Epilogue
Two years later:
Carly stood on the edge of the cliff and stared out over the sapphire waves. Riding the currents of air were a brilliant flock of large white paper birds. Carly laughed when they swooped down and turned in a wide circle. They wanted to play.
Big Knight, the name she’d given to the largest of the birds and the leader of the flock, wasn’t going to be happy with her. He had become just as protective of her as Little Knight had been. He hated when he was told to return to the castle without her.
There were thick clouds building in the east. A storm was coming. While Carly loved storms, paper and rain did not mix well together, even with the powerful spell Drago had cast, and there was no way she was going to risk losing her paper friends.
The wind blew her hair in front of her eyes, obscuring her vision of the flock and the departing visitors for a moment. With an impatient hand, she brushed the strands away. She would give the flock a few more minutes before she chased them back into the palace. Her gaze moved to the faint outline of several ships on the horizon. She could still see the flashes of lightning from the thunderbirds powering the cyclops’ ships. She hoped they would be able to avoid the worst part of the storm.
Carly couldn’t help but reflect on how much her life had changed. Two years ago, she would have never imagined that going for a walk and encountering a storm would lead her to such a magical world. A reluctant smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the reason behind her unbelievable journey. She would never again complain about exercising, after all, it had led her to this incredible place.
Carly turned when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching down the path. A smile curved her lips at the sight of the man walking down the steep path. Dark sapphire and gold eyes held hers for several long seconds. She shivered at the promise in them. It never ceased to amaze her that Drago could light her blood on fire with just a look.
“A storm comes,” he chided her in a soft voice.
“I know. I’m watching it. The flock isn’t going to be happy. They are having fun. I can’t blame them,” Carly replied, turning to look back out at the white capped waves.
She sighed when Drago wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She tilted her head, exposing her neck to him. A low rumble escaped her when he pressed a hot kiss to her sensitive skin.
“One more time before we return to the palace,” Drago chuckled. “I love you, Carly. Fly with me.”
Carly’s delighted laughter filled the air when he released her and stepped back to change. The brilliant light of sapphire and gold shimmered in the air before it was replaced with a fierce male dragon. Turning, Carly focused as she raised her hands to the sky. A ruby red glow surrounded her, encasing her in its magic as her body shifted. Sweeping her dainty wings back and forth, she rose up off the cliff and soared down over the churning waters far below.
Ever since the day the Dragon’s Heart had transformed her, Carly had been filled with even more excitement and wonder. The power of being a dragon was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Sure, she was a bit clumsy. Yes, she had accidently swept her tail in the wrong direction a time or two and poor Drago had learned the hard way that a dragon’s balls were as sensitive as a man’s – but he had quickly learned to give her a little more room when she was shifting.
She circled the area leading into the harbor. Her gaze scanned the area to make sure everything was safe. No one had seen or heard of the Sea Witch since Carly’s encounter with her. Turning her head, she released a rumbled warning to the flock of white birds that came up to fly beside her. Big Knight chirped, and quickly turned back toward the palace with the rest of the flock trailing behind him. Following them back up to the cliff, Carly swept past Drago.
“I love this, Drago!” Carly laughed, turning back out toward the cliffs again when heard Drago spread his wings and snapped his tail.
Drago stood for a moment, watching as his beautiful, strange little thief soared out over the waters that surrounded their home. Spreading his wings, he took off after her, the glimmer of a smile on his lips. He had plans for tonight.
The last two years with Carly had chased the years of loneliness away. She had ignited the fire inside him and given him a reason to live again. Tonight, he would spread that fire inside her and they would fill their home with children.
They had been talking about it for the last few months. He had been reluctant, fearful of something happening to her, but he knew she was right – they could not live in fear for the rest of their lives. He would protect her and his children from the Sea Witch and any other threat that might come their way.
Soaring down beside her, he carefully guarded her while she flew. There were others out there who would still challenge him for his treasure. Drago thought it was more to bedevil him than to antagonize him. He almost always ended up bartering for goods like he had with the cyclops who had recently sailed into port.
For him, it was not the gold that warmed his heart any longer, but the female at his side. Reaching over, he nipped at her neck to let her know that it was time to return to the safety of their home. He could feel the static of electricity in the air. The storm tonight would be fierce.
“Come, Carly,” he rumbled above the sound of the wind and waves. “The storm draws closer.”
“I know,” she whispered, raising her head to the light sprinkle of rain before turning her warm brown eyes toward him. “Let’s go home.”
Drago reached out with his tail and ran it along her sensitive belly. Carly immediately knew what her mate had in mind. Responding, she turned back toward the palace. Sweeping over the cliff and the high walls surrounding the entrance to their living quarters, she shifted as she stepped onto the long, wide balcony.
Drago swept Carly up into his arms the moment he shifted. A sense of peace settled over him when she wrapped her arms around his neck. He strode through the wide doors and into their bedroom. With a wave of his hand, the doors remained partially open. The covered portion of the balcony would protect them from the rain while the storm building inside the bedroom would rival the one outside. Bowing his head, he captured her lips as he lowered her down to the soft covers of their bed.
“I love you, Carly,” Drago said, pressing his hot lips against the pounding pulse at her neck. “You have given me so much, I do not know if I can ever show you how much.”
“As long as we are together forever, that is all that matters to me. I love you, Drago. I can’t believe how lucky we are to have each other,” she said.
A shudder raced through him when Carly slowly opened his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. The feel of her hands awakened the fire inside him that was always burning for her. Shrugging his shirt off, he tossed it to the side. Pulling back just far enough, he stared down at where she lay against the black satin sheets.
His fingers carefully opened each button on her blouse, baring her breasts. Her soft, smooth skin felt like the finest silk. His fingers glided over her in reverence. His heart swelled with love and he knew that she was the best treasure any dragon could hope to find.
Carly tilted her head and gazed up at him. “What is it? You have that strange look in your eyes that you get when you are trying to hide something from me,” she teased.
“I was thinking that you are right. I think it is time we started a family,” he said, watching her eyes widen with happiness.
That night, neither Drago nor Carly paid much attention to the storm outside. They were more focused on the one they were creating inside. The curtains blew inward, showing the magnificent display of lightning, but inside the dragon’s palace the two souls who came together were caught in a firestorm of their own making, one that would bind them together for eternity. For when a dragon finds her treasure, she never, ever lets it go.
To be continued:
Seven Kingdoms, eight incredible tales…
The saga continues with The Sea King’s Lady…
Jenny Ackerly is searching for her missing friend, Carly, when an attempt to save the life of a young boy turns her world upside down. She soon finds herself in a magical underwater kingdom in a far off world – where mermen really exist!