Always Trust Your Dragon

by jessies_girl

Summary:

Sequel to ‚Never Trust A Dragon’

Introducing your partner to your friends as a shape shifting dragon can bring some difficulties. How will the humans react? Is Jared facing a life solely among dragons? Or will dragons and humans live side by side in peace?

Notes:

• For DarkSun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DarkSun! 🎁

I know you love your dragon and you’ve been waiting patiently for the sequel. Here it is, finally, and I hope you’ll enjoy the story as much as the first part.

Thank you for being my BEST FRIEND and for always having my back!

I love you ❤️

Chapter 1

Jared woke up, wrapped in Jensen’s arms, on their bed, for lack of a better word, in the leader’s cave. He’d really gotten used to it after spending the past week in the dragon realm. Their trip to Rocastle the other day fresh on his mind, Jared turned to look at his partner. His dragon.
Jensen was still asleep but his dragon senses made him subconsciously aware that Jared was awake. Blinking his green eyes open, he smiled lazily at Jared.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Good morning, kjære, did you sleep well?”
“Perfectly,” Jared replied with a big smile. “I always sleep well in your arms, my dragon.”
The morning sun was now illuminating most of the cave. Jared looked at the entrance, seeing the silhouette of a dragon flying by in the distance. It was amazing how used to these giant creatures Jared had become by now. He almost didn’t miss the human world.
Jensen was very perceptive, especially when it came to his human. He could sense Jared was beginning to think about his human friends more and more. He followed Jared’s gaze and watched the human for a few more minutes.
“Do you want to go back?” Jensen finally asked. He knew that especially the circumstances under which Jared and he had left the human realm probably left his village in a panic. Nobody had seen them leave. They might think they all had fallen to their deaths in the gorge.
Jared was quiet, something that was highly unusual for him. He was sorting his thoughts and emotions and finally turned to look into Jensen’s eyes.
“Marten, the twins… and Aisling, they probably think we’re dead. We didn’t see them when we returned to my home and then we left in a rush. I would like them to know we’re well, but…”
He sighed.
“But it would raise questions,” Jensen nodded. “What happened? How did we survive? And that means you will have to decide something very important.“
Jared’s eyes went big in curiosity.
“You have to decide if you want the humans to know about me,” Jensen explained in a steady voice. “You know I will have to spend most of my time here. I’m the leader. I have to be available.
But I can’t expect you to live among dragons for the rest of your life. You need your friends and other humans around you.”
Jared began shaking his head.
“Hold on,” he asked softly, searching out those green eyes he’d known almost all his life. “I know you have to be here. And while you’re here, I’ll be here, too. I’m your partner.
I admit, I miss Marten and Aisling. And even the twins. And I don’t want them to think we’re dead.
I… just don’t see how I can explain what happened without blatantly lying. I don’t want to lie to my friends. I would need to explain about you, your nature and your position. And it might go down well with them. But it’s not about telling them that you are a dragon. We would have to tell everyone.
If I’m honest, a future where dragons and humans can live alongside each other sounds like a dream. I’m just afraid some humans will be too scared to try.”
Jensen stayed quiet for a long time, his fingers absentmindedly playing with Jared’s locks.
“Maybe the humans in Rothír’s Creek can be a test run,” he finally said. “If your friends react positively to my nature, maybe you and them can talk to the village, see if they would accept a ‘together.’ There will have to be rules set up to make sure everyone’s interests get honored, but I think it’s the only way. First your friends, the village, and then, maybe, more villages.”
Jared had been listening intently. Jensen wasn’t someone for many words but if he chose to speak, it was always important.
“You think it’s just a matter of time until people will realize dragons can shift and then there would be too much suspicion, because it has been kept secret,” he replied. “I think that would be a problem. Simply because physically a human holds nothing on a dragon. The difference in size and power would always add a fear factor into the relationship, unless we can build up some trust.
They know you, they will learn that you saved me and I think we can extend this into trust. Maybe even beyond Rothír’s Creek.”
Jensen listened intently to Jared’s words. He understood how much it would mean to him to play with an open deck when it concerned his friends. Maybe even his village. But he wasn’t sure that it could work out with humans in general. Still, for Jared, Jensen was willing to give it a try.
“I will have to discuss this with the elders. I may be the leader, but I don’t want to be a dictator. If the elders give their consent, we can fly out to Rothír’s Creek and find your friends.”
Jared lifted his head, eyes big.
“You’re not joking, I know. I just can’t believe you’re willing to try, after all that the humans have done to you.”
Jared’s heart was beating rapidly as his eyes were glued to Jensen’s.
“You’re forgetting that the reason the humans could do that to me, was a dragon. Airik.
There will always be some, humans as well as dragons, who will try to break the rules. We will have to plan for these eventualities if and when this idea will be put in motion.
But, have you thought about what to do in case the test with your friends does not go positively? If they can’t accept me, what will you do?”
Jensen’s voice was gentle as he talked. He didn’t want to put Jared under any pressure.
Jared nibbled on his lips. He had only briefly thought about that, because it would break his heart. But he knew for certain what he would do should things turn that way.
“If my friends can’t deal with the fact that my partner is a shapeshifting dragon, I will live with you right here,” he explained with a firm tone. He wanted Jensen to understand, that he really meant it. And that it wasn’t something he said because he believed it would never happen. Jared knew it was probably the more likely possibility.
Jensen held Jared’s gaze a few moments and then nodded.
“Alright,” he replied with a smile and kissed Jared. Then he cocked his head a little, smile turning into a grin. “Are you hungry for breakfast, yet, or can I kiss you some more?”
Jared lifted his head, eyes flittering down to Jensen’s lips.
“I’m always up for your kisses,” he replied and leaned in, capturing Jensen’s lips tenderly. Closing his eyes, Jared lost himself in the kiss, letting his fingers explore Jensen’s skin.
Suddenly there was a knock behind them and Jared opened his eyes to look over Jensen’s shoulder. Roarke, the elder, stood at the entrance of the cave, having tapped his staff to the ground in way of knocking.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, caennard,” he said when both Jensen and Jared faced him. “I heard voices and thought it would be alright to enter.
There is a matter we still need to address and the council suggested settling it today, so you both can see that it’s set in motion.”
Jared frowned because somehow this matter sounded urgent and serious.
“Which matter?” Jensen asked evenly. If he was worried, he didn’t show it.
Roarke glanced at Jared for a moment and then nodded.
“Your partner is human, caennard. Therefore it must be discussed how our relations to humans should be handled. You know how it has been the past centuries. I’m sure you won’t want to isolate Jared from his kind.”
Jared glanced at his dragon. Roarke was basically addressing what they had been talking about earlier. Jensen let Roarke’s words settle and nodded slowly.
“Let the council know to gather, Roarke. Jared and I already talked about this and your opinion is welcome. Maybe,” Jensen looked at Jared briefly. “Maybe we can get some breakfast for Jared?”
Roarke nodded and bowed his head.
“There will be food suitable for a human.”
With that he retreated and Jensen looked at his partner.
“I’m sorry, kjære. We have to resume our kissing later. The dragon council is not very patient. Is that okay?”
Belying his words, he kissed Jared gently.
“Always,” Jared replied softly. “We’ll always have time for kissing and more when this is settled.” He returned the kiss and smiled at Jensen. “I’ll get ready, then, gràdh.”

When Jensen and Jared exited the cave, Roarke and the remaining dragons in the council members had just settled in their spot at the council square. Jared noticed they all had taken on their human forms, most likely for his benefit, and he appreciated the gesture immensely. Staying close to Jensen, he settled on one of the logs, which were perfect to sit on, but had no meaning for a dragon in his natural form.
Jensen greeted each dragon with a smile and a nod and then looked at Roarke.
“You mentioned having spoken to Jared about human/dragon relations, Jensen,” the elder started. “Maybe you could tell us what your thoughts are.”
Jensen looked at Jared for a moment and then nodded.
“Jared would like to let his friends know he’s alive. Since it will be difficult to explain what happened and how, we decided to tell them the truth and see how their reaction is. If it is positive, we want to extend the truth to the village, Rothír’s Creek.”
Jensen looked around and finally settled his gaze on Roarke, waiting for what the elder had to say.
“Do you think it’s a wise idea?” Tíu asked before Roarke could say anything. “I can imagine the humans being scared simply by our size.”
Jensen nodded.
“That is why we want to first see how Jared’s friends take it. The humans will have to learn to trust us, and we need to learn how to trust them.”
“Caennard,” Roarke joined in, looking at his leader. “I think your idea holds merit, but what will happen if the Samboer’s friend don’t take this revelation well?”
Jensen licked his lips and looked at Jared. Jared nodded imperceptibly.
“If the reaction of my fellow human is not positive, I have decided to stay wherever Jensen is. I will live here with you, then.”
Roarke studied Jared for several moments, his expression unreadable.
“That is a huge sacrifice, Samboer,” he finally said. “I’m sure the leader will know how to value it, but I hope for your sake the legend will prove true and the time for dragons and humans to live together peacefully has come again.”
He smiled at Jared and then turned his eyes to Jensen.
“I believe there is no point in postponing the meeting with Jared’s friends. The sooner we know where things will be going, the easier it will be to deal with it.”
Jensen nodded.
“We’re thinking the same,” he agreed. “We’ll be leaving as soon as Jared had his breakfast.”
On cue Leif arrived with a tray of fruit, a few slices of bread, a piece of butter and some dried meats. He even brought a cup of coffee.
Jared thanked him and began eating. He had almost gotten used to the dragons storing human food for him. Roarke had told him on the first morning, that he had gone to a human settlement and bought these foods with some gold, so Jared wouldn’t have to live off meat the whole time.
He smiled when Jensen took an apple from the fruit bowl. He had learned to appreciate human food while he was more or less living besides them. Once Jared had finished eating, he thanked the dragons for the food and looked at Jensen.
“I’m ready when you are,” he told him. Jensen nodded and turned to Roarke.
“You know how to contact me if needed.
C’mon, Jared.”
Together they walked toward the open field and Jared settled on a rock until Jensen had moved far enough to shift.
Once again, watching Jensen transform into this gigantic, magnificent dragon filled Jared with awe and when Jensen had finished, he quickly closed the distance and climbed to his spot on Jensen’s neck, where the dragon magic kept him safely in place.
“I’m ready,” Jared whispered and Jensen kicked off from the ground.
Good, Jensen replied. Do you have an idea where you want to meet your friends? I will need space and we should be unobserved.
Jared thought about Jensen’s question for a moment.
“How about that creek where I first came across you after moving to Rothír’s Creek? Or is that too close to your tree house?”
Jensen didn’t reply right away. He was considering Jared’s suggestion and then hummed in his mind.
I think it will be alright. Humans don’t usually watch the tree tops when they’re walking around.
But I’ll fly us to the gorge. I think if anyone would see us coming towards your village, they would expect us to come from that direction.
“Okay,” Jared replied and molded himself as much as possible to his dragon. “You can go faster, now.”
Jensen chuckled and did just that. It still took him about two hours to reach the area of Rothír’s Creek and he stayed as clear as possible as they passed it, heading to the gorge. A good bit clear of the pass, where it was wide enough for Jensen to land, he touched down and let Jared climb down before he immediately shifted back to human. He was really glad that the shifting with clothes now worked perfectly.
“I’m nervous,” Jared admitted as they walked towards Rothír’s Creek. It had been just over a week since he had disappeared just like that and under circumstances that Jared thought would get his friends worried.
“I’m right here,” Jensen replied. “You’ll be fine.”
Jared smiled at Jensen and nodded.
As they neared the closest gate, Jared spotted the guard who immediately perked up when he saw them approaching.
“Jared?” The man said when they were close enough. “The twins claim you disappeared in the gorge, but I knew I saw the two of you that night still. What happened? Your friends spent two days searching for you.”
There was no reproach in the guard’s voice, only confusion and concern.
“I’m sorry for worrying everyone,” Jared replied. “It’s a long story. And yes, we were here briefly after the gorge. There were circumstances that forced us to disappear for a few days, though.
Do you know where I can find the twins, Marten and Aisling?”
The guard glanced at Jensen for a moment and then nodded.
“I think you will find them up at the creek, they wanted to collect herbs, yarrow, mint, thyme, you know. There’s a spot close to Buzzard Head Peak, if you know it?”
Jared nodded. The group had taken him to the hot spring there a while back.
“We’ll find it,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

