Mated to the Earth Dragon Read online

  No wonder he hadn’t wanted to leave. They must have barely missed each other there.

  A shudder ran through Damon as he contemplated what might have happened if he hadn’t insisted to the council that he needed to return.

  He’d never worried overly much about mating, or what happened to those dragons who failed to find their mate before their full power overwhelmed them. He knew his duty to his family, after all, and if he wasn’t lucky enough to meet his mate, he’d have mated another shifter, because that was his duty.

  But now that it had happened, he could barely believe the strength of emotion that ran through him.

  He, Damon Drago, who’d always been known as the most serious and dutiful member of the council, had met his mate. And suddenly, the world, which had always appeared so clearly regulated and orderly to him, had been turned onto its head.

  He’d break any rule for his mate. He’d woo her with song and dance if she asked it of him. He’d break into famous museums to lay the world’s most famous treasures at her feet...

  No, he thought firmly while his dragon coiled greedily. No, we’re not going to break into museums.

  He took a deep breath.

  If this was what finding your mate was like, no wonder that the formerly flighty dragon of air had turned into such a reliable mate.

  He couldn’t think of anything but Autumn: the gorgeous color of her auburn hair in the sunlight, the warmth of her body, the way her closeness made his dragon’s soul sing with pure joy.

  Focus, he told himself. Think of what’s important right now. There might be fire dragons hiding in these mountains, ready to attack at any second.

  But his dragon was too busy thinking about which gems and necklaces they’d take out of their hoard to decorate Autumn with.

  Amber, he thought, amber for my Autumn...

  Then he shook himself, tightening his jaw.

  Stop it, he told his dragon. Now is not the time. We will woo her—and we won’t leave her. We already have a date. But right now, we must keep a clear head. Listen to the rock. Listen to the soil. Be ever vigilant. If there are fire dragons around, they also mean danger for Autumn.

  At that reminder of the danger to his mate, his inner dragon relaxed a little.

  Gullfoss, Damon thought firmly. And keep an eye out for anything that feels strange.

  The journey was slow and uneventful. Even though he felt slightly embarrassed, Damon drove behind the bus, hoping that Autumn didn’t think he was stalking her.

  On a whim, he’d decided to stick to Iceland’s most famous tourist destinations because it seemed as good a place as any to listen for hints. After all, this was where people came together who traveled all over the country. If there was anything unusual happening, surely it was here where rumors would surface.

  Afterward, he’d planned to take his Landrover into the highlands—if there was no rumor of dragon activity, it had to mean that they’d gone deep underground away from human civilization

  Autumn’s going north as well...

  Damon tightened his hands around the steering wheel. She’d probably think it was crazy if he followed her all the way to a remote farm. And it wasn’t anything he’d usually do. Duty had always come first for him.

  But then, Autumn was his mate. Surely the council would understand...

  Before him, the bus took a turn when they neared the parking lot. Chagrined, Damon realized that he’d spent most of the journey thinking about Autumn instead of feeling for traces of dragon activity.

  But then, he’d be able to feel it if another dragon was nearby. And if they chose to hide, he wouldn’t be able to find them in human form, and from his car, anyway.

  “You made it!” Autumn exclaimed when he met her on the parking lot.

  She was smiling, her cheeks flushed. Her damp hair had dried during the journey and now looked adorably windblown. She shifted a little, smoothing her hands over her parka to tug it down, as if she was self-conscious about the waterproof pants she was still wearing.

  A smile tugged on Damon's lips. It wasn’t the jewel-studded gown his dragon would like to dress her in, but Damon adored the way she looked like this. Sensible and dressed for the weather.

  As a dragon, Iceland’s cold didn’t mean much to him—but now that he had his mate to worry about, he’d become suddenly aware of just how cold it could get, and of how vulnerable humans were.

  “I followed the bus. I didn’t want to get lost,” he said, unable to stop himself from staring at her.

  “You don’t look like someone who’d get lost.” She gave him an answering smile.

