Brittany had been sitting for over an hour with her head in her hands trying not to think about what might be going on in the skies far above her. The High Councilors were monitoring the situation closely via a live feed from security cameras across the city, and at first Brittany had tried to monitor the situation with them. But as time went on and the news seemed to be getting worse instead of better, Brittany had retreated to a far corner of the bunker and tried to block out what the High Councilors were saying. Her stomach was constantly turning over in nervous flip-flops, wondering whether Simon was still alive, or whether everyone in Torch Lake was going to die tonight.

She almost didn’t believe it when she heard cheers suddenly coming from the High Councilors. Was she dreaming, or was something good really finally happening for Torch Lake in this battle? She looked up and looked over at the High Councilors to see that they were high-fiving and even hugging each other. It almost looked comical. The Councilors were usually so stern and stoic, but right now they were acting like a bunch of high schoolers who had just won the state football championship.

“Yes! Yes, look at them go. We’re all saved. Torch Lake is saved!”

Brittany’s heart filled with hope at those words, and she crept over to peek at the video feed the High Councilors were watching. She saw a blue and purple streak going across the sky, and it looked like the enemy wizards were falling hard and fast, but she didn’t really understand what was happening. Councilor Isviar noticed her confusion, and clapped her on the shoulder.

“It’s an ancient, magical dragon fighting technique. I’ve heard of it before, but many said it was impossible for a dragon to achieve this level of magic in modern times. The magic has been bred out of their DNA for too long. But two of our dragons just proved the theories wrong. They combined magic with their dragon fire and acid, and became an unbeatable force.”

“They saved our city!” Councilor Morgan piped in, his face flushed red with excitement.

Brittany still didn’t quite understand what had happened, but she understood enough. The dragons had somehow stopped the Dark Warriors, and the city was safe. Simon was safe! Her heart swelled with gratitude, and she felt tears of happiness streaming down her face. The High Councilors started a discussion about whether it was safe to leave the bunker yet, and about how quickly they could get a victory broadcast up on the TV and radio stations. But Brittany returned to her corner with her head in her hands, this time because she was overcome with joy and felt she couldn’t possibly stand up on her legs, which were shaking from all the adrenaline she’d been holding in.

About twenty minutes later, she did stand, though. A sharp buzzing sound came from the front door of the bunker, and the door swung open to reveal Simon. He was in human form again, but naked since he hadn’t bothered to stop and put clothes on. He was covered in soot and dirt, and his hair was a matted mess, but Brittany thought he had never looked more handsome. She struggled to her feet and started to walk toward him.

The room erupted into cheers when he entered, but Simon didn’t seem to hear them. He looked around frantically, until his eyes landed on Brittany. And then, he ran toward her as fast as his legs would carry him. He swept her up into his arms, kissed her deeply, and spun her around. This only made the High Councilors cheer louder, and a few of them let out teasing whistles. Brittany could hardly hear them, though. All she could hear was Simon as he pulled back to look at her, tears brimming in his eyes, and said, “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Brittany managed to choke out between her own tears.

The next hour was a blur of activity. Jasper arrived not long after Simon, and after the two dragons were dressed they started discussing how to handle the aftermath of the battle with the High Councilors. Councilor Morgan made an announcement to the city that all was safe, but asked for civilians to help as much as possible with putting out the fires that had spread across the city. There was a lot of fire damage, and many homes were destroyed, but Councilor Morgan vowed that the city would rebuild.

In the midst of giving directions to the fire crews, the High Councilors were interrupted by an urgent message from the Torch Lake army in the field. The army, along with its allies, had delivered a resounding defeat to the Dark Warriors headquarters. The headquarters had been left largely unattended, because the Dark Warriors had thought the armies would turn around and rush back to Torch Lake as soon as they heard that the city itself was in trouble. But because the High Councilors had known the armies could never make it back in time, they had told the armies in the field to continue with the attacks on the Dark Warriors’ headquarters. The Dark Warriors at the headquarters, not expecting to deal with such a strong attack, had fallen completely. Victory over the enemy was complete, and it looked like the war was officially over.

Brittany could hardly believe it. There would be rebuilding to do, yes. And she was somewhat worried that her house or Simon’s house might have burned in all the fires. But peace had come. Evil had once again been defeated, and the future was bright.

