“No sugar for Daddy?” Magoth asked.
May and Gabriel ignored him.
“I do so love a happy ending. I think we’ll go find Drake,” Aisling said, nudging Jim before they set off through the forest.
“Hmm.” Magoth looked from me to May, then to Baltic and Gabriel. “I shall come with you, Guardian. Perhaps your mate would be interested in a threesome?”
Magoth toddled off after Aisling.
“We have much to celebrate,” Gabriel told May as he set her on her feet. His eyes held a light that had May rubbing herself against him.
“I think this calls for a little chase,” she said, and with a quick smile at us, dashed off into the forest.
Gabriel managed to make a bow, and say, “I thank you for all that you have done for the silver dragons, Ysolde. We will always regard you with honor.”
“And Baltic?” I asked, unable to keep from smiling at the look of sheer joy on his face.
“Er…we will be grateful that the curse is lifted,” he answered somewhat stiffly.
I laughed. “As am I. Go find May.”
With another bow, he was off, leaving me alone with one very angry dragon.
“Thank you, my love,” I told Baltic, leaning into his back and kissing his shoulder. “I know it annoyed you to do that, but now, at last, we can live in peace with all the other dragons.”
“First you must make your peace with me,” he said, turning to pin me back with a look that would probably have killed a lesser being.
I bit his chin. “You may be the dread wyvern Baltic to everyone else, but you don’t scare me. I love you too much to be frightened of you.”
“That is your first mistake,” he growled a second before his mouth descended to mine. I gave in to the heat of his desire, wriggling against him even as I welcomed his fire with my own, allowing the two to blend together into an inferno that I knew would burn bright for an eternity.
Or until the next time one of us was killed.
“Wait a minute,” I said, pulling back and frowning when a thought occurred to me. “You were just resurrected.”
“That fact has been established, yes.”
I bit back a very rude word. “Dammit, Baltic, that means you’re back to being younger than me again! I’m a cradle robber! I hate that! Where’s your father? If I were to fling myself off the cliff, maybe he could—”
The word he spoke was much ruder than mine, but the light of love in his eyes did much to assuage my irritation.
Epilogue
“I am here—”
“No one cares why you’re here, you horrible scaly dragon!”
“I am here to formally disavow all connections—”
“A lying, cheating dragon! One with horrible fashion sense, and no understanding of anything elemental!”
“Relationships, past or future, honors, duties—”
“You wouldn’t know honor if it bit you in your great big butt!”
“Cy, really!”
It was a struggle, but I managed to keep from giggling along with Aisling. Next to me, Baltic sat tense and unhappy. I didn’t have the heart to break it to him that he was about to become a whole lot more unhappy. Instead, I took his hand and rested it on my stomach. Instantly, his body language changed to one of seduction.
“And responsibilities owed to or from the individual known as Cyrene Northcott, naiad and all-around pain in the ass.”
Cyrene gasped and sputtered. “You’re the pain in the ass! I’m sorry I ever let you sully my pristine self, you horrible, vile, disgusting—”
“Cy, really, that’s enough.” May frowned at her twin across the long oval table, but Gabriel, at her side, was clearly fighting a smile.
“Henceforth from this moment on, the sept of the black dragons, and I, Konstantin—”
“Big ass!”
“Nikolai—”
“Water hater!”
“Fekete no longer claim Cyrene Northcott as a mate.”
Cyrene, who had been held back by Mikhail, Kostya’s weedy guard, screamed and stamped her foot. “Fine! I don’t want you anyway! You’re arrogant, and self-obsessed, and…and…and selfish in bed.”
Kostya, standing at the sárkány table, ground his teeth, but did not respond to Cyrene’s slurs.
“The weyr no longer recognizes Cyrene Northcott as your mate,” Gabriel said, his lips twitching slightly. “I believe there is one other bit of business to be conducted before we conclude this sárkány, and partake of the lovely meal that Ysolde has cooked for us.”
