“Varana...” Kiran growled, his grip tightening around his glass.

“Yes. Somehow they discovered Razeth was on Earth. They killed his mate and have been systematically trying to kill all his descendants ever since.”

“And they didn’t know they were Dragoon? What their ‘strange hair’ meant?”

“No. At least Autumn’s parents didn’t. They were young when they were killed, only in their forties, and Autumn said she never met their parents.”

“In their forties,” Kiran shook his head in disbelief. “And they already had two offspring?”

“Yes, the lifespan of those on Earth isn’t like ours, Father. Few ever see one hundred years.”

“Unbelievable. For Razeth to find his mate in such an inferior species...”

“My Autumn is not inferior!” Kirall growled angrily.

“No, of course not, son. My apologies. I meant no insult, it’s just...”

“Just what?”

“Razeth wasn't a Silver, but it was said that he was the strongest of them all. It’s believed he was able to absorb the power of the other Supremes’ Lairs and infuse it into his Lair before he left.”

“If he was that powerful, then he would have shared his life energy with his mate, ensuring that her lifespan matched his.”

“Yes, and with their offspring. But they still wouldn’t have come into their full power until their first shift.”

“And if many of them died before that... had offspring before they obtained that power...”

“Then their descendants would have an even harder time tapping into it. But you say your mate has already been able to shift?”

“Yes,” Kirall paused wondering if he should tell his father. He had wanted Autumn here with him when he revealed this, but his father needed to know. “But that wasn’t her first shift.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Kiran demanded.

“When the Varana attacked her family, Autumn partially shifted, attacking them in an attempt to save her little brother.”

“She told you this?”

“Yes.”

“And you believe her?”

“Yes. It’s the only way she could have survived. Da...” Kirall reverted to his childhood name for his father. “You haven’t seen the scars that cover Autumn’s back. General Terron savaged her as she tried to protect her brother.”

“General Terron...” Kiran trailed off.

“Yes. Autumn is why Terron lost his eye. Why his face is scarred. She attacked him, at ten, trying to stop the attack on her brother. She remembers clawing at his face before she was overpowered. It was three against one.”

“Kur...” Kiran’s eyebrows drew together. “Her scars didn’t heal?”

“No, she and her Dragon were so young. They were only ten. Da, for her to be able to partially shift...” Kirall still found it hard to believe. He'd never heard of any other female being able to do it. “When the humans found her, she was barely alive. They thought she had gone crazy when she claimed giant lizards had attacked her family. They gave her drugs to help her heal, but they hurt her Dragon. The only way for them to survive was for Autumn to deny her Dragon, to force her deep down inside and lock her away. She’s been that way ever since.”

“Until you," Kiran said.

“Yes.”

“I still don’t understand how you didn’t sense her Dragon.”

“They kept Autumn drugged until she was nearly eighteen, Da. By the time they released her, she was convinced she was crazy. No one on Earth knows about Varana. Kur, they don’t even know about all the other species either.”

“So when did you realize?”

“I didn’t, even though she calmed my Beast and my Dragon wanted her. I just knew she was my mate, so I claimed her. It wasn’t until she shifted to protect me that it all clicked into place." Rubbing his chest, he felt it all again. "Even then I still nearly lost her.”

“What?!! What are you talking about?”

“After...” Kirall’s mouth snapped shut, and his gaze flew to the darkened windows. “Your protection has been breached.”

“What? Impossible!” Kiran closed his eyes for a moment and focused inward calling on his power. “I sense nothing.”

"It was only for a moment, and I wouldn't have noticed it either, but my senses have heightened since Autumn made me her mate. They've expanded even further now that I am on Mondu. I can tell you where every single Other in your household currently is and what they are doing. I know Mother and the rest of the family are still in the dining room. Maaike has returned to her room and Autumn..." He surged to his feet. "Autumn is gone! She's the one who breached your protection!"

"She... that makes sense. Not only because she is a Supreme, but because she is family and my power would recognize that."

"You recognize my mate as family?"

"Of course. I know we didn't get off on the best foot..."

"Father, we will have to speak of this later. I need to get to my mate. She has never flown before."

"Never flown?" But Kiran's question was asked to an empty room for Kirall had already ripped the balcony doors off their hinges and shifted so he could take to the skies in search of his mate.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Autumn couldn't believe the feeling that came over her as she let her Dragon come forth. Her limbs tingled the way they did after you slept too long in one position. Opening the eyes she hadn't realized she'd closed, she couldn't believe what she saw.

"It's so beautiful!"

"It is, isn't it," her Dragon responded, gazing out over the moonlit terrain. Suddenly, a weak pulse of power traveled over her scales.

"What was that?"

"We've passed through the protective boundary of our Mate's father."

