He cut that arm loose and incinerated it.
Phelan hissed and leapt at Niall, his gaze filled with hatred. Niall shredded his tail, frying it to cinders. He made short work of his brother, removing his legs with vicious force. Phelan writhed and bit, thrashing as he swore with vigor.
Niall locked his claws around his brother's neck, then bit hard into his chest. He ripped open the old wound once more, recognizing that he was making the same choice as his father for the same reason, and that his father had been right.
Then he tore Phelan's head free of his body. He stood back and raged dragonfire, destroying every last shred of Phelan's body.
When it was done and Phelan was no more than ash, he called to the wind. It swirled over the horizon and rolled toward him, churning the clouds and sending his brother's cinders scattering over the city. The wind flicked and danced, spreading the ashes far and wide at Niall's command. Then he sent the wind to aid Donovan, Quinn, and Delaney, watching it disperse the last of the shadow dragons.
His quest was complete.
His firestorm was sated.
Niall felt potent as he never had, in full grasp of his abilities.
That was when he saw Rox standing on the roof, watching him. She was smiling with pride and happiness, her hair tossing in the wind. She reached out to him, opening her arms as if she'd embrace the sky and Niall swooped down to her.
His past was gone forever.
And the future belonged to them both.
Chapter 19
Niall decided upon a yin and yang symbol to cover the place where he'd lost the scale, choosing an emblem of balance over a more aggressive design. He'd picked red and black.
Rox thought it was the perfect choice. His injury had to heal first, so it was several weeks before the skin could accept the tattoo. The Pyr remained in New York until the tattoo could be completed, which Rox didn't entirely understand. They were good company and good people, though, so she didn't mind having an apartment full of dragons.
Especially the one who shared her bed.
Niall bought a building close to Imagination Ink for his new office, surprising Rox with his wealth. The new building was the perfect place for some of the Pyr to decamp, although Rox still had a few in her apartment. Delaney helped Niall with equipment and setup, and Rox knew Niall was relieved to be establishing his routine again. Barry proved to have a talent with computers and an interest in eco-travel, so he became Niall's new employee.
Imagination Ink had been damaged in what came to be known as the second of two freak earthquakes, but the insurance covered the repairs. By the time Niall was healed, the shop was open for business and bustling once again.
When it came time to do Niall's tattoo, the Pyr came along. It was a bit unnerving to have them all watching Niall get his protective tattoo. Rox wondered whom they were prepared to defend. Even Chynna made a brief appearance to see what all the fuss was about and added her goodwill to the process. Niall was a good client--he didn't flinch or complain, and Rox liked having the excuse to run her hands over his muscled back.
Not that she needed any excuse, given the balance between them.
"I've been thinking," Sloane said when Rox was finishing the last of the red. "I've been wanting a tattoo for a while but needed to find the right artist. I think you're it."
"Rox is the best," Niall said flatly.
"Especially if you need a dragon," Rafferty said with approval.
Rox smiled. She got a mirror for Niall so he could check out her work, and he stood to look. His approval was more than clear.
"I want two dragons, actually," Sloane said. "Like a caduceus but with dragons instead of snakes." He tapped his left bicep. "Right here."
"How big?" Rox asked, liking how well that could symbolize Sloane's role as Apothecary to the Pyr.
"As big as you think it should be," he said with a grin. "You're the expert."
"Bigger costs more," Rox warned.
"Bigger means more detail, too," Thorolf added.
"I can afford it," Sloane said, then winked at Rox. "I've been saving up for a few centuries."
Rox was about to offer to do a sketch when Niall spoke. "I think Rox is going to be a bit busy," he said lightly, and she glanced his way in surprise. His eyes glittered like sapphires and he was almost smiling. "Come here," he invited, then tugged at her collar. "Let's see your back piece."
Confused, Rox pushed her jacket off her shoulders. She was wearing a halter top underneath and now understood why Niall had suggested it that morning.
