Firestorm Forever: A Dragonfire Novel (82 page)

The film crew was set up, but Melissa was determined they not be able to even see any of the
Pyr
shift shape let alone film them. The
Pyr
would arrive in dragon form, a compromise that mollified Erik. He had also decreed that the ceremony must be done at night, much to the grumbling of the film crew, who wanted better light. The children and the other mates stood back in the shadows and the crew was to hide their identities. Ronnie herself was wearing a domino mask, to protect the privacy of Drake and of Timmy.

She was ridiculously happy and madly in love. She was surrounded by a group of strong women, women who had already made the choice she was making, and she already felt as if she’d been welcomed into a large and protective family. She knew she’d tested their approval by insisting upon this, but she wanted the world to know that the
Pyr
were good.

They were a fertile family, too. Sara, the Seer of the
Pyr,
stood to her left with her own infant son in her arms and her young sons standing around her. Eileen was to Ronnie’s right, with her daughter Zoë close by. Chandra rocked her infant son, and Melissa’s daughter Isabelle stuck close to Eileen.

Quinn’s forge was in place and Ronnie stood beside it, as nervous as she had been the first time she’d exchanged marriage vows. It was different this time, though, not just because Drake was more than a man. She knew what she was getting into better than she had that first time, plus she had already borne Drake’s son. She nestled her baby close.

“He’s awake,” Timmy said, peeking at his younger brother. “It’s like he knows this is important.”

“They do have sharper senses than we do.”

Timmy made a face. “I wish I was a dragon, Mom.”

She bent and kissed him. “I think it’s just as good to have a dragon for a dad.” He smiled at her, his adoration of Drake clear, and Ronnie felt confidence in their shared future. “Besides,” she added in a whisper. “You’re the oldest of all these boys, like their new cousin.” Timmy beamed at that thought.

Ronnie stepped forward at Melissa’s direction and entrusted her infant son to Eileen, who cuddled him close.

“I’m Melissa Smith,” Melissa said to the camera. “And we have the honor tonight of witnessing and recording a ceremony of the
Pyr
dragon shifters. I’ve been invited to a gathering of the
Pyr
, where they intend to heal the scales of one of their fellows. With me are a number of women who have pledged themselves to these men, although their identities have been disguised to protect their privacy.” She gestured to Ronnie. “This woman will see her partner’s armor repaired in this forest tonight. Welcome.”

Ronnie stepped forward and lifted her chin. “Thanks for coming, Melissa.”

“Why did you suggest the filming of this ritual?”

“I love a man who is
Pyr
. I am awed by his honor and his sense of duty and his loyalty to those he perceives to be beneath his care. He is a warrior and a valiant one, and I want the world to see his merit.”

“Maybe you can tell our audience what we’re going to see tonight.”

Ronnie nodded. “This will be a ceremony to repair or replace a missing scale. When a
Pyr
meets his destined mate—that is, the only woman who can bear his child—he and she experience what is called a firestorm. Heat flares between them and sparks fly, a sign of the promise of their union. It is a magical and powerful sensation, and one that fades once the
Pyr
’s son has been conceived.”

“So, you’ve had a firestorm.”

“I have. I knew him before and admired him before I knew the truth of his nature.”

“And the scale?”

Ronnie smiled. “The
Pyr
are fiercely protective of their families, their partners and their children, and to see them fight is impressive. But when a
Pyr
loves another person, as he often comes to love his mate, there’s a physical manifestation of his vulnerability.”

“Meaning?”

“He loses a scale from his coat of armor, usually in a location where a blow on that unprotected skin can kill him. Love makes him both stronger and more vulnerable.”

“But surely the scales grow back?”

Ronnie shook her head. “Not one lost for love. It has to be repaired, and it can only be repaired with a gift made out of love by the
Pyr
’s mate. In a way, this ceremony is the
Pyr
equivalent of the exchange of wedding vows.” She showed the string of pearls coiled on her palm. “The
Pyr
have a bond to the natural world—”

“As defenders of the four elements,” Melissa interjected.