"Oh. I thought Kirall's father's boundary was impenetrable unless you were given permission or were family."

"It is for one less powerful than the one creating the boundary. But as we are Red Supremes, Elder Kiran's boundary will never be able to keep us from entering or leaving."

"But we've only just arrived, and we've never flown before."

"That does not matter. Have you not felt the difference since we have arrived?"

"I... I felt something as we walked to the transport, but since Kirall didn't say anything, I thought it was just me."

"It wasn't. It was the magic of Mondu that welcomes every Dragoon home. Unfortunately, those that travel off planet often, as our mate does, tend not to notice it when they return."

"But it felt..."

"Amazing?"

"Yes!"

"And that will be nothing compared to how it will feel once we reach Kruba."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"You. You must finally believe that we are one even though we are very different. Great truths have been hidden from us, and we will find them. But the most basic one is that we must work together to survive. Trying times are coming."

"More trying than what we've already experienced?"

"Yes. But not only do we have each other, but we also have our mates. And they will be at our side to help us through it."

"You honestly believe that?"

"Yes."

"Then let’s go home."

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kirall and his Dragon were both enraged as they took to the skies. Their mate had never intentionally shifted before, and he had promised her he would be there when she attempted it. But because of the way he and his family had treated her, she had felt the need to proceed without him. This would never do. Didn't she know she was his life? If she didn't, didn't her Dragon?

"Why would she?" his Dragon growled even as its wings worked to catch their mate. "When have we ever been there for her? When has anyone? We promised her our family would accept her and all she found was pain and criticism. Is it any wonder she chose to go without us? Her Dragon knows who she is. Where she should be. You were the one who wanted to come here first."

"I thought it would be better this way. She has missed her family so much."

"And yours made her feel so welcome, didn't they?" The flames shooting out his Dragon's mouth burned off the tops of some of his father's favorite trees.

"That was my fault."

"Yes, it was. We should have gone directly to Kruba. She would have been safe there. Protected. She wouldn't be experiencing her first flight alone!"

"And she won't now. Not as soon as you catch up with her."

"You believe we can? My mate might be young, but she is strong. She had to be to survive, and she's only gotten stronger since arriving on Mondu."

"Mondu's magic greeted her?"

"You thought it wouldn't?" His Dragon snorted in disbelief as he skimmed a mountaintop.

"It's something I hadn't considered."

"There seems to be a great deal you haven't considered. Like our mate leaving without us."

Kirall remained silent knowing his Dragon was right. He should have considered it especially after the way his Autumn had stormed out of the room. She was so used to taking care of herself, of depending on no one, that he should have immediately gone after her. To reassure her instead of talking to his father first.

"We need to catch up before they try to cross Tro's boundary. He will attack first and ask questions later."

"He will never know she's been there. Or us."

"What?"

"Our mate is a Supreme. We are Supreme. No mere Prime's boundary can deter us."

"Tro is a Black."

"That matters not. We are more powerful than him and can come and go as we please. It is one of the things that caused so much conflict between the Dragoons. Many felt threatened when some Supremes refused to respect their boundary, especially when they had young."

"Understandable. I would be enraged if another Dragoon was able to get close to my mate without my knowledge."

"It is why there were those that conspired against the Supremes."

"I always thought it was because they were finding their mates with Others, elevating those mates above those that were born Dragoon."

"That is what they wanted to be believed."

"How do you know this?"

"The magic tells you what you need to know if you are willing to listen. Are you?"

Kirall forced his mind to be quiet so he could tap into the magic of Mondu the way his father had taught him to so he could shift. It was something he didn't even think about anymore. Now he did, and it told him, "Our mate is tiring!"

"Yes, we must get to her before she is harmed." Kirall's Dragon growled and tried to fly even faster.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

"Dragon..."

"It’s not much farther," she told Autumn even though her fatigue was easy to hear.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, it's just ahead."

"Kruba?"

"No, its boundary. Once we pass through it, we can rest for a while."

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kirall and his Dragon both winced at the sharp jolt they received passing through Kruba’s boundary.

“It appears Kruba is not happy with us,” his Dragon growled.

“Yet it didn’t bar us.”

“It would be unable to as our Autumn has claimed us, but it can make it... difficult.”

“I’ve never heard of a boundary reacting that way.”

“We are arriving without our mate. And while the boundary can sense our connection to her, it is still going to warn us away from her.”

“Warn us away? That means Autumn is here.”

“Yes, and it’s the only reason we are being allowed to pass.”

“Then where... There!” Kirall would have pointed a finger if he weren’t in his Dragon form, but as they were one, his Dragon understood and saw what he saw.

Their mate lay below them, curled up in her Dragon form next to a high mountain lake sleeping.