“Pavel did most of the work,” I said quickly, casting a grateful smile at where he sat on the other side of Baltic. “He made the most divine Peking duck. I hope you’re all in the mood for Chinese food, because it’s all I can think of lately.”
“Chinese sounds yummy,” Aisling said, beaming at me. “And I totally hear you on the cravings. When I was having the twins, potato chips were all I wanted. Didn’t matter what flavor—I wanted them all.”
“I believe we’ve strayed from the point,” Gabriel, who was taking his turn to head up the sárkány, gently observed.
“Yes, we have. The point is that Kostya is a big fat baby pants, and I am formally demating him, so he can’t kick me out as his mate,” Cyrene said, breaking free of Mikhail. “He’s a horrible dragon, and if you had any sense, you’d boot him out of your precious weyr. Not that I care anymore because I’m through with dragons. Totally through with dragons. Really, really through.” She stopped, her eyes on the blue wyvern Bastian, who immediately donned a worried expression.
Gabriel cleared his throat. “If we could return to official business? It’s my understanding that we have an application for a new sept to be accepted into the weyr.”
Everyone looked at Baltic.
He glowered in return.
I leaned in and whispered, “You promised.”
“I did not. You told me I would do this, and I, not wishing to upset you, agreed.”
I pinched his side. “The sooner you get it done, the sooner we can eat all that lovely food that Pavel and I have spent all day cooking.”
“I do not desire food,” he said in a low growl with just a hint of petulance.
I leaned in closer. “I’ll let you eat it off me.”
“The sept of the light dragons wishes to join the weyr,” Baltic said, leaping to his feet and striding across the hall of the newly restored Dauva to where the long oval table sat in the center of the room. “You will accept us now so that I may go devote myself to my mate.”
“Subtle,” I told him, getting up.
“Do you agree to abide by the laws set in place by the weyr?” Gabriel asked Baltic.
“If I must.”
Aisling covered her mouth as she giggled again. Cyrene made a disgusted noise and stomped over to the row of chairs along the paneled wall, plopping down next to Pavel. “I don’t suppose you’d like to come to the Riviera with me?”
Pavel, with a panicked look, immediately rose and took up a position behind Baltic.
Cyrene looked at Maura and Savian, who were present as guests of the weyr.
“He’s taken,” Maura said, putting her hand on Savian’s thigh.
“I’m not, but my heart will always belong to my beloved Ysolde,” a disembodied voice said.
Cyrene rolled her eyes and slumped back, pulling out her cell phone.
“You must abide by the rules, as you well know, having once been a wyvern in the weyr,” Gabriel said, his lips once again twitching a little. May was suddenly possessed with a coughing attack that didn’t fool anyone. “I believe we can dispense with the rest of the formalities due to the candidate’s previous experience as a wyvern. How say you all?”
“The Green Dragons welcome the new sept into the weyr,” Drake said promptly.
I tucked my arm through Baltic’s and leaned into him, so happy I could have burst into song.
“Despite the misunderstandings of the past, the Blue Dragons are happy
to welcome the light dragons, as well,” said Bastian, with a genial smile toward us.
Kostya, who sat with his arms crossed, was in the middle of a glaring battle with Baltic, but after a few minutes of pointed silence, he snapped, “The black dragons will recognize the light sept. Grudgingly. So long as they stay out of Russia.”
“Oh, get over yourself already,” I told Kostya. “You can’t ask Baltic to be your second one day, and then be snotty to him the next. Let bygones be bygones. I have, for heaven’s sake. You don’t see me ripping your head off over the fact that you killed Baltic, do you? No, you do not, because I have enough common sense to know that what’s in the past is in the past, and we’ve all changed since then. Well, most of us have. And those that haven’t just need to pull their heads out of their butts and get with the program.”
“Amen, sister,” Aisling said, applauding.
“Hear, hear,” May said at the same time.
Kostya stiffened up, but other than muttering some things about mates who didn’t know their places, stayed silent.
