Marina’s heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest as Nilo beckoned once more to come over, the elegant but horrifyingly deadly blade glinting in the sun with its ethereal glow.

When she’d seen the Dragonslayer pointed at Mercury, she feared the worst. Now, having it merely feet from her, the dragon inside her paced furiously, hating and fearing the thing all at once, fully aware of the danger it posed to her and the others around her.

Marina glanced once more down at the arena where Mercury was just standing, watching. How could he just sit there looking calm about everything?

“Don’t test my patience,” Nilo threatened one last time.

Marina’s mind raced with possibilities, anything that could disarm him, but she didn’t know the true power of the Dragonslayer or Nilo’s strength. Trying to fight could just get them all killed.

So she came forward, hoping to buy time.

“That’s good, closer,” he beckoned. Next to her, she could see the king and queen watching angrily, surrounded by men in silver tunics that Marina assumed were fellow usurpers to the throne.

Cobalt had mentioned once that there had been uprisings here and there over the centuries. But the last thing she ever expected was to be caught right in the middle of one just as she’d found and lost her mate all at the same time.

And why was Mercury still just standing there?

“You should count yourself lucky, Earth princess. You’ll get to be here, by my side, as we rewrite history,” Nilo said smugly. There had always been something about him that she didn’t like, but there had been enough things to worry about with six dragons competing for her and getting accustomed to an entirely new world all at once.

Then, just as she was within the sword’s reach, which Nilo had lowered as his other hand gestured for her to come closer, Marina saw a dark, silver, shimmering substance rise out of the ground behind Nilo. Suddenly, Mercury was behind Nilo, who was completely unaware.

“Surprise,” Mercury said, glowering, his eyes so bright they were like molten metal.

Nilo whirled around, raising the sword just as Mercury caught his hand which wielded the blade.

“I changed my mind,” Mercury said, sending Marina a quick look that made her heart leap in her chest. Did he mean what she thought he meant?

She didn’t have time to consider it as Mercury turned his attention back to Nilo, and he knocked the Dragonslayer free of his grip. The sword clattered to the ground, and Cadmium leapt for it, snatching it as quickly as he could.

Mercury’s hand was now on Nilo’s throat. Nilo tried to sputter something but was lifted off the ground as Mercury’s fingers dug into his neck, squeezing hard.

Then Nilo was flying, thrown through the air and into the center of the arena. Mercury, who’d made it look as effortless as throwing a pebble into a lake, leapt off the stand, over everyone, joining the still-rolling advisor in the arena as he feebly tried to recover.

Then she noticed that Mercury, or rather, another Mercury, was still standing next to Lead, not moving, while the Mercury she’d just seen jump into the arena was still walking intently toward Nilo, murder in his eyes.

So the one she’d seen earlier was just a decoy? But she didn’t have time to think about that, or anything else, as the dazed silence around them erupted into all-out chaos, and everyone around her began fighting.

The dragon guard jumped into action, knocking away the men in tunics as they fought to protect the king and queen.

A man tried to grab Marina by the wrist, and she whirled on him, summoning a ball of water into the palm of her hand and blasting him in the face with it, sending him careening backward. Three more took his place, surrounding her, when Zinc was suddenly in the midst of them, knocking them down like flies.

“Go to him,” Zinc said hurriedly as he turned his attention on another group charging at them.

Marina looked back to the center of the arena and saw Mercury striding toward Nilo, who was backing up, hands up, pleading. Then she noticed with horror that from every corner, dozens and dozens of men in silver garb were rushing toward Mercury in the center of the ring, probably to the aid of their leader. Lead had recovered but still struggled to stand as he raised his sword to fend them off.

Then there was a blast of air that shot past Marina, emanating from the center of the ring, and the ground seemed to shake for a moment, followed by a hair-raising shout from Mercury that sounded more animal than human.

And then there was not one, but two Mercury clones. Then three, then four.

