“Yes,” the king said, standing before them with the elders at his back. “What happened here? We heard the battle cries and changed to investigate. Tais was fighting you all, and the scent of black magic is thick here.”
Tonya cleared her throat. “Tais tricked me into coming to Elon and Dina’s home. When I arrived, they weren’t there, and he drugged me. I woke up when one of the wizards forced me into my shift. Before I could free myself, they tied me down and threatened to kill Elon and Dina. They were trapped in some kind of spell, and I couldn’t get free. The wizards forced me to cry by pulling my scales off, and they collected my tears in vials.”
The king’s gaze settled on Mack. “This is your mate?” he asked Miracle.
“Yes,” she answered.
He was silent for a long moment, and then he said, “We’ll see you in the morning. Arrive at my home for the morning meal at eight sharp.”
The dragons moved away, shifting and rising to the sky as one. They circled, crying out, and then disappeared to the other side of the mountain.
“That was weird,” her mom said. “We haven’t had a meal at the king’s house since your mating day.”
Miracle hugged her parents, kissing their cheeks, and then hugged Tonya. “I’m sorry you were hurt because of me.”
She scoffed. “It’s not your fault that the king’s asshole nephew had a few screws loose. He should’ve been put down long ago. Our archaic laws keep females tied to males they don’t love, and let nutcases wander around free.” She turned her attention to Mack. “Do wolves have arranged matings?”
He shook his head.
“Must be nice,” Tonya muttered.
Miracle grinned. “Choosing a mate with your dragon isn’t just nice, it’s amazing.”
*
Miracle and her family shifted back into their dragon forms, and Miracle held Mack against her chest as she flew over the mountain and down toward a gated community. They shifted in front of a small home. Mack waited while they said goodbye to Tonya, who promised to meet them in the morning at the king’s home.
By the time they’d walked into her parents’ home and then everyone had showered and dressed, Mack was able to change back into his human form. Their bags were still at the airport. He suspected that they’d probably been destroyed by security, since they’d been left unattended. When he emerged from the bathroom wearing Elon’s jeans and a flannel shirt, Miracle was sitting on the bed waiting.
She ran to him, and he caught her in his arms, their lips meeting hungrily.
“Thank you for fighting with me,” she said, trembling in his arms.
“I couldn’t let you go to battle without me. They’re my family, too.”
She sniffled and rubbed her cheek on his chest. “I was terrified. I’ve never had to fight like that before.”
“Well, it was a first for me, too.”
He hadn’t been afraid to fight or die to protect Miracle and her family, but he’d been afraid that his wolf would be no match for the dragon. He’d thought he’d be ashed in two seconds and leave his mate vulnerable to her lunatic former mate. Fortunately, Miracle and her family were fierce fighters, whether they believed it or not.
They spent an hour talking with her parents before they were all ready for bed. It had been a harrowing few hours, and Mack was looking forward to a peaceful rest with his mate.
*
The next morning, Tonya was waiting in the family room.
She hugged Miracle tightly and then looked at Mack. “You need to properly introduce me to your mate, woman.”
Miracle chuckled. “Tonya, this is Mack. Mack, this is my kinda-crazy-sister, Tonya.”
Tonya gave him a swift hug and stepped back, hooking her arm through Miracle’s. “Welcome to the family. And I’m only mildly crazy.”
“Full-blown,” Miracle whispered under her breath.
Tonya shrugged. “I’m certifiable, but you have to be to make it in this family.”
Elon clapped his hands together and said, “Let’s go to the king’s. Then we need to talk.”
“Is everything okay, Dad?”
He hummed, a secret smile on his face.
The king’s home was only slightly larger than the others in the gated community, set against the back of the development. The wood front doors were carved with two fighting dragons, their heads thrown back in silent roars. Both doors swung open, and the king stood in the doorway. He was tall and thin, with graying hair at his temples and a piercing blue gaze.
He stepped to the side and gestured with his hand. “Come in.”
Their small group stepped into the home, and a female with pale white-blonde hair smiled gently from inside the living room. She and Dina embraced, and then she moved to the king’s side.
“This is my mate, Luisa, and I’m Dariel, king of the clan.”
Elon introduced Mack, and he shook hands with the king.
Dariel motioned to a long couch against a picture window in the living room. “Let’s talk for a moment before we break bread.”