She'd just thought he'd liked the turquoise color.
He stood with his back to the big wall mirror and put his arm over her shoulders. He held the hand mirror so she could see the reflection in the big mirror. "What if your dragon isn't wrong?" he said. "What if the circle is just bigger than your own back?"
"What do you mean?" Rox asked, even though she could guess.
"What if the phoenix is on my back, curled toward the dragon in the composition you mentioned?" He lowered the mirror and looked down at her, his manner intent. "What if our respective back pieces are each half of the whole?"
Rafferty gave a low whistle. "Just as the firestorm brings mate and Pyr together into a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts."
Rox caught her breath, knowing the implication of his suggestion. "But ink is forever," she whispered.
Niall smiled. "That's exactly the point." He cast a quick glance at the Pyr, then turned his attention back to Rox. The glittering blue of his eyes mesmerized her and the warmth of his smile was evocative of the firestorm.
But it was even better, because Niall's smile would be in her life for good.
"I love you, Rox," Niall said, his words making her heart pound. "I want to commit myself to you, to our son, and to our future. I know you're not as traditional as I am, but let's find a middle ground. Let's make a union of choice and seal that pledge in ink. It doesn't have to be the ink on a marriage certificate."
It was exactly the offer Rox wanted to hear. "I never had my dragon colored," she whispered. "Even though I wanted it in color, I could never decide. Now I know he should be amethyst and silver"--she smiled--"just like the Pyr I love."
Niall bent and kissed her thoroughly, showing his approval with his touch. The Pyr hooted and laughed, but Niall ignored them, lifting Rox into his arms and sealing their promise with another kiss.
A kiss that would keep her simmering forever.
After he had lifted his head and the Pyr had shared their congratulations, Rox grabbed the mirror and took a more critical look. She immediately saw how the composition would work. As had his idea of the trellis on Chynna's sleeve, Niall's suggestion provided the perfect solution to the design. His back piece would be unique and beautiful, maybe Rox's masterpiece. She knew she'd draw the phoenix freehand on Niall's back to ensure that its curves flowed best across his muscles.
Their union would be a part of their skins for all of their lives.
"It'll be perfect," she said, knowing her excitement about the design showed. "But there's one more thing we have to do first," Rox said, digging into her pocket. She pulled out the single amethyst and silver scale, the one Niall had lost in the tunnels, the one that no one knew she had. Niall inhaled sharply at the sight of it. "You need armor over that new tattoo, not just mumbo jumbo to watch your back." She offered the scale to Quinn. "Isn't that your department?"
"It is." Quinn smiled and stepped forward to accept the scale. He turned it in his hands, studying its condition, then gave Rox a smile. "You have cared for it well."
"Can you do it?" she asked.
Quinn nodded, his gaze flicking to the open doorway. "Tonight."
Niall was amazed by Rox one more time. He hadn't realized that she had kept the scale and had assumed it lost for good in the network under the city. He was fiercely glad she had liked the idea for his tattoo, and he was even more glad they would be together for the duration. With Phelan gone, there was no
obstacle to his raising his own son. With Rox's tattoo on his back, their union was permanent.
His mouth was dry that night as he stood in her apartment, surrounded by his best friends and his family of choice. Rox's hand was in his, and Quinn stood before him like a master of ceremonies. The windows were open, as well as the door to the balcony, a cool wind wafting into the apartment.
"We all have to shift," Niall explained to Rox once again, and she nodded with some impatience.
"I know. I just hope you all fit in here."
"Nothing like high ceilings," Erik said, then nodded at Quinn.
Quinn shifted shape first, becoming a muscled dragon clad in gleaming sapphire and steel scales. One scale, the replacement made of wrought iron and Sara's tears, caught Niall's attention because it gleamed.
