A ripple went through the power within his heart, but it remained safely contained inside him.
In his mind, he could still see what Naomi saw: the fire dragon’s large body, hurtling towards the ground now after crashing into the mountain. One of the dragon’s wing was strangely bent, but even so he was already beating his wings once more, trying to slow his fall.
Gregory took a deep breath. And then, at long last, he opened his jaw and allowed the new power within him freedom.
The storm clouds above him darkened. They gained in volume, circling around the mountaintops.
Gregory exhaled. From his jaw, a shower of fierce lightning burst free.
Jagged lances of electricity hit the tip of the mountain. Thunder resounded, so loud that the rock trembled.
And then, at last, giant slabs of stone broke free as the mountaintop crumbled.
The fire dragon had no chance.
The avalanche of stone came hurtling towards him. Moments later, it carried him away. At the foot of the mountain, it finally came to rest in a heap of stone, dust still rising into the air.
Gregory kept watching from his vantage point in the sky for long minutes—but there was no sign of movement.
The fire dragon had finally been defeated.
***
“Are you all right?” Naomi gasped.
As soon as Gregory had landed and shifted, she was been back in his arms. He embraced her as tightly as he could, his heart still pounding in his chest, and he didn’t let her go for long minutes.
“I’m fine,” he said roughly. “I was so scared for you. I’ll never leave you again, Naomi. I promise. You’re my mate, and if you don’t like Mountain View, I’d be content in any human town with you, just so long as you’re by my side.”
“I don’t want to leave,” Naomi breathed. “I don’t want to leave this place, and I don’t want to leave you. Oh God, Gregory, I was so scared. When you hit that wall...”
“You helped me,” Gregory murmured into her hair. “Do you know that? All of a sudden, I could see through your eyes. All this time, I knew exactly where he was, even though he was hiding in my blind spot. Without you, this never would’ve worked.”
Naomi released a trembling breath, then rested her hand on his chest, right over his heart. “The bond. I could feel you through it, too.”
Gregory nodded. His voice was still hoarse when he spoke. “The mate bond. I think it’s fully in place now, or near as.”
“What’s left to finalize it?” Naomi asked softly. “Dragon marriage—how does it work?”
“All that’s left is to claim you, and to vow myself to you in turn.” Desire was sizzling through Gregory with the force of a storm, but he forced it back down, determined. “To make love again—not just skin to skin, but soul to soul. Then the bond will be unbreakable, as strong and as beautiful as diamond.”
“I want it,” Naomi whispered, and then her lips were on his. “I’m already yours. This place feels like home. I want—”
“Yes,” Gregory rumbled in return. “I want you to be mine. I want to love and cherish you, always. I want to make a home, a real home.”
“I’ve been happy here, right from the first moment. I could be happy here, with a family of my own, with friends and—” Abruptly, Naomi broke off. “Ginny,” she then gasped. “We got split up when the dragon attacked!”
Suddenly, the roar of wings filled the sky once more. At the same time, something large and furious broke through the bushes that grew to their left.
For one moment, the dragon inside Gregory rose up with protective fury—but just as quickly, Gregory pushed it back down. He knew the shifters that had at last arrived.
“Friends,” he told Naomi with a small smile. “Mine—and yours. Don’t worry.”
From the sky above them, the majestic figure of the griffin descended rapidly, just as a group of various large animals, led by the familiar wolf form of sheriff Banner, came to a stop.
“Naomi is safe,” Gregory said, then nodded towards the rubble. “The fire dragon is somewhere in there—careful. He’s very powerful.”
Just then, a stone shifted and Naomi flinched.