The Dragon Legion Collection

Chapter One



His firestorm!

Thad barely managed to contain his excitement. He was surrounded by a dense white mist, a fog that obscured everything beyond an arm’s reach. Even so, the fog was lit with a radiant orange light, the light of his firestorm, and he spun in place, trying to discern which direction was brightest.

She would be there.

He could see the rocky path beneath his feet and feel the chill of the air, but not much more than that. In three steps, he’d lost Drake completely.

Suddenly, a blue-green flash of the darkfire illuminated the fog behind him. It grew to blinding brilliance then disappeared completely. Thad swallowed, knowing that Drake was gone.

He was alone.

But the firestorm’s light meant he wasn’t really alone. Its golden glow shimmered on his fingertips. He lifted his hand and turned in place and, just as earlier, the firestorm sparked to flames that leapt from his fingertips to guide him to his destined mate. He felt a heat in his body and a tingling of desire, one that reminded him of the earthly aspect of the firestorm. The sparks leapt from his fingertips, as if to urge him to hurry. He took a step, saw the flames build a little higher and felt the heat increase in his body.

What did she look like? What was she feeling? Would he fall in love with her immediately, or would it take time? Thad was desperate to know. He summoned the change in his body with impatience, wanting to have the fullness of his dragon powers for this moment of moments.

Even the change seemed to be fueled by the firestorm. It swept through his body with a vehemence he’d never experienced before, making him feel so powerful that he might have been invincible. In his dragon form, Thad breathed fire at the sky in triumph. He was delighted that even his plume of flames bent in the direction of his mate. Could she feel the firestorm? Was she waiting for him? He took flight, using his keener dragon senses to try to discern more.

The fog was impenetrable, but his heart skipped at the faint scent of perfume. It came from the same direction as the firestorm’s sparks led and was wonderfully feminine. It smelled of flowers and made him think of soft warm skin. Thad closed his eyes and took a deep beguiling breath of it, then flew on at reckless speed.

His dream was coming true.

Before he and his fellow Dragon’s Tooth warriors had been enchanted, he’d had few expectations about the once-in-a-lifetime mating experienced by his fellow Pyr. The sparks flew to identify the woman who could bear the child of the dragon shape shifter in question. For most of the Pyr Thad had known then, a firestorm was the chance to create a son and not much more. His own mother had been loving and kind, but as a child, Thad had always felt the household was incomplete. He hadn’t been able to name the omission until he came of age.

Thad had met his own father when he’d been collected from his mother’s household and taken to Delphi. Theirs had been a short acquaintance and not a talkative one. His father had believed in leaving the training of young dragons to those who did it best. His obligation to his kind had been fulfilled by satisfying the firestorm, creating a son, then bringing the son to be trained when he came of age. Even though Thad had felt a yearning to know more about his father and to build a connection, his father hadn’t shared his dream. After their arrival at Delphi, Thad had never seen his father again.

Drake had been different, even when Thad had first met him. Not only was Drake an experienced and respected commander, but he had married his mate and lived with her and his son. He was the first Pyr Thad had ever met who had made that choice. The notion of having Drake as a father and knowing him, of having the ongoing opportunity to learn from him was incredible to Thad.

But so enticing.

He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that the Pyr like Drake were drawn to his command. Alexander was another who had made a commitment to his mate. After the enchantment had been broken, Thad and his fellows had found themselves in a future. There, the Pyr who followed Erik Sorensson made permanent relationships with their mates. They were partners, not just biological parents, and worked together to fulfill the mission of the Pyr to defend the earth and its treasures. Some of those dragons had multiple sons, which was remarkable to Thad. The Pyr almost invariably had male children, since there was only one female of their kind at any given time, but for a dragon shifter to remain with one woman and create a family was a modern notion. The contentment of those Pyr was clear to even a new arrival like Thad.

He had yearned to feel the spark of his firestorm in that world.

Yet mingled with the promise of such a partnership was a fear that the Great Wyvern had forgotten the old firestorms or the more ancient Pyr. In being enchanted, Alexander and Drake had been separated from their mates. Thad had worried about this. Was it a sign that the firestorm wasn’t forever? Did it mean that the Dragon’s Tooth warriors were different? Did it mean that the firestorm’s promise could be fleeting?