They walked in silence for about twenty minutes along the path that Jared and the group had taken by horse. Jared was nervous because while he considered his friends to be pretty open minded, he didn’t know for sure how they would take this revelation. It was a big thing, they would be revealing that dragons could shift their shape, something that no human alive knew.
“How are you feeling about this?” Jared finally asked Jensen. Jensen walked on for another few steps before he shrugged.
“It has to be done as it is the only way for you to stay happy,” he replied.
Jared stopped dead in his tracks.
“Why would you say that?” he asked. “I will be happy if I would live among dragons. Because I’d be with you. That’s what matters most to me.”
Jensen calmly kept his eyes on Jared.
“I know you believe that. I have been in that situation and I know how it feels. Even though it wouldn’t be the same, of course. I was a captive. You are in love.
But I know despite me thinking no dragon cared about me anyway, I missed them.”
Jared instantly felt bad. He had been way too young to understand when they first brought the dragon, Scales, Jensen, to the cell. When he was older he realized how cruel the situation was for Scales and he had done all he could to make things a bit easier.
“I understand,” he nodded and took a deep breath. “Still, it can’t be easy for you.”
“Jared, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me,” Jensen replied and smiled reassuringly.
Jared licked his lips and nodded.
“Okay. Well, we should be there in a bit. Do you see the rock formation there? That’s Buzzard Head Peak.”
Jensen nodded and kept following the winding path, keeping half a step behind Jared because it was about him and his friends.
Another five minutes later, they reached their destination. Jared had spotted his friends’ horses and looked around until he found Marten crouched at a bush as he picked off some wild herbs that grew at the bottom.
“Ah… hey Marten,” Jared called as they approached.
Marten’s head shot up and he turned to look at the two approaching men.
“Jared?” he croaked in surprise. “And Jensen. You’re alive! We thought you might have…
Guys! Come here, it’s Jared and Jensen!”
Marten stuffed the plants into his pouch and then rushed to Jared to hug him tightly. He turned to Jensen, obviously uncertain if he would appreciate a hug. Then he decided Jared’s friend would just have to deal with it and hugged him briefly.
Jensen was too surprised to say anything and just managed to reciprocate the gesture before Aisling and the twins arrived, just as surprised as Marten had been.
“What on earth happened to you two?” Halbert shouted once the first surprise had settled.
“Oh, that is a long story and… uh, should we find a spot where we can sit for a bit?” Jared replied, glancing at Jensen who kept as quiet as he usually was.
“We can get back to our cabin,” Herbert suggested. “Nobody is home.”
“No,” Jared denied quickly. “Sorry, but… there’s something we need to talk about that nobody else should know for now. I like this area here just fine. Is that okay?”
Herbert looked at his twin and shrugged.
“Alright, then let’s find a spot over there by the boulders. How’s that?”
Jared nodded. “That’s perfect. Thank you.”
As they walked over and settled on the boulders, Aisling’s eyes caught a glimpse of Jared’s wrist and her eyes grew big. She stepped forward and took his hand into hers, turning the palm up so she could look at the skin on the inside of Jared’s forearm.
“When did you get a tattoo?” she asked with a gasp. “And how did it heal this fast? You didn’t have that, yet, last week, did you?”
Jared looked down at his wrist before lifting his eyes to Aisling.
“You’re right. I didn’t have this last week. It’s part of what we have to talk to you about.”
He settled on a large boulder next to Jensen and the twins, Marten and Aisling sat nearby.
Four sets of eyes were glued to Jared and he took a deep breath before starting.
“Last week I was supposed to collect wood with you, right?”
The four nodded.
“While I was waiting for you, Airik appeared and told me he needed my help because Jensen was hurt…” Jared started but Marten cut in.
“Wait, I’m sorry… he told you what?” Marten asked, sounding incredulous. “That explains everything. I mean, we wondered what he could have told you that you dropped everything to go with him after what had happened when we wanted to go hunting.”
Jared nodded.
“Yes, that’s what he told me and I didn’t think. The thought that Jensen could be hurt, needing my help made me forget that Jensen would never go with Airik in the first place.
But, he achieved what he wanted and I followed him up to Unicorn Pass. When I saw the path however, it became clear that the wagon he claimed was pinning down Jensen, could never have made that trip and I became suspicious.
That is when Airik dropped his act and I realized he was trying to kill me.”
The twins’ eyes grew wide, Aisling gasped and Marten lost all color in his face for a few moments.
“He tried to kill you,” Halbert finally repeated. “I guess it was a good thing then that we sent Jensen after you when he came looking for you.
You saved him, right?” He looked at Jensen.
Jensen nodded. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Jared needed to tell the story and he would just add something if Jared needed him to.
“I confronted Airik and we… fought. He is very strong and when Jensen appeared to help me, I was struggling to breathe. Everything was a bit blurry then, and I just remember falling and screaming and then nothing. When I came to, Jensen was with me.”
“You fell?” Marten almost shouted. “You fell down that gorge? How are you here not only alive, but in one piece?”
He looked at Jared for a few moments and then at Jensen.
“You saved him, but how? I mean, I know the gorge. I know there is no way you can survive any impact if you fall. There are no nearby plateaus that could be survivable. I… there’s no way of saving anyone unless one can fly.”
For a few moments it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Marten’s words sunk in by his friends and they all looked from Jared to Jensen and back to Jared.
“Exactly,” Jared finally said, his voice tight. He swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat and suddenly felt Jensen’s hand on his knee, rubbing it briefly in a reassuring manner. It was okay. He needed to spill the beans.
“Do you guys remember that dragon I was guarding in Rocastle?”
Halbert nodded.
“Big, black scales, greenish tint, and you said his eyes were green, just like…”
He trailed off and looked at Jensen. Jared could literally see the train of thoughts going through his mind.
“Yes, just like Jensen’s,” Jared confirmed. “Which is because Jensen and Scales, they are the same.”

Chapter 2

Marten and the twins looked at Jared as if he had grown a second head and Aisling’s eyes were locked on Jensen.
“Wait… what do you mean, they are the same? Their eyes? I mean… the color?” Herbert asked, looking at Jensen.
“No,” Jared replied. “Jensen IS Scales. He’s a dragon.”
For a minute the silence was just broken by the soft gurgling of the creek. Then it was Halbert who broke the it.
“You’re serious,” he stated, eyes moving from Jared to settle on Jensen. “If anyone else had said it we all would have had a good laugh, but… you’re serious.”
“That means,” Herbert chimed in, “either you believe in something that doesn’t exist, or something we don’t believe in exists.”
Jared opened his mouth to reply but Marten was faster.
“We know dragons exist, even though most of us believe that the rumor that Rocastle had one was actually just a rumor. You told us they really had one and I believe you.
Believing that such a giant and a normal sized human can be the same? It sounds fantastic and scary, if I’m being honest. I want to believe you, because you’ve always been honest and it would be a poor joke to tell. I just can’t imagine it.”
Aisling and the twins nodded in agreement.
Jared glanced at Jensen for a moment who nodded at him.
“You don’t have to imagine it,” Jared replied. “You saw this tattoo?” He showed it around again. “It is a magical tattoo. Dragon magic. Jensen has the same. It means we belong together. And he will show you that what seems too fantastic to you is real. And I promise you he’s not scary. Gigantic, yes. But there’s no need to be scared. You know him already, right?”
Aisling finally tore her eyes off Jensen and nodded at Jared.
“We trust you. If you say he’ll show us, do you mean he will… transform? Here and now?” she asked.
Jared nodded.
“Yes. We should step back a bit. As I said, he’s not small.”
Jensen got up and looked at Jared for a moment before he walked a few steps away as Jared and his friends did the same. Then Jensen turned towards them and closed his eyes.
The air around him began to shimmer and blur and a moment later, a massive black and green dragon with piercing green eyes looked back at them.