“My mate is so beautiful,” his Dragon growled taking in the way her silver-tipped scales glowed in the moonlight. This was the first time his Dragon eyes had been able to see their mate in her Dragon form. He couldn’t wait to join with her to truly make her a Dragon’s mate.

“She is no matter what her form, but she is also exhausted. We must put her needs first since we failed to do that so far.”

“You failed her, not me. But in this, we are in agreement.” Landing, he carefully curled his much larger body around her. He protectively covered her with one wing while his tail slipped under her head to help pillow it. When she didn’t even stir, he pulled her closer and slept beside his exhausted mate.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Autumn woke wrapped in the sense of warmth, security, and love she hadn’t felt since she was young and the world was still a safe place. Opening her eyes, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

There in the distance, high up on the mountain stood Kruba, Razeth’s Lair. It gleamed as the rising sun touched the top peak. She wasn’t sure what she expected. Something along the lines of Kirall’s parents’ Lair, she supposed. But this... this was so much more. Kirall’s parents’ Lair had been impressive, carved into the mountain the way it was, with only the landing pad and balconies visible. It intentionally blended into the landscape.

Kruba didn’t.

It appeared as if a giant claw had come down and scooped out part of the mountain with exacting precision. Leaving behind majestic walls that curved up along both sides of the mountain’s edge before coming together along its sheer back where two identical turrets stood, a flat surface connecting them. It reminded her of a Roman arena but with a medieval touch.

Even from this distance, she could see the carving that ran along the walls. They eased the harshness of the rock and were the perfect backdrop for the cascading arches that ran along the front of the Lair, enclosing the front that would make landing there difficult. She hoped she would be able to.

“You will.”

She jerked her head up when the voice she heard wasn’t that of her Dragon and came snout to snout with Kirall’s Dragon.

"I will help you," he continued. "You are so beautiful, mate."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. I have wanted to see you for so long."

"Then why didn't you!" her Dragon demanded, her sharp teeth snapping at him as she pushed him away to roll and stand on all fours.

Silver began to fill the elongated eyes of Kirall's Dragon, desire filling him, at the way his mate was challenging him. "You needed time..."

"I needed my mate!" she growled back, her tail swishing angrily behind her.

"Then you shall have me!" he growled lunging at her.

She jumped out of his reach, her head lowering as she hissed at him. “If you want me you’ll have to catch me!” With that taunt, she spread her wings and launched herself into the sky.

Kirall’s Dragon reared back on his powerful haunches ready to chase, capture, and claim his mate as he’d been longing to since he’d first scented her on Earth. But he paused for a moment, caught up in the beauty of just watching his mate fly.

‘Kur, she is the most gorgeous dragon to ever grace the skies of Mondu,’ he thought, then leaped into the sky to claim her.

Autumn's Dragon glanced behind her, and her breath caught, desire filling her as she got her first good look at her mate. He was magnificent! He looked like a blazing arrow the way his scales went from black to sizzling red to flaming silver at the ends, shooting straight toward her. While there was no doubt she was going to let him catch her, she was also going to make him work for it. He deserved it after making her wait for so long.

Spinning onto her back, she dove straight down ignoring the enraged roar of her mate as he just missed her. As the ground quickly came up to meet her, she heard his enraged roar again. Pulling up, she felt the long purple grass graze the scales of her underbelly.

"Cease, before you harm yourself!" he ordered.

"I'm fine," she laughed back but rose higher off the ground. "God, this feels amazing. How could you not have shifted the minute we landed?"

"Because you needed me in my Other form more than I needed to fly," he told her gruffly.

His words had her looking back to find her mate was no longer trying to capture her and force her into submission. Instead, he was following so closely behind her that their shadows appeared to be one.

"You denied yourself... for me?"

"You are my mate. Nothing is more important to me than you. Not even flying."

Tears filled her Dragon's eyes as she felt her mate's absolute love and commitment surround her. It filled her heart and soul in a way they never had been before, and it eased the ache that had been there since the loss of her family. It proved that this was right, this was where she belonged. He was her mate, and she was his. It also filled her with the desire to mate.

Slowing, so her smaller form was below her mate's, she ran her tongue along his neck tasting him for the first time.

Kirall's Dragon shuddered at his mate's caress. He had waited so long for her, and he wasn't going to wait any longer. Grasping her shoulders just below her wings, he pulled her up tight against his larger frame. As he bit down on her neck, he flicked her tail to the side and thrust up, impaling her on his long, hard penis that had extended from its protective slit.

Autumn's Dragon roared with pleasure at the dominant way her mate was claiming her. Every flap of his powerful wings not only kept them in the sky but drove him deeper and deeper inside of her until he completely claimed her.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

"You ran from me."