When the darkfire crystal had cast them through space and time, it had been Thad who discerned the truth and Thad who had been most relieved. Now, his own firestorm sparked at the end of his talon. He would do anything to see it satisfied and pledge whatever was necessary to the woman who would bear his son.

His chance to do all that and more was only moments away.

Thad couldn’t wait.

* * *

Aura considered the sparks that danced in the wind with suspicion. They erupted nearby in a sudden flurry, then swirled around her like tiny brilliant orange lights. When they were extinguished, as sparks loosed from a fire are, even more replaced them—yet there was no fire to create the sparks. While she observed them, she felt a strange heat fill her body.

How could sparks create lust? Aura didn’t know but these ones did. She felt her skin warm and tingle, then a flush spread over her body. She thought of pleasure and sensation, hot kisses and ardent nights. She imagined a man, a handsome young man, with dark hair and dark eyes, watching her with a smile and an answering heat in his eyes. His chest was bare and his body muscled to perfection, his skin tanned, his intent clear. Aura swallowed, even as her body responded to this vision.

Who was he?

Even though she only saw him in her mind’s eye, Aura knew she’d never seen him before. His clothing was strange, but she was more interested in the man himself. She’d remember a man that handsome, no matter how long it had been. And why was she seeing him? As a nymph, Aura had the power to see through the guises taken by deities and shifters, to see all of their realities at once.


He had something to do with the sparks. Were the sparks one of his guises?

Aura decided to disperse the sparks. She built herself into a gust of wind, one so violent that it shoved back mist and cloud. The blue sky was clear overhead after that one breath, and the rocky mountaintop bared below.

The sparks, to her surprise, didn’t fade.

In fact, they followed her.

Aura blew down toward the mountain. She shifted shape in a glitter of silver and took human form, the hem of her white tunic rippling around her bare feet. The fog still dissipated around her, visible on all sides but at a distance. She could see a golden glow of light in one direction, and sparks spilled from it. One fell toward her, then flamed more brightly as it touched her. Aura caught her breath as lust shot through her, and she felt her nipples tighten. The spark extinguished itself but not before the man in her mind’s eye came closer. She saw the handsome stranger bend to kiss her, saw his hand rise to cup her breast, felt his breath against her cheek.

She wanted him with a vehemence that surprised her, even though she was a nymph with healthy appetites.

Aura stepped back and eyed the sparks. They weren’t borne by any breeze she knew, and Aura had thought she knew them all. A hot wind could have been her uncle Notus, but it wasn’t him. He was much older than the man in her thoughts and not nearly so alluring. Aura took a deep breath, and the sparks moved in response, changing their direction as if they would have her swallow them.

She hoped by Hades that the sparks—and the man—weren’t divine. She’d seen enough nymphs possessed by a deity in disguise then left to raise a half-divine child—or worse, cursed to take the form of a tree or animal. Aura didn’t want any part of that, but the gods could make themselves so irresistible that a nymph had little choice. The gods understood the desires that existed in every nymph, the love of pleasure, the affection for adoration. It was so much easier to never be noticed, but she’d succeeded at that long enough that she knew she was due for a challenge.

The sparks smelled of earth and fire, of a magic not common on Mount Olympus.

Aura felt her own body turning against her better judgment. She was tingling in anticipation of his appearance, already yearning for a kiss, even before he stood before her.

Who was he? Aura concentrated and a dragon replaced him in her mind, a dragon touched by a fire similar to the sparks that surrounded her.

He was a shape shifter?

Like her?

Aura had never met another shape shifter, other than the nymphs who were her relations. They were all women. A handsome man who could become a dragon, who created sparks from his presence and filled her with lust? This was a dangerous possibility, all the more so because it fascinated Aura. She should run, she knew it, but she wanted to see this marvel.

The sparks brightened suddenly, burning hotter and more yellow than orange. To her dismay, an answering heat filled her body, making her yearn for a man’s touch.

Not any man, though. Only the one in her thoughts. He was more clear to her, almost as if he stood before her, and she knew he was drawing closer. This was her last chance to flee.

Curiosity might be her undoing, and even knowing that, she didn’t run.

She heard him then, a creature flying through the mist without the least bit of caution. What drove him? A quest? A message? Or simple lust? With every beat of his wings, the passion within Aura grew and the sparks multiplied in number. She was overwhelmed with thoughts of pleasure. The air filled with a radiant and golden glow, one that seemed to Aura to be filled with anticipation.

