even as I laughed. He guided me to his side, then glanced at his back. I gasped when I realized what he was implying, and stepped back, waving my hands in front of me. “No. No way.”
His shimmering eyes implored me to trust him as he lowered himself to the ground, never taking those gold pupils away. But even as I understood his unspoken invitation, panic gripped me. I shook my head fervently.
"No way in hell, Evan," I said with both fear and amusement. "You expect me to ride on your back? Are you insane?"
His nostrils flared in what I could only interpret as a dragon's version of a playful smirk, and he nudged me again, a bit more insistently this time. His eyelids slid closed, and then I felt him again. His emotions. The unwavering vow that he would keep me safe.
His message was clear : he believed in me, in our connection, and he wanted to share this exhilarating experience.
I took a step back, my heart racing, caught between the thrill of the idea and the overwhelming fear of the unknown. Was I crazy for even considering this? Riding on a dragon's back was a far cry from anything I ever could have imagined. It was wild, extraordinary…and I’d be a fool to miss it.