Ronnie nodded. “So, the best gift is one that not only comes from the natural world, but also reflects the affinities in their partnership.”

“Affinities?” Melissa asked, prompting Ronnie even though she obviously already knew the answer. “What does that mean?”

 
“Each
Pyr
has an affinity or a connection to two of the four elements. This affinity colors his nature and even his personality. It’s the mark of the firestorm for a
Pyr
to be mated with a woman who has affinities to the other two elements. That means that their union brings all four elements together in harmony.”

“Making their partnership greater than the sum of the parts.”

Ronnie nodded, then smiled. “My
Pyr
is governed by earth and fire. He’s passionate, loyal, steadfast and practical. I am governed by air and water. I’m empathic and little more emotionally sensitive. I also have an affinity for ideas and dreams, which explains my bond to these pearls. Pearls are from the sea, which echoes the water of my affinities, but these were left to me by my grandmother. She inspired me and because of that, they’re the most precious thing I own.”

“And you’re offering them to your
Pyr
, to see him healed.”

“I am.”

“Will they fill the space left by the lost scale?”

“No. Unfortunately, the scale was lost, so it has to be replicated.” Ronnie picked up the cold piece of steel from the forge. “The Smith of the
Pyr
has made a new scale for my
Pyr
, and you can see that he’s already shaped it to hold the pearls in place. The combination of elements has to be done during the ceremony.”

“And we’re here to witness that. Thank you so much for sharing both your knowledge and this moment, which must be a very special one for you.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance to show the world how wonderful the
Pyr
are.”

“We’ll be silent observers now,” Melissa informed one camera. “If you hear a deep rumble, like thunder, it’s just the
Pyr
talking to each other in old-speak. There will be no rain tonight. Let’s watch.”

Ronnie took a deep breath, looking skyward as the first of the
Pyr
came over the tops of the trees. It was Rafferty, his opal and gold scales gleaming in the night as he gracefully descended to the clearing. He landed beside Melissa, fixed the camera with a steady glance, then folded his wings with an elegance that made Ronnie smile.

Sloane was next, his scales shining tourmaline and gold. Ronnie was awed by the way his scales shaded from green to purple and back again over the length of his body. He landed beside the forge, then looked up in anticipation.

Quinn landed next, his build even in dragon form more muscular from his time at the forge. He was sapphire and steel, his scales blindingly bright and the way he placed a talon on the forge revealed that it was his. He breathed fire and lit the forge, his eyes gleaming as he coaxed the fire to burn hot for his repair. One cameraman focused on him exclusively, filming the way that Quinn heated the scale in the forge, using his talons as tools.

Erik appeared next, Thorolf right beside him. Erik was ebony and pewter and still not fully recovered from Boris’s assault, although he insisted otherwise. Thorolf glittered like a gem in the night, all diamond and platinum, like a dragon made of moonlight. The
Pyr
formed a circle around Ronnie, then all tipped their heads back to watch the sky. She heard the thunder of their old-speak and smiled when Quinn’s son, Garrett, tried to respond in kind.

Drake and Theo were the last to join the group, Drake’s scales so dark against the night sky that it was easier to see his location by noting where the stars were blocked. Theo was carnelian and gold, like a shard of sunlight. He landed first, completing the circle of
Pyr,
and Ronnie was sure she felt a crackle of energy slip around the ring of dragons.

Then there was only Drake for Ronnie. She stood and awaited him, knowing the moment his gaze locked upon her. She watched how widely his wings spread, how he flew with elegant economy, and her heart thundered in welcome. He descended in complete silence, like the covert warrior he was, then landed beside her with easy grace. He swept his tail around them both, the gesture filled with the protectiveness and power that she associated with him.