A dragon of deepest black popped out of the mist in that moment. The golden light surrounded him and caressed the edges of his scales, making him look gilded. He hesitated in his flight, evidently startled to be out of the fog, and surveyed his surroundings.

He was magnificent, so graceful and noble a creature that one sight of him could never be enough. His wings were large and black, spread high and wide above him. His scales were deepest black but gleamed with golden lights. His eyes were like burnished gold, nearly glowing with intent. A strange flame illuminated his body, the orange color of the fire making him look even more primal and powerful than he would otherwise.

He was the handsome stranger in other guise. Aura could see his two forms overlapping each other when she eyed him, the one he had chosen more dominant but the other still there. Aura yearned to caress him, a desire that frightened her with its intensity. It wasn’t natural, even for a nymph, to burn with such lust from only one glance. She wanted to know how his scales felt. She wanted to feel the strength of his body. She wanted to touch him in both guises. The sparks were filled with a kind of magic. Already she knew the desire would only be sated by this stranger.

She peered into the mist, seeking a sign that she could indulge herself without repercussions. To Aura’s enormous relief, she saw no child.

She could have him.

With that conviction, there was no question of fleeing.

Aura felt his gaze as surely as a touch. His glance swept over her and he flew closer, seeming to savor his first look at her. His eyes glowed and he breathed fire, as if in anticipation. The glow heated to brilliant white, making Aura burn in a most primal way.

She stood with her head thrown back as the black dragon flew around her in a tight circle. His obvious awe made her want to preen.

It certainly made her smile.

The sparks were getting hotter.

Aura was getting hotter. She felt a lust building in herself that was beyond anything she’d experienced before. She was a nymph, not a vestal virgin, but this desire was sizzling.

It was a spell. It had to be.

Aura hoped it would last for more than just one taste of him.

The dragon flew closer, and Aura couldn’t help but admire his grace. He changed his posture to land right in front of her, and the light crackled as it became brilliant yellow. They were caught in an orb of sizzling heat when she saw a flicker of cool blue. It was almost like a lick of lightning, gone so quickly that her eyes could have been deceived.

But Aura recognized that shimmer. He was a shape shifter, just like her. She resolutely kept her gaze fixed upon him, wanting to witness the change. Just before his feet touched the ground, he became a handsome and athletic young man.

The same one she’d envisioned, of course.

The change was seamless and quick, accomplished in the blink of an eye and with the same elegance he showed in flight. Aura smiled at his prowess. The way he smiled back at her gave Aura ideas.

The flames that burned between them gave her more ideas.

They simultaneously took a step to close the distance between them, then smiled at each other that their thoughts were as one. The light between them lit to palest yellow. Aura could feel perspiration on the back of her neck and feel her desire for him redoubling with every heartbeat. She wanted to run her hands over him and rub herself against him, she wanted to kiss him and taste him and feel this heat build to a crescendo...

He lifted his hand to her chin. Aura gasped at the brilliance of the spark that lit from the point of contact. Its heat surged through her body, melting her reservations and weakening her knees.

“I am your servant,” he murmured, his voice low and deep. His gaze searched hers and she smiled a welcome. She looked at his mouth in time to see the corner lift, then he bent forward and kissed her.

He kissed with surety, firmly but gently, a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it, a man who could be turned aside with a fingertip. He wanted her to want him, too, and that realization dissolved the last of Aura’s resistance.


She was lost in his kiss and didn’t want to be found.

* * *

She was perfect.

The firestorm was perfect.

Thad didn’t even know his mate’s name and he didn’t care. The firestorm was right. The Great Wyvern had found the perfect woman for him, and he was going to satisfy the firestorm. Even his first glimpse of her had been enticing. She’d stood on the hilltop waiting for him, her white tunic blowing slightly. He’d been able see her slim curves through the sheer fabric. Her hair was a rich brown and cascaded in loose curls to her hips. It blew behind her, as well. Her lips were rosy and her eyes dark, her lashes thick. She was smooth and feminine and luscious.

Thad wanted her as he’d never wanted a woman before.

He saw her look at him and realized she wasn’t surprised when he shifted shape. He thrilled that there would be no secrets between them, then touched her chin and felt the heat of desire race through his body. When he touched his lips to hers, it seemed to Thad that the firestorm exploded. He saw white light and was aware only of the feel of her soft lips beneath his own. He smelled that sweet perfume and knew he’d be able to find her anywhere.