“It’s going to be a long night here, getting things sorted out,” Simon said, his voice breaking into Brittany’s thoughts. “Why don’t you head home? You can stay at my place if you want. Assuming my place is still standing.”

“I don’t want to leave you,” Brittany protested.

“I know. But really, it’s going to be quite boring here for you. A lot of military and official mumbo jumbo. And you must be exhausted.”

Simon was right. Brittany was exhausted. Still, she didn’t want to leave him alone. He noticed her hesitation and smiled.

“Don’t worry. The city is safe now. You’ll be fine, and I’ll be fine. And as soon as I can get away and get home to you, I will. Trust me, I’d go now if I could.”

Brittany nodded with a small sigh, and turned to go. Simon stopped her with his hand, and planted one last kiss on her lips before she left.

“There’s gonna be more of that for you later,” he said in a husky voice. Brittany grinned at him before turning to leave. She could hardly wait.

She chose to go to his house, but her heart sank when she realized that half of it had burned away. She’d hoped that he of all people would escape damage to his home. After all he’d done to save the city, it would have been nice if at least his house had stayed intact.

The fire crews must have gotten here just as the house started burning, because half of it was still okay. Half was a charred ruin, and down the street several of his neighbors’ houses were completely destroyed.

“Magicae lucis,” Brittany said, turning on the magic light on her ring as she made her way into the debris. It didn’t look like there would be much salvageable from the burnt side, but the other side of the house, at least, had escaped with little damage. Simon’s bedroom was still standing, and Brittany made the decision to stay here. She could have gone to check if her house was still standing, but she was so exhausted at this point that she didn’t really want to make another trek across town. Besides, if she got there and her house was completely burnt, she’d be even worse off than she was right now.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best decision, but Brittany didn’t care. The half of the house that was still standing seemed reasonably sound, and she collapsed onto the bed in a heap of exhaustion. A cool night breeze came in from outside, since many of the house’s walls were missing. Brittany smiled as the breeze hit her face, and then drifted off to sleep almost immediately, dreaming in purple of a mighty dragon warrior.

When she woke again, sunshine was streaming down on her face from an open spot in the wall. She blinked a few times, sitting up in confusion until she remembered where she was. The events of the night came back to her, and she looked around at the mess of a wall that remained on the eastern side of the bedroom. In the daylight, it looked much worse than it had the night before. She grimaced, thinking of all the rebuilding and repairs that needed to be done. At least she and Simon were alive and well, and able to repair. That was the important thing. Houses could be rebuilt.

Brittany looked around the rest of the room, and then was startled to realize that Simon was standing there watching her.

“Holy cow, you scared me,” she said. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Sorry. Ididn’t mean to be so stealthy, but I wasn’t sure if you were still sleeping. And then it was so cute to watch you look around.”

Brittany rolled her eyes. “Glad I could amuse you.”

Simon shrugged and came to sit on the bed next to her. “Did you sleep okay? I wasn’t sure I’d find you in here, once I saw that half the house was burnt down.”

Brittany frowned. “It’s really bad, huh? You lost a lot.”

Simon took her in his arms. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t lose you, and that’s the important thing. The rest is just stuff.”

Brittany sighed as she rested her head happily against his chest. He smelled like sweat, blood, and, strangely, pine trees. “How are the High Councilors?” she asked.

“They’re all good. A few of them lost houses, but again, it’s just stuff. The larger army is back and they brought with them a few high-profile prisoners, as well as several of the Dark Warriors’ main computers. Looks like we’ve completely put those bastards out of business.”

“Good. But did you figure out how they had gotten into the city in the first place?”

Simon nodded wearily. “They used dark magic to build an underground network of tunnels into the city. They were able to do it because it never occurred to us to guard underground. We never imagined that dark soldiers were building secret entrances into the city right beneath our feet.”

“Wow. That’s horrible.”

“Yeah. They had a few contacts in the city—Torch lake citizens who betrayed us. The tunnels led up into their houses, giving the Dark Warriors direct, easy access into the city. Unfortunately we can’t even put those Torch Lake citizens on trial because they were killed in the battle last night.”

“Serves them right!”