  “I didn’t want to lose you,” he admitted, and then found himself flushing as well, suddenly flustered.

  This was ridiculous. How did one talk to one’s mate? Nothing had prepared him for this. How did humans woo? He’d never paid any attention to it—he’d been way too busy with his work and his duty to the council.

  “Sorry if that’s inappropriate,” he said, a little embarrassed. “But I felt—when I first saw you—”

  “Did you happen to visit the Blue Lagoon back in Reykjavik?” she asked softly. “I feel like I saw you. I didn’t see your face, but there was a man, hidden in the mist—”

  “Yesterday, around noon?” He nodded, aching to reach out and smooth away the auburn hair that kept blowing into her face. “This is going to sound just as strange—but I had a feeling when I was there. A feeling that I should turn around, that something was waiting for me, just hidden out of sight... And then it was gone.”

  “It might have been one of the elves.” Autumn was still smiling, despite his admission. “I was told to take care not to offend them.”

  “No,” he murmured. “I think it was something much, much better. Or perhaps, it was an elf trying to catch my attention to tell me to turn around.”

  “It’s a good story, in any case,” Autumn said softly. “Right? That’s the sort of thing you tell your friends about when you get back.”

  He didn’t want her to go back. Not without him. But how would he tell her who—and what—he was?

  Then the girl who’d taken a picture of them earlier rushed past them, stopping several times for selfies with the beckoning waterfalls in the distance.

  “You guys coming? I’ll take another picture for you,” she offered. “If you’ll take one for me.”

  “Sure,” Damon said easily, glad for the distraction.

  The path towards the waterfall was lined with small rocks and gravel. There were signs telling them to be careful, because the path would get slippery close to the water. But as it hadn’t rained, the path that would lead them straight to the roaring waterfall was open today.

  Sarah, with all the focused expertise of a teenager, raced straight towards the best selfie spot, and after several pictures, pushed her iPhone into Damon’s hand.

  “There. Give me a countdown, okay?”

  “Sure,” Damon said doubtfully, not quite certain what she was planning on.

  He stared at the tiny screen.

  “Three, two, one...”

  Just when he hit the shutter, Sarah jumped high into the air, whooping.

  Surprised, Damon found himself laughing along with Autumn. When he checked the screen, they’d caught Sarah in the air, arms stretched out and a wide grin on her face, the water roaring white behind her.

  “Perfect!” she said in satisfaction. “Now you two!”

  “Uh... I don’t think I can do that,” Autumn said.

  “Just... hug or something. Be cute!” Sarah said sternly. “Come on!”

  Damon wasn’t sure he could do cute, whatever that meant. Instead, he wound his arm around Autumn, looking seriously into the camera.

  Sarah sighed. “You guys are making this difficult, you know!”

  Damon looked down at Autumn, uncertain—but she didn’t look like she knew what cute was, either.

  Then Sarah smirked. “Hey, I’ve got it! A strong guy like you... Can’t you pick her up or
something?”

  “Pick her up?” Damon echoed, still not quite certain that this truly was how humans wooed these days.

  Nevertheless, it made more sense to him than the concept of cute, and so he wrapped his arms around Autumn and lifted her up.

  Surprised, she gasped, her eyes very wide—and very, very close, he realized with sudden embarrassment.

  In fact, her entire face was very close.

  She smelled like the hot chocolate they’d shared earlier, and something earthy and vaguely spicy—like sun-warmed soil and herbs crushed underfoot when exploring a forest.

  The dragon within him longed for her with such a sudden, fierce need that Damon felt it like a stab right into his heart.

  If he’d lost her; if he’d never met her again... He would have died. Or gone insane. All of a sudden, he understood why some dragons went mad. This bond between them was stronger than anything he’d ever experienced. Stronger even than his dragon’s power.

  If he’d lost her, his dragon would have been lost as well.

  His heart was pounding in his chest—or was that her heart? Dimly, Damon could hear two distinct, frantic drums, beating faster and faster.