She gave a little gasp of surprise and he swallowed the sound, gathering her in his arms as he deepened his kiss. In one way, he wanted to make the satisfaction of the firestorm last as long as possible; in another, he couldn’t stand it. He wanted her and he wanted her now. He felt her hand on his shoulder, and her fingers slide up his neck to tangle in his hair. Her kiss was sweet and intoxicating, and he loved how she opened her mouth to him, inviting him closer. The touch of her tongue made him catch his breath. He liked that she was honest about her desire.

Their thoughts were as one, as they would be from this day forward. He had one arm around her waist and let the other hand slide over her cheek, to her nape, then down her back. He cupped her breast, convinced it was the most perfect size and shape, then broke their kiss. He bent to take her taut nipple in his mouth, and she moaned.

“I don’t even know your name,” she whispered, her fingers winding into his hair.

“It doesn’t matter,” Thad said, lifting the front of her tunic to bare her breast to his gaze. He flicked a glance at her and smiled. “We have to satisfy the firestorm, first.”

“The firestorm,” she echoed, then caught her breath when he flicked his tongue over her nipple. He caressed her breast even as he closed his mouth over the tight peak, suckling and licking as she arched back in his embrace. He felt her fingers lock into his hair and felt her heart racing.

His own heart matched its pace to hers, a sensation that made Thad dizzy. He was snared in a glowing orb of light, a slave to sensation and pleasure, wanting only to savor his mate and please her completely.

She tugged his hair. “What’s the firestorm?”

“This!” Thad straightened and caught her shoulders in his grasp. He watched the flames grow and spread from his hands, their golden light burnishing her skin. Of course, she would be the finest treasure in his hoard. His mate. His love. His partner. “This heat, this fire, this blaze! It’s all the firestorm.”

“And it goes away?” She pursed her lips, pouting a little, even as her eyes sparkled.

Thad smiled. “When we create a son, the sparks will die.”

“A son?”

“That’s what the firestorm’s about.”

Her eyes flashed then, but Thad didn’t think it was with passion. She stepped out of his embrace, putting distance between them.

“No,” she said with such force that he wondered who she was trying to convince. “There can’t be a son.”

“When we satisfy the firestorm, there will be.” Thad had no opportunity to present his plan, because she simply disappeared. He saw a shimmer of silver and felt a breath of wind, and then he was alone on a high mountain peak. The land fell away before him, and the clouds below had cleared enough that he could see fields and a coastline far below.

But there were no caves or trees. There was no place his mate could hide.

Thad turned in place, confused. Where had she gone? How had she vanished into thin air? Why had she gone?

He held up his hand, but the firestorm had died to a faint glimmer emanating from the tip of one finger. He held his hand before himself, turning, but the light didn’t brighten no matter which way he was facing. Thad felt a ripple of panic. How would he find her again? How would he fulfill their destiny together?

Why had she left?

Then he took a deep breath and smelled her perfume. A triumphant sense of his own power rolled through him and Thad used it to shift his shape. In dragon form, he took flight and soared over the mountain, seeking the trail of perfume.

When he found it, he found the spark of the firestorm, too. The light brightened as the scent grew stronger. Encouraged, Thad flew in pursuit of his mate, knowing it was fate that she would bear his son.

All he had to do was convince her of that.

* * *

There was a spring in a glade, high on Mount Olympus, shielded from the view of the gods by a hovering mist. The glade was protected from the curiosity of mortals by location: it nestled within a circle of jagged peaks filled with dangerous precipices and was prone to bursts of wind. The mist was perpetual between the peaks and an abundance of alpine flowers grew on the slopes. The spring flowed constantly from a crack in the rocks and flowed into a pool with a surface as smooth as a mirror.

The nymphs gathered here, lingering as their responsibilities and whims demanded. The glade was subjected to fleeting breezes, periods of light rain, fog and rainbows, as the nymphs came and went in their alternate forms. It wasn’t the Garden of the Hesperides, but it was much closer. Aura, in the form of a breeze, blew toward the glade with purpose.

She wanted to be with her own kind.

She wanted to know if anyone else had ever experienced a firestorm. Could she make love to this dragon shifter without conceiving his son? Aura was desperate to know. His kiss had done nothing to minimize her desire—in fact, she felt that she was filled with an even more consuming lust. If she hadn’t left him, she would have been entangled with him already.