“Holy anvil,” Herbert gasped, involuntarily taking a step back at the expected, yet unexpected appearance. “He IS gigantic! Just look at those claws!”
Aisling was gripping Halbert’s hand tightly, but Halbert didn’t seem to notice it.
“Whooohooo, this is… amazing!” He shouted like he’d gotten the best present ever and looked at the dragon in gleeful awe. “Can I touch the scales?”
You may touch my scales. Just don’t tickle me like Jared did the first time he touched them, Jensen’s voice sounded in everyone’s head.
Marten’s head shot up as he hadn’t expected to hear a voice in his head. A glance at his friends told him they had heard it, too. Jared chuckled.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” he told his friends, somewhat relieved that his friends were taking this so well.
Halbert approached the dragon and placed his hand on one of the scales with more force than he would have before Jensen told him not to tickle him.
“Is this okay?” he asked, letting his fingers glide over the smooth scale. “It feels amazing. I can’t really describe it. But… how do you fly with him when you do?”
Halbert looked at Jared as the others now also approached Jensen, touching their hands to the scales. The dragon shivered briefly.
That DID tickle, Aisling, he said and Aisling hurriedly put more pressure on the scale.
“Well, that’s where the tattoo comes in. Its magic allows me to climb up without sliding down. I’ll show you.”
He stepped up to Jensen’s leg and nimbly climbed up to sit in his spot. Looking back down at his friends, Jared softly talked to Jensen.
“Is this okay for you?”
It’s fine, Jensen replied only in Jared’s head. They took this a lot better than I had expected, if I’m honest.
“Yeah, me too,” Jared agreed. “Well, thanks for being so patient with them. Should I relieve you of them now so you can change back?”
Yes, please, Jensen replied.
“Okay, my love. Just let me get back down, then,” Jared smiled, pressed a kiss on the scales in front of him before making his way back down.
“Dude, that looked really aces,” Halbert grinned. “But how does that tattoo make you stick?”
Jared walked back to the boulders and settled down again. Then he waited for his friends to follow suit so Jensen could change back.
“Think of the tattoo’s magic like a magnet,” Jared explained once they were seated, using the image Jensen had used to explain to him. “It makes me stick to his scales when it needs to.”
“Jared, that’s so neat,” Aisling smiled and then watched Jensen as he walked back to sit with them, now back to his human self. Somehow, now knowing he was a dragon, she looked at him like she wanted to see the dragon in him now.
“Very neat,” Marten agreed. “But… I never knew that dragons could change their shape. I mean, it makes me wonder if there are other dragons living among us that we don’t know of.”
Jensen’s face darkened and Jared licked his lips before nodding.
“Airik was a dragon as well. That is how he could sell the dragon goods to you. He didn’t buy them from dragons, he had first hand access to them.”
“E… Airik is a dragon?” Herbert gasped. “He’s been traveling the villages forever...”
“Wait,” Halbert interrupted his twin. “Was? As in…?”
Jared nodded.
“He’s dead, yes.”
“How?” Aisling asked with a tremble in her voice.
“I killed him,” Jensen replied instead of Jared. “He tried to kill Jared twice, so I fought him and defeated him. He needed to die because he would never have stopped.”
It was quiet for a moment. Then Herbert took a step back and shook his head. Aisling’s lips were parted, seeming shocked and Marten looked the same. Even Halbert was speechless for a moment.
Jared was tensing up a little because what had seemed to be going smoothly, now was getting a bit tense. Of course it was a lot for his friends to take in, to wrap their minds around, but Jared hoped they would come to see that killing Airik had been a necessity.
“You said he tried to kill Jared?” Halbert finally spoke.
Jensen nodded.
“Twice. He threw him down the gorge. Jared didn’t know I was the dragon he cared for so long. I never wanted to return to my kind after what… they had done, so there was no point in telling Jared. I didn’t want to spook him. But Airik?” Jensen paused for a moment, the dislike obvious in his voice. “Airik forced me to change to save Jared. He would be dead if I hadn’t done that.
That was how Jared learned about me being a dragon.
Me being with Jared also started something else. Jared mentioned dragon magic. This magic recognized him as my perfect partner and announced me as the true leader to all dragons.”
Halbert’s eyes had gone wide, like those of the others as well. This was all very fantastic and hard to believe, but it had to be true because he had seen Jensen turning into a dragon and felt his scales.
“You’re not just a dragon, you’re the leader?” he asked, looking at Jensen.
“Yes,” Jensen nodded. “Only recently, but yes. Airik… he felt threatened by that. Up to the day that Jared and I became one, Airik was the leader. He was the only dragon allowed to walk amongst humans in his human form. When he found out that the magic had elected me to be their true leader, he lost his position. The only way he could keep it would have been as my partner.”
Aisling gasped and then glanced at Halbert for a moment.
“That’s why he wanted to kill Jared, right?”
she concluded. Jensen nodded.
“What about the second time?” Herbert asked, sounding skeptical. “You said he tried to kill Jared twice.”
This time it was Jared who answered the twin.
“He did. When Jensen became leader, the dragons called him back. He didn’t want to leave me alone, with Airik on the loose, and I didn’t want to leave him either. So I came along.
Airik was trying to convince the elder dragons that the magic made a mistake, that I couldn’t be Jensen’s partner. Then Roarke, one of the elder dragons, told us about the legend, that dragons and humans would be reunited when the next true leader found his perfect partner. Like the last true leader, centuries ago, also had a human as the perfect partner.”
Jared loved telling tales and was ready to explain even more, when Jensen put his hand on Jared’s arm, signaling that he wanted to conclude this.
“Airik was furious. Because I didn’t want him. Because he wasn’t the leader anymore. Because the elder dragons were on our side. So he tried to kill Jared again. We were all in dragon from. Jared would have had no chance, so I fought Airik to the blood and finally killed him. To protect Jared and possibly all humans.”
Once again it was quiet. Jared was watching his friends, trying to find out how things were going. He was tense, because Jensen admitting to killing Airik would definitely conjure up mixed emotions in everyone who hadn’t witnessed it.
“Airik tried to kill me with fire. Jensen had his flight skin singed when he protected me. And those scales are a great shield but dragon claws can still penetrate them.
When… when it was over I thought… there was so much blood and his wing was shredded. He put his life on the line to save me.” Jared looked at his friends, hoping they would see that killing Airik had been necessary and not arbitrary.
Marten scrutinized Jensen for a moment.
“If you get hurt as a dragon, and you change to human, are you still hurt? This was about a week ago, right? I didn’t see any injury when you were a dragon.”
Jensen held the young man’s gaze for a moment and then nodded.
“It was about a week ago, correct. And yes, I carry an injury over to the corresponding human part.
You forget one thing, Marten. The reason the humans had kept me captive was the healing powers of my blood.
When I get hurt, I immediately start healing. Rapidly. And last week, my whole clan helped healing me. I was only a little tender for a day.”
Marten listened to Jensen’s words and then nodded. He had not thought of that and it made perfectly sense. He had seen the healing powers of dragon blood when his mother had once gotten a little vial from Eric, the trader.
“We heard a story as kids that dragons are immortal,” Herbert chimed in, crossing his arms. “You said you killed Airik.”
The implied question was obvious.
“Pure dragons are immortal, that’s true,” Jensen agreed. “But we can choose to die. And we can be killed. Immortal means we don’t just die from old age. Half blood dragons will die from old age but they can live several centuries.”
“Can you bleed out?” Halbert asked. Unlike his twin, who seemed somewhat skeptical, Halbert was interested and sounded curious. “Or will your blood keep healing you? And how did you kill Airik?”
“Halbert,” Herbert hissed disapprovingly. “Your morbid curiosity has no boundaries.”
“It’s okay,” Jensen replied. He wasn’t happy to talk so much but he could understand the curiosity and knew that it was important not to hide anything if this was supposed to work. For Jared’s sake.
“We can’t bleed to death because the wound will not be open long enough. Unless it gets kept forcefully open. I have never heard of that, however.
When I was a captive, they used to cut away my scale to get my blood, and the constant repetition over the years managed to make me lethargic in the end. Unlike in the beginning, when they would only get my blood a few times a year, in the end it was a few times per week and it made me tired.”
“It also gave you the scar,” Jared added softly. Jensen nodded.
“Yes, it did. The wounds that I gave Airik didn’t kill him. Neither did the ones he gave me kill me. When we fought on the ground, I managed to grip him tightly and twisted him around. Basically, he died from a broken neck.”
Aisling gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. What Jensen told them sounded scary and Jared could see the stunned shock on everyone’s faces.
To himself the scene had felt differently. When he had heard the cracking of the bones, he had felt relief. Relief that it was over, because he had instantly known what that noise meant. And then he had been worried about Jensen.
Instinctively, Jared now grabbed hold of Jensen’s hand and held it tightly. Marten’s gaze fell on their hands and his stunned mind realized that Jared was not even a little afraid of Jensen. He hadn’t seem frightened even when Jensen had been a dragon. The way he had confidently climbed up to his neck and placed a kiss on his scales had been acts of complete trust and love.
“So you can’t accidentally kill a dragon,” Herbert inquired.
Jensen looked at him for a moment and then shook his head.
“You can’t, no. Even when Airik made me crash all those years ago, I survived. I would have had to instantly break my neck.”
Marten looked up.
“He made you crash?” he asked.
Jensen nodded.
“Yes. We were… young. And inexperienced. And Airik was always someone to walk the tightrope.
Millennia ago, humans and dragons shared a living space. There were partnerships between them, and the offspring, half dragon, half human, would always be born human. When hitting puberty they would be able to take their dragon form. There were rules that everyone had to abide by to make the togetherness work.”
Jensen took Jared’s hand in his and began drawing small patterns on it with his thumb.
“The last true leader, Harkur, had a human partner, Eliza. They had a son, Kjarkur. Like all half dragons, he was in human form. He was the leader’s son and destined to take over the lead if anything should happen to his father.
But some dragons got suspicious when Kjarkur failed to take on his dragon form when puberty hit. The son of the true leader could not be fully human. They decided Kjarkur can’t be Harkur’s son and decided to kill him and his mother.
When they came for it, Kjarkur was nowhere to be found and Harkur would defend his mate with his life. They both got killed.”
Aisling gasped, instantly feeling for Harkur and Eliza.
“What happened to Kjarkur?” she asked softly.
“Kjarkur had been hiding. He had witnessed his parents getting killed and in his pain and rage, he transformed into his dragon. He killed all those who murdered his parents and became his father’s successor.
Kjarkur then separated the human realm from the dragon one and all dragons were forbidden to set foot on human land, so this would never be repeated. Only he from time to time, would take on his human form and walk amongst humans to make sure they wouldn’t venture into dragon territory.”
Jensen fell silent for a moment, seeing if anyone wanted to ask something.
“So why do you want to reunite the lands if it ended in murder?” Herbert asked. “And it still didn’t explain why Airik made you crash.”
Jensen looked directly at Herbert.
“I want to reunite the realms so Jared does not have to choose. He is human. He is willing to live among dragons, but he will always be at a disadvantage because he can’t become a dragon. He needs human contact. He needs his friends. He needs you all.
And I think that being one realm could be of benefit for humans AND for dragons. Dragon balm would be more easily to come by because we shed our scales twice a year. It will be enough to keep your houses fire proof, for example.
Us dragons, we can learn about tool making and cooking. Even though you have spices where I will never understand why you use them.”
Jared laughed when he remembered Jensen’s reaction when he tasted the chili flakes.
“As for Airik making me crash,” Jensen continued. “We were banned from stepping on or flying about human ground. There was a giant cliff close to Rocastle where we would often sit and watch the humans. Our eyesight is a lot better than yours so we could be far away and still see everything clearly.
Airik wanted to change to a human to meet a human girl. His intentions were curiosity, but not because of her, but because some old dragons kept talking about how wonderful sex with a human is.
Sex among dragons is very… basic. It’s not about fun. It’s just for procreation.”
Aisling and Halbert were blushing furiously at Jensen’s words, Marten worked hard not to blush as well and Herbert just shook his head.
“I reminded Airik that it was forbidden to set foot on human ground. He called me a coward and changed. Then he dared me to change since I never had before. He wanted to see my human form. So… I did. Again, Airik wanted to convince me to go with him but I changed back and denied him.
When he changed back as well, I thought he would listen to reason. But he just attacked me. We fought and he landed a hit that threw me off course and I crashed into the rock. And then I fell. When I hit the ground, I was knocked unconscious and when I woke up again, I was locked in that cell at Rocastle.
Airik returned to the dragons and told them I broke the rules and the humans captured me. As punishment, nobody tried to rescue me.”
“Uh, I never really liked Airik,” Halbert grumbled.
“I’m sorry you had to stay captive because you wanted to do the right thing,”
Aisling said. “I think that maybe trying to live together maybe isn’t such a bad idea.”
She looked at Marten and the twins. Halbert nodded, followed by Marten. Only Herbert needed to think a bit more.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea, but, we know you, Jensen. We know you’re a good guy. You’re the leader, so… you vouch for your fellow dragons. Because if anyone chooses to not follow your idea, we’ll have no defense against you.”
“I vouch for them, right,” Jensen agreed. “There will still be rules. For both sides. It has to be a transition time because both dragons and humans will need time to adjust. To get used to it.”
The humans looked at each other, holding a silent conversation. Finally it was Marten who took the word.
“I think it‘s obvious that we can’t decide that for all of Rothír’s Creek. But we think we should call in a council and decide together. We could head back, round up everything and explain what we know, and you both can join us a bit later and we see how things will go. Does that sound okay?”
He looked at Jensen and then at Jared.
“It sounds good,” Jared replied.