“Yeah. It would have been nice to put them on trial and make an example of them, but at least justice was served one way or another. The City Guard has been sent to guard the tunnels until we figure out how to close them up. Or we might leave them and use them for our own purposes. Now that we know they’re there, they might be useful as an emergency escape from the city or something like that. As long as the military is guarding the tunnels, we should be safe from any unexpected attacks.”

Brittany shook her head. “That’s kind of horrifying that the whole Dark Warrior army pretty much had access to our city. Last night very well could have been a total bloodbath.”

Simon nodded. “Yeah, we were very lucky that you discovered the plot to attack and we were at least somewhat prepared. Torch Lake casualties were relatively low. We lost a few, which is horrible. But it could have been much worse.”

“It would have been a lot worse, if not for you and Jasper.”

Simon smiled. “We did what we could. I wasn’t about to go down without a fight when your life was at stake.”

Brittany felt herself blushing. “I owe you another debt of gratitude, it seems. What is this, the third time you’ve saved my life, in about as many days?”

Simon’s smile widened and he kissed her forehead. “What else would I do? You are my lifemate after all.”

“Lifemate?” Brittany furrowed her brow in confusion. “What does that mean?”

“Ah, you’re one of the wizards who hasn’t heard about lifemates yet, I see.”

Brittany shook her head. “No, I sure haven’t.”

“It’s something we shifters believe in. It’s kind of like a soulmate, but much deeper than that. We shifters believe that each one of us has a lifemate who we’re destined to be with. From the moment we’re born, fate is working to bring us together with our lifemates. When we find that person and make love to them, the lifemate bond is formed.”

Brittany blinked. “Lifemate bond?” She was still confused.

“You feel it as a deep warmth in your core. It tells you that you’ve found your destined lifemate, and that you are bound to them for life. I felt that when I made love to you, Brittany. I have to be honest I was super-attracted to you, but I didn’t dare to hope that you were my lifemate. Once I slept with you, though, I knew. Now I’m bonded to you. I will love and protect you for the rest of my life, because you are my destiny. I hope you feel the same way about me, but even if you don’t, there will never be anyone else for me. It’s only you, from this day forward.”

Brittany sat back, trying to take it all in. “I…I felt a warmth in my core, too. I had no idea it was the lifemate bond, though. I didn’t even know lifemates existed.”

Simon held her closer. “They do, and you’re mine. The fact that you felt the bond only confirms for me that we’re meant to be together.”

“We’re meant to be together…forever?”

Simon pulled back to look at her. “Yes, forever. For the rest of our lives. That’s why it’s called the lifemate bond. I understand if you need time to think about it before making a commitment. I know all of this has been so sudden. I just want you to know where I stand. I’m committed to you for life, and that isn’t going to change. I will always lay my life down for you. It’s why I was so determined to protect Torch Lake last night. I knew that by protecting this city, I was protecting you. And nothing in the world is more important to me than that.”

“Simon, I…I don’t know what to say. It does sound crazy, but I know already that I love you. The thought of losing you last night paralyzed me. I’ve never been happier in my life than I was when you walked back into the bunker safe and sound.”

Simon smiled and leaned down to kiss her. “I love you, too. You were the reason I found the courage and strength to do what I needed to do last night to save the city. Of course I wanted to save the High Council, and all the people of the city. But knowing that you were in that bunker and would die if I failed…it helped me find a way to do what seemed impossible, and beat back the Dark Warriors.”

Brittany bit her lower lip, relishing the way it felt hot where he had kissed her. “I don’t know how I got so lucky, to have a dragon looking out for me.”

Simon looked at her with fiery, hungry eyes. “And I don’t know how I got so lucky to have a woman like you in my life to look out for. You made all of the struggle of the last several months worth it.”

Simon leaned in and kissed her again, and this time, he didn’t pull away right away. Instead, he let his lips linger on hers. Brittany felt his fiery heat spreading from her lips out to the rest of her body, and she couldn’t help but tremble underneath his touch. There, in the middle of the ruins of Simon’s house—and the ruins of the city—she felt like life was beginning again.

