Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series

When I woke again, I was inside the temple and nestled against Jasin’s naked chest with my other mates sleeping nearby. I managed to extricate myself without waking him, though he tried to pull me tighter against him.

I slipped outside to relieve myself, where I found Brin sitting on a piece of rubble while she watched the sunrise. She glanced up at me with a weary smile.

“You’re up early,” I said.

“I’ve always been an early riser. I also had a lot to think about.” She glanced over at me. “How’s your back?”

I stretched and twisted, but felt no pain. “Seems to be completely healed now.”

“Incredible.” She leaned back as she gazed across the desert. “I never would have believed any of it if I hadn’t seen you all fighting the shades. Now I understand why Auric didn’t tell me from the beginning.”

“If you’d like to return to Stormhaven, we would all understand. As you can see, our journey is very dangerous.”

She sat up straight and met my eyes with a defiant look. “Definitely not. I plan to help you take down the Dragons however I can. I’m not sure how exactly I can help, of course, but I’m pretty resourceful. I’ll find a way.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Good, because I’m tired of being the only woman here, and I could use a friend by my side.”

She jumped to her feet and embraced me in her arms. “I’d be honored to serve the next Black Dragon.”

We chatted for a few more minutes before I headed back inside the temple. As soon as I stepped inside the crumbling archway, big, burly arms gathered me up, and I found myself pressed against Slade’s muscular chest. His mouth came down on mine, and he caught my surprise with his lips. As he swept his tongue inside my mouth and kissed me hard, I slid my arms around his neck to pull him closer. I’d worried he would never want to kiss me again, and that he cared for me as nothing more than a friend, but the way he kissed me now told me otherwise—even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

When he pulled back, he took my face in his hands and gazed at me like I was truly treasured. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

“I’ll try not to,” I said, breathless from his kiss.

He drew me in for another passionate kiss, before releasing me. “Now go and do what you need to do.”

He gave me a short nod before walking away. I pressed a hand against the nearby stone to steady me, still shocked that had happened at all.

A soft chuckle behind me made me turn. Reven leaned against the wall, and I wondered if he’d been watching all of that. His black hair was slightly mussed from sleep, but his blue eyes were sharp. “He pretends he doesn’t care, but he would do anything to keep you safe.”

I moved toward him until we were only a breath away. “I know another man like that.”

His eyes narrowed. “Except the difference is, I don’t care.”

I rested my hands on his chest. After Slade’s kiss I was feeling bold, and I was ready to start taking things into my own hands with Reven too. “Liar.”

“I’ve never lied to you.”

“You’re not lying to me. You’re lying to yourself.” I moved my hands up to grip the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. “But it’s okay, because I know you care, even if you don’t.”

I dragged his mouth down to mine and slid my tongue across his sensual lips until he parted for me. I kissed him with all of the desire and longing I felt every time we were together, even when he tried to remain distant and cold.

For a second I worried the kiss would be one-sided, but then Reven let out a groan and took control of it. He spun me around and pushed me back against the wall, his hands pressing against the stone on either side of me as his mouth devoured mine. He put his whole body into his kiss, and all I could do was be swept away by it.

When we broke apart, he practically growled, “That didn’t mean anything.”

I patted his cheek with a smile. “Keep telling yourself that.”

He slipped away, while I walked further inside the temple with a lightness I hadn’t felt in ages. Maybe there was hope for me and my two brooding mates after all.

I found Jasin and Auric waiting for me at the bottom of the ruined steps, both of them looking so handsome it made my heart skip a beat. They’d once hated each other, but now they were united as my lovers…and as friends.

Auric offered me his hand. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, but how will we get to the top? The steps have been destroyed.”

“I’ll fly you up,” Jasin said.

I arched an eyebrow. “Is that safe?”

“I practiced flying discreetly while we were at the palace. I’m pretty good at it now.” He gave me a cocky grin. “Trust me.”

“We don’t have any other option,” Auric said. “It would take too long for Slade to repair the steps.”

I reluctantly agreed to the plan and we moved outside, where Brin waited with Slade and Reven. She gasped as Jasin’s form began to change and he turned into a great, winged beast with crimson scales.

“It is true,” she whispered.

Jasin lowered himself down to the ground and spread his wings so I could get on. I hesitated at first, since I’d never ridden a dragon before, but then I was able to scramble onto his back. Auric followed me a moment later, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I gripped one of Jasin’s hard scales for support and swallowed hard.

“Ready,” I said.

Jasin leaped into the air and my stomach bottomed out at the sudden ascent. A great flap of his leathery wings brought us higher, and I held on tighter while the ground below us got smaller. To his credit, Jasin managed to keep us fairly level as he flew higher, and he did circles around the tower as he gained altitude.

Behind me, Auric let out a great whoop and spread his arms wide. “This is amazing!”

I wasn’t sure about that, but the view of the endless desert around us was pretty impressive. Jasin climbed higher and higher and the ground below us shrank to the point where I could barely see the people below, and I began to wonder how just high this tower reached.

We burst into the clouds, where everything around us was white, and discovered the top of the tower had an open-air platform that awaited us. Jasin set down on the edge of it and lowered himself so that we could slide off his back.

Auric patted Jasin’s side. “Nice flying. You truly have improved.”

“Thanks,” Jasin said, with a strange reptilian voice. “Remember what I taught you.”

“Thank you, Jasin,” I said, before pressing a kiss to the top of his snout.

“You’re welcome,” he said with a wink, before leaping off the side of the tower and vanishing into the clouds.

Auric took my hand and we slowly stepped across the cloudy, dream-like platform, until we came upon a bed that was ready for us. I’d encountered a similar thing in the Fire Temple, and knew the High Priestess here must have prepared it for us before the Dragons killed her. I said a small prayer of thanks to her, before turning to Auric. “It’s time.”