Violet had just finished taking her second shower of the day when Weston walked excitedly into her bathroom.

“Knox and Peter have agreed to an emergency meeting this afternoon!” he said. “They’re going to let me present my plan to invade Saul’s headquarters and rescue the prisoners.”

Violet reached for a towel and stepped out of the shower, still dripping wet as she wrapped the fluffy cloth around herself.

“What, now you just waltz into my room like you own the place?” she teased.

Weston shrugged and grinned. “Well, I’ve already seen you fully naked. It’s not like I’m going to see anything more than what I’ve already seen.”

Violet gave him a playful punch in the arm, then grabbed a second towel to begin rubbing her hair dry. “How much time do we have before the meeting? I’m starving.”

“Time enough to eat a quick bite,” Weston said. “We’re supposed to meet at headquarters in about an hour and a half from now.”

Violet nodded as she turned toward her bedroom to find some fresh clothes to wear. She felt suddenly shy in front of Weston, and she avoided his eyes as she dressed. She knew he was watching her, taking in the curves of her body as she pulled her jeans on over them. Her nervousness must have shown, because he finally let out a small grunt and asked her about it.

“What’s wrong, Violet. Having second thoughts about being together with me?”

Violet looked up at him in alarm. “Oh, no. Nothing like that. It’s just that…”

What was it, exactly? she wondered as she took in the concern etched across his face. Perhaps it was her own fear of the future that made her want to put up a wall of protection around herself. She’d given herself to him completely, and she had fallen in a deeper love than she ever thought possible. She knew that he’d said he loved her first. Surely that meant he was serious about this. But what if he wasn’t? What if he’d only said his words of love in the heat of the moment, and now that the threat of death or the intense passion they’d had in their moments of lovemaking was passed, he was having second thoughts.

“It’s just what?” Weston asked. He wasn’t going to let this go until he was satisfied that she’d told him the truth. She knew how stubborn he could be, and there was no use trying to pass off her emotions as nothing. Violet took a deep breath and decided to just be honest with him. She would lay all her cards on the table, and see how he responded. They were new at being lovers, but they had known each other for a while now. If she couldn’t be honest and open with him in this moment, then they weren’t ready for a future together. And Violet hoped more than anything that they were ready for a future together.

“It’s just that I didn’t expect to feel so strongly for you so quickly,” Violet said, forcing herself to meet Weston’s eyes.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, I’ve had feelings for you on some level for a long time. I don’t think that’s any secret,” Violet said. “And I think I knew that I loved you, even before we slept together.”

“Oh you admit you love me?” Weston teased. He tone was joking, but he looked happy.

“Yes,” Violet said, holding his gaze. “I love you. And I have for a while. The same would go for the way you feel about me, it seems.”

“Of course,” Weston said, his voice turning soft and serious now. “I’ve loved you since pretty much the first moment I met you.”

Violet felt her heart filling with warmth at his words. She told herself that he cared about her, and, even if he didn’t agree with what she was about to say, she knew he would never mock her for it. This gave her the strength to continue, and to say what seemed like an absurd thing to say to someone after only admitting a few hours ago that you even wanted a romance with them at all.

“It isn’t just that I love you, Weston,” Violet said. “It’s deeper than that. I love you so much that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that probably sounds like a crazy thing to say so soon into our relationship. But I know deep within my bones that it’s true. I can’t exactly put it into words, but as soon as we made love I just knew. I’ve always been drawn to you, but after sleeping with you I feel connected. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but it’s how I feel. It’s like we’ve been connected with some sort of bond that I know in my heart will never be broken. And it’s how I can already stand here and tell you that, no matter what happens in the future, and no matter how you feel about our relationship, I know you are the only one for me. There will never be anyone else.”

Violet felt like she was starting to ramble, so she paused to take a deep breath. She looked over at Weston expectantly, willing him to somehow understand the depth of what she was trying to convey. His green eyes looked at her with such intensity that they were practically glowing, although she couldn’t quite read what kind of emotions were causing him to look at her that way.