To Aura’s relief, Nephele was in the glade. Nephele was as fair in coloring as the clouds she could become and knew so much more of the world than Aura. Nephele trailed her hand in the water as she listened to the gossip of the other nymphs, characteristically quiet and attentive.

One of the Anthousai was there, easily identified by the strong scent of hyacinth flowers. Aura didn’t know this one’s name but she was dark-haired and pretty like all her sisters. The flower nymphs looked more or less the same to Aura, and she found none of them to be very clever. They were sweet, though, and forgave much.

Arethusa was standing before the spring, her words sparkling as they fell. She was a naiad, a nymph of the fresh waters, and the fact that she hovered on the cusp of change was a sign of her excitement.

Aura blew near to their circle and changed shape, even as Arethusa exclaimed. “She was one of us, but not immortal.” Droplets fell from the nymph in her agitation. “She called herself an Earthdaughter.” The other nymphs tried the word, then Nephele nodded to Aura. “She could make the earth heave and start an earthquake.”

The nymphs exchanged glances. “Like a goddess!”

Nephele snapped her fingers. “I’ve heard of women like this. They’re similar to us, but are mortal. They tend to stay in human form and live in human society. There was one I blew past a while ago on a mountaintop. She called herself a Waterdaughter and could change into a shimmering pillar of water.”


“But that’s what you can do,” the flower nymph declared. “Change into water.”

Arethusa shook her head. “We’re bound to a specific source. I can only come to you because the water flows from here to my well. It’s not the same as being able to wander around like a mortal and change shape whenever you want.”

“As a Waterdaughter, you could pursue a man, instead of waiting for him to come back,” the flower nymph said with a sigh.

“Or anything else,’ Arethusa said. She sat down, her expression revealing that she had more to tell. “Here’s the remarkable thing.” She looked between the nymphs, verifying that she had their attention, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “A man came after her.”

“Did she entrance him and seduce him?” the flower nymph asked.

“She was already pregnant with his son.”

“Impossible,” Aura said with resolve. “They never come back once we’re pregnant.”

“This one did!” Arethusa was triumphant. “He didn’t just come back: he sought her out.” The nymphs exchanged glances. Aura knew she wasn’t the only one who had never heard of such a thing.

“But you said you saw her in the Underworld,” Nephele protested quietly. “You mean he was dead, too?”

“No, he was mortal and alive, but he came after her.” Arethusa nodded. “He fought Cerberus and pursued her into the Underworld.”

“He willingly entered the realm of the dead,” Aura murmured, amazed. She wasn’t sure whether to believe Arethusa or not. Men, in her experience, weren’t self-sacrificing at all.

But if one was, he’d be exactly the kind of man she wanted. Aura admired those who didn’t always consider themselves first.

“Then he really did want to be with her,” the flower nymph said. “How romantic!”

“How could you know this?” Nephele asked.

“Orphne told me that she saw it all.”

“Because she was in the River Acheron,” Aura contributed.

Arethusa nodded again. “She said he fought Cerberus and was losing, but this Earthdaughter sang the hellhound to sleep, to save him. They argued at the gates and she went into the Underworld, but he followed her.”

This story showed unusual dedication on the part of the man. Aura had problems believing it was true. After all, he had had his pleasure of the Earthdaughter, and Aura knew better than to expect a man to linger after that.

“Did he come out again?” the flower nymph asked. “Or was he lured to his death?” She seemed to take a salacious glee in the possibility.

“They came out together. That’s what I saw.”

“Your waters flow far and deep, Arethusa,” Nephele said with a smile.

“Not far enough that I could hide from Alpheus,” the nymph said bitterly. “If justice had been served, I would still be paying homage to my lady Artemis, but my choice to remain chaste was irrelevant to him.”

“Chastity is over-rated,” the flower nymph said slyly. “We keep our youth and vigor by claiming men.” She smiled. “As many as possible.”

“You said it was romantic that he came back,” Nephele pointed out.

“Because it would make a repeat conquest easier,” the flower nymph declared with a toss of her hair. “Much easier than enchanting him and keeping him captive.” She pouted a little. “Don’t they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Something about seeing a captive all the time makes me want him less.”

