EMMA

I rouse to the gentle nuzzle of an enormous nose against my chin.

My mate. Wake, my Emma. We are safe.

I open my eyes even though they feel heavy and all I want to do is sleep for a bit longer. My head throbs with a dull pain, and I feel as if I’ve been beaten all over. The scent in my nose is nothing but char, and I’m pretty sure my ears are going to be ringing for days.

But there’s a beautiful sight when my eyes focus—a big, golden dragon head peering down at me. I reach up and stroke his nose, not entirely surprised to see my arm covered in scrapes and soot. Hey, babe. Are you okay?

I am fine. He rubs his nose against my chin. You, however, need to rest.

I can’t believe the fucker brought a bomb. Who does that? I still can’t get over it. He was willing to kill us along with him. I’m just…shocked.

Zohr is less so. His kind do not accept defeat well. He realized we were coming after him and thought to destroy us. Luckily for him we are not as arrogant as he is and we did not wait for him to act.

No kidding. I feel lucky to be alive, and when I sit up, I wrap my arms around Zohr’s big golden muzzle. Thank you for saving me.

Do not thank me. You are my mate. I would never let you get hurt. To do so would mean my death, as well, because I will not live without you.

To hear him say that with such fervent thought makes me a little scared…but at the same time, I know just what he means. I’d be lost without him, as well. I can’t imagine having to go on without my dragon. In such a short period of time, he’s come to mean everything to me. “Let’s not do that again, okay?”

Zohr noses me again, his thoughts a mixture of protectiveness and relief. I would say that next time, I will take the lead, but there will be no next time. I will not allow you to put yourself in danger ever again. If I have to fill your belly with my young to get you to hide behind me instead of charging forward, that is what I will do. His eyes gleam gold with pleasure. In fact, I welcome the challenge of such a task.

“Funny how it always comes back to sex with you, chacho,” I murmur, pressing my cheek against his scales. It feels good to just lean against his big dragon body and know that I’m safe.

Always safe with me, my fires. His thoughts are like a warm balm. You are everything to me, my love.

“So what now?”

I thought I told you? I fill your belly with young. His thoughts are both teasing and achingly sweet.

I chuckle and tap my fingers against his scales. “I meant right now right now. Not in the next few weeks. Do we go back and tell the others what we did? Do we run for the hills? What?”

Wherever you want to go, I will follow you. Do you wish to abandon your human friends and their dragons?

“It’s difficult,” I admit. “There’s a part of me that wants to run away and disappear with you. Old habit, I suppose. None of this would have happened if I had kept to myself, you know? But then I wouldn’t have you.” I caress his scales thoughtfully, gazing up into his fierce draconic eyes. I should be terrified of this monstrous, fierce creature, but all I can think about is the soul underneath. He’s not the enemy. He’s my other half. His life has been changed in the After as much as mine has.

I used to think the After was the worst thing possible to ever happen to humanity. To me.

Now, I think it might be the best. It gave me Zohr.

“Let’s go home,” I tell him, getting to my feet.

Home is where? he asks, nuzzling at my hair.

“Wherever we’re together,” I tell him with a smile. “But for now, we should probably go tell Claudia and the others that Azar’s been taken care of. Unless you have other plans?”

You know my plans. And he sends me a barrage of mental images of him and me entwined together that leaves no doubt in my mind what he wants to do.

I giggle. “Always with you and the mating, chacho.” I pretend to be exasperated, but in all reality…I think it’s a great idea. A nice cozy bed, my drakoni mate at my side, and all the time in the world.

It’s a very nice idea, after all.