More than a day later, Drago docked the Dragonrider in the cave. He methodically went through the movements of pulling the wings in to store them against the ship, lowering the useable sails, and securing the vessel. He closed the doors to the entrance and locked it. He ignored the supplies. Where Carly and he were going, they would not be needed.

Once everything was done, he returned to their cabin. He tenderly ran his hand along her cheek. His eyes burned, but he ignored it.

Drago pulled the bedspread and sheet free from the bed and carefully wrapped Carly in them. Picking her up in his arms, he cradled her against his body. Unable to resist, he rubbed his cheek against her silky hair.

“I will never leave you, Carly. As long as your heart beats, so will mine. When you draw your last breath, I will give you mine so that we may always be together,” Drago murmured.

He turned without another word and left the cabin. His footsteps were silent as he walked down the long passage and made his way up to the deck. Once there, his body shimmered and he transformed into his dragon with Carly still tenderly held against his body.

The magic in his words opened the ground. He knew this would be for the last time. There would be no need for him to ever return. The time of the dragons had ended. With his death, it would be the beginning of the end for the Seven Kingdoms.

Drago swept down, spiraling in a free fall. He barely opened his wings in time to keep from crashing into the mountains of jewels. Even so, he was going too fast to land safely and was forced to turn his body to shield Carly when he hit a huge pile.

He slid down the pile, throwing coins, jewels, and other treasures far and wide. He curled around Carly, tightly wrapping his wings around her and rolled before coming to a stop when he hit the platform at the bottom. He lay on his side, his head against the platform and his wings still cradling Carly against his chest.

Drago’s eyes burned again when he realized where he had landed. In his mind’s eye, he could still see that first day when Carly had come into his life. Her wide, expressive eyes had been staring at him with awe and excitement and her softly spoken words... “Can I keep you? Whispered in his mind.

“Always,” he whispered back. “You can keep me forever, little thief.”

Opening his wings, he shifted back into his two-legged form. He would make her a bed, then he would shift into his dragon and he would watch over her. He gently laid her on the platform and set to work.

Drago found a gold and jeweled lounge with the finest royal red velvet cover and a silk pillow for her head. He cleared the platform of all treasure except the bed and Carly. Picking her up, he tenderly laid her on the lounge and made sure that she was covered. Once he felt she would be comfortable, he turned his gaze about the treasure room. He would give all of it away if it would bring Carly back to him.

His gaze moved to the floating red diamond of the Dragon’s Heart. Bitter rage filled him. This was the gift of the Goddess and all it had brought him was sorrow. Lifting his arm, he opened his left hand.

“Come to me,” he ordered in a cold, hard voice.

He would crush the diamond. With its destruction, the Sea Witch could never gain the power held within. There was nothing left for it to protect. He was the last of the dragons and his life was soon to be over.

“Come to me!” he growled, pulling on the power inside him.

The diamond began to spin as it rose higher. As if gripped by an invisible hand, the gem floated toward him. Drago’s gaze burned with the fire of his dragon – of his people. He reached up to wrap his fingers around the diamond only to see his fingers passing through it. Stunned, he turned when it floated past him and on toward Carly.

He started to take a step forward to grab it again when it danced away from him. His fury changed to confusion and doubt. The diamond began to glow with a brilliance that blinded him. Raising his arm, he shielded his eyes. A hoarse cry of protest escaped him when he saw a shaft of red pierce Carly’s chest.

Dropping his arm, he rushed forward only to be struck by a powerful blow which lifted him off his feet and threw him backwards off the platform. He landed several meters away. Stunned, he watched in disbelief as Carly’s body rose off the lounge. The covers he’d wrapped around her opened and fell away, leaving her in the long tunic.

“No, please! No…,” Drago pleaded, raising his hand in protest. “Do not take her from me.”

The glowing magic from the Dragon’s Heart surrounded Carly. Soon, she was wrapped in the brilliant red energy. Tears streamed down his face and he fought the paralyzing force of the spell keeping him from her.

A brilliant flash suddenly exploded from the Dragon’s Heart, blinding him. Drago covered his eyes with his arm. His heart felt like it was being ripped out of his chest. The pain was so great that he threw his head back and roared in agony. He had known their time was limited, but he’d wanted every precious second he could have with her. Now, even that was gone – all gone.

Choking on his grief, he turned and buried his face against his arm. His body turned from the devastating brightness. Soft moans of pain escaped him in gasping breaths.

“My little thief…. My heart…,” he repeated over and over in an uneven voice.

Darkness spread around him as the light began to fade. Drago heard the sound of Carly’s body being lowered back to the lounge. Drawing in shuddering breaths, he slowly pushed himself back up. The red diamond that was the Dragon’s Heart silently floated over his head and back to the large statue of his father.

A slight noise behind him caught his attention. He froze, afraid to turn around. The sound came again, a slight scraping against the stone of the platform. Sitting up, Drago slowly turned.

“Carly…,” he said in a barely audible whisper.

All that Carly could remember was a sudden warmth and the continued increase in body temperature until she felt like someone had dropped her into a hot tub and forgot to tell her that they were going to be boiling frogs in it that afternoon.

That, and the glowing red light that seemed determined to blind me, she thought in confusion, trying to figure out where in the heck she was.

Carly glanced around, surprised that she could see so clearly in the dim light. It didn’t take her long to realize that she had somehow ended up back in the treasure room under the palace. A frown creased her brow and she tried to remember their return trip to the Isle of the Dragon. For the life of her all she could remember was picking up the brooch she had purchased and falling asleep. Lifting a claw to push back her hair, her arm froze in midair.

Claw…. I have a claw…. I have a claw, she repeated in her mind again, staring at the slender ivory claws surrounded by taupe and ivory scales.