The twins, Marten and Aisling collected their herbs while Jared and Jensen walked all the way to Jensen’s tree house to wait.
“How do you think it will go?” Jared asked while they were walking.
Jensen glanced at his mate.
“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully. “It would be a big change for the humans and one that will come with a natural fear. Us dragons, we have an advantage. We can shift, we can spit fire and one slice with our claw can end a human’s life. That’s all something that needs to be considered and it is important, if the village agrees, that rules will be set by them.”
“By them?” Jared asked. “Not by both parties?”
Jensen looked at Jared.
“At first, the humans will have to set the rules. They have to feel comfortable with them. If there should be one that cannot be accepted, I will negotiate them. Then, once we’ve been living together for a year or two, we can see if any of these rules need adjustment or be changed.”
Jared stopped walking and thought about the explanation.
“That makes perfect sense,” he replied and then looked up the tree to the tree house. “Are you taking me up there again?”
Jensen glanced up and grinned.
“Of course. Just, hold on tightly,” he said and when Jared did just that, Jensen changed his hands into claws and walked up the trunk with ease.
In the tree house, Jared stretched out on the pelts, waiting for Jensen to join him. He had missed the tree house. It was comfortable, remote and one could hear the birds in the trees or watch the squirrels racing themselves in the tree tops.
“I missed this spot,” Jared remarked and looked at Jensen. “It’s very cozy and remote and… it’s you. That’s what I love about it most.”
“It’s me?” Jensen asked, raising one eyebrow. “How so?” He was laying on his side, looking intently and curiously at his mate.
“You built it. There’s no bed, but lots of cozy pelts. It’s in the tree tops up high with is where the dragons fly. And I had a few awesome hours with you here,” Jared recounted his reasons.
“That we had,” Jensen agreed with a twinkle in his eyes. Then his face became serious.
“We had sex in here. And I think there is something we need to continue because we got interrupted this morning.”
“Hmmm, what could that be?” Jared replied despite knowing what his dragon was referring to. “Oh yes, I remember.”
Turning further towards Jensen, Jared reached out and drew him in for a kiss. The moment their lips touched, a shiver ran through Jared’s body. Immediately his kisses were urgent, demanding, like he hadn’t kissed Jensen for ages.
For a moment Jensen was surprised by the need he could practically taste. He instantly knew what was behind it, probably better than Jared himself. This evening would be a very crucial point in their lives and Jared was nervous. Jensen knew just the thing to do to distract his human. His kisses increased in intensity and he placed his hand on Jared’s shoulder, slowly letting it descend over his body until he reached his hips. With a swift tug, Jared’s shirt was riding up and Jared gasped into the kiss before willingly lifting his arms so Jensen could undress him. A few moments later both of them were naked from the waist up.
“Wanted to do this all day already,” Jensen whispered, his lips brushing against Jared’s ear. He let his fingers trail down over Jared’s torso while plundering his mouth and even if Jared had any objections, they’d evaporate instantly.
“Hmm,” he managed in reply, his skin covered in goosebumps. He kept the kiss going until he ran out of air.
“I…,” he gasped breathlessly.
“Yeah, me too,” Jensen replied and tugged on Jared’s pants.
Jared lifted his hips to make it easier for Jensen to take off his pants.
Jensen kissed him incessantly and suddenly they were both naked and Jared shivered as he felt Jensen’s skin on his.
His fingers stroked over Jensen's back, tracing the muscles of his shoulders and arms before he wrapped his own arms around Jensen’s neck.
“Want you.” Jared breathed. “Want you so much.”
“I know,” Jensen replied, sounding no less breathless.
He kissed a hot path down Jared’s throat and collarbone and back up into his choke pit, licking delicately over Jared’s heated skin.
He lifted his head and looked at his mate with burning eyes.
“How do you want me?” he asked.
He felt the urgent need to give Jared exactly what he needed to forget about tonight for a while.
Jared looked deep into Jensen’s eyes, as always losing himself in the deep, clear green.
“Just like this,” he finally said, fingertips ghosting over the rippling muscles in Jensen’s back. “Want you to be on top and… I want to look at you.”
His hands came to rest on Jensen’s butt and he pulled him in invitingly.
Without hesitation Jensen pushed his knee between Jared’s, easily sliding between his legs. He reached down and wrapped his hand around their erections, stroking them a few times.
Jared moaned softly, the sensation of his cock against Jensen’s setting his whole body on fire.
Jensen smiled.
Jared loved it when he was on top.
Jensen kissed him hotly and let his fingers stroke both of their glans once more to catch the precum that was collecting there.
He then gently pressed his fingers against Jared’s hole.
“We don’t have any lube here. That will have to do,” he breathed, kissing Jared’s lips.
He gathered a little precum again and then slowly massaged his fingers deeper into Jared’s hot tunnel.
“That okay?” he asked softly as he pressed his fingertips against Jared’s inner walls.
Jared shivered briefly and nodded. “Yeah, feels good,” he whispered and licked his lips.
“I know,” Jensen smiled, rotating his fingers once more in Jared’s hot tunnel. “You ready?”
“Always,” Jared rasped. He couldn’t wait to feel Jensen inside him, so he raised his hips a little.
Jensen laughed.
“So impatient, human,” he said with a soft rumble. Then he took hold of his cock and positioned himself at Jared’s entrance. He locked his eyes on his mate’s and pushed in gently but with enough force to be flush in one by thrust.
“Oh fuck,” Jared groaned, exposing his throat as he leaned his head back. A moment later his legs came up to wrap around Jensen’s waist and he pulled him in deeper.
“Always impatient for you, dragon,” he replied and grinned broadly.
Jensen’s laugh was deep and rumbled in his chest as he kissed Jared and then murmured, “Yeah, I can feel that.”
He thrust slowly and deeply into Jared a few times to give his body a moment to adjust.
But Jared just moaned and wrapped his legs even tighter around Jensen’s middle, lifting his pelvis to meet each thrust.
“Fuck human! I won’t last long like this,” Jensen gasped.
Jared’s body held him in a vice-like grip, deliciously tight and hot and perfect.
“Maybe,” Jared gasped, “maybe that’s the plan.” He met Jensen’s thrust again and then relaxed a bit because as much as he liked knowing he could drive his dragon to the edge of ecstasy quite quickly, he wanted to last it a bit longer.
Jensen took a few deeper breaths when he felt the pressure of Jared’s legs lessen, but he still kept up a steady pace.
He continued like that for another minute, focusing on stimulating Jared’s tunnel, before he stopped to look deeply into the human’s hazel eyes.
“You’re mine,” he growled possessively and leaned forward to kiss his way up Jared’s long neck, nibbling along his jaw. Then his hands grabbed Jared’s hips and he leaned back a bit, effectively pulling Jared into his lap.
“Always. Forever yours,” Jared moaned and the words came out with difficulty, so perfect were Jensen’s thrusts that they took his breath away.
Jensen’s lips kissed along Jared’s jawline to his ear, traveling lower, down his neck tendon to where his neck and shoulder met.
He licked and nibbled at that spot, nailing Jared’s prostate with almost uncanny precision.
He placed a particularly hard and precise thrust and bit him at the same moment.
Jared belonged to him.
And the dragon inside him had to show the world that Jared was his.
Jared’s eyes widened, whether it was because of the bite or because Jensen just hit his prostate spot on, he didn’t know. The pain from the bite mingled with the pleasure and he groaned loudly as shudder ran through his body.
“Thought you wanted this to last, dragon,” Jared rasped. “Pushing me right to the edge with that.”
Jensen, who had returned to thrusting leisurely, cocked his head.
“Maybe that’s the plan,” he replied hoarsely, using Jared’s earlier words.
Jared chuckled.
“It’s a good plan,” he agreed. “I want more of that.”
Jensen’s growl was low and almost menacing-sounding to someone who didn’t know him. But to Jared’s ears it only sounded possessive and arousing.
Jensen thrust deeper, harder and his rhythm became faster.
He made sure that each thrust stimulated Jared’s inner walls before hitting his prostate hard.
“Is this the ‘more’ you want?” he gasped breathlessly.
Jared grunted and then nodded, unable to talk for a moment.
“Yeah,” he panted when he had his breath back. “It is.”
Once again he tightened his legs around Jensen’s waist, pulling him in with the next thrust.
“I think I want a lot more of that,” he added a heartbeat later.
Jensen wordlessly complied with this request.
He fucked Jared hard, deep and passionately.
He kissed Jared, bit his lip and increased his pace one last time.
His green eyes were fixed on Jared with burning intensity, he held his hips with both hands and rammed himself powerfully into Jared.
“Cum. But only on my cock.” Jensen gasped hoarsely.
Jared shuddered because this situation was so arousing to him. The way Jensen looked at him, the way his voice was rough and his breath was coming in harsh puffs, the slight sheen of sweat on his brow…
Jared felt his body draw tight, coiling up for release. His hands made fists in the pelt beneath him and he locked his eyes onto the green ones that merely a few days ago revealed Jensen’s identity to him by changing into those of Scales, the dragon.
Jensen repeated his thrusts with utter precision, once, twice, and Jared climaxed with a strangled shout as his body tumbled over the edge. He came hard between them, painting their bodies with his release. A low moan escaped Jared’s lips while his body trembled in ecstasy and it became harder to keep his eyes open and on Jensen’s.
Jensen thrust Jared through his orgasm, but it took his last bit of self-control.
Jared’s tunnel pulsed and massaged Jensen’s cock so hard, so good, that the moment Jensen felt Jared’s orgasm turn into aftershocks, he let go.
He thrust hard and fast into Jared, chasing his release and then suddenly stiffened.
His back arched in a perfect bow, his eyes closed and then he erupted deep and so hard into Jared that his vision went white.
He pumped load after load into Jared and finally collapsed on top of his mate, drained and exhausted, his body still shaking with aftershocks.
Jared was trying to catch his breath and wrapped his arms around his dragon. As usual their lovemaking had been intense and left both of them exhausted. Jared placed a loving kiss on Jensen’s head and closed his eyes.

~~~***~~~***~~~

Jared’s friends had returned to their village and first gathered the most influential men and women to tell them about their encounter with Jared and Jensen, who was a dragon.
As expected it was news that everyone had a hard time to wrap their mind around, but in the end Eoin, the leader, Douglas, the blacksmith and Tomkin, the goldsmith, as well as Alannah, who was the wise old woman everyone went to for advice, agreed to invite Jensen, the dragon, for talks.

~~~***~~~***~~~

Towards evening Jared woke from his nap when Jensen gently kissed his cheek. He blinked his eyes open and smiled at the green eyes looking down on him.
“Hey,” he croaked. “Is it time for us to go, yet?”
Jensen looked out of the tree house and then nodded.
“Yes. But first we need to get presentable again. I suggest we head to the creek and wash ourselves before getting dressed. It will be getting dark in an hour. I think they had enough time to decide if they want to talk about it or not,” he replied. “Did you sleep well?”
Jared sat up and looked a bit sheepishly. “I did. Even though I hadn’t intended to fall asleep. But sex with you is always so intense it drains my power.”
“Obviously it was needed,” Jensen pointed out. “I slept as well. And I’m not complaining. It was the perfect way to pass the time.”
A few moments later they descended, Jared holding on to Jensen as he took along their clothes and the pelt. They would wash it out as well before returning it to the tree house.
Twenty minutes later they had completed their tasks and then walked together back towards Rothír’s Creek.