She let out a soft moan, and Simon responded by slipping his tongue into her mouth. He pushed her back onto the bed, and they lay there for several minutes, a tangle of arms and legs as they kissed. His tongue was smooth but powerful, dancing with her tongue and sending tingles through her whole body. Brittany felt a familiar heat and pressure beginning to build within her core. Her heart filled with wonder as she realized that it was the lifemate bond making itself known again. She still found it hard to believe that fate had destined her for a mighty dragon, but here he was, right in front of her—completely perfect and completely hers. She felt like the luckiest girl alive.

Simon moved his hands from her face to begin pulling off the t-shirt she was wearing, and Brittany gladly began to tear at his clothes as well. They were both so hungry for each other. After facing the near-destruction of their city, they wanted to revel in the fact that they were alive and together. They could enjoy being with each other without a war looming heavy on their hearts.

It took less than a minute for them to strip each other naked, and Brittany would have loved it if Simon thrust his thick, stiff erection into her right then and there. But he had a few other places he wanted to pay attention to first. He moved his mouth down to her bare breasts, and covered her nipples with his impossibly hot mouth. The heat of his tongue against her breasts sent a fresh wave of tingles through her whole body—tingles that only increased when he switched from using his tongue to using his teeth. He chewed on the hard, erect nubs of her nipples, and Brittany couldn’t stop herself from screaming out in delight. She had never known ecstasy like this before, and she never wanted it to end.

She felt herself become dripping wet between her legs, as her whole being filled with a craving for Simon to take her and make love to her. The pressure and heat in her core grew with every passing second, and she felt like she was about to tumble over into her release from the pleasure of his tongue alone.

But then, he pulled back from her breasts, smiling down at her with those gorgeous, hungry eyes of his. Fresh air streamed in from the open spots in Simon’s damaged walls, and Brittany shivered with delight when the air hit the spots on her bare skin and nipples that were wet from Simon’s mouth.

Simon reached up to stroke her face with his hand, his smile growing wider with every second.

“You’re perfect, you know that?” he said in a husky whisper. “I can’t believe you’re mine, for life. I want nothing more than to make love to you over and over and over, every day for the rest of our lives.”

Brittany grinned and looked up at him coyly through her eyelashes. “Then start right now.”

He let out a low growl, and pushed her onto her back, instantly taking her up on her invitation. Brittany’s whole body was on fire with passion and anticipation as he hovered over her for a second, his thick, rock-hard erection positioned right over her slick, wet entrance. She could hardly stand the waiting. She wanted him, now, and even a few more seconds of delay felt like too much.

He must have felt the same, because with one more low growl, he slid into her. Brittany’s eyes squeezed shut and she let out a gasp as he filled her. Even thought she’d felt him before, it still took her breath away how large he was, and how firmly he pushed against her inner walls. Every nerve ending was on high alert, and every cell in her body seemed to respond to him. He undid her, in the best way possible.

When he began to move in her, sliding his hips back and forth in a smooth, rocking motion, she quickly reached the point of no return. She gasped and cried out his name, filled with love, longing, and passion unlike anything she’d ever known. As her dragon moved in her, she gave in to him and let the release he brought her wash over her.

She screamed in pure bliss as the tremors began. Her inner muscles spasmed, and squeezed down hard around his erection inside of her. The heat that had been building to an impossible level in her core exploded outward, radiating like wildfire across every part of her. She drank in the wonder of this feeling, this pure, perfect ecstasy.

Her body was still quaking with deep, passionate tremors when Simon joined her in finding his release. He let out a roar so loud that it shook the walls of his fire-damaged house. Brittany imagined that the neighbors could hear the sound even several streets over, but she didn’t care. She didn’t feel embarrassed, only proud. The last dragon bachelor in the city had chosen her.

Simon stiffened as he came into her, pulsing and roaring as the ecstasy overtook him as well. Brittany kept her eyes squeezed shut, enjoying the perfection of the moment as they came together.

She was quite sure she had never been happier. Her whole life up to this point had felt ordinary, but she knew that everything had changed now. She was going to be walking through life side-by-side with a dragon now. Nothing would be ordinary from this moment forward. She knew that deep in her heart.

From the way that Simon looked back at her, his eyes sparkling in the early morning light that seeped into his damaged house, she knew that he knew it too.

Torch Lake needed to be rebuilt, yes. But for Brittany and Simon, their triumph was complete.