  Her eyes were wide and dark. They were so close that he could see the shadow of her eyelashes on the vulnerable skin beneath her eyes. He wanted to press a kiss to it. He wanted to pull her close and swear that he’d forever protect her.

  Instead, a heartbeat later, their lips met, and Damon felt a rush of heat singing him from the inside, so powerful that even his dragon was silent for once.

  Distantly, he heard Sarah whoop.

  Then Autumn relaxed against him, her lips warm against his own. She was warm and soft in his arms as well, and he realized with surprise that he’d pulled her close without even consciously doing so, her gorgeous curves melding against his body.

  “Alright guys, that’s enough,” Sarah commanded. “Seriously! Make way for the others.”

  She giggled when Autumn and Damon hastily pulled apart.

  Autumn raised a hand to her lips, as if she couldn’t believe what had happened. Damon’s own heart was still racing—and his entire body was tingling with the overwhelming awareness that this was right. She’d been meant for him. Sweet Autumn, more precious than any jewel, the one woman who could ever make his dragon abandon his duty...

  A moment later, Sarah pushed the phone back into Autumn’s hand.

  “You two are super cute!” she said and giggled again. “Let me know if you want more kissy pictures at the waterfall later on.”

  “Kissy,” Autumn echoed faintly. Then she gave Damon a small, tentative smile. “Uh... thanks,” she mumbled. “I’m not good at pictures.”

  “Me neither,” he said. “Maybe we should do some more practicing?”

  “But not here, and not right now,” Sarah’s grandmother said, jokingly wagging her finger at them as she came closer. “Because now it’s time for my George and me. Sarah, would you? I believe I want one of those kissy pictures as well, as you kids call it.”

  “Grandma,” Sarah groaned, but obediently pulled out her phone.

  Hastily, Damon made way for them, reaching out for Autumn’s hand. “Come, let’s explore the waterfall.”

  Autumn immediately followed along, by all appearances as eager as he was to escape their company’s teasing.

  They’d made it half-way down the path before she spoke up again.

  “It was very nice,” she said. “Sorry, I’m not used to this...”

  “Neither am I,” Damon admitted.

  At her surprised look, he gave her a chagrined smile. “I work too much to have much time for dating—and I never really saw the appeal. My dad and my mother met and fell in love in one of those fairytale romances—and I always thought that it should happen just like that. It seemed worth holding out for—that spark of specialness.”

  “Oh,” she said a little weakly—until suddenly, a real, amused smile broke over her face. “It was more than just a spark, wasn’t it? A geyser of specialness, you could say.”

  Amused, he laughed. “It was. And it did feel special—special enough that I’m looking forward to our dinner.”

  “Me too. Really. As long as it’s not one of those specialty restaurants,” she then hastily added.

  “What, not fond of pickled goat’s testicles?” Damon couldn’t help but tease.

  Autumn gigged, and he carefully grabbed hold of her with both hands to help her past a rock that was damp from the waterfall.

  “Is that a challenge?” she asked.

  “I promise it’s not.” Damon made a face. “The first time I came here, I was visiting relatives. A very old, very... traditional family. Although I have to admit I slightly prefer it over the fermented shark.”

  He shook himself, then hastily grabbed hold of Autumn again when they both nearly lost their footing. The ground was very slippery here, and the roar of the water had become so loud that it was impossible to hear the voices of the other members of their tour group.

  “Thanks,” Autumn said breathlessly, clinging to his arm. “I even brought sensible boots, just like they told me!”

  “They usually cordon this off when it gets too wet,” Damon said with a frown.

  “I guess we’re lucky... I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this. I’ve been saving up for this trip for quite a while.” Still breathless, Autumn paused to stare out at the majestic waterfall.

  Water kept gushing down over the rocks with an impressive roar. Even though he’d visited before, Damon felt overwhelmed by its beauty all over again. Despite all the tourists who came here every day, this place was still full of elemental power.

