“I'm so glad you're back. I'm so glad you're all right. And I'm so, so glad you're finally happy. You deserve it.”
“Thanks for never giving up on me,” Alyx whispered back, her own throat tight. “I'll never scare you like that again.”
Sarah pulled back, laughing through her tears. “You better not! I've had quite enough of police officers calling me the crazy dragon lady when they thought I couldn't hear.”
Suddenly, there was a big cheer coming from the garden.
When Alyx and Sarah joined the gathered people there, she saw that the barbecue was burning brightly, flames licking at the sizzling steaks. Braeden stood next to it, beaming proudly as he explained to the patiently listening and very visibly pregnant Naomi all that he'd learned from binging on cooking shows.
A smile was tugging on Alyx's lips even as she shook her head.
She could feel warmth at her throat—the ruby she wore on a chain around her neck was pulsing faintly with power, reacting to the dragon fire.
As the steaks sizzled merrily, Braeden gestured excitedly. He was either describing how to perfectly grill a giant dinosaur or telling Naomi about his plans to open a dragon-fire steak house, once they'd found a place to build their own home.
Or maybe he was just telling her all about his newfound fascination with dinosaurs. Perhaps Alyx shouldn't have introduced him to Jurassic Park last night. But for all that Braeden had become an addict to the screen, there were still so many holes in his pop-culture knowledge.
But then, they had years to catch up now. They had their entire life still before them.
Still smiling, Alyx reached out, the ruby at her throat pulsing with the fire's power. She closed her hand into a fist—and the fire licking at the steaks died down.
Surprised, Braeden turned to look at the barbecue—then looked up and met her gaze with a chagrined look. “Thanks! You saved them.”
“Fireproof kitchen,” Alyx said, feeling giddy with joy as she smiled at him. “That's the one thing I really insist on.”
All around them, the garden of Jared's house had been transformed with paper lanterns. There were pavilions and chairs and benches, and everywhere she looked, people stood with glasses and plates in their hands. Most of them were shifters—Mountain View had eagerly welcomed them, and Alyx had quickly made new friends.
Still, the thing that meant the most to her was that Sarah had come.
It was all going to be all right now. With Steele’s power broken, there were no more fire dragons after them. Jared had been sent out to solve the mystery of the fifth plinth—and she had her own fire dragon safely back at home.
Well, it was Jared’s home, really, and the generous mansion showed that the griffin shifter had never spent much time here.
But there’d be a real home in time. A home they’d build together.
Braeden wrapped his arm around her as he came to join her and Sarah. For a moment, Alyx felt the golden light of their bond flare again, the connection between them sizzling to life as Braeden’s love and gratitude rushed through it.
He’d never had a real home before, or real friends. He’d lived in those terrible underground places she’d seen as a prisoner. And even though it had only been a few weeks for her, she knew that neither of them would ever return to those places.
They would live in the light of the sun—and so would their children.
“You two ready?” he asked, his fingers gently rubbing her back. “Thanks for saving those steaks, by the way.”
“Any time,” Alyx said and laughed. “I figure that power’s going to come in handy, after the month I’ve had.”
And it was rather satisfying to think that she’d be able to extinguish Steele’s fire with the snap of her fingers, if it ever came to that.
“I can’t wait to get my first taste of dragon-fire-charred steak,” Sarah said.
“You’ll never want your steak done any other way after this,” Braeden said proudly.
Sarah laughed. “That would be a pity, because my hometown’s sadly lacking in dragon-run restaurants.”
The meat was still sizzling, and there was a mouthwatering smell of garlic, rosemary, and smoky applewood in the air.
Alyx took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to take it all in.
She’d never take these things for granted again. That was one thing those weeks in the f