“Violet,” he said. His voice was husky, and her name on his lips sounded almost like a prayer. She gulped, and waited for him to say more.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you tell me everything you just did. You’ve just described exactly the way I feel, too. And, more importantly, you’ve described the lifemate bond.”

“Lifemate bond?”

“Shifters believe in what is known as a lifemate bond,” Weston explained. “We believe that every person has someone whom they are destined to be with, and that person is their lifemate. From the moment we are born, destiny works to bring us together with that person. It’s similar to the human concept of a soul mate, although I’m not sure that wizards have any analogous beliefs.”

“Well, I’ve heard people talk about soul mates,” Violet said. “But I always just thought it was people being a bit overdramatic about falling in love.”

Weston smiled. “Sometimes, it is. People tend to use the word soul mate somewhat lightly. But finding a lifemate is even more serious than finding a soul mate. Once a lifemate bond is formed, it’s unbreakable. The only thing that can break it is death.”

“And how is that bond formed?” Violet asked. “How do you know when it’s happened?”

“It’s formed the first time two destined lifemates make love,” Weston said. “The act of making love seals the connection, and usually the two lifemates will feel a hot warmth in their core. They’ll have the sensation that they’re now ‘connected,’ as you said.”

Violet could feel her heart thumping in her chest. “That’s what I felt! I felt so hot, right in the very core of my stomach. And I just knew that I was connected to you. After we made love, I couldn’t imagine ever being with anyone else. It felt like we were meant to be.”

Weston walked over and pulled her into his arms. “It’s because we are meant to be, Violet. You’re my destiny. My lifemate.”

Violet tilted her head up to look at him. Her heart was filled with a deep sense of wonder and gratitude. “How did I get so lucky? How did I end up as the destined lifemate of a mighty dragon, the most wonderful, handsome man I’ve ever met?”

But Weston shook his head at her.

“No,” he said as he bent down to kiss her. “I’m the lucky one.”

Violet wanted to argue that point, but she couldn’t speak when his lips were covering hers. So she closed her eyes and melted into his kiss, the kiss of destiny.

 

* * *

 

Three hours later, Weston stood nervously in front of Knox, Peter, Violet, and Holden. He had just finished presenting his plan to break into Saul’s headquarters and break out the large group of prisoners being held there. Violet and Holden were both looking at him with encouraging smiles, but Peter and Knox, as usual, did not allow their faces to reveal their thoughts. Their expressions were as stoic as ever, and for what felt like an eternity, neither one of them said anything. Then, finally, Peter spoke.

“How many prisoners do you think we’re talking about here? I know you said it was impossible to tell, but can you at least give a rough estimate? A minimum number perhaps?”

“It’s extremely hard to say,” Weston said, earning him a frown from Peter. The old wizard wanted hard numbers, but Weston hadn’t been able to see in the dark how deep the cave was, or how big the group inside it might have been. He could only tell Peter how many prisoners he had actually seen, so that’s what he decided to do. “At a minimum, there were thirty prisoners. But keep in mind that’s just what I could see. It’s possible the number is much larger.”

“I see,” Peter said, leaning back in his chair and twirling the end of his long white beard around his right pointer finger. “I’m just worried that if there are too many of them, we won’t be able to find a place to fit them all in Falcon Cross.”

“We have to try, Peter,” Violet said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting had started. Weston and Peter both looked over at her in surprise. Weston felt his heart filling with gratitude. Even though they had argued in the last meeting, she was supporting him now, when it really counted. He thought she had never looked so beautiful as when she stood up, the gold thread in her Falcon Cross uniform shimmering in the late afternoon sunlight that streamed in through the window.

“What makes you say that, Violet?” Peter asked, drumming his fingers together as he turned to face her. Weston held his breath and hoped that Violet’s response would be persuasive to Peter. Weston thought the issue was clear, but he had long ago learned that wizards didn’t think like dragons, and sometimes things that seemed obvious to him weren’t so obvious to wizards.