After a while the small settlement came in sight and Jared immediately noticed that the guard, Ualan, was not standing where he usually stood. It was almost like he’d been waiting for them.
When Ualan spotted them, he indeed turned to be walk towards them.
“You’re back!” he called, looking at Jared and then at Jensen. “Niven told me he thought he’d seen you that one night but since you stayed gone after that, we all thought…, well it’s good to see you, both of you.”
Niven was the guard that Ualan took turns with. Jensen had never seen him, only Ualan.
“It’s good to be back,” Jared agreed.
“Well, I’m told to bring you to the town square. Tomkin said something about a meeting, but Drystan and me, we have to guard the gates. Niven and Ulik are lucky. Any chance you can tell me what this is about?”
Jared licked his lips and then nibbled on them.
“I can’t say it now, but I will tell you right afterwards, I promise,” he replied.
“Alright,” Ualan nodded, walking with them past the gate. “Ah, well, you know the way to the square. I’ll be waiting for you.”
With that he returned to his post and Jared walked with Jensen along the deserted paths as everyone was already gathered in the square.
“Jared!” Eoin called when he spotted him. Then his eyes fell on Jensen it was clear that he had been told about his nature. He eyed the dragon curiously and then nodded at him. Jensen returned the nod and smiled briefly.
Douglas, Tomkin and Alannah also eyed Jensen curiously and then Eoin pointed at a bench where they could sit.
“Thank you for coming. Have a seat.”
Opposite Jared and Jensen there were Eoin and his wife Elanor, Douglas, Tomkin and Alannah. Around this one circle the whole town had gathered. Jared saw his friends close by, he saw the tailor, Erin, standing next to Kian, the baker, as well as a sour looking man he knew as Arne amongst those in the front row.
“Jared,” Eoin started. “And Jensen, isn’t it?”
Jensen nodded curtly.
“Your friends,” Eoin looked at Aisling and the boys, “told us something that sounds rather… fantastic. They’re swearing on their lives that dragons are walking amongst us.”
When he finished, there was a murmur rising in the crowd that told Jared that Eoin hadn’t informed the crowd before their arrival. He swallowed hard and nodded towards the leader.
“We know that your town, Rocastle, held a dragon captive for some years. At least that was the rumor and when you arrived here, Jared, you more or less confirmed it.”
“Yes, because it’s the truth,” Jared replied. “I grew up with the dragon, as my father was his guard. After I turned 18, I took over the care of Scales. That’s what I called him.
When we got attacked by the people from James’ Burrow, the… cell got damaged and Scales escaped.”
“Yeah, we heard that story,” Douglas chimed in. “And yet, nobody has found any trace of the dragon. Nobody saw him flying. If he was really that big, he wouldn’t be around without being seen.”
Several voiced their agreement and Jared glanced at Jensen.
“That is true, if you refer to him in dragon form. That form is gigantic.
We humans have forgotten one thing. We almost forgot about dragons altogether, and we did forget, that they have a human form.”
“If he could change to a human, why didn’t he escape?” the ginger haired man called Arne called out. “He could have escaped the cell and nobody would have known.”
Again a murmur of agreement was heard and now Jensen stood up. He looked around and waited until the crowd had quieted.
“I didn’t escape because the bars of my cell had been made of dragon steel. Touching dragon steel for a dragon is like being struck by lightning.”
Douglas looked at Jensen. He was a blacksmith. He knew about metals.
“I heard about that but I never found any evidence for that. Then again, I’m a human. But I know that dragon steel melts quite quickly. Dragons hold fire. Why didn’t you melt them down?”
It was obvious to Jared that Douglas didn’t really believe what they said.
“Because they were coated in dragon balm. Which protects everything from fire and heat because it’s being made from our discarded scales.
The man who sold dragon balm to you, Airik, he was a dragon as well. He was the dragon who was responsible for me being in captivity and he didn’t like my friendship with Jared because it meant he couldn’t remain the leader.
I am the true leader of my flight. And he wanted part of it and decided to kill Jared.”
A few women in the crowd shrieked but otherwise it remained quiet.
“In order to save Jared, I had to reveal my dragon side. I had planned on never taking my dragon form again because they had left me to rot in that cell. They thought I broke our rules.
We all now know it was Airik who broke them and betrayed me. He received his punishment.
Jared is my partner and we think it’s time to return to where dragons and humans once were - living together in harmony.”
Again he told the tale of Harkur and Kjarkur and how dragon magic decided the time is right to unite the realms again.
“Jared and I thought - if you all are willing - it would be best to set up rules. You put in rules you would like. We do the same. Then we sit together and work out something we’re all happy with.
I’ve lived among humans for 15 years in captivity. I know the bad side of humanity. I also know the bad side of dragon kin. But I also know the good of both sides.
Jared was the first and only guard who treated me like a living, thinking being. And I decided to stick with him after I escaped. It led me to get to know Marten, Halbert, Herbert and Aisling. And they taught me there are more humans out here that are like Jared.”
Jensen fell silent for a while, wanting to give the humans a chance to digest his words.
“You’ve been telling us all about dragons and changing form but we’ve only seen you as you are now. As a human,” a voice from the crowd said. Jared recognized Niven, the other guard, as the one who asked.
“I could show you my dragon form. But it is gigantic. I would destroy your shelter if I did it here,” Jensen replied calmly. “But I can tell you to ask the twins. They have seen me change. And I can show you this.”
Jensen stretched out his arm, made sure everyone was watching, and then changed his hand to a dragon claw.
Loud chattering and gasping was the only thing being heard and after a minute, Jensen change his hand back.
“I don’t expect you to decide today if you want to try this. Take your time and come to a decision. We can meet again to talk then, but I can tell you that my flight would be delighted to live together.”
Arne, whose sour demeanor hadn’t changed one bit, stepped forward and then called out.
“This is nonsense. A bluff. You have seen that claw. I’m sure it will be ten times bigger if he fully changes. The dragons will have us for breakfast. There is no way we can live together peacefully, so I call this what it is. Bullshit.”
Jared tensed as dread knotted his stomach. He had hoped that there wouldn’t be any loud voices against it like that.
“You don’t know that, Arne,” Alannah replied, standing up. “The way I understood it, Eric, the trader, has been walking among us for… years. And he is a dragon, correct?”
She looked at Jensen and Jared.
“Was. He was a dragon,” Jared replied. “He attempted to kill me twice, because he was jealous, and Jensen protected me. Airik fought on and didn’t survive the battle.”
Alannah studied Jared for a moment and then looked at Jensen.
“Eoin, you have my vote for a council meeting in favor of this reunion. Jensen is coming here, playing with an open deck. He and Jared didn’t try to pull wool over our faces. And as Arne said, Jensen, in his dragon from, could probably easily kill us all. If that was his intention, he wouldn’t be sitting here talking to us. Telling us what happened millennia ago. He would just burn down our settlement.
That he’s sitting here, as the leader of his flight? It tells me that his intentions, that THEIR intentions are pure.”
She looked around the crowd and then back at Eoin to see if there were any objections. When Eoin nodded, she looked at Jensen and smiled.
“We will call in the council tomorrow. If you want to return in a day or two, I think we will be able to give you a definite answer.”
Jensen took hold of Jared’s hand and returned her smile.
“Thank you. That’s all we’re asking for.”
He nodded at Eoin and towards the crowd and then left the square with Jared.

Notes:

Thank you, DarkSun, for helping me out a bit 🫶

Chapter 3

Notes:

Dear readers
I’m infinitely sorry that it took so long to post this next chapter. Life was… life and things got in my way.
But… I’m back posting here and I can promise the next two chapters are already waiting, so it won’t take this long again!
Please forgive the long wait 🙏 and enjoy the chapter.

Back outside the compound, Jared looked at Jensen, before glancing back over his shoulder.
“How do you think they’ll decide? I’m a bit scared that someone like Arne can really make problems for this.”
Jensen continued walking, fingers interlaced with Jared’s. He could feel his human’s concerns and it would have been a lie if he’d say he didn’t worry as well. But whatever would happen, it was their decision and they would accept it.
“I think it’s good that Arne voices his concerns,” Jensen replied. “Others will, too, and they will discuss things and come to a decision. And a common decision is the best foundation for a life together.”
Jared listened and then nodded.
“You’re probably right. I’m just worried.”
Jensen stopped walking and looked at Jared intently.
“It’s good that you worry. This is important for us. There’s quite a bit at stake.”
Jared returned Jensen’s gaze and nodded after a moment.
“I know, Jensen. I hope they will decide to give this a try. But if they decide against it, I will stay with you.”
He remained silent for a few heartbeats, studying Jensen’s lips. Then he looked at his dragon once more.
“Do you think all the dragons are willing to try it as well? I know what the council said, but there may be others that don’t really agree. That… think like Airik, perhaps.”
Jensen inclined his head, thinking.
“Of course it would be a mistake to say everyone will agree. I can’t read anyone’s mind unless they want to share their thoughts with me,” he said, voice soft. “We will have to keep our eyes open but I think, I hope that there won’t be any problems.”
Jared hoped the same and nodded as they resumed their way back to the tree house.

Eoin let his village know there would be a council meeting there next morning and that everyone who wasn’t part of the council but had a concern, could come to one of them before and bring them to their attention.
Back at home, his wife Elanor made tea of herbs which she then placed in front of her husband. Settling down opposite him, she took a sip.
“Talk to me, darling. Sometimes two heads can think of more than one,” she said and waited.
Eoin looked up and braced the steaming mug with his hands. The tea smelled wonderful, refreshing, and he inhaled deeply before looking at his wife.
“You were there, my dear Elanor,” he started. “You heard them and you saw that… that claw. It sounds fantastic, but it makes so much sense.
How else would that trader, Eric, have gotten all those materials from dragons?
And Jared? He’s a decent guy and he seems to trust Jensen with his life.
I can understand everyone’s worries. I worry as well, but I do see a chance in all this.”
Elanor listened carefully and finally nodded.
“I agree with you, my husband. It could be a chance. If those dragons wanted to destroy us they could just fly in and incinerate everything. We may not be able to see the benefit they see in a friendship, but I do see one for us.”
Before Eoin could reply, there was a knock on the door.
Arne and Cheallach, a young man that had grown up with his grandmother, were standing at the door. Eoin let them in.
“Can’t say I haven’t been expecting you,” he greeted Arne. “But admittedly, not that soon.”
“You really want to agree to live with the dragons and risk all of our lives?” Cheallach blurted. “You can’t be serious!”
“Keep your voice down,” Eoin warned.
Arne stepped forward. “Eoin, you know what I think. This whole ruse about peace? It’s nothing more than that. A ruse. I mean, don’t you remember the stories? Dragons… dragons eat people.”
“I remember the stories my grandparents told me,” Cheallach added. “They warned us about the dragons. That was why there was a ban to set foot on dragon land. And the dragons agreed not to set foot here. We now know that they still did that. They lied!
What if this Jensen is like them? A liar. What if he’s just pretending to be kind?”
Elanor looked to them both. “Did you see what he did today?”
“Yes!” Arne snapped. “We saw him turn into a monster.”
“You saw him make himself vulnerable,” Eoin corrected. “It was a great risk to himself. Any of us could have been armed and just tried to kill him. He was exposed. And he saved Jared.
You know Jared, he wouldn’t lie about that. He has no reason to do so. Remember, his village was destroyed because others wanted to get their hands on the dragon they had. On Jensen.
Jensen has been mistreated and abused by humans for years. And still he made friends with Jared. Decided to keep living as a human despite what they did to him. Because he trusted ONE human.
And now he’s the leader of their flight. He has it in his hands to make things better. Make them right.
He decided to remind us, that dragons have a human form as well. He didn’t have to do that.
Don’t forget, we can benefit massively from a friendship with the dragons.”
Cheallach shook his head. “What if he gets angry at us? Or what if the other dragons don’t want to live like he does?”
“We’d be roasted in our beds,” Arne whispered.
Eoin sighed deeply and set down his cup. “Boys… fear is reasonable. But it isn’t wisdom. Jensen has lived around us for a while. He never did anything to us.”
“And now he’s shown us who he truly is,” Elanor added softly. “And he seems calm, patient and holds all the qualities a good leader and negotiator needs.”
Arne looked uncertain.
Cheallach just frowned. “What happens when the other dragons aren’t like him?”
Eoin stood slowly. “Then we deal with that together. But we don’t punish the one who’s done nothing wrong, just because of stories.”
Outside, the wind shifted.
“Alright,” Arne finally conceded. “We can try. But if anything turns ugly, it will be on you. And nobody will be able to keep me from trying to take my revenge.”
Cheallach merely nodded his agreement and then turned to leave with Arne.
It was silent for a few moments. Then Elanor took Eoin’s hand into hers.
“I’d say this sounds like a beginning. And all new beginnings are hard.”
Eoin smiled back at her. “I know there is a reason I love you. And you keep proving it to me.”