“I never thought the day would come that the silver dragons would have cause to agree with the others and extend a welcome to Baltic and his sept, but we have only ever wanted peace, and for that reason, we agree to allow the light dragons to join the weyr.”
Everyone looked at the empty chair to the right of Drake.
“Still no word of Jian?” I asked the room in general.
“No,” Drake said, frowning slightly. “He did not respond to the summons for the sárkány, nor did any red dragons contact the weyr with an explanation.”
“Taking that into consideration, the weyr now recognizes the sept of the light dragons, with Baltic as wyvern, and Ysolde de Bouchier as his mate. Welcome to the weyr.”
“Thank you, all,” I said, sniffling just a little as Aisling and May applauded again. “This means so much to me. I can’t wait to tell Brom that he’s officially a dragon, even if he isn’t physically one.”
“I believe this concludes all weyr business,” Gabriel said, rising.
“Excellent. We’ll just set up this table as a dining table, and then we can eat.”
“Not just yet.”
I looked at Baltic in surprise. “What other business do we have?”
He gestured at Kostya. “It is his business.”
We all turned to Kostya.
“You have something more to say?” Gabriel asked.
Kostya took a deep breath, shot Baltic a look that literally set him on fire, then said through obviously clenched teeth, “Be it known to all that the black dragons hereby gift Dragonwood to Ysolde de Bouchier. As of this moment, it is hers, and hers alone.”
I stared in stunned surprise at him for a few seconds, joy filling me as I finally turned to Baltic. “How?” I asked.
The others in the room applauded and congratulated me.
“We made a deal,” Baltic said, his expression grim.
“What did you give him?” Dread quelled some of my joy. “Your talisman—”
“No, not that,” he interrupted, a disgusted look on his handsome face.
“Then what?”
“Me.” Constantine appeared out of nowhere to take my hand and press a wet kiss to it. After a moment’s consideration, he continued up my arm.
Baltic growled and snatched my hand away. Constantine gave me a little leer.
“Oh my god, he didn’t just make Constantine a member of his sept, did he?” Aisling asked.
“I think he did,” May answered. “I’m just…wow.”
My gaze met Baltic’s. Martyrdom was rife in his beautiful black eyes. “You did that for me?”
“Yes.”
I kissed him, murmuring, “Just when I think I couldn’t love you any more, you go and prove me wrong. This is the sweetest, the most thoughtful, kindest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“I don’t say it will be an easy thing to live under Baltic’s reign again,” Constantine said, striking up a pose. “But for Ysolde, I will bear it.”
“And not be able to challenge Kostya again,” Aisling said, nodding at her brother-in-law. “Smart thinking, Kostya.”
“Hmm. Now that I’m officially in your sept, I can challenge you for control of it,” Constantine told Baltic. “And Ysolde. I like that idea!”
Baltic growled and lunged at Constantine, who shrieked and faded just as Baltic lifted him overhead in preparation for flinging him into the nearest wall.
“Baltic, really! Don’t be breaking Dauva. The First Dragon went to considerable trouble to have it rebuilt, which really was a very nice present, when you think about it, although I would have preferred something along the lines of a large house rather than an exact reproduction of a medieval castle. Still, we’ll have lots of room for Brom and the baby to play, and for everyone to come and visit us when we’re not at Dragonwood.”
Behind me, Constantine appeared on the long table, and started into reasons why Baltic should step down and let him be wyvern. Baltic, moving too fast for Constantine, leaped onto the table and caught him up by the throat, shaking him like a terrier does with a rat.
“A happy end to another successful sárkány,” Aisling said, biting the end of Drake’s nose. He looked outraged for a moment, then, with a grumble, pulled her up to kiss her mindless.
I watched Baltic a bit nervously. I knew how much it must have cost him to accept Constantine into the sept, and that he did so of his own accord just to return Dragonwood to me….
There was a smile on his face as he throttled Constantine, who squawked, his arms flailing around wildly.
Baltic’s eyes met mine.
“I love you,” I mouthed to him down the long length of the hall.