Before Marina’s very eyes, she saw him multiply, silver liquid splitting in two to make more and more copies until there were forty or fifty Mercury copies, all standing, holding swords, facing the oncoming rebels.

There were no words to describe what she was witnessing.

She just knew in her heart that she needed to be there with her mate. Especially now that he seemed to know he was hers as well.

In unison, the small army of Mercury dragons charged, carving a path through silver-clad men, many who stood agape, watching in horror. Marina saw Lead go wide-eyed for a moment. Then he joined the Mercury clones in their fight, making a powerful foe in his own right.

Marina made her way down the stairs, but the fighting was fiercest around the stand, as several of the dragon guard repelled the attackers, fulfilling their forsworn duty to protect the king and queen. A group of men rushed up toward her and, upon seeing her, made as if to try to capture her.

She was about to fight her way through when a giant, white-silver broadsword cut a swath through them, making them scatter. Marina looked up to see Chromium, bright gray-green eyes darting back and forth, looking for danger.

“Princess,” he said, regarding her with a quick bow.

“You can talk!” Marina said, too focused on her purpose to linger.

Chromium headed back up the stairs as she continued down, watching with wonder as the Mercury melee in the center continued. In the very center of it, she could see Nilo stand, drawing a sword, which was knocked away with the back of Mercury’s hand as he punched Nilo in the face with the other. Silver hair, silver eyes moved back and forth, a blur of motion as his clones fought around them.

Several insurgents ran up the stairs, fleeing, and Marina decked one in the face, clearing a path for herself. Just then, someone bumped into her from behind, and she whirled around. At the same moment, Arsenic turned to face her as well, huge earthen sword lowering as he recognized her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked hurriedly.

“My job, obviously. I’m going to help Mercury and Lead. The others have the situation under control,” he replied, looking up at the stage where the other dragons stood in a protective circle around their liege.

Marina was about to keep running when he looked at her intently, for once free of his sneer. “For what it’s worth, I think you made the right choice. He’s a lucky dragon,” Arsenic said, his eyes darting behind her to the center of the coliseum. “Now I’m off.” He hopped over a bench in front of them and headed for the arena.

Marina reached the edge of the stands and hopped into the arena, where Arsenic had already started fighting, putting his foot through one rebel’s face and then swinging his sword at another.

All around her, rebels that had lost to Mercury littered the ground.

The number of clones was quickly diminishing, as one by one, they melted away into dark silvery substance, disappearing until there was just one left, thirty or so feet from her.

He stood over Nilo, sword pointed at his chest. To her surprise, it was no longer jagged and twisted like before, now a straight edge that looked infinitely sharp and shared the same color as Mercury’s eyes, as magnificent as it was deadly.

“You. You threatened my mate,” Mercury said, frowning as the sword drew nearer to Nilo.

“I—didn’t want you involved. I warned you to go.”

“So you’re the one who sent those men to attack me?” Mercury hissed.

Nilo flinched. “Please, spare me. I’ve seen the true power of the Mercury family. I’ll never try anything again. I—”

“I could kill you a hundred times for threatening Marina.” Mercury scowled, murder in his eyes.

Instinctively, Marina came closer, and when he was almost within arm’s reach, Mercury looked over his shoulder at her. Immediately, his gaze softened slightly, the feral beast within calming a little.

“Mercy! Please!” Nilo begged.

“You don’t deserve it,” Mercury said, towering over him. The sword was right over Nilo’s heart now. The slightest movement would run him through. “But sometimes people get more than they deserve.”

Marina had finally reached Mercury, and to her shock, his hand grabbed hers, entwining their fingers together. At first, his touch was cold. Then it warmed gradually, making her heart stir.

Mercury turned to see her, his gaze vulnerable, not looking away from her for even a second.

It felt like forever.

Nilo, completely unaware of what was going on, scrabbled to his feet to run. But he didn’t make it very far when Lead was before him, towering and immovable. With a swift punch to the face, Nilo was sprawled out onto the dirt, unconscious.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time,” Lead remarked as the rest of the dragon guard joined him.