Donovan changed next, the Warrior mailed in magnificent lapis lazuli and silver scales. The jet and garnet pin from Alex that adorned his repaired scale shone in the darkness. It was an emblem signifying that he had loved, and that love had made him stronger. He lifted his mate, Alex, in his grasp and held his son, Nick, aloft so he could see.
Erik shifted shape, becoming a dragon with ebony and pewter scales. On his forehead was his own repaired scale, its surface shining with the rune stone of his father's, returned to him by Eileen. He lifted both mate and daughter with reverence and Eileen kissed his neck.
Delaney became an emerald and copper dragon, his scales shining like jewels now that Ginger's love and his firestorm had brought him back into the circle of the Pyr. Their son, Liam, was awake, his eyes wide, and Niall wondered how much the baby understood of what he witnessed.
Rafferty shifted shape, becoming an opal and gold dragon as formidable and serene as he was in human form. Sloane followed Rafferty. His gold-edged scales contained all the hues of tourmaline, shading from green to gold to purple and back again. Thorolf shifted finally, his moonstone and silver scales glinting like moonlight in the living room.
They were magical and marvelous, his powerful and loyal friends, and having them with him in this moment made Niall feel doubly blessed.
"You're up," whispered Rox, her eyes sparkling.
Niall kissed her fingertips, then summoned the change. It rolled through him like a tidal wave, sending a surge of blue electricity through every fiber of his being. The shift made his body hum, made his heart sing, and made his thoughts fly.
It was right.
Because his mate was by his side.
Quinn reared back, lifting Niall's lost scale in his talons. He breathed dragonfire on the scale, the white- hot fire of the Smith, and the scale sparkled in his grip. Niall was amused to see Garrett breathe mock fire, mimicking his father's pose even as Sara held him close.
"Fire," said Quinn, and breathed upon the scale again. Niall breathed on the scale, as well, demonstrating his own affinity for the element of fire.
Then Niall summoned the element he knew best. He felt the wind swirl around them, lifting the women's hair and caressing the scales of the Pyr. He felt the wind's fingers in the clouds and sensed new dimensions to his own affinity. He was aware of the tingle of Erik's foresight, the bright, perceptive gaze of the leader of the Pyr. He felt the power of Zoe and her knowledge as Wyvern of the language and secrets of dreams. He was joyous that she had shared some of her wisdom with him, and was determined to master his role as DreamWalker.
"Air," said Niall, hearing triumph in his own voice.
"Earth," Rox said. She slid her hands over Niall's scales and he turned so that his shoulder was toward Quinn. He knew the tattoo she had given him was visible because the scale wasn't repaired. It was a good talisman.
Having the scale back would be even better.
Rox's small hands were on his exposed flesh and Niall could feel the accelerated beat of her heart through the warmth of her fingers. She was his earth and his water, pragmatism and tough talk of earth tempered by the compassion of water.
His own heart thundered with the power of their match. The firestorm had been right, after all.
Quinn stepped closer, breathing his dragonfire on the scale for the third time. Then he pressed it back into its rightful place. Even though Niall had been prepared for the pain, it still shocked him to his core. The touch of the hot scale seared his flesh, sending a jolt through his body. The pain made him arch his back and clench his teeth. His entire body was taut, the cleansing heat strengthening him.
As fire tempers steel, Quinn would say.
He heard Rox gasp. He felt her caress his flesh with sympathy. And he sighed in relief at the cool impact of her single tear on the repaired scale.
"Water," Quinn murmured.
The heat changed then, becoming warm instead of hot, healing and setting the injury.
"Are you all right?" she whispered, her eyes filled with concern.
"Fine," Niall murmured. "Better than ever," he added, knowing it was true. The wind swirled around them, as if it, too, would celebrate, and Niall shifted back to human form. He caught Rox close and kissed her, knowing there was one last thing he had to do for his firebird.
He was going to walk in her dream.