She glanced down at her body. Her gaze continued down, running over her chest and over her shoulder. She stepped sideways and her tail caught on an ornate lounge. She winced at the unusually loud sound when the legs slid across the stone. It sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard to her.

Carly shook her head in disbelief. She raised her tail and flicked it back and forth. Yes, it was hers – or, at least it moved when she thought about it. She heard a hoarse voice call out her name.

Turning back around, joy washed through her when she saw Drago staring up at her. There was an expression of shock on his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. A grin, or at least she hoped it was a grin, curved her lips.

“I’m a dragon! Either that or I’m dreaming I’m a dragon. I haven’t figured out which one it is yet,” Carly giggled. “I have wings – and a tail!”

Carly expanded her wings and curled her tail around her. She couldn’t help but admire how beautiful they were. If this was a dream, she hoped she never woke up. Carly couldn’t help but think if she was a dragon, she could be with Drago in the truest sense of a mate.

“You are… beautiful, Carly,” Drago said, rising from where he was sprawled.

Carly tilted her head and watched him slowly climb the steps of the platform until he was standing in front of her. She lowered her head and pressed her nose against his hand. He tenderly stroked her jaw.

“What happened to me?” she asked in confusion. “How did I become a dragon?”

“You have captured the Dragon’s Heart. It now lives inside you,” Drago said, stroking her neck. “It is the only way for this to have happened. The Dragon’s Heart contains the soul of who we are as people and as dragons. You have the essence of us within you, just as you have my heart, Carly. You are a gift I can never thank the Goddess enough for returning to me.”

“I’m not sure I understand, but I’m not going to complain. Wait a minute! Does this mean I can learn to fly with you?” Carly asked in excitement before it died. “What if I can’t change like you can?” she asked in horror.

“Try,” Drago said, still caressing her.

“But… how?” she asked.

“Think of yourself as Carly. Put what you look like in your human form into your mind,” he instructed.

Carly nodded and closed her eyes. She focused on what she looked like in the mirror. A tingling sensation washed through her. Startled, she opened her eyes to see a mist of red shimmering around her. When she blinked again, she was standing in front of Drago – only this time she had to look up at him.

Raising a trembling hand, she laughed when she saw her five fingers reaching up to stroke Drago’s cheek. Turning it over, she studied her hand before glancing down at her body. She was standing on two legs. Carly raised her head and smiled. The smile faded when she saw the lines around Drago’s eyes and mouth and the clear exhaustion in his eyes.

“What happened?” she demanded.

Drago cupped her cheeks with trembling hands. His eyes searched her face, as if he were trying to memorize her features and see if she was real or not. This was different from the other times. This time there was a hint of fear in them that changed to relief.

“I thought I had lost you. The brooch you touched was cursed with a sleeping spell,” Drago choked out, tenderly brushing her hair back from her face.

“The brooch…. You mean the one I bought from the woman outside the restaurant. She looked sick, but she was really sweet,” Carly said with a frown.

Drago shook his head. “She was not sweet, Carly. That was the Sea Witch. Ashure warned me that he sensed her enter the Isle of the Pirates,” he explained.

“Oh, Drago. The brooch reminded me of you and Little Knight and the flock and it had a red stone like the Dragon’s Heart….” She paused and looked around before glancing up at the ceiling. “Are Little Knight and the flock waiting for us? How long have we been here? They are probably going crazy.”

Drago shook his head in regret. “They are gone. I found the remains of one of them. I suspect they sensed the dark magic and tried to warn me, but they were no match for the storm.”

Tears filled Carly’s eyes and she began to cry. “Oh no. Poor Little Knight. He and the others were so brave,” she sniffed.

Drago pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Carly could feel the heavy beat of his heart and feel the tremors that rocked his powerful frame. It took a moment to realize that Drago, the mighty King of the Dragons, was struggling to control his emotions.

Her arms wrapped around him and she held him as if she would never let him go. They stood together for several long minutes before he released a long breath. Stepping back, he glanced down at her and smiled.

“I will make you another flock of birds, this time bigger and fiercer, so they can help me protect you better. Come, let us return to the palace above,” he said.

“Can I fly?” Carly asked excitedly.

Drago laughed and shook his head. “Perhaps it would be best to wait until you have more room,” he suggested.

Carly’s expression fell, but she couldn’t keep the amusement from shining through. She nodded and stepped back. Within seconds, she was once again wrapped in Drago’s embrace. This time, she would be awake and eager to see just what she could do in her dragon form – once she had more room.

“Does this mean we get to make love as dragons?” she suddenly asked as he began to lift off.

A low groan escaped Drago. “You ask me this now?” he growled.

The island birds, nesting along the walls of the palace, flew off startled when the ground of the courtyard opened up, and the sound of feminine laughter rose through the opening followed by the low growl of a male dragon. True to his word, Drago swept out over the forest. He turned, already knowing where he wanted to take Carly. He soared through the air, his instincts guiding him back to Arkla, the magical, ancient palace where the dragons were said first to have appeared.

A wave of warmth filled Carly. She loved this man-dragon more than life itself. A contented smile curved her lips when he reached out to run his back claws along the smooth surface of the pristine lake. Her gaze was captured by the beauty of their reflections caught in the mirrored surface.

Several minutes later, Drago swept up over the majestic white stones of the palace. With the flow of the waterfalls as their curtain, Drago tenderly guided her on how to shift into her dragon again. She twirled in an arc, her wings opened and her tail raised in an instinctive mating dance. Her breath caught when Drago rose up, his larger body caging her beneath him, and his wings framing her smaller form. Their tails tangled and they came together in the ancient way of the dragon, connecting the last threads of their bond.