“I know that Falcon Cross is stretched to the limit right now,” Violet said. “We have most of the Redwood Dragons clan living there since their home has been captured by Saul’s army. And everyone is on edge from the constant threat of an attack by Saul. But we cannot allow our discomforts or fears to keep us from reaching out to help those in need. These prisoners have no one else to help them. We don’t know exactly what Saul’s army is doing to them, but we know it isn’t good. We are fighting this war to keep Saul’s evil at bay. We can’t turn a blind eye away from that evil when it’s right in front of us. Falcon Cross is a safe haven in these times of uncertainty and distress. We should welcome the prisoners there, even if it’s not the easiest thing to do. We should do it simply because it is the right thing to do. And who knows, those prisoners might have seen or heard things that will help us in our fight. You never know what inside information they might have. We’re sitting here talking about whether to help them, when they very well might be the ones who end up helping us.”

Weston watched as Peter pondered Violet’s words. He continued to drum his fingers, his expression just as unreadable as before. Weston looked at Knox, who was also watching Peter intently. Knox’s face remained unreadable, too, but Weston would have bet his life on the fact that Knox thought rescuing the prisoners was a good idea. Knox did not like to leave innocent people in the hands of evil men, and had often risked his life to protect others. But Knox was the leader of the Redwood Dragons, not Falcon Cross. Peter, as the head wizard in Falcon Cross, would have to be the one to make the final decision about whether to bring an undetermined number of prisoners there. Weston held his breath, waiting. He looked over at Violet for a moment, but she was too busy watching Peter to notice. Peter drummed his fingers together and thought about the situation for what felt like an hour. In reality, it was probably only two or three minutes. Finally, the old wizard stood and addressed the room.

“Violet speaks the truth,” Peter said. “Falcon Cross has always prided itself on being a place of safety for all wizards. Now that the shifters are our allies, it should be a safe place for shifters as well. And, although it is unusual for us to welcome full humans into our city, we will welcome any humans who have been mistreated by Saul’s army. It would be good for them to see that not all wizards and shifters are evil.”

Weston felt like his heart was soaring in his chest. He had wished for a response like this, but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up too high, just in case Peter or Knox disagreed with him. Now, though, all his hard work in preparing a plan was going to pay off. As if Peter could read Weston’s mind, he continued speaking.

“And Weston,” Peter said, a smile spreading across his face. “You deserve special thanks for putting together such a thorough plan of attack. The strategy you’ve presented is a sound one, and I think if our soldiers here follow it carefully, we will be able to strike down Saul’s headquarters in Sandview completely, as well as free the prisoners.”

“Thank you, sir,” Weston said.

“How soon do you think our army here can be ready to attack?” Knox asked, speaking up for the first time. “I think the sooner we can attack, the better. Saul is vulnerable now, thanks to his losses in the last two battles. The longer we give him to recover, the harder our task will be, and the more time his anger will have had to fester.”

“I agree,” Weston said. “I think our armies could be ready by tomorrow night.”

“Definitely by tomorrow night,” Holden said in agreement. “If we start preparing everything now, we should be able to strike just over twenty-four hours from now.”

“Alright then,” Knox said, standing to his feet. “Let’s get this ball rolling.”

Weston grinned as he looked back and forth from Violet to Holden. He was about to launch the offensive of a lifetime with his lifemate and his best friend. There were always risks to battle, of course, but he felt confident that, with a group like this, their chances of failure were slim.

“Let’s do this,” Weston said. Holden nodded, and led the way out of the room. Weston followed, taking Violet’s hand in his as he did. They hadn’t made any sort of official announcement yet that they were together now, but this felt like as good a time as any to Weston to show the world that Violet was his. Feeling her palm against his made him feel like he could do anything. And maybe, just maybe, he could. It was time to find out.