Dragons Don't Forgive (14 page)

“
As you wish.”

Chapter Fifteen

Sierra

I ride naked as he shows me his realm.
It’s more beautiful than any place I’ve ever seen. He flies me
through the mountains, across great rivers, and over the ocean that
he says separates his realm from Laryn’s.

As the sun rose this morning, Roxanne
took me to her castle where the other dragons waited. They made me
eat before taking me to Sarn. I met Ashrac. He was such a handsome
boy and full of questions.

“
You are part wolf?” he
asked with excitement dancing in his eyes.

“
Yes and you are part
dragon,” I replied.

His chest puffed out. “I am all
dragon.”

I smile at the memory as the wind
flows through my hair and my legs clasp Sarn’s neck. He lands in
soft grass and shifts once I’m down from his back. We make love for
hours. It’s only my rumbling belly that finally calls a halt to our
activities.

“
I can offer nothing but
meat,” he tells me. “I must hunt and we can build a fire to cook
it.”

“
I wish to hunt with you.
You be my eyes and we will find our dinner together.” I shift to
wolf and Sarn to dragon. We make a good team as he spots a herd of
deer and leads me to them with telepathic prompting. The doe I
catch is young. I drag her down and end her life quickly. Sarn
lands a bit away and watches me.

“
Why have we not hunted
together before?” he asks.

“
I don’t know.” I tear a
strip of hide off with my sharp teeth so I can get to the tender
part. “Do you need yours cooked?” I ask.

He shakes his goliath head. “No, I
will share if you are offering. If not, I will be back shortly with
my own.”

“
Don’t leave me for even a
second, dragon. Please join me.”

If anyone could see us, it would have
been the strangest sight. A wolf and dragon sharing a kill. To me,
it seemed the most natural thing on earth. Or realm, I guess. We
made short work of the doe with Sarn eating the majority after I
could no longer stuff myself.

We shift and swim in a nearby lake.
And then we make love. It’s almost frantic by the time the sun
sets. I don’t want to think of the following day, though I accept
it. I will never live without my mate again.

Sarn flies us back to his castle. All
but his bedroom is a rundown mess. It shows me his pain. I’d seen
Roxy’s castle. When we flew up to Sarn’s, she explained that his
was once just as majestic. It is so sad to think of his loneliness,
so I shake the thoughts aside.

We don’t sleep during the entire
night. Our bodies join again and again. We speak little, but the “I
love yous” fill the room when we are able to get words out. Even
though I don’t want sad thoughts intruding, I think of all the
years we’ve missed out on. Sarn wanted to make a clean break and
limit my pain. I understand, but know he did exactly the opposite.
His unhappiness during our years apart almost kills me.

He holds me as the sun gently rises
and shines through the window. Sadness fills me, yet I am at peace
with my decision. Sarn’s voice at last fills the room. “I will love
you forever. You must keep that in your heart.”

I squeeze his hand. “We will be in the
Summerlands together, Sarn. I believe that deep in my
soul.”

His finger draws circles on my belly.
Then his palm settles and his hand moves up until he covers my
heart. “Forgive me, Sierra. Please forgive me.”

I lay my hand on his. “There is
nothing to forgive, Sarn.”

A noise from outside Sarn’s window
makes me look that way. Roxy’s large dragon head pokes in the
window. Sarn leaves the bed and Roxy enters and shifts.

“
Take her back. I will go
to the claiming,” he says.

Roxy nods.

I am too stunned to even move for a
moment. Then I jump from the bed and face Sarn. “No, dragon. You
cannot do this. I will not allow you to do this to me
again!.”

He walks toward me and I angrily push
him away. He grabs me and pulls me close not caring that my fists
strike his back. I’m sobbing and yelling at what he means to do.
“Shh, Sierra. I will claim my bride and when she is gone, I will
come for you. I can’t let you die. You promised to forgive me and I
am begging you to keep your word.”

I scream, I cry, and finally, I settle
within the warmth of his arms. I push my head from his shoulder and
stare into his red-rimmed violet eyes. I take a deep breath and
release the anger from my soul. This is what true love is. “You
must promise me one thing, dragon.”

“
Anything, Sierra,
anything.”

“
You must love her so I
know you are happy. Love her each day and do not think of me. Be
happy, Sarn, or I cannot do this.”

He doesn’t speak for a long time. His
forehead leans against mine and he whispers against my lips, “As
you wish.”

I fly away astride Roxy’s back. Only
the saddle keeps me on. I cry with tears of the deepest sorrow
imaginable. “You knew, didn’t you?” I finally manage to ask
her.

“
There is no greater love
on earth than a dragon’s. Though, a wolf’s comes close. I promise
we will watch over him until he returns to you. And you will be as
happy as you possibly can until that day. It won’t be easy, but
somehow you will manage.”

“
Yes,” I wipe the last of
my tears away. “I will manage.” I can’t help thinking of what I
will do if the Goddess sees fit to grant him a mate. It will be the
final nail in my coffin. And I’m selfish enough to hope it will be
thousands of years from now. That means each century I will have
twenty-five or more years with my dragon. I will live with that
thought because I have no choice.

The pain of the realm crossing is
nothing compared to the pain I still carry in my heart. Sarn must
be happy. It’s all that will keep me alive.

Chapter Sixteen

Claiming…

Sarn

I fly to the village without the usual
burning joy that I’ve always felt before. The white gowns of the
brides flutter in the light wind. My heart doesn’t increase its
pace at the sight. I don’t want one of these women, I want
Sierra.

I wait for the crashing sensation that
usually tells me who the one special bride is. And I wait. I fly
over once, circle, and fly over again. Sierra wants me to love this
bride. Those were her final words. I stop fighting fate and open my
heart to my next bride. “I will try,” I tell the wind.

