Calla stood her ground, but the reverberating emotional pain in her link with Mateo was almost too much to bear. She planted herself between Mateo and Duro, hoping to take the brunt of his attention, at least long enough for Duro to finish his shift and take the bag with him. There was legacy in Mateo's bloodline, Calla was sure of it, and even if he was too emotional to see it now, they would need that bloodline before this was over.

Saria stepped forward, the first ripples of change readying under her skin. "You will show the First General respect, bloodletter."

It would be nice if her own soldiers would cooperate, though.

Mateo snarled. His fingers lengthened and his eyes flashed vampyr red. Calla glanced behind her. Duro stood on all fours now, wings unfurling like a jetliner. His green and blue scales shimmered in the sun. "Go," Calla said. Duro grabbed the bag of bloodied clothes and sprinted away from the cabin, wings pumping hard.

Mateo roared. When Calla turned to face him, he had released his vampyr and the fire of powyr around him burned bright with his anger. "You've taken what's mine!" he snarled, pointing at Duro's retreating figure. "A vampyr's blood is his life, I won't be your pawn."

Dragons rushed out of the cabin, guard up and fight ready. Roku put his hands up first. "Whoa, Mateo. Whatever's going on we can talk this out, just calm down."

Mateo turned on Roku with a roar. His fangs descended as he took a swing at Roku's head. The dragon ducked and rolled backward out of range. Calla winced. Those were the exact words Mateo's sire used when they'd gone looking for answers, and it had clearly not been the first time Estophen had imposed his powyr on his Descent without a care for his emotional state. She grabbed Saria's broad shoulder to hold her back. "Mateo, let me explain—"

He turned on her and Saria pushed Calla aside. "He won't listen to reason. This close to a first Heat?" He shook his head.

Mateo lunged for Saria, his teeth long and his eyes fixated. For the first time since she'd met him, Calla was truly afraid. His powyr as a vampyr was formidable, but his strength as a fully realized dragon was simply incredible. Three of Calla's support team shifted to their dragon forms. Roku again tried to intervene without violence. He tackled Mateo from the side, then sprung up and out of range. Mateo was fast, though, and brutally efficient, reminding Calla that he wasn't just a strong ally, but that he'd been trained since his youth to kill. His claws struck Roku low in the belly and sank deep into flesh. Then Saria was there. She elbowed Mateo in the face, throwing her entire weight behind the move. Mateo staggered back. He released Roku, who shifted to manage the damage to his body.

With four dragons around him and another four in human form ready to engage, Mateo seemed to stall. Calla used the still moment to channel all her emotion into their link. Every time she'd felt safe in his arms, every moment when she'd let herself imagine Mateo was the man for her before they'd mated for life. She let him feel the depth of her affection for him, and the relief that she wasn't destined to be alone for the rest of her life.

Mateo looked at her and his fury wavered. Calla met his eyes and asked clearly, "Mateo Guerin, do you trust me?"

He blinked at her. Calla held her hand up against Roku's flank, telling him without words to hold position. Mateo hesitated, shifting in place, flexing his claws.

"You have a choice to make, Mateo. I am your mate. You and I are connected on a closer level than anyone will ever be. Closer than you and your sire." He bared his teeth at her but she pushed forward. "You said it yourself, vampyrs don't mate for life."

His shoulders tightened, but he agreed, "No."

Calla nodded and asked again, more softly. "Do you trust me?"

Mateo closed his eyes and the aspects of his vampyr faded from this face. His claws retracted. When he opened his eyes, they had lost their red halo. "Yes," he said.

One by one, Calla's dragons shifted back to their human forms. The tension in the air dropped like rain and everyone took a deep breath. Calla jogged towards Mateo but he bristled. "I trust you," he growled, "But I'm still pissed. You went behind my back—"

"She is the First General," Tanan said, tone resentful. "Third only to the Delphina and Pythian themselves. You have no back for her to go behind."

"She is my mate," Mateo growled. "And from now on, all communication with her will go through me." The dragons bristled but Mateo grabbed Calla's arm and stared into her eyes. "No more clandestine meetings, no private phone calls, no secrets."

His manner was brusque but Calla saw the fear in his eyes that only his trust in her held back. He felt like he was losing control and only Calla could give it to him. She cradled his cheek and nodded. "OK. I agree."

His eyes softened just a hair and Calla felt a wave of relief cascade down their shared link. This was everything. Calla closed her eyes and just let herself feel. When she and General Takoda spoke at the court, it had been with melancholy, but this… this was everything she'd wanted and more. A warrior. A man with whom she could share every detail of her life. A man who wanted to be involved and who wouldn't flee before the imposing characters of the court. Calla had the unique position of advising the royal family and only a man unafraid to speak truth to powyr could stand with her.

Then Mateo snarled and smashed his lips against hers.