A Bride for the Mountain God (Divine Dragons 2)

Twenty-five years ago, a greedy, good-for-nothing king sacrificed his youngest daughter to the forest spirits as penance for his misdeeds. The princess heard the mystical call of the forbidden forest and followed it to the heart of the woods where the Mountain God found her and claimed her as his own.

I reflected on that knowledge as Ronan and I returned to the Mountain Palace after two decades of exploring the world together. It was strange to think that I’d had a life before the dragon god claimed me. Miserable years dressed as a king’s pawn, nothing more than a tool to use for nonsense politics and scheming. In the years since, I’d found love, adventure, freedom, and a heart to call my own.

As the god of nature and the wilds, Ronan took me to every corner of every continent. We spent days exploring ancient ruins, taking in the sights, and flying through the skies. He showed me forests and jungles he’d maintained since the first green thing sprung to life. Together we delighted in airy, plain, balmy deserts, sprawling fields, lush gardens, and sacred springs.

He flew me to the north to observe tundras and glaciers, soaring through the bluest, coldest skies in existence. We sailed over canyons of red-orange rock and made love on the cliffs under a golden sunset. Hand in hand, we trekked over valleys, dunes, and rolling hills. We spent months, years exploring tropical islands, lounging on sprawling beaches, and swimming in crystal clear oceans.

Ronan introduced me to animals and nature spirits of all kinds, and they showed me reverence as their new Lady of the Mountain. We held court for the spirits and tended to the animals in need. I learned more about magic and divine powers. He took me to libraries and the grand castles of every kingdom and showed me what truly great rulers were supposed to be.

After a night of thorough fucking around the palace, re-christening every surface, Ronan and I slept in our too gigantic bed curled around one another. Silver stars blinked through the window wall as I dreamt of every wonderful adventure I’d experienced and all the amazing people I’d met with my dragon god. We slept almost until noon, at a late breakfast sharing smiles and recounting stories, then lounged in the massive stone tub until his fingers found their way between my thighs.

“Are you sure you’re ready? We don’t have to go at all if you don’t want to,” Ronan said as I dressed for the afternoon; a lightweight, flowy top I brought back from the south with soft, colorful trousers to match.

“No, we should get it over with.” I ran my finger through my hair, wishing I could untangle the knots also in my stomach. I turned to face him. “The kingdom I was born in started as a temple in your honor. What it became in the end was a mockery—a monument to my father’s greed. I should see what’s become of it.”

Ronan promised my father and the corrupt kingdom would receive justice for their actions and their ill intentions when sacrificing me. We’d left before witnessing any changes, leaving on our grand adventure and solidifying our relationship first.

But it was time to see what had become of my first life.

Ronan changed into his large, divine dragon form, and I climbed onto his back, nestled neatly and comfortably between his shoulders. Dragon riding wasn’t so hard with enough practice—I blushed at the memory of all my dragon riding practice.

The Mountain God landed in the valley between the edge of the forbidden forest and the outer rim of the once bustling kingdom. First, I noticed nature reclaiming the buildings. Vines cracked through stone, trees had burst through foundations and cobbled streets, wild animals lingered in the shadows of abandoned structures.

The castle I was born in was a temple to the Mountain God once more. Green boughs and snaking roots twisted and climbed along the castle surface. Leaves and flowers of all colors dotted the stoneface, cutting drastic colors over the towers and steeples.

And the only sound was that of the wind, rustling nature, and chittering wildlife.

There was no king, no wives, no princes or princesses. There were no subjects, no servants, no governess ready to hover over my shoulder and scold me for perceived wrongdoing. The once thriving market had no baker, no butcher, no blacksmith, so seamstress. Not a mortal in sight—no scent of treachery or greed.

Ronan changed back, taking my hand as we walked through the vacant streets. I gaped at the sight of it all, likening it to the ancient ruins we’d visited where nature had retaken the land.

“What happened here?”

“Well, the forest spirits caused so much chaos that people started to leave. They moved away in droves, especially once they lost about a hundred of their knights in the forest.” He chuckled at the memory. “With fewer people to tax and rule over, your father started to lose his gold. Neighboring kingdoms didn’t want to barter or trade with him. He lost a war. Then another. Your siblings were sold in marriages to other lands, all leaving to start their own lives. Your father clung to his dwindling gold until he grew sick and died of madness.”

We stopped. Ronan squeezed my hand.

“Are you alright seeing this?”

I picked up my jaw and smiled at him.

“Honestly? It gladdens me to see this place returned to the wild. That castle—” I pointed in its general direction “—was built and always intended as a temple to you. My father and our ancestors corrupted it into something it wasn’t ever meant to be. This is untamed, primal, and natural. It’s beautiful and magical and what it was always meant to be.”

His concern melted into a beaming grin.

“It feels like what happened to my heart, and I have you to thank for it all. You were my beginning, and you are mine.”

Ronan’s brow twitched up and his smile turned into a smirk. “Yours? Why princess, do you think I am your belonging?”

I rolled my eyes, then took his face in my hands to pull him down for a kiss. “My love, you are mine as the air in my lungs is mine, as the blood in my veins is mine. You belong to me because you are a part of me as much as the heart in my chest is,” I repeated the very statement he’d made over two decades ago, and his smile grew. “You are mine, and I am yours. And I love you, Ronan.”

“And I love you, princess.” His mouth crashed into mine and the Mountain God kissed me with all the force of primal, wild nature.

Thank you for reading!

Keep an eyes out for Book 3 in the Divine Dragons Series: A Bride for the Sun God