“Because you remember your conquests so clearly,” Nephele said with false sweetness. Nymphs were of two varieties: those who adored sex and couldn’t get enough of it, and those who chose to remain chaste. Of the first variety, the flower nymphs were notorious for being insatiable.

Nephele was one of the few nymphs who tried to keep her desires in balance without being chaste. Aura had always admired her for that and tried to strike a similar balance. She enjoyed sex enough that she wanted it to remain a special act.

She shivered in recollection of the dragon shifter’s kiss. What would it be like to be with him?

“Actually, I don’t,” admitted the flower nymph.

“If one came back, would you even know you’d seduced him before?” Nephele asked.

“Would it matter?” countered the flower nymph and Nephele shook her head.

She then returned to Arethusa’s story, pointedly turning her back on the flower nymph. “When the Earthdaughter and her mortal lover escaped from the Underworld, was Hades angry?”

Arethusa nodded. “Very! Because one of the things this man did was kill an Erinye.”

The nymphs all sat back in horror. “Which one?” Aura whispered, even though any one of them would be bad enough.

“Tisiphone!”

The nymphs gasped. This was the worst possible situation.

“And Hades pronounced his judgment. He poured the contents of his cup over Tisiphone’s body—”

“Not that vile potion,” the flower nymph said with a shudder.

“The very one,” Arethusa said before continuing. “And then he said ‘Tisiphone, the face of retaliation and the avenger of murder, take life again and exact your own vengeance upon your murderer and his kind. Pursue them through all eternity, until your thirst for revenge is sated.’”

“As if that would ever happen,” Nephele murmured and Aura nodded.

Arethusa spread her hands to finish her story. “And she changed!”

“To what?”

“To a woman with hair the color of fire.”

Nephele rolled her eyes. “You are telling a story. No one has hair of that color.”

“She did!” Arethusa protested.

“And then?” prompted the flower nymph.

“And then she disappeared.” Arethusa lifted a finger. “One of her sisters asked where she could be found and Hades said ‘You all three have walked in whichever realm you chose. Tisiphone will live only in the realm of the living until her vengeance is served.’ He looked at the man before this last bit. ‘She will strike among the living, even as she abides in secret. His kind will never know of her vendetta until her vengeance is served.’”

Nephele shuddered. “You have to feel sorry for him. Imagine being responsible for bringing a curse like that down on all mortal men.”

“But he wasn’t a mortal man, not really!” Arethusa crowed. Her audience regarded her in bewilderment. “He changed into a dragon and they flew out of the Underworld, right through the crack in the world that the Earthdaughter made.”

Aura gasped, even as Nephele shook her head in skepticism.

The flower nymph made a little purr in her throat. “A man who could become a dragon. I’d like to seduce one of them.”

“Surprise,” Nephele muttered.

“Wait,” Aura said. “Did either of them talk about a firestorm?”

It was Arethusa’s turn to stare. “If they did, I didn’t understand. What’s a firestorm?”

“And how do you know anything about it?” the flower nymph demanded, her eyes bright.

Aura might have explained, but she felt a delicious sensation of heat slide through her body in that moment. Sure enough, she glanced down at her hand to find a glow emanating from the tips of her fingers. She turned to face the source of the heat, just in time to see a black dragon fly through the low hanging fog over the glade. His eyes were brilliant gold and he breathed a stream of fire when his gaze locked upon her.


“Mother of Zeus,” the flower nymph whispered, fanning herself as she stared in awe.

“How could anyone follow us here?” Nephele said, sparkling silver as she changed to a cloud before Aura’s very eyes. The cloud that was Nephele rose high, but didn’t go through the mist.

No, Nephele would want to watch.

“I know that look,” Arethusa muttered. “He might be a dragon, but he’s after the same thing they all are.” Without waiting for agreement, she dove into the pool of water created by the glade. The surface of the water rippled, then shimmered as Arethusa changed shape. Aura had a glimpse of her face, then the nymph disappeared into the depths of the spring.

The dragon roared and Aura turned to face him. Once his gaze locked with hers, she could only stand and stare.

And want. The force of the firestorm had redoubled since she had fled from the dragon earlier, burning hotter and brighter and more insistently. She was trapped in an orb of heat, one that grew with every beat of the dragon’s wings and drained her of any desire to flee.

The only desire she had was for him.