He bent to touch his brow to hers and she was sure he was smiling at her. He inhaled deeply and she wondered if he was feeling their hearts beat as one, the way he’d told her they did. His eyes were dark but seemed to be filled with stars, and the way he offered his talon to her made her ferociously proud to be his mate.

Quinn blew into the forge and the fire burned hot. The flames leapt high, shooting white sparks into the night sky. The scale he’d made for Drake was heating steadily, now as bright as a strangely shaped coal of glowing yellow. He blew on the flames again, his eyes glinting with the intensity of his attention, and the scale turned white hot. He flicked a glance at Ronnie, and she understood. She stepped closer to the fire and offered the pearls.

Again she was struck by the gentleness these dragons could show. Quinn lifted the string of pearls from her hand with a kind of reverence. He heated the scale again, breathing directly on it this time, and the flames of his dragonfire licked its surface. It was lost to view for a moment in the torrent of fire, then Ronnie saw Quinn drop the pearls into the flame. He smiled a little, his satisfaction clear even in his dragon form, then blew fire on the scale again.

When he lifted it, the scale was brilliant silver, the pearls gleaming upon its surface. Quinn stepped forward and pressed the hot scale into the gap in Drake’s armor. Ronnie felt his heart jump at the pain. He tipped his head back and roared a plume of flame that shot into the night sky like a geyser.

“Fire,” the
Pyr
said in unison, their voices a low rumble in which no individual voice could be clearly discerned.

“Air,” Ronnie said, knowing her part. She pursed her lips and blew on the repaired scale with all her might.

“Earth,” the
Pyr
said in unison again, referring to the steel used to make the scale.

“Water,” Ronnie whispered, tracing the circle of pearls that now glowed on Drake’s chest. He ducked his head to look at her, and she saw the tear he had shed in his pain. She lifted it from his jowl and placed it on the cooling scale. Even though the repaired scale was already silver, the tear sizzled on impact.

Drake considered Ronnie and she placed her hands flat over the pounding of his heart. “Let’s celebrate,” she whispered and he laughed aloud. He swept her up then and lunged into the sky, taking flight with a bound, then circling once over the group of
Pyr
in the clearing. He breathed a stream of dragonfire that could only be interpreted as joyous, then flew high into the night with Ronnie clasped against his chest. She heard Timmy shout in approval, his cry taken up by the other boys, and smiled.

It didn’t get any better than this.

Although, actually, it could. She reached up to whisper to Drake, though she knew he’d hear her no matter how quietly she spoke. “I thought dragons celebrated by enjoying the pleasures of the physical realm,” she said and Drake smiled down at her.

“I seldom drink,” he murmured. “And I am not hungry.”

“Good,” Ronnie said. “Because I had a different kind of celebration in mind.”

He laughed and she realized she hadn’t heard him laugh before. She would make her
Pyr
laugh often, Ronnie decided in that moment.

And she might just give him another son.

* * *

Sam was back in Atlanta, rolling out the clinical tests for the new antiviral. The nurse who had tended Ronnie had been the first to get it, and the first success story. The results were excellent and between managing the manufacture of the antidote, overseeing its distribution and speaking to the media, she’d been working long hours. She was back at her hotel for some much-overdue rest, wishing she wasn’t doing it alone. It was the kind of night that she would have liked to have shared with someone.

It was a triumph she wanted to share with Sloane. The antidote was more than half his doing, after all, and wouldn’t have been possible without the aid of the
Pyr
. That wasn’t the only reason she wanted to celebrate with him, though. She wasn’t feeling nearly so greedy about having him to herself forever either. Right now, just one night would work.

This night.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Sam sighed and took out the scale that Ronnie had given to her. She kept it hidden inside her emptied suitcase, sealed into the secret pocket in the interior, and invariably pulled it out in the evening. Just looking at the scale reminded her of the splendor of Sloane in his dragon form and made her mouth go dry in recollection of the way he’d raced to her rescue.