“By my mate’s grace, you are allowed into the sept, but I reserve the right to name you ouroboros at any time,” Baltic warned, tossing Constantine aside. He jumped off the table and stalked toward me, his body moving with a sinuous grace that never failed to make my stomach tighten in pleasure.
“You’re going to make me suffer for this, aren’t you?” I said as he approached me.
“You will pay for making me go through this hell, yes,” he said, his eyes molten with desire. “Every single day of your life you will pay. Every. Single. Day.”
I shivered in heated anticipation. “Oh good. Let me tell you about this new restraint system I picked up for you in England. It hooks over the door, and with it, we can—”
He picked me up and carried me to the stone stairs leading to the upper level. “You will have to refrain from your more inventive fantasies until after my son is born, chérie. I would not have you or the babe hurt in your enthusiasm to placate my temper.”
“Our daughter is going to be just fine with a few little additions to the normal routine, not that I find anything wrong with how you normally do things, but still…hmm. I wonder if we could summon up another vision of when you and I used to live in Dauva. I bet there are some good ones to be had.”
“Always you wish to engage in a foursome,” Baltic said, shaking his head while rounding the landing and starting down the hall that led to the master bedroom.
I gasped. “Oh, I do not! Well, OK, I do now and again, but just with ourselves, and that’s not really a foursome as much as it is two twosomes. Oooh, if I could get two visions of us going at the same time, we could have a sixsome!”
Baltic’s laughter rolled down the hallway, filling Dauva—and me—with happiness I knew would last an eon.
Katie’s Guide to All Things Dragon
Aisling Grey: Thirtysomething mate to Drake Vireo, the green dragon sept wyvern. Aisling is a Guardian (demon wrangler), and technically a demon lord since she is responsible for Jim, the demon she inadvertently summoned in the first Aisling Grey novel. Aisling and Drake have two children.
Baltic: The dread wyvern Baltic is the first-generation child of the First Dragon, the demigod who created dragons many millennia ago. Baltic is the former wyvern of the black dragon sep
t, which ceased when he was killed by his heir, Kostya Fekete, immediately after Baltic’s mate, Ysolde de Bouchier, was struck dead. He was recently resurrected, and he found Ysolde, his beloved mate (also resurrected), in the first Light Dragons book. He formed the light dragon sept upon his resurrection.
Bastiano (Bastian) Blu: The wyvern of the blue dragon sept, Bastian is the uncle of Fiat Blu, the former blue wyvern, who is pretty much insane and running around causing havoc.
Brom Sullivan: Ysolde’s child by Gareth Hunt, her former husband. Brom has an unnatural interest in mummifying things, and is claimed by Baltic as his son.
Constantine Norka: The former heir to Alexei, the black dragon wyvern, Constantine refused to stay in the black sept when Baltic was later named wyvern, and he left it to form the silver dragon sept. He spent many centuries at war with the black dragons. He was resurrected as a shade (corporeal spirit) at Ysolde’s request.
Cyrene Northcott: Naiad, and twin of May Northcott. Cyrene fell in love with Kostya, and was happy to be named as his mate even though she was not technically a wyvern’s mate. Cyrene created her doppelganger twin, May, via her then-lover, the demon lord Magoth.
Dauva: Baltic’s former home in what is now Latvia, and the heart of the black dragon sept. It was destroyed when Ysolde and Baltic were killed in 1701.
Dragon heart/shards: The dragon heart is one of the most powerful artifacts on Earth, and consists of five shards, which are scattered amongst the various dragon septs. The heart can be brought together and re-formed, but this has happened only twice in the last millennium. Dragon shards are immensely valuable relics of the First Dragon, and thus valued beyond almost anything else.
Dragon mate: The man or woman who was born to be the mate to a dragon. Wyvern mates, much more rare than dragon mates, can handle and control the wyvern’s fire, which would destroy an ordinary mortal.
Dragonwood: The house that Baltic had built in England for Ysolde. It is currently in possession of Kostya, since he claims it belongs to the black dragons.