“We’ll take care of this one,” Arsenic exclaimed, grabbing Nilo by his shirt and dragging him along.

“From the looks of it, you two have some talking to do anyway,” Cadmium said with a grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“We’re forever in your debt,” Cobalt said. “And thank you also for that spectacular display of a lost power,” he added with fascination.

Chromium just nodded.

Mercury just stared at the dragons, still frowning, as he if he didn’t know what to make of them actually being nice to him.

Lead grabbed Mercury’s hand and raised it as the winner, and Marina heard the entire stadium react.

* * *

Mercury stared in shock all around him as the arena broke out in applause.

He’d shown mercy only for Marina, because he wanted to be a better dragon for her. He didn’t care what the rest of these people thought. But looking around him at the faces finally staring at him with something other than hate, the little boy inside him couldn’t help but feel a bit of lost warmth coming back.

Was this what he had wanted? Acceptance? People beside him all along?

He had thought it was too late.

But as Marina kept her hand in his, warm and reassuring, he realized all of this was real. The applause, Marina looking at him as though he were special, the dragon guard coming over and not acting like total douches.

The announcer’s booming voice saying Mercury would be reinstated in society.

Zinc’s pleased face from where he stood in the stands.

Mercury sagged slightly as he released Marina’s hand so he could wrap his arm around her waist and pull her in tight against him.

She looked up at him, seeming slightly dazed.

“Are you all right? No one hurt you?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine, a little confused, but—”

“About what?” Mercury said, focusing on her and ignoring the crowd. As if they were the only dragons in the universe.

“Well, you said I couldn’t choose you. Now it’s like you went and decided everything the other way on your own. You didn’t even ask me.”

He raised her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. “I want you. I was stupid. I want you to choose me. Will you?”

She flushed deeply, red flooding her perfect cheeks. “Yes. But we are going to talk about this later, obviously,” she muttered, looking embarrassed. But before she could look away, his lips captured hers because he couldn’t wait another moment to claim her.

After a lifetime of pain and worry and loneliness, of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he’d finally found something right. Something worth fighting for. Something worth facing the past and still trying hard to be better.

Something more precious than anything in the world.

He’d found love.

“I love you, Marina,” he said, setting her down and pressing his forehead to hers. “And I’ll explain everything when we’re alone. Not only that, but I’ll make things right with the dragons on Earth. I’ll talk to your brothers, get ahold of the metal dragons. I promise I’ll do anything I can to make it right.”

“I know,” Marina said. “And I’ll help.”

“You already have. You softened my heart and let the poison out. And though I hated it at first, now I couldn’t imagine it any other way.” He sighed. “Do you think the other dragons will ever forgive me?”

“Well, you did just save Drakkaris, so I think the dragons here will put in a good word for you. And as for the dragons on Earth, they didn’t even know it was you at first, and once they did, they were busy being happy with mates they wouldn’t even have met if it weren’t for you.”

“But I could have hurt them—”

“It doesn’t matter anymore what you did,” she said, taking his face in her hands and forcing him to look at her. “What matters is what happens now. What do you want to do?”

“I want to take my beautiful mate back to her room and make things official,” he said gruffly. “I want to give you everything in the world. I want to make things so happy between us that all the troubles that come after will feel like nothing in comparison.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

“Me, too.”

He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and ignored her playful struggles as she batted at his back. “Oh, come on. I still get to have a little fun, right?”

She made a muffled snort. “Fine. But this doesn’t feel dignified.”

“If you really want me to put you down, I will.”

There was silence at that, and he laughed and started walking for the exit to the arena. Despite her protests, he knew Marina liked it when he showed her he wanted her. After how confusing he’d been, he didn’t blame her.

But once he got her back to her room, once he was free to show her how he felt, to be with her without holding back or feeling like it was the last time, she would no longer have any doubts. They were meant to be together. That was all there was to it.

With a wave at the crowd and the rest of the dragon guard, Mercury walked out of the arena to go claim his mate and start the rest of his life.