Those softly uttered words had Autumn opening her eyes to find hurt-filled ones staring down at her. Her first instinct was to reach out and comfort him and ease his pain. This was her mate after all, but she’d been hurt too. By his family’s actions and his words. That’s why she’d run, or in this case, flown away.

"You expected me to stay? After the way everyone treated me? After the way you spoke to me?" she countered.

With a heavy sigh, Kirall rolled so he sat facing away from her, his arms resting on bent knees, his head hanging low. “I didn't mean it the way it sounded.”

Autumn remained where she was for a moment, cushioned by the soft, sweet-smelling grass of Kruba, letting her gaze take in all the beauty of her mate’s naked back. God, he truly was magnificent, and he was hers. All hers. To love and to protect. But that didn’t mean she was going to let him get away with treating her like that.

Rolling up onto her knees, she closed the distance between them, her breasts flattening against his back as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. After pressing a kiss to the side of his still lowered head, she asked, “Then what did you mean?”

Leaning back into her, he soaked up the comfort she was offering as he lifted his head. “I only wanted to prevent you from proclaiming you were a Supreme in front of Maaike.”

“Why?”

“Because her father also sits on the Council of Elders.”

“So?”

“Tove is very vocal about his disapproval of Dragoons claiming Others as their mates. He believes the Dragoon bloodlines need to remain pure.”

“But I’m not an Other.”

“No, you are more. More than he or any of his bloodline will ever be, and that he will not tolerate. He will try to find a way to attain you.”

“Kirall, you aren’t making any sense. Tove already has a mate, Maaike’s mother, and I am your mate. There’s no way for him to attain me.”

Kirall turned around to face her, unconcerned about his nakedness, bending one leg under him as the other wrapped around her pulling her close just as his arms did.

"There is if he believes ours is not a valid mating."

"What are you talking about?"

"No mating between Dragoons is considered valid unless both have experienced their first Heat."

"Then how are Dragoon matings with Others considered valid? They don't have Heats. Do they?"

"No. Which is one of Tove's arguments for why Dragoons shouldn't join with them. When Tove finds out that not only are you Dragoon, but also a Supreme who hasn't gone through her first Heat... he will claim our Mating invalid."

“He can claim anything he wants. All anyone has to do is look at you to see that you are no longer a Prime.” Reaching out she ran her fingers through his now dual-colored hair.

"This is true, but he can still try and separate us."

"He can try," she growled her claws extending.

"Easy, my love." He reached up and eased her claws from where they'd dug into his shoulder. "Neither of us will let that happen."

"You should have told me all this before we landed, Kirall."

"I didn't want you to worry. You had already been through so much. I didn't want you hurt again."

"And that worked out so well. Didn't it?"

"I was trying to protect you!"

"That's what the doctors always said. Right before they drugged me. That they were doing it for my own good, that they were protecting me from myself and what I didn't understand. It wasn't true then, and it isn't true now."

"Autumn..."

"I won't live that way again, Kirall, with someone else controlling every aspect of my life. With them keeping things from me and making all the decisions. Not even if that someone is you."

"I never meant to do that."

"But you did. Do you really see me the way your ex-lover does? As some small, weak, insignificant being that can't take care of herself?"

"Of course not! Autumn, you have to know that. You are the strongest female I've ever met."

"And yet you kept all your fears and concerns to yourself even though they affected me too."

"Yes."

Autumn pushed herself to her feet and walked several feet away to stare silently at Kruba. Its strength and power filled her, and she knew this was where she belonged. Yet it was also a symbol of a time past. A time she didn't want to resurrect.

No, she wanted to build something new here. Something better than what the Supremes who had come before had left behind. For that to happen, she and Kirall had to be partners. Not with him thinking he had to protect her from everything. Oh, she knew there were going to be times she would need him to protect her. After all, she would never be as big or as strong as he was. But keeping her in the dark about things she needed to know wasn't protecting her. It was treating her like a child, and that was something she wouldn't tolerate. Turning, she found him standing behind her a concerned look on his face.

"I love you, Kirall. I have no doubt that you are my mate. That this," she gestured to Kruba, "is where we belong. But I don't know how we're going to make this work if I can't trust you."

"You know you can trust me, Autumn. You are all that matters to me."

"Do I matter enough for you to tell me the truth, even if it's going to upset me? I need a partner, not a keeper."

Kirall's eyes bored into hers, and in them, she saw him, his Beast, and his Dragon were all struggling with what she was asking of them. It went against everything he had told her about how male Dragoons cared for their Mates. Finally, he released a ragged breath and said, ”I can only vow that I will try, my Autumn.” He gave her a small smile. "Partners. I've never thought of a mate that way."

"Well start."

"Alright, but just so you know, I am your keeper because I'm keeping you."

Autumn found herself smiling in return. "You'd better because otherwise, I'll burn your ass."