By the end of the summer, Rox had finished the color on Niall's tattoo. She'd shaded the phoenix's feathers in hues of red, orange, and yellow, with accents of darkest blue. When it was done and she gave Niall the mirror to look, he had assured her it was the most beautiful piece she'd ever done.
Then he admitted that he had to leave and that Thorolf would watch out for her in his absence. Niall knew Rox was curious, but he appreciated her trust in him.
She didn't ask where he was going.
Niall wasn't entirely sure himself. He had tiptoed into Rox's dreams over the intervening weeks. He had found a few pathways and followed them diligently. He had checked each one in turn until he had found the one he needed to follow.
But he had to follow its trail physically, which meant leaving Rox for the moment.
He knew it would be worth the journey.
Niall rapped on Rox's door a week and a half after his departure, the last Saturday night in August. He had a suit bag slung over his shoulder and a new optimism in his step. To his pleasure, the dragonsmoke barrier was woven deep around the apartment and it resonated with a clear ping.
Thorolf was learning something.
Rox opened the door, and her eyes lit with pleasure. "You're back! You don't have to knock."
"Hey, firebird. Miss me?" Niall couldn't wait to see her response to what he had done.
Although her response to his presence was pretty good itself. He laughed as she threw herself into his arms, and he swung her around.
"Shut up and kiss me already," Rox said, then pulled his head down for an enthusiastic welcome.
Niall laughed and stepped into the apartment, knowing he didn't have a lot of time.
"Hey," Thorolf said by way of greeting, standing with one foot in the kitchen. The big Pyr was eating frozen burritos as if he'd scored the last dozen on the planet.
At least he'd taken care of Rox while Niall was gone.
Niall kissed Rox as if he'd been gone a year, then reluctantly pulled out of her embrace. He hung his suit bag over the door and she frowned at it.
"What do you need with a suit?"
"Turn it on, Rox," he said, spinning her around. "We've got a dinner reservation. We have to celebrate."
"Again? Where?"
He named the Japanese restaurant uptown that she'd been wanting to try and Rox's surprise showed.
Then she eyed him, curiosity making her eyes bright. "Why now?"
"Trust me."
"What're you celebrating?" Thorolf demanded, even as he threw back another burrito.
Rox regarded Niall with good- natured suspicion. "You're up to something."
Niall feigned innocence and failed. "Me?"
Rox chuckled. "I love that you can't lie," she said, then walked toward him. She let her hips swing and a provocative light gleamed in her eye. "I can work
the truth out of you," she threatened.
"You probably could, but there isn't time," Niall said. "First dinner, then we're off."
"Where?"
He fished an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She frowned and turned it over, then flicked a glance at him.
"You'd better open it to find out," he advised.
Rox ripped open the envelope. "Train tickets?" He knew the moment she read the destination, because she shook her head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but there's no way. . . ."
Niall caught her shoulders in his hands. "There are families made by choice and families made by blood," he said softly. "Neither is better, and some families are both."
Rox inhaled and shook her head, then looked up at him. She swallowed. "But what if he's still there?"
Niall bent down so that their noses were almost touching. He let his gaze bore into hers so that she could see his determination, so that she would know how committed he was to her defense. "Do you really think I'd let anyone hurt you again?"
The tension eased out of Rox's body. Once again, her trust gained the upper hand, and Niall's heart pounded with pride. She pulled the tickets out of the envelope and counted them, then looked at him in confusion. "But there are four. That's too many tickets."
Niall smiled. "No, it's not." He leaned down and whispered to her. "Rox, I do details. Four tickets is exactly right."
Her lips parted and he knew she already had an idea what he'd planned.
The door buzzer rang at just that moment. Perfect. Niall glanced pointedly at the intercom, then back at Rox. She stared at him as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. He let her work it out.
She did, just as quickly as he'd anticipated. Her hands rose to her mouth in shock and he saw the first glimmer of her tears.
"Where were you this week?" she whispered.
"California. Beverly Hills, actually."
"I don't know anybody in Beverly Hills."