Our Elevated Warriors snickered at that, nodding.
“You were born to fly a Dragon, Willow. And Draco is perfect for you. He will protect you above all. He will love you, be kind, and loyal to you as long as you love him too…”
Smiling at me, as though she completely agreed, Evie turned to face her best friend. “Your parents and brothers always dreamed of seeing you on a Dragon, remember? You told me that. They knew you were the best of them and would reach heights they never could. I know you, Willow. Deep down, you always wanted that too, but the pain held you back. This is your chance reclaim your destiny, to make their dreams and yours come true. Take it.”
Willow’s eyes glistened as she glanced from Evanna to Draco, her gaze taking in every inch of him as though wondering if she could do this after all.
We all knew she could. This was her chance to heal from the past.
Tilting his head shyly towards her, Draco whimpered, calling her to him. I offered her my hand again.
Her gaze lifted to Kingston beside her, who nodded encouragingly, believing in her too. A settling breath expanded her chest, and she slowly walked towards me, her fingers curling around mine tightly. Willow’s hand trembled in mine, which only confirmed how courageous she truly was, opening herself to change even though it scared her. Pulling her close, I brought her to Draco, placing her hand on his nose.
The moment he felt her, the warmth of her delicate touch coursed through him, engulfing him whole and spreading into me. His sharp horns instantly retracted, leaving only smooth skin, and a soft hum rumbled from his chest in contentment. Willow’s lips curved into a tentative smile in response. He already loved her.
Wonder and disbelief captured Willow’s gaze with his docile response to her, and the feel of his smooth leathery scales. She began to caress him, slowly rubbing his nose until Draco’s eyes fell closed. Another hum left him, and he lay on the ground, giving himself to her. Fully enjoying her attention, he tilted his head like a puppy would, silently asking for more.
A few tears escaped her, but Willow laughed, extending her arms to hug his jaw, her cheek resting on him.
It was done.
Draco had claimed her as his soulmate.
An image of them flying together filtered into my mind, and I nodded, giving my okay. “Be gentle with her. This is her first time,” I reminded him.
Carefully wrapping his fingers around her torso, he lifted her to his neck and then lowered his wing for Kingston to join them—having already sensed the love ties between them. That was my Draco… always the thoughtful one.
I turned around, following them as they took flight, heading straight to the opening in the mountain, another wave of cheering erupting from the spectators. One down, one to go.
When I faced Luna and Vyper, he appeared to have calmed down. Could he have connected to me at the same time Draco had?
His gaze also followed his brother and Willow, but the second his eyes fell on me, a roar erupted from his mouth, its force pushing me back.
“What the hell, Vyper?!” I roared right back, a little insulted he was behaving his way.
No longer feeling like she had to hold him, Luna turned around, flying to the honeycombs, and leaving me the mess. “Sure, leave. I got this…”
Her amusement coursed through me just as Vyper reared back, flapping his wings to lift into the air.
“Oh, no you don’t!” I yelled, running towards him, and jumping onto the nearest boulder while he began to lift from the ground. “You are not going anywhere, you stubborn Dragon!”
My boot connected with the next rock, and the next, then the wall, using them as steppingstones to launch me onto his wing. Unfortunately, it flapped right out of my reach. Damn it. Arms flailing, somewhere between the ground and the Dragon flying away from me, I briefly panicked—crashing down was going to hurt like hell. I’d heal, but still. If only I had a few more steps to help me…
Suddenly, my foot found solid ground, and I lunged myself off it, reaching for the next floating step.
Not a floating step… My magic.
Golden light burst mid-air under my next footstep, then another, and another while I continued upwards, taking me towards Vyper. Jumping one last time, I landed on his wing as it rose, propelling me onto his back.
What I could only describe as an eruption of madness came from below us after the insane feat, and I glanced down to find Asher, Harrison, and Elijah fisting in the air while everyone else shouted and jumped frantically from excitement.
I mean, that was kind of impressive, though I had no fucking idea how I did it.
When I glanced forwards again, I swallowed. Vyper viciously glared at me over his shoulder, baring his sharp teeth and hissing at me. The now extra-large, fin-looking appendages at the sides and the top of his head trembled in unison.
Holy shit.
He reminded me of the scary-ass, venom-spewing, raptor-thing in Jurassic Park.
Right. Time to tame the stubborn Dragon.
His slitted, yellow eyes narrowed at me an instant before he whirled in the air, almost hitting the roof of the mountain system while trying to get me off him. My Dragon strength flared to life, helping me hold on to the scales on his back while he went round and round without stopping. Vyper was like a wild bull, bucking and kicking to throw me off his back.
“Tough luck, dude. I’m not going anywhere!” I shouted over the breeze his flapping wings blasted my way. “You are mine, whether you like it or not!”
One would think I learned not to tell that to a newly awakened adult Dragon, but here we were.
Closing his wings, he plunged towards the castle, threatening to crash us both if I didn’t let go.
People gasped below us, suddenly growing silent.
Damn it.
Igniting my Dragon Eye, I accessed the family tree in our essence again, immediately finding Vyper’s throbbing light since it spun like a crazy force around the glowing leaves that represented other Dragons. I also had a weapon of my own. Gathering all of the energy I could, I shot it towards his light in the tree, shocking him into submission.
Vyper’s body jerked in real life, and he swerved upwards, his claws clinging to the side of the castle to stop flying. A wave of shock and disbelief rushed from him and into me, and he looked over his shoulder again, eyes wide. “Why would you do that?!”
Heart thundering against my ribs, I blinked at him, startled. “What do you mean, why? You are acting like a maniac!”
“I was playing with you, fool!”
“The fuck?!” My flabbergasted expression must have been a poem to him because his chest began shaking against the castle. He was laughing at me. Vyper was fucking laughing. The asshole.
He remembered me. He wasn’t lost, or pissed off, or threatened.
He. Was. Playing.
A branch swiftly grew from his pulsing light, cementing his place in our tree. One by one, an onslaught of memories flashed before my mind’s eye, representing every moment we had spent together since we met.
The first time he threatened to eat me. When he pulled his wing from under me, sending me face first onto the sand. The time he spewed fire at Tharion, trying to “protect” me from him. Roasting the coffee beans with me and picking me up every night through the window of my room to take me to Evanna’s quarters. His tail wrapping around my body and pulling me against him as we slept on the ground in the lair at night. And how much it hurt him to leave me when his shedding began…