  Damon took a deep breath, reaching out to the rock below him. He could feel the echo of the water’s forceful rush in his bones, his body faintly vibrating with the power of this place. The rock was old and powerful, full of a grandiose majesty that made his dragon ache to stretch his wings.

  He was the master of the earth. If he’d shift and circle Gullfoss, the rock would sing to him.

  But now, there was a new harmony in the song of the land. Mixed in with the low, deep tones of rock and stone, there was a warm thrum, almost like distant snatches of a song, interweaving with everything his dragon’s senses heard and saw.

  Autumn. Autumn was right there—not just standing there in front of him, watching the water. Her presence also echoed through the stone. The land sang for her—and for him. The stones, millions of years old, knew just as well as Damon’s dragon what she was.

  She was his mate. Her presence meant joy, completeness, his soul finally whole.

  Damon took a deep, shuddering breath, withdrawing from the communication with his element to look at Autumn again as a man, remembering the warmth of her skin, and the way it had felt to finally kiss her.

  Autumn turned, a smile on her lips as she held out her hand to him. Her eyes were alight with excitement—and at that exact moment, the earth rumbled beneath them.

  Autumn cried out in fear. Damon lunged forward, grabbing hold of her hand.

  And then the rock cracked, the stone that had stood in place for thousands of years splitting apart with an inhuman groan of agony.

  “An earthquake! Run!” someone cried behind them—but Damon didn’t turn.

  His hand had closed around Autumn’s wrist at the last moment. With all of his strength, he pulled her forward.

  She crashed against his chest. Her arms immediately wrapped around him as the earth beneath them continued to tremble—and the rock where she’d stood just a moment ago vanished, a huge hole opening in the ground before them.

  In the distance, there were shouts of fear. But all Damon could think of was Autumn.

  “Don’t let go,” he shouted over the continued rumbling of the earth. “No matter what happens—hold on to me!”

  Autumn nodded hastily, her arms clenching tightly around him.

  The path before them had vanished. A deep hole loomed instead, and now the water of G
ullfoss rushed in to fill it, the angry water tearing at the exposed earth and rocks.

  With one arm around Autumn, Damon turned.

  The tourists who’d been behind them had managed to flee to safety. The path was empty.

  But the path wasn’t safe. Even now as he watched, further cracks opened in the earth.

  Autumn was still in danger.

  And at last, Damon allowed the dragon within him to lash out at the deceitful rock beneath him with all of his might.

  He drove his dragon’s senses deep into the earth, his mind racing past veins of rock, stone and metal that were millions of years old.

  Deeper and deeper he dove, following the fault line that even now groaned and screamed in the inhuman sound of rock under duress.

  He’d communicated with the stone earlier. Despite all of the geological activity of this land, the stone had been calm, singing to him in praise of his mate. If it had been volcanic activity, he should have known. His dragon would have known.

  Which meant that there was a different reason for this earthquake.

  His dragon roared inside him with fury when they finally found the source of the fault line.

  There, deep beneath them, was a pocket of magma—molten stone. Deep in the bowels of the earth, a sudden source of incredible heat had arisen. It was so hot that stone turned into a red-hot liquid. The pressure was so incredible that at last, it had been released in the sudden earthquake that had nearly swallowed Autumn.

  Within him, his dragon spread his wings, his own power flowing through him.

  Resilience. Quiet strength. Loyalty. The sense of home. These were the virtues of earth. Now, he allowed all of these to flow through him until he was filled by the power of his element to the tips of his fingers.

  And then he sent his power bursting forth, driving it deep into the earth. On and on and on he channeled it, until it reached the unnatural pocket of magma. When he hit it with his full strength, the kernel of red-hot heat emitted an angry, thin scream.

  Damon didn’t relent. He ground his jaw, forcing the earth to follow his command—and little by little, the magma began to cool, reluctantly turning back into stone.

  This isn’t over, Earth dragon, the living flame within the earth hissed—and then, as suddenly as that, it vanished.