She knew how Arethusa had been pursued by a river god. She knew how Coronis had been raped by Butes of Thrace. She knew that dozens of nymphs had been coveted, seduced and left pregnant—if not cruelly transformed—by their lovers, both mortal and divine. In a way, the desire of many nymphs to beguile men and use them sexually made sense, for it was a kind of retaliation for eons of abuse.

Aura knew all of that, but when the firestorm flooded her body and the dragon flew closer, when she could see the dragon he was and the man he could become, she could only think of his potent kiss.

This was not good. She had to find out about this son. Aura didn’t want to be abandoned by her lover to have his child alone. No matter how wonderful the firestorm was, it couldn’t be worth that life.

It was clear that she could run but she couldn’t hide.

Which meant she had to convince him to stop this firestorm. Sooner would be better. Aura licked her lips in trepidation, held her ground, and waited for her dragon.

* * *

He’d found her!

Thad flew directly toward his mate. She stood straight and tall by the side of a pool with a surface as smooth as glass. She held his gaze, as fearless as any dragon, even as the firestorm burned brighter and brighter. By the time he landed in front of her, shifting shape just before he touched the earth, there were sparks flying between them as brilliantly as fireworks.

Thad watched the orange and yellow light with wonder. He could feel the firestorm heating his body, sending a surge of desire through his veins. It was like the change slipping over him but intensified a thousand times.

It was all focused on his mate. He took a step closer to her and smiled, seeing the flush in her cheek and the sweet fullness of her lips. He wanted another kiss, if not a hundred of them, and wanted to make love to her forever.

For a moment, she looked soft and willing, then she shook her head. She took a step back, her move dimming the firestorm’s intensity a bit, and folded her arms across her chest. “What do you want from me?”

“To satisfy the firestorm.”

“What does it mean?”

“I told you. The firestorm means that you’re the woman who can bear my son.”

“And he’ll be like you?”

Thad nodded.

“And what are you?”

“A Pyr. We are dragon shape shifters, charged with defending the treasures of the earth and the four elements.” Thad cleared his throat and recited the foundation story of his kind, placing his hand over his heart as he did so. “In the beginning, there was the fire, and the fire burned hot because it was cradled by the earth. The fire burned bright because it was nurtured by the air. The fire burned lower only when it was quenched by the water. And these were the four elements of divine design, of which all would be built and with which all would be destroyed. And the elements were placed at the cornerstones of the material world and it was good.”

“But the elements were alone and undefended, incapable of communicating with each other, snared within the matter that was theirs to control. And so, out of the endless void were created a race of guardians whose appointed task was to protect and defend the integrity of the four sacred elements. They were given powers, the better to fulfill their responsibilities; they were given strength and cunning and longevity to safeguard the treasures surrendered to their stewardship. To them alone would the elements respond. These guardians were—and are—the Pyr.” He finished with a flourish, because the passage was his favorite.

“To them alone?” she echoed, her skepticism clear.

“That’s the story.” Her question made Thad wonder whether she knew something he didn’t.

She surveyed him, nibbling on her bottom lip. “It doesn’t mention anything about a firestorm,” she noted and he was disappointed that she wasn’t more impressed.

“Yet here it is!” Thad lifted a hand toward her and a spark shot from his fingertip. It landed on her chest, right above her heart, and there was an explosion of light on contact. She gasped even as Thad felt a stab of hot pleasure in his chest. He heard her heart skip a beat again, then felt that dizzying sensation of his own heart matching the pace of hers. They could have been one being, drawn together by destiny and fated to remain together forever. He reached for her, but she backed away again.

She had doubts.

That wasn’t unreasonable. Thad wanted her to choose to be with him, not to just be overwhelmed by the firestorm. He didn’t want her to have regrets.

“I can imagine that this is a surprise to you,” he said, keeping his voice low. “My kind say there is nothing like the firestorm. I knew of it and it’s still shaking my universe.”

“You expected it?” Her skepticism was clear. “It happens all the time?”

Thad held up a finger. “Once in the life of each Pyr, he will experience a firestorm. He has one chance to create a son and a future.” He knew she didn’t think much of his answer.

“A future for your kind, you mean.”

“A future for himself.”

“What about the mate?” she demanded, and her tone was a bit sharp.

Thad swallowed and tried to make a coherent argument, even as his body raged with desire. “Pyr and mate are brought together by destiny. Once it was believed that satisfying the firestorm was the end of it. But I have met those of my kind who create a permanent relationship with their mates, who become partners for the future.”

