Weeks passed, quiet weeks spent making love with Tomas. Weeks that changed her life as her marriage to Ishaan ended—and not because Tomas ate him.

It took much maneuvering on Chandra’s part to convince Tomas to let Ishaan live, but as Chandra reminded Tomas, “Not only does he owe you his life, which is a treasure, but it makes you the bigger dragon.”

Tomas liked it when she called him big.

Ishaan didn’t waste his second chance. He moved in with his boyfriend and scandalized everyone. Especially Chandra’s family, who wailed and complained about the supposed shame Chandra had brought on her family—because surely she was to blame for Ishaan’s choice. Dear, Devi, did her father rant about her failures as a daughter. He even showed up in person to cause trouble.

That didn’t go over well with Tomas. He wouldn’t tell Chandra what he said to her father, but after that, she enjoyed a measure of respect she’d never experienced before.

It helped that Tomas immediately married her, making her a respectable woman instead of one living in sin.

With her family problems more or less solved, she let him meet her daadee, along with the rest of her female relatives. They were in awe of her new, very virile husband. It helped he was rich.

Life became quiet, too quiet. Tomas decided to take them for a visit to his aerie. He claimed it was because he wanted to show off his treasures.

More like he wanted to make her scream in pleasure without his grandfather smirking the next day at mealtime.

She didn’t mind the change in locale too much because she’d noted Tomas had become very protective of her. He didn’t trust the peace. Neither did she. It felt more like the calm before a storm.

The alone time was nice, though. While not a scientist, Tomas was intelligent—and arrogant. But she thought that was cute.

“Come here!” he bellowed.

“I’m not a dog,” she retorted. Chandra didn’t need to speak loudly. In his aerie, sound carried.

“Take a look and tell me if this is the woman you saw.”

“What woman are you talking about?” Chandra asked, leaving the kitchenette part of the cave. It was now fully stocked since they’d chosen to reside here for a while.

Tomas wagged a finger in the direction of the screen, which currently played several channels at once—all of them news channels. “Does that woman look familiar?”

Peeking closer, her eyes widened. “It’s her. That’s the woman Parker called queen.” Chandra perched herself on the arm of the couch. “Who is she? And what is she doing on television?”

“She’s not a queen; however, I do think she’s about to create history.” Tomas slid an arm around her and dumped her into his lap.

The woman on screen tapped the microphone before saying. “Good evening. I am Anastasia, the high priestess for the Keepers of the Golden Faith.”

“Who?” someone shouted from a small crowd of reporters.

“Some religious whackjob,” snickered another.

For a moment, Anastasia’s eyes glowed green. “You will show respect in the presence of your betters. I am the keeper of the dragon faith. And I am here to announce that the day we’ve foretold is here.”

“What day? Did someone forget to give you some meds?”

Her fingers gripped the podium tight. “Remove the human.”

“You can’t. Freedom of the—” Despite his protests, and that of a few in the crowd, a band of red-haired fellows grabbed the reporter and dragged him out.

The priestess, with flashing green eyes, surveyed the crowd. “Take heed and do not interrupt me. I’ve called you here as a courtesy so that you might meet someone.” Anastasia turned to look into the wings.

The man they’d met as Samael D’Ore emerged, looking the same as he had before, but this time, he appeared on camera. He also seemed to stand taller and wider than before. The man smiled, and in that moment, Tomas must have understood what he’d say because he cursed.

Chandra understood the cursing a moment later as a golden nimbus surrounded Samael.

The priestess announced. “Kneel, humans, for you are in the presence of the last Golden dragon and king. He is the dragon foretold.”

Tomas muttered a low, “I’ll be damned. They found a living Gold dragon. I think we found Parker’s missing puzzle piece.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how the doctors couldn’t figure out what Parker did to you?”

“You know?”

Tomas hugged her. “I think I do. It goes back to those glyphs found in that excavation. Parker was recreating a very old spell.”

“A spell to do what?”

“Allow wyverns to ascend.” His hand splayed over her abdomen, and she heard him in her head.

We were played. Played so hard.

“How? I don’t understand.” But in a sense, she did. No wonder Parker wanted her back.

“It all makes sense now. How he was preparing you and used me to create the one thing he knew dragons would covet above all else. The one thing that might turn the tide if there is another war.”

“You mean…” She looked at her stomach.

“Congratulations, you’re about to become the first human mother of a dragon since the Goldens went extinct.”

“And you’re its daddy.” At least he didn’t faint when he heard it anymore. Just like he didn’t hesitate to love and cherish. The future might loom uncertain before them, but having unleashed the man and the lover, Chandra didn’t fear it.

* * *

Don’t show fear. She knew better than to let Anastasia see.

Sue-Ellen waited in a room to the side of the stage, with hands clasped, the picture of demure obedience as Samael was paraded in front of a crowd.

How he must hate it. Sue-Ellen certainly hated all the times Parker had used her for the cameras. She would have avoided this media circus if possible, and yet Anastasia insisted she come. Insisted meant Sue-Ellen didn’t really have a choice. She just didn’t understand what Anastasia wanted from her now that Parker was out of the picture.

An ignoble death for an ignoble man. She couldn’t think of a more fitting end. How her pompous uncle would have hated it.

With Parker gone, Sue-Ellen should leave, and yet she couldn’t, not while poor Samael remained a prisoner.

As the larger room outside this one stilled, the silence thick, she dared a peek. Samael—the boy she’d stumbled upon while exploring the lab under her uncle’s house—stood before a small crowd in all his Golden glory.

He appeared tall and proud. A golden god for the people. A puppet for an evil priestess.

The man she adored.

The one guy she could never have. Anastasia made it quite clear Samael was destined for greater things than the daughter of a swamp gator.

It didn’t stop her from dreaming.

It doesn’t have to be a dream. The voice she heard wasn’t her own. Funny how optimism sounded just like him.

She sighed, and Samael’s head turned as if hearing it. His gaze caught hers. Green fire danced in the depths.

A lip quirked, and she could swear she heard a whispered, Soon. My precious. My hoard.

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