Dragon Soul

Chapter 20

20

The two of us looked out on the quarry. Rocks and stones filled the whole place, just waiting for newlyweds to take on their dragon forms and dance among them. The nerves had fled me. There was no need for them now. I knew where I belonged and the direction my life was supposed to be going. I didn't have to fight it anymore.

Porter squeezed my hand. "Are you ready, Janet Jane Landon?"

A giggle escaped me. "I've finally got rid of the triple Js."

"You have. I'm glad you didn't go for JJJ though, that would just be a mouthful."

"It really would." I smiled at him as the light wind whipped around us. "How long have you known?" I asked, taking a seat on the edge of the quarry. We'd shift in a moment but I had some questions I wanted the answers to.

Porter sat down beside me, swinging his legs back and forth. "I didn't know for sure until I saw you today. But I was pretty certain after I met you the first time."

"Because it just felt right?" I snorted as I finished speaking, thinking about how cheesy that sounded.

"Yes. Exactly that." His words should have surprised me, yet they didn't. "Nothing that went against the mating bond would feel like that. It just wasn't going to be possible."

"And then you figured it out for certain when we got drunk..."

"Yes. And holding you in my arms all night was the best experience I've ever had."

"You're starting to sound like a bit of a perv," I teased, bumping into his shoulder with mine.

"Says you. I saw you ogling my chest."

"I wasn't ogling. Merely inspecting for imperfections," I countered.

Porter laughed lightly. "You can inspect again if you'd like."

"I think you might require regular inspections." Not that I was complaining.

"Is that so?" His voice dipped lower, full of promise that I couldn't define.

He turned to me, resting a gentle finger against my cheek to turn it towards him. His face lowered to mine and I knew from experience what he was about to do.

Huh. Experience. I didn't think I'd be using that word on my wedding day.

Our lips met and a dizziness set over me. His kiss seared me right down to my soul in a way I couldn't describe. It rivalled everything I'd ever felt before. This was even better than our drunken kisses earlier in the week. They'd been fevered and stolen, this was loving and full of something more.

I really had found my soulmate. How had I not realised he was mine?

We broke apart, silly smiles on our faces as we looked deep into one another's souls.

"I know I haven't known you a long time-"

"It's over a year. We met in Realms&Rebels," I pointed out.

"Alright then, I know I've known you a while, but I've never had a chance to say this JJ."

I waited patiently, joy filling me. He had to be saying what I thought he was going to. He just had to be.

"I love you, JJ," he whispered.

"I love you too," I replied, instantly feeling that saying the words was the right thing to do. Yet more things I didn't think I'd be saying on my wedding day. It was nice to think that fate really did make sure things worked out in the end.

"We need to do the dragon bit," Porter said, almost sadly.

"Are you not looking forward to it?" I frowned.

"Oh I am. I just don't think I'm ready to stop looking at your beautiful face."

"Smooth." Despite myself, I giggled. "How about we do the dragon bit quickly and then we can go back to the flat my parents bought us and do some more looking?"

"Looking isn't all I want to do, JJ." His words came out with a hint of raspiness I couldn't explain. One that did strange things to my insides.

"I think that can be arranged."

I jumped to my feet and began to unwrap myself from the various folds of my sari. These things weren't particularly well thought out for getting in and out of. I had to wonder who had decided they were appropriate wedding attire. Especially when the ceremony itself involved shifting.

I would be stealing Porter's shirt when we shifted back rather than putting that thing back on. Not a bad plan on any level when it meant I'd be able to inspect his chest again.

"Whoa, JJ. What are you doing?" He covered his eyes but I could tell he was still trying to take a little peek.

I smirked, liking that he couldn't take his eyes off me. That boded well for our marriage.

"I'm stripping so I can become a dragon." I fluttered my eyes at him, hoping to convey innocence I definitely wasn't feeling.

"Stripping..."

"Yes. The act of removing one’s clothes and..."

"I know what stripping is JJ, but..."

"But what?" I gave him my best innocent look again. "You're my husband?"

"Yes, but..."

"You've seen me in my underwear already?"

"Yes, but..."

"We need to get naked to become dragons?"

"Yes, but..."

"But nothing, Porter. Now stand up and get naked."

"Are you always going to be this bossy?" he asked but stood up anyway.

I thought for a moment. I had no idea where any of this was coming from, so I couldn't say with any certainty. "No idea." I shrugged. "Let's go with no."

He smiled broadly and slipped off his jacket. Next, he started to undo the buttons of his shirt, stalling me in my own undressing.

"See, not nice to be so distracted, is it?" He smirked.

"I beg to differ, husband. I very much like this form of distraction."

"Husband?"

"That's what you are, isn't it?"

"Yes. But are you just calling me that to remind yourself?"

"A little bit," I admitted, dropping my skirt to the floor and leaving me stood in front of him in just my underwear.

Porter's eyes roved over me and I felt both admired and exposed at the same time. I fought the urge to cover myself, knowing I'd need to take off the last remaining scraps of material in order for us to properly seal the marriage. But I was nervous about that. I had no experience and was simultaneously hoping that Porter would and wouldn't.

As he stripped down to just his boxers, it was my turn to do a full body check and I had to admit liking what I was seeing. While he wasn't gym bunny muscled, he was certainly pleasing to the eye. And fit. Very, very fit.

"Like what you're seeing?" There was a note of laughter in his question and I almost blushed.

"Very much so."

Porter leaned in for a kiss, his strong hands resting on my waist. “How about we save the rest for when we’re in bed together?” he whispered.

Relief and excitement flooded through me and I nodded in agreement. While I wanted to see him, it was a little bit awkward standing in the middle of nature. Especially while knowing that my parents and my in-laws were gathered at the foot of the hill, waiting to see two dragons in the mating dance.

With a last kiss, Porter and I turned around and I dropped the last of my clothing. The breeze tugged on my skin, an invitation to take to the sky.

I called upon my dragon form, envisioning scales and claws. The thunder of the sky, the earthquakes to the earth. A heat rushed through me as I morphed, the leathery plates rippling along my growing body. Wings folded out of my shoulder blades as I answered nature’s call.

I heard a soft rustling behind me, the wind whistling past scales, the beat of wings. Without having to look, I knew there was a dragon waiting for me.

With my tail slashing through the air, I turned and faced the most beautiful dragon I’d ever seen. A ripple of dark scales with a metallic green shade, captivating brown eyes that pierced into my soul. An air of magnificence surrounded him and I couldn’t believe he was mine.

Drawn to him by an instinctive call, I nuzzled into his chest. The hidden muscles held a strength that I had to admire.

The sky beckoned for us and as if agreed, we lunged into the air. We circled each other, the wind guiding every twist and turn. With our tails intertwined and the spew of fire, we painted the clouds green.

Far beneath us, I recognised four small dots as our parents and I let out a rumble of amusement. My marriage wasn’t the prison I’d expected it to be. Instead, it was my freedom. I no longer needed to fight with Mum about the wedding and I got a place of my own where I could build a nest with Porter.

My Porter.

He chased me through the clouds, a dance of love and commitment. We’d be together until death, until we turned to mountain and stone. Dust to dust, earth to earth. Two become one and one for two. Dust to dust, heart to heart. Bound from the start, never broken apart.

Within the sky, I nuzzled into the strong dragon and basked in the comfort of my mate. After our flight, we would fall asleep in our dragon forms somewhere in the quarry. When we woke up in each other’s arms, the mating ritual would be complete. We’d be bound for life and right at the beginning of our new life.

I looked up at my mate, my heart thundering in my chest. Perfect. My life was perfect.

The End