She eyed him warily. “Why?”

“Because they complement each other. The firestorm finds the mate best suited to the Pyr in question. It seems incredible, but that’s how it works. They make a team and raise their sons together. It’s what I want.”

Something in her eyes softened. “How long of a partnership?”

Thad smiled, sure that he was making his case. “Forever.” He took a step closer, the sudden increase in the heat of the firestorm making him close his eyes against it. When he opened them, she’d retreated again.

“You’re immortal, like a god?”

“No, but we are long-lived. So, for a long lifetime together, maybe even beyond that.”

“No guarantees?”

“Only because I don’t know what happens then.” He offered one hand to her, but she simply stared at his outstretched fingers. “Spending all my days and nights with my destined mate is fine by me.”


“What if your destined mate doesn’t want to have a son?”

“She doesn’t have a choice.” Thad smiled and reached toward her. “I’ll try to make it worth your while.”

She looked indecisive. He could see the desire in her eyes but also that she was resistant to the idea. He knew she wanted him. She kept looking at his mouth, at his hands, then catching her breath. He eased closer, lifting a strand of her long hair. As he wound the curl around his fingertip, the firestorm blazed golden. The light touched her features, making her look like a gilded treasure, and Thad’s chest clenched. He watched as she parted her lips, then bent quickly to steal a kiss.

The way her lips clung to his told him that she wasn’t that resistant.

“My name is Thaddeus,” he whispered against her mouth. “My friends call me Thad.”

“Aura,” she whispered, her eyes were dark and wide. She studied him as he repeated her name softly, and Thad dared to steal another kiss. This one lasted longer and was more potent, making his heart pound and filling his body with a need for more. He felt her fingers in his hair, lightly first, and then when he slanted his mouth across hers and deepened his kiss, her grip tightened.

Pulling him closer. Thad caught her close and lifted her against himself, liking how she framed his head in her hands. Their kiss turned hungry and demanding, kindling to an inferno that demanded satisfaction. He wanted to feel his skin against hers and he slid his hand under the hem of her chiton.

As soon as his skin touched hers, she spun out of his embrace. She backed away, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed, and eyed him warily. Thad could see the tight beads of her nipples making peaks in the soft fabric and the smell of her desire made his dragon roar. He took a deep breath in a bid for control, determined to let her set the pace.

Then he realized one good thing.

“You’re not disappearing this time,” he said. “How did you disappear like that, anyway?”

Her smile flashed, as if he’d given her an idea. “You think you’re the only one who isn’t human?” she asked, but Thad was confused.

She laughed, then lifted her arms and disappeared in a sparkle of falling light.

He spun in place, but she was gone again.

He had to find her!

Thad suddenly felt a wind ruffle his hair, like a woman’s fingers sliding through it, except the spark of the firestorm crackled there, too. The caress slid down the back of his neck, both a breath of wind and a flurry of sparks, swirled around to cross his chest, then danced down his arm. He stretched out his hand and felt as if fingers of wind interlaced with his own, or maybe a breeze slipped through his fingers. Sparks cascaded from his fingertips as the wind faded to nothing, and he turned in place, wondering where she was.

“You’re a nymph,” he exclaimed, remembering the stories he’d been told as a child.

A whirlwind spiraled to the ground right in front of them and he smiled as the firestorm touched it with gold. In a heartbeat, his mate stood before him again, her hair blowing as it settled over her shoulders. She was smiling at him, and her eyes shone with intent. “This is what I am, Pyr. Does the truth change your mind?”

Thad shook his head and saw her eyes sparkle. “It gives us more in common,” he said with resolve. He dropped to his knee before her. They caught their breath simultaneously as he took her hand in his and kissed its back, a potent stab of heat racing through Thad’s body at the contact. “Be with me, Aura,” he murmured, holding her gaze.

She inhaled sharply and her eyes were wide. “Catch me first,” she whispered, her eyes dancing with challenge. That shimmer returned as she disappeared into the whirlwind. It spun up toward the clouds, churning as it rose, the glint of the firestorm fading with distance.

Thad roared and shifted shape, leaping into the air in dragon form to pursue his mate. He knew he didn’t imagine that she laughed before the whirlwind disappeared into the clouds overhead. They swirled, sparks falling from them like strange rain. Thad plunged into the cloud to pursue her, following both her scent and the heat of the firestorm.