The next morning, dawn broke slow and golden, casting long rays through the tall windows of the old meeting hall. Wooden beams creaked softly overhead and Jared along with Jensen watched as most of the people from Rothír’s Creek filed in. There was murmuring, cautious, uncertain, the weight of yesterday’s reveal still heavy in the air.
At the center of the hall stood Eoin, flanked by Elanor, and other village elders. Allanah, Tomkin and Douglas as well as Kian and Erin.
Arne and Cheallach sat near the front, arms crossed. Jared stood close to the door, his face unreadable, while Jensen decided to go back outside to wait to allow the humans a chance to speak freely first.
When the murmuring died down, Eoin stepped forward.
He looked around slowly, deliberately. Then he began.
“Yesterday… a truth was revealed to us. A difficult one. A miraculous one. One that could have shaken us to our bones. We all knew there were dragons in the far lands. We all had heard that the town, that Jared came to us from, held a dragon captive.
Did we believe it? Maybe not. But we now know it was true.
Traders like Eric, we knew, had to have contact somehow with dragons, but we never suspected that they could walk among us unseen. Unseen, because they can take our shape.
I admit, that sounds scary. But if we remember that we had dragons live among us peacefully - as Eric, the trader, really was a dragon and Jared’s friend and partner, Jensen, is one as well. They never abused their nature towards us. Instead, even though we didn’t know how, they helped us. Provided us with dragon balm and dragon blood to fire proof our homes and heal our wounds.”
He paused, letting the silence carry the weight of it.
“We learned that Eric, the dragon, acted out against Jared to gain a personal advantage. He has met his punishment for it. And before you say, what if it happens again, think about how many of us do similar things. It is not a trait solely inherent to dragons.
Jensen, as we got to know him, is not a beast. Not a tyrant from the old tales. But a protector. A man who valued his partner’s life higher than his own safety.”
A rustle went through the crowd. Some heads nodded slowly. Arne glanced sideways at Cheallach. Eoin folded his hands behind his back.
“Elanor and I debated this thoroughly last night. We brought this before the council at first light. And we all agree, that maybe this is the time to start something new. A new chance for all of us, dragons and humans.”
In the back, Niven, the guard stood up.
“People of Rothír’s Creek. I know I’m not high up in the rankings here, but I met Jensen, when he first came here to look for Jared. He’s friendly, calm, humble. And Jared fell in love with him. I personally don’t think that it is all a ruse, because as was already said before, if the dragons wanted war, they could just swoop in and burn everything to the ground. They wouldn’t need friendship with us, first.”
A murmur of agreement rose in the hall and Eoin nodded at Niven. Then he looked at Jared.
“Maybe get Jensen in here. There is good news.”
Jared smiled broadly and dashed outside where Jensen stood waiting, but not alone. Marten, the twins and Aisling had found him and kept him company.
“Look, Jensen,” Halbert pointed behind him. “Jared’s back, and the way he beams, it’s good news.”
Jensen turned around, just in time to open his arms and catch Jared’s exuberant hug.
“It worked, Jensen. We… they agree to try. Even Arne kept quiet.”
He was all smiles.
Jensen looked his partner up and down and calmly returned his hug.
“That’s wonderful news, kjære,” he said softly, pressing a kiss on Jared’s head.
They were still standing like that, with Jared’s friends surrounding them, when Eoin and Allanah walked up to them.
Gently, Jensen released Jared from the hug and stepped up to the elders.
“I heard,” he started with a respectful incline of his head. “I’m glad you and this town are willing to try.
I will take Jared and visit my flight, filling them in on the developments. I promise you to do everything in my power to make this work.”
Eoin looked at Jared and then at Jensen.
“I know,” he replied. “I trust you, just like Jared does.”
Jensen nodded and then looked at Jared.
“I think, to show Eoin his trust is not misplaced, we should let him watch as we fly?”
Jared’s smile grew wider and he nodded.
“But… outside the village. The huts are too close together for you to shift.”
“Of course,” Jensen agreed and began walking towards the gate, Jared, his friends and Eoin in his wake, as well as some curious townspeople.
Outside, Jared held everyone back and Jensen looked into his eyes as he shifted. Completely this time.
There were gasps among the spectators, as they had never seen a real life dragon this close up.
Climb up, Jensen hummed in Jared’s head. They already look like they can’t believe their eyes.
Jared didn’t hesitate a moment and with the help of the dragon magic, he swiftly climbed up to sit in Jensen’s neck. He waved at the humans that stood with their jaws dropping and then Jensen took off. For show he flew a lap over Rothír’s Creek, with Jared’s joyful hooting audible for everyone. Then they both disappeared in the distance.

Chapter 4

 

The sky shimmered with the last golden rays of twilight as Jensen soared across the jagged cliffs, his massive black green wings cutting through the wind with precision. Nestled in the shadow of a cragged ridge, the plains with the dragon caves opened, hidden from human eyes. The place was ancient, sacred even, and Jensen could already see Roarke like he’d been waiting for him.

Curled tightly behind Jensen’s neck, Jared clung to the smooth scales with the help of the gift made by ancient magic. Despite the chill of the wind and the ache of old bruises, he wore a smile.

They had done it, or at least started it. The moment Jensen’s claws touched the rocky ground, he folded his wings and lowered himself, letting Jared slide gently to the ground. The tattoo on Jared’s arm shimmered briefly, until it faded when he stood alone. He could still feel it, though, the invisible thread that hummed with warmth and magic.

One by one, dragons emerged from the great cavern to join Roarke and Jensen. Tiu’s sharp eyes looked at his new leader, the true leader, respectfully. Another dragon, Leif, with brass colored scales and a strong, muscular physique joined him. Several others followed and then shifted from their dragon forms to human ones as they gathered, testimony to their respect for the leader’s human mate, Jared.

Jensen stood in the center with Jared right beside him. Then, with a slow ripple of magic and bone, Jensen shifted as well, his massive form folding into his tall human frame. His hair blew faintly in the breeze as he took Jared’s hand into his before he raised his voice.

“It’s done. The humans agreed to a peaceful reunion.”

A murmur ran through the crowd. Roarke nodded his silver haired head and a slight smile played around his lips.

“I never doubted you would be able to convince them,” he said, smiling at Jared.

“They’ve seen me for what I am,” Jensen explained. “I showed them, and of course there were doubts. But they’ve chosen not to raise swords. They want to build something with us. Together.”

 

Roarke stepped from the gathered dragons and raised his chin. In his human form, he looked like an old warrior, stoic and lean, with eyes carved by fire and time.

“We will accept the rules, abide by them to show the humans we’re sincere. We are dragons, but we must not be tyrants.”

Jensen turned slowly, addressing the crowd.

“From this day forward, no dragon will enter a human village in dragon form. No shifting within human walls. No fire, no flight, no fear. If you wish to live among them, you must tell them what you are. No secrets. No masks.

And you will not harm any human. Not unless you are attacked first. Even then, be merciful. They don’t stand a chance, so talks should be the way to sort disagreements.”

Jared nodded and the dragons murmured among themselves. Tiu gave a small smile. Leif crossed his arms and nodded, showing his agreement. The younger dragons seemed curious and excited at the same time.

At the edge of the circle, a dragon, a little older than Jensen was standing with his peers. His name was Svante.

Jensen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered Svante as one of Airik’s friends when he was still young.

Svante did not move, did not nod. His jade green eyes burned like coals beneath his brow, narrowed at Jensen, flickering briefly toward Jared.

Jensen tensed subtly. Jared might not have noticed it, but he could see the contempt in Svante. The slow curl of the lip. The tightening jaw.

Roarke had followed Jensen‘s gaze and frowned, turning to Svante.

“What are you thinking, Svante? Do you have anything to say to the new situation?”

The dragon’s voice was low and sharp. “I have nothing to say that you want to hear.”

Jared stiffened and Jensen moved closer to him.

Then Svante stepped forward, his silhouette almost regal in the twilight. “You want us to bow to humans? That is not what I think should happen. We’re bigger. We’re mightier. We hold magic.”

He glared at Jared briefly.

“They hold nothing, but they think they can become mighty by stealing a dragon as their mate.

You should have taken Airik’s offer, Jensen. Instead of killing him just to keep this… human.”

Jensen didn’t flinch.

“Airik would have killed Jared. He tried to destroy my bond so he could keep what HE stole. Being leader of our flight was never meant for him.

You felt the magic when Jared and I united. Dragon magic does not lie. And it chose me as your true leader. You would do better to accept it and abide by our new rules.”

“You chose the human over a powerful dragon,” Svante said bitterly.

“I chose what was right,” Jensen replied, voice cutting. “I chose who I was meant to be with.”

The silence was deep and dangerous.

Roarke broke it gently.

“The path is chosen, Svante. By our leader. By me. And by the old ways. You will honor it.”

Svante’s eyes lingered on Jensen, then Jared, before he turned.

“I’ll follow your rules,” he said flatly. “But I will not forget what happened.”

And with that, he shifted, his body folding into smoke and scales, dark anthracite with a silver and moss green hue, and flew off into the deepening dusk.

Jared exhaled slowly. “He’ll be trouble.”

Jensen nodded grimly. “He already is.”

 

The sky had long since gone dark, save for a slice of moon above the northern peaks. High up on the mountain tops where no human dared wander, three dragons gathered around Svante.

Svante stood at the edge, his sharp eyes piercing the night, glancing in direction of the human lands.

Snorre, a smaller dragon, but of stocky built, and Jorun, squinting his purple eyes, copied him. Tjure, bright orange, was the shyest of the four and sat a bit further from the edge.

I can’t believe this is happening, Jorun growled.

It would never have happened under Airik’s lead, Svante replied. But here we are, taking rules like we’re livestock finally tamed .

Snorre grunted. I saw him land with the human on his back. Like a pet.

Jorun blew some smoke from his nostrils.

They will never be equals to us. We should remind them of the old stories they tell.

Svante’s eyes glinted. That’s exactly what we will do. We will remind them.

He thought he for a moment in silence.

Burn a hut. Smash a cart. Scare the children enough and the parents will grab pitchforks. We don’t even need blood.

Jorun grinned.

Make it look like him?

Exactly , Svante said. I’m close enough in form. From a distance, they’ll see him.

Tjure frowned.

And when Jensen says it wasn’t him?

Svante leaned forward, firelight catching his face.

They won’t believe a dragon who flies by moonlight and claims to be their savior. Not after they’ve lost something. Not when fear returns to their doors.

Snorre ground his teeth.

So… we don’t kill?

Not yet, Svante said. Let panic do the killing for us. Let humans turn on dragons. Let the council see Jensen’s ‘peace’ fall apart in his hands.

The others nodded, silent agreement passed like a storm cloud.

Svante straightened.

We start at dusk, tomorrow. Start with fireballs. Close enough to scare. Don’t burn anything, yet. Maybe it’s not even necessary .