I’m not sure what’s happening when the
clouds above me begin to spin. Several humans are walking toward
the center of town where they will kneel to me as I claim my bride.
They stop walking. No, they actually freeze in mid-step. Everything
but the clouds swirling above my head stops. Not even the gowns of
my brides move with the wind.

A beautifully winged Pegasus carries a
woman as they charge from the clouds. I shake my head and look
again. They’re real… I think.

Her mouth does not move as her words
enter my head. “Sarn of the family of majestic purple dragons,
greetings.”

It’s a Goddess. I should be kneeling
at her feet, though that is impossible when we are suspended in
air. “Greetings,” I say in a low voice, more in awe than anything
else.

She offers a gentle smile. “You have
come to fulfill your destiny, though your heart belongs to
another.”

The heart she speaks of has picked up
pace until I’m afraid it will burst from my chest. I don’t answer.
I can’t.

“
You have a great choice to
make this day. I cannot undo the curse, but I can offer you an
alternative. The price of your love for this female wolf shifter is
your dragon’s form. If you choose this, you will live within the
earth’s realm and never return here. You shall live as a man
without wings or the gift of flight. But you will have eternal life
with the one you love.” The wind picks up as her arms rise in the
air. “I will have your answer now.”

I am dragon. There is no choice at
all.

***

Sierra

The day of claiming passed a week ago
and I know my dragon has his new bride. My wolf doesn’t even offer
a jealous growl at the thought. We are too devastated to do more
than struggle with each breath through our tears. I’ve decided to
give myself this last day to grieve. Tomorrow, I will begin living
my life to its fullest. I will do it for Sarn.

I’m in bear territory in the cabin
Sarn and I shared. I’ve spent each night in our bed crying and
smiling over sad memories and happy ones. I’m not ready to return
home, though I’ve sent word that I’m okay. I can’t handle my
family’s pity right now. The bears surprisingly understand and give
me this time. I eventually drag myself from the bed and manage to
drink a cup of hot tea. When finished, I shift to wolf and head to
the tall grass where I plan to spend the day.

It is exactly as I remember. I know
the spot Sarn and I made love. I sit and then lie back and look at
the sky. How many people find a love as great as ours? I doubt
anyone. It goes completely against beastkind nature to share that
love. But I will share Sarn with his new bride. I just want him
happy. I close my eyes and remember the sweet times we spent here.
There were not enough, but it’s all I have and I shall cherish
those memories.

A cloud must have moved in front of
the sun because the warm rays are no longer touching my skin. I
open my eyes and the daydream I’m having appears real. It’s Sarn.
He’s standing over me with the most incredible glow in his purple
eyes. I smile and lift my arms. He kneels. I want this dream to
continue forever.

“
It shall, sweet Sierra, I
promise,” he whispers into my mind.

Then he’s in my arms and my life
begins again. I run my hands over his shirt and wonder why my dream
has him clothed.

“
Because this isn’t a dream
and you did not give me time to remove my clothing.”

He’s staring at me and something in
his eyes makes me try to sit up and shake away the cobwebs in my
brain.

“
You cannot shake me away,
sweet Sierra. I will never leave you again.”

My wolf whines and that’s when I
realize I’m not dreaming. “Sarn?” I ask.

“
Yes?”

“
No wait.” I begin
struggling until he stands and pulls me up. “What is going on?” I’m
insane, I know I am.

He reaches forward and smoothes the
hair from my cheek. His palm cups my face. “The Goddess has gifted
me life here in the earth realm. I can never return to my realm,
but I am here with you and we have many lifetimes to heal the ache
we carry from these past years.”

“
It’s you.”

He smiles and then begins laughing as
he pulls me against his chest and squeezes me so tight I can’t
breathe. His arms loosen a moment later, but he doesn’t release me.
“There is more I must tell you,” he breathes into my ear. “I no
longer have a dragon form. I am but a man, though an eternal one. I
have no home… no family or clan. I have only you, if you will have
me.”

I shake my head as I pull away. “No
wings to fly?” I ask with horror and guilt. “No, Sarn, you must go
back. You must have your wings.”

His smile is glorious. “You are my
wings.”

“
No.”

“
Yes, my love.” The tip of
his finger touches my chin. “The Goddess gave me the choice, but it
was no choice at all. Wings mean nothing without love…”

“
No...”

“
Let me finish, love. I
flew from the claiming field until I reached the dragon realm
crossing. I shifted and walked to Bastian’s castle. I needed to say
goodbye and I needed a ride to the earth realm crossing. I gave up
my wings before I ever reached you. They are of no consequence. I
am still a dragon in my soul as long as you are there with
me.”

I can’t stop my tears. He patiently
wipes them away until I control myself. “You would give up your
wings for me?”

“
Yes, you are my heart and
my soul. I would give up everything for you.”

I wrap my arms tightly around him and
begin crying again. We fall to the grass and Sarn slowly spreads my
hair around my head. “You cut your hair,” I say in a dreamy
voice.

“
Acasia did. She wouldn’t
allow me to return to you looking like a savage. Her
words.”

I laugh with pure joy. “I will take
the savage. The man. The dragon. Love me, Sarn. Love me and don’t
ever stop.”

“
As you wish,” he says as
he leans down and kisses me.

He’s here. He’s mine and I am his
forever. Our kisses turn from sweet to hungry. I need him inside of
me. I want his fire consuming me. I begin tearing at his clothes so
we are skin to skin. He helps, but the clothes rip with our need.
He enters me and it’s like the first time—perfect. I can’t control
my wolf who scrapes his back with my nails. Or maybe it’s solely me
and not my wolf. I want the world to see my marks on him. He bites
my throat then licks the marks he leaves behind. His thrust into my
body is wild and savage. Lack of his long hair that I can hold onto
changes nothing.