 

~~~

 

After the meeting at the dragon council, Jared and Jensen had returned to Jared’s hut in Rothír’s Creek. Jared thought, and Jensen agreed, that showing presence in the village would help the humans overcome the last bits of doubt.

It was evening and the hearth glowed, casting amber light across the room. Outside, the wind whistled gently through the narrow gaps between the huts. Inside, warmth settled around them like a blanket.

Jared rolled up his sleeves.

“Alright. We need to eat a little and I think it’s time you’d learn how to cook.”

He got a few bags he kept vegetables in, hanging from the wall, and placed them on the table.

Jensen narrowed his eyes at the sight. “You want me to make human food?”

“Yes. Without firebreathing. We already established that quick heat will only char the food,” Jared replied with a smile. “Don’t worry, gràdh, I’m here, I’ll help you.”

Jensen raised one eyebrow, looking at Jared and then frowned at the onion in front of him like it had personally offended him.

“Right. So how do I stab this one?”

Jared laughed. “No stabbing. Just dicing. I’ll show you.”

Jared quickly peeled the onion and began slicing it first, then dicing it finely.

“Your turn,” he then said, handing the knife to Jensen.

Jensen sighed dramatically, making sure Jared knew it was a show. Then he began to slice like Jared had showed him. He’d only gotten a few cuts in when his eyes started tearing.

“Oh, what the… why am I crying?” he grumped and Jared chuckled softly.

“Happens to all of us. Onions bite, they say. But I know you can do it.”

Jensen raised his eyebrows in disbelief but valiantly continued to chop.

By the time the potatoes were peeled and the onions chopped - like someone held a vendetta against them - Jared was halfway crying with laughter, leaning against the counter.

“You’re stronger than a house, and you’re taken down by an onion.”

“I didn’t evolve tear ducts for this,” Jensen muttered, wiping his face with the towel. “Why don’t humans just eat rocks? Rocks never fight back.”

“Rocks also don’t taste like herb-roasted potatoes,” Jared countered.

“Ah, that’s yet to be proven,” Jensen muttered.

Finally the stew simmered and Jared handed Jensen a spoon. “Taste it. Carefully.”

Jensen sniffed it first, suspiciously. He’d tasted stew before, but never something he contributed to. Then he took a small taste. His eyes widened.

“That’s actually good,” he announced with a brief smile.

Jared grinned. “Of course it is.”

Jensen tilted his head, licking the spoon. Then he set the spoon down and pulled Jared close, one arm wrapping around his waist, the other brushing hair from his face.

Their kiss was soft. Unhurried. The kind of kiss that lingered, not with urgency, but with trust. With home.

When they broke apart, Jared rested his head on Jensen’s chest, and Jensen, in turn, wrapped him tighter in his arms, swaying slightly to the rhythm of their beating hearts.

“You’re not bad at being human,” Jared suddenly said softly.

“Only because you’re with me,” Jensen replied.

They sat outside on a rock with their bowls in their laps, legs touching as they ate while watching the sun come lower. People walked past and looked at them, some nodded in greeting with a shy smile and three children ran past them, giggling.

They enjoyed the simple meal, laughing between bites of stew and slightly charred bread Jensen insisted on finishing with his fire.

When they both had finished eating, Jared collected Jensen’s bowl and placed them on the table inside. Jensen had followed Jared and wrapped his arms around him from behind as soon as the door had closed and the bowls had left Jared’s hands. He kissed his neck, tenderly, and then placed his hands on Jared’s shoulders, turning him to face him. And then Jensen brought their lips together and kissed him.

Their kiss deepened, hands sliding over familiar places, a language only they spoke, soft sighs turning hungry as laughter gave way to something deeper.

The fire crackled in the hearth.

Jensen groaned when Jared finally pulled away only to grab the bowls and a dish towel again. “We’re not going to bed with stew crust on the bowls. And knowing us, this will only end in bed.”

“Is that… a rule?” Jensen asked, slightly breathless.

“Yes,” Jared said, flicking water at him. “Even for dragons.”

Jensen sighed dramatically and then took the towel with a mock smile. He wanted to get this done as fast as possible, because kissing Jared just now had heated his dragon.

Together, they rinsed the dishes, hurried, laughing when their shoulders and hips bumped in the effort to be quicker. Jensen nearly shattered a mug trying to be faster and Jared had to pry it from his hand.

“Stick to fire,” Jared chuckled. “Not porcelain.”

Then, the moment the final bowl clattered into place, Jensen dropped the towel and scooped Jared off his feet with a mischievous grin.

“Finally,” he growled.

Jared laughed into his shoulder as they stumbled toward the bed.

Jensen came to lay on top of Jared, as he had planned, and began to pepper his face all over with tiny kisses. Jared, his resolution long gone, relaxed a moment and angled his head in a way that gave Jensen all the access he needed.

For a long while only the sounds of lips on skin, gentle moans and suppressed groans among ragged breathing were audible and when they both had reached the heights of pleasure, they fell asleep, Jensen wrapped around Jared like he was his biggest treasure.

 

The sun was already high when Jared woke. He stretched with a soft sigh, tucked against the strong, familiar weight of Jensen’s arm. The dragon didn’t stir.

He was still asleep, face relaxed in a rare kind of peace.

Jared leaned in, brushed a kiss along his collarbone, and slipped out of bed.

He moved quietly through the corner he called the kitchen, mixing batter, humming under his breath. The pan sizzled as he poured the first round of pancake batter in, thick, golden, sweet with honey and crushed berries.

The sizzling finally woke Jensen. He sat up slowly, rubbing a hand down his face. His hair was a tousled mess, and one of Jared’s shirts was hanging off his broad frame, only half buttoned.

Sniffing the air, he blinked blearily.

“Is that… pancakes?” he asked in a rough voice.

“Good morning, gràdh. Yes, pancakes. Sweet ones,” Jared said over his shoulder. “You like sweet.”

Jensen padded over and peered into the pan like it was sacred. “Are those… what are those?” he asked with a frown, trying to identify the red and blue mess.

“Crumbled berries. And a little mix of sugar and cinnamon.”

Jensen remembered berries and he knew Jared had made him taste cinnamon already. He gently kissed the top of his head and muttered, “You’re a menace. A soft, delicious menace. Human food is my downfall.”

Jared chuckled. “And here I thought I was your downfall.”

By the time they sat down, Jared had stacked six pancakes for each of them, plated high with a little honey and the berry cinnamon crumble mix. Jensen devoured the first one before Jared had even started on his.

Before Jensen knew it, one stack was gone and he reached for the last two from the other stack. After the first bite, he heard Jared chuckle and paused mid-chew, blinking.

“Wait. These are yours?”

Jared smirked. “They were.”

Jensen glanced guiltily at the half-eaten pancake on his plate, then at what was left on Jared’s plate. He shrugged.

“I regret nothing,” he said through a mouthful.

Jared just rolled his eyes and laughed, leaning in to steal a piece back from Jensen’s plate.

They sat there, barefoot and tangled at the table, two people from different worlds with hearts stubbornly fused together, one pancake at a time.

 

Afterwards they had pulled Jared’s small place right again, when Jared came across the pouch Jensen had used for the gems he brought him from the dragon lands. He stopped what he was doing and poured the sparkling stones into the palm of his hand.

“They’re still so beautiful,” he said softly, showing Jensen what he was talking about.

Jensen replaced the pan he’d been drying on the hook meant for it and came over to look at Jared’s hand. His eyes lit up, because he was a dragon after all. Glittering gems were a favorite of his and he really loved the sword Jared had Douglas and Tomkin make for him.

“They’re pretty,” he agreed. “Why don’t you have them made into a bracelet or necklace so you can wear them. I’m sure they would look great on you.”

Jared looked up.

“A bracelet?” he asked, scrunching his eyes, which was a certain sign he was thinking and had an idea. “How about a ring. Or… rings? One for you. One for me.

We’re having these dragon magic tattoos, a sign that we belong together. A dragon sign. A ring… that would be a human way to show commitment and love.”

He looked at Jensen, whose eyes were on the gems.

“Rings?” the dragon asked, looking up at his mate. “That… I saw some guards wearing them when I was locked up. I didn’t know it meant they were taken.”

Jensen licked his lips and then looked into Jared’s hazel eyes.

“Rings sound perfect, kjære,” he then declared with a smile. And Jared’s answering smile was all that Jensen needed to know he made the right decision.

 

The sun baked on the rooftops of Rothír’s Creek as Jared and Jensen made their way down the cobbled path toward the far edge of the village. Smoke curled gently from the chimney of Tomkin’s forge, and the clang of a hammer on metal echoed like a heartbeat.

Inside, the warmth of the furnace was comforting rather than oppressive, and the air smelled of soot, brass and sage, a herb that the goldsmith hung everywhere to make the sulfuric smell from his work more bearable.

Tomkin looked up from his workbench when they walked in. He was a broad-shouldered man with soot-stained hands, and spectacles resting low on his nose.

“Well, I’ll be,” he grinned. “Didn’t expect to see the two of you today. Come for a weapon? Do you need another sword handle adorned?”

Jared stepped forward, a little sheepish but smiling, pulling out the pouch containing the gems. “We were hoping for your help… with rings.”

Tomkin set down his hammer carefully. “Ahh. That kind of visit.”

Jensen, standing behind Jared with his hands loosely clasped, added, “We already have dragon markings that connect us, but Jared would like something human. And I like the idea.”

“I want something we both wear,” Jared said. “That humans understand when they see it. But,… something simple. Not too chunky. For every day use. Something that is not generic, but ours. ”

Tomkin nodded slowly, looking between them. “Well then. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Jared reached into the pouch and placed a small cloth on the table, unfolding it to reveal several gems. Most of them Tomkin knew, but there were some that he had only heard about. Rare stones that were part of the dragon tales children would listen to.

“Whoooa. This is… quite a collection. And these here, are those dragon jewels?” Tomkin let out a quiet whistle.

“I collected them from a secret cave on our lands,” Jensen replied, looking at the gems Tomkin had taken into his hand, that were glimmering with strange light. Deep garnets, shards of sky-colored sapphire, and one iridescent crystal that shimmered between green and violet like dragonhide catching sunlight.

Tomkin hummed in response. “You’re carrying a king’s ransom here. I’ve never seen anything like that before. They’re… they feel hard like a diamond, but the colors… they are amazing.”

Tomkin examined them gently, lifting one between gloved fingers. “Most gemstones are too soft for daily wear… but this one?” He held up one of the green or turquoise iridescent stones, “This has heart. Like a dragon flame inside it. Do they hold any magic?”

Jensen looked up at the goldsmith and then picked up the stone that looked like there was a living flame inside it.

“I’m not an expert,” he admitted. “Roarke has more knowledge about that than me. But this one here, it’s called drakoryn. It’s said to be near-living, reacting to the emotions of the dragon close to it.”

Jared smiled. “Can it be split? For both rings?”

Tomkin moved the stone between his fingers, scrutinizing it with his binocular loupe.

“I think I can twin it,” he said. “Cut it down the center, so one half mirrors the other. They might glow the same when you’re near each other, when you touch. Something that represents your bond.”

Jensen nodded quietly. “That sounds perfect, right?” he said, looking at Jared.

“Yes,” Jared whispered reverently.

Tomkin reached for a parchment and began sketching. “Plain bands, silver with scale etchings? Maybe a dragon-claw motif wrapping the gem? Or do you want something smoother?”

“Simple,” Jared agreed. “But with meaning. Scale etchings sounds great.”

Tomkin smirked. “It does. Let me do a little sketch.”

Jared laughed. “Okay.”

Jensen watched as Tomkin’s hand let the pencil dance over the paper as he quickly and proficient executed the sketch.

“What do you think?” he then asked, looking expectantly at his customers.

Jared took in the way Tomkin had sketched out the band, showing great detail, as well as the claw that held the stone in a grip that was both revealing and protective at the same time.

“It… if it only looks half as good in reality, it’s amazing,” Jared said in a near whisper. “Right?”

He glanced at Jensen whose eyes were still scampering over the sketch. At Jared’s question, he looked up.

“It looks great. If Jared already loves it now, it will be stunning.”

“Alright, then,” Tomkin smiled. “I’ll start work this evening. Give me a few days, and you’ll have rings fit for a dragon and his human.”

Jared smiled broadly at Jensen.

Tomkin chuckled, and turned back to his forge.

 

The small gold bell above Tomkin’s little forge gave a final chime as Jared and Jensen stepped out into the warm afternoon sun. The scent of metal and forge smoke still clung faintly to their clothes, mixing oddly with the sweet summer air.

“Well?” Jared asked, glancing up at Jensen. “I didn’t know I’d care so much about rings, but now I’m a little excited.”

Jensen smiled, eyes still glowing faintly in the light. “It’s a human custom I never thought about, really, but I can see what it means to you. So, I’m excited as well.”

Before Jared could reply, a pair of voices rang out from down the cobbled lane.

“There you are!” shouted Halbert, waving both arms.

“You weren’t trying to sneak off on us, were you?” Herbert added, jogging up beside his twin.

Jared blinked. “Sneak off? We just left Tomkin’s.”

“Exactly,” Herbert said, grinning. “Which means you’re free.”

“For what?” Jensen asked, bemused.

“The creek,” Halbert beamed. “Buzzard Head Peak, remember, Jared? We took you there weeks ago and swore we’d drag you back eventually.”

“And now that we know what Jensen is, we can be the first who can claim they were swimming with a dragon,” Herbert added with a grin.

Jared tilted his head. “You know that Jensen won’t fit in the little creek in his dragon form?”

“Yes,” both twins said in unison. “But he’s still a dragon just now. I want to see if the water fizzles when he goes in.”

Jensen raised an amused brow. “You think the water will evaporate when I go in? That would only happen if I’m in dragon form. I hate that, though. So, do you plan to swim or cause a war?”

“Swim!” Herbert declared loudly. “Come on. We’ve got food packed, Aisling’s already headed up, and Marten said he’d race us there.”

Jared exchanged a glance with Jensen, who looked half-incredulous, half-curious. After a pause, Jared grinned and nudged his arm.

“We could use a few hours of nothing, don’t you think?”

Jensen gave a soft hum and nodded. “Very well. But if one of you pushes me into the water unprovoked…”

“You’ll what?” Halbert teased. “Boil the creek?”

Jensen’s smile turned faintly dangerous. “Something like that.”

The twins whooped and took off, shouting promises to “get the good spots first” and “find the biggest rock for diving.” Jared laughed, threading his fingers through Jensen’s as they followed at a more leisurely pace up toward the sun-dappled path that led out of town.

 

The sun was warm on their backs as they climbed the narrow path up to Buzzard Head Peak, where the creek ran cool and clean, carving its way through stone and moss. The sound of water rushing over rock greeted them before the view did, a secluded swimming spot, ringed by trees and tucked far enough from the village that it felt like a secret world.

Jared grinned as the trees opened to reveal the spot.

“I remember this place,” he said, glancing at Herbert and Halbert. “You two tried to convince me to jump from that ledge.”

Herbert laughed. “And you acted like you were scared. You looked really dramatic about it.”

“But in the end I did jump,” Jared protested. “You just distracted me the first time around. And then you asked me all kind of questions about Scales and who has green eyes. I haven’t forgotten that.”

Jensen raised a brow, standing tall beside them. “Am I correct to assume those questions were about me?”

Marten shrugged with a crooked grin and wrapped his arms around Herbert.

“Of course they were. Jared tried to deny that he had a thing for a Jensen with green eyes who lived in a hut in the forest,” he grinned. Then he released Herbert again.

“Come on, let’s show this dragon what we’re talking about.”

Jensen watched as the two climbed up to the ledge, closely followed by Halbert.

Within minutes, the creek was filled with shouting, laughter, and splashes as they leapt in one by one.

Jared took his time getting undressed and then waited for Jensen to follow him up the small path to the ledge.

“Make sure you jump to the right,” he told Jensen. “The water on the left is not that deep. And don’t worry, it’s a hot spring somewhere. The water is not too cold.”

With that, Jared gave Jensen a kiss and ran to jump off the ledge in a somersault ending in a big splash.

Jensen narrowed his eyes. He shook his head and stepped up to the end of the ledge.

“First time jumping?” Aisling’s voice asked behind him. “It looks higher than it is, but I think with you being used to fly, height shouldn’t be a problem.”

Jensen looked down and with his sharp dragon eyes immediately found a perfect spot to dive in. Instead of an answer, he took an elegant jump and dove in with almost no splash at all.

Halbert and Herbert hooted and clapped while Marten swam over to the edge to have another go.

Jared swam over to where Jensen resurfaced, smiling broadly.

“Let’s swim to that little waterfall,” he prompted and when Jensen nodded he started swimming. Of course Jensen was faster and got there first.

While the other humans continued to take jumps from the ledge, Jared and Jensen stood under the waterfall.

The water pelted their heads and shoulders as they moved through the falling water, the sound muting the world around them. Jared leaned in, nose brushing Jensen’s jaw. “You like it?”

“I like you.” Jensen’s hands slid around Jared’s waist as they pressed together, cool water cascading over them. They kissed slow, deep, and content, eyes closed.

Suddenly a wall of water splashed at them, from the side, making them gasp and blink as they turned to look what had happened. Herbert and Marten surfaced nearby, cackling wildly.

“Don’t get too cozy!” Marten shouted.

“You’ll steam the place up!” Herbert added, paddling away. They had jumped from the ledge toward the waterfall, aiming to make the biggest splash to roll at them.

Jared shook his face and laughed, curling into Jensen’s chest. “We’re under attack.”

Jensen smiled, a rare, full smile that reached his eyes. “Let them come.”

On the rocks above, Halbert and Aisling sat close, legs dangling over the edge. Aisling tossed a pebble down at the twins but missed. Halbert leaned in to whisper something, and when he thought no one was looking, kissed her gently, one hand curled around hers.

Marten and Herbert launched another attack at Jared, and Jensen dove deep before the splashes could hit. The boys only noticed his disappearance when they resurfaced and looked at Jared, alone in front of the waterfall.

But before they could wonder where Jensen had disappeared to, they were met with a massive wall of water running towards them as Jensen had half transformed behind them and used his wings to make waves like tiny tsunamis rolling at them.

Jared quickly dove and swam under water to be beside his dragon and Aisling laughed from above while Halbert jumped down to try and distract Jensen.

“Don’t,” Jared warned Halbert. “He’ll just turn and you’ll be washed ashore.”

And since Halbert didn’t listen, that was exactly what happened.

Time passed, minutes turning to hours with water fights, cliff jumps and sun-warmed skin. Later they all sat together on the ledge, drying quietly while enjoying the view.

“Hey,” Herbert said suddenly, turning to Jensen, eyes gleaming. “That thing you did earlier.”

Marten perked up. “Yeah. When you washed us away with the giant waves. Your arm became a wing, right?”

“It was awesome,” Halbert piped up. “To see you two sputtering in the water.”

“Hey,” his twin called. “You’re supposed to be on our side. Jensen has Jared, and Jensen counts for three.”

Jensen glanced at Jared, then at the twins and Marten, amused. “I count only for three?” he asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Then he got serious. “That’s called partial shifting. Useful when you don’t need the full dragon.”

Jared chuckled. “He does it all the time when we head up to his tree house. Uses his claw to climb the bare trunk.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “It’s called practical. And it’s efficient . ”

The twins grinned at each other. Then Herbert leaned forward, eyes wide and curious. “Can you… show us again? The claw and the wing? If that’s okay?”

Halbert hesitated. “Can we… touch? Just to see what it feels like?”

It was deathly quiet for a moment.

Jensen looked at them all, seeing the hope in their expressions, not fear, not awe laced with terror, just honest curiosity.

He nodded.

With a deep breath, Jensen let the change ripple through him. A soft glow shimmered over his skin, subtle but unmistakable, and then with a sound like bones flexing through wind, one wing unfurled from his back, the membrane sleek and glistening with heat-born moisture. His right hand shifted, bones elongating, nails sharpening into black talons, scaled and glimmering in the sun.

The group fell silent.

“Whoa,” Marten whispered. “That’s… incredible.”

“Can I?” Herbert reached out, hesitating just before his fingers touched.

Jensen nodded once.

Herbert touched the membrane of the wing, running his hand across the soft, warm span. “It’s like leather… but alive.”

Halbert leaned close to examine the claw. “And the scales are… look at the way they catch the light. Is this where your shimmer comes from?”

“It’s part of it,” Jensen said, voice calm. “Every dragon’s shimmer is different. Some gold, some silver. Mine’s dark, more like viremyr.”

“Viremyr?” Aisling asked.

“Yes. It’s… I don’t know if humans have a name for it. It’s like dark obsidian green shimmering water,” Jensen replied.

Marten, bold now, traced one of the knuckles carefully. “You’re warm. Like a fire under the skin.”

Marten smiled faintly, watching the scene. “It’s strange how something that powerful can feel so safe.”

Jared reached over and slid his fingers into Jensen’s clawed hand, wrapping around the sharp curve without hesitation. “That’s because it’s him.”

Jensen looked at Jared, a soft glint in his eye. Then, when the twins and their partners had satisfied their curiosity, he changed back to his human form.

They stayed like that for a while and by the time the sun began to dip, turning the creek to liquid amber, the group was getting ready to return to Rothír’s Creek.

Once they arrived, Jensen told Jared he needed to talk to Roarke. Jared insisted of coming along and so, for another time, Aisling and the boys witnessed Jensen shifting form as Jared climbed on his back, watching them take off.

 

~~~

 

The village of Darrow Fen, which was just a stone’s throw from Rothír’s Creek, lay quiet beneath a starlit sky. Lanterns still burned in a few windows, flickering against the night like fireflies. The younger children had been tucked in, tools stored, doors locked.

Then, abruptly, the wind changed.

A sudden, searing gust blew down from the hills. The night air grew heavy, too warm for midsummer. A low, rhythmic thrum began to rise, like wings.

Above the trees, something massive passed across the moon.

The villagers that were still outside stood still, sensing a threat that was almost invisible. They searched the skies, sent the older ones into the huts just to be safe. Some called out that they saw a silver dragon flying past.

From the sky came a second dragon, nearly the same size and shape, but its scales shimmered moss green, laced with black. Its wings fanned out like stormclouds, and its eyes glowed a strange, sharp jade green, but brighter than any ember.

He was flanked by two more dragons, smaller but no less terrifying. Together, they swooped low over the fields.

Villagers began screaming, some pointing, more fleeing indoors. Children clung to parents and dogs started barking at the elusive threat.

The dragons didn’t strike, not yet. Instead, Svante, the moss green dragon, roared again, and with a flick of his wings, launched a fireball skyward.

It exploded like a second sun, boiling heat washing down over the village. Thatch roofs trembled. Iron hinges hissed. But nothing caught fire.

Not yet.

The display was deliberate, to spread fear.

Another fireball, this time closer, skimmed the edge of the wheat fields. The crops didn’t burn, but they sizzled, the scent of scorched grain thick in the air.

 

Arne was manning the rooftop lookout at Rothír’s Creek. He, too, felt the change in the wind and finally saw the fireballs in the sky.

Eyes wide in terror, he shouted. “Dragons! They’re attacking Darrow Fen!”

He swung down from the top and sprinted across the village to Jared’s hut, ready to confront him and Jensen, but the hut was empty.

“It’s a green dragon!” Ualan, the other guard shouted. “Green just like Jensen!”

Eoin had left his cabin to stare at the sky that lit up with orange explosions again and again.

“He’s betrayed us!” Arne shouted. “I told you we couldn’t trust them!”

In the shadows beside the well, Marten, Aisling, and the twins watched with horror and doubt.

“That’s not Jensen,” Marten muttered. “The shimmer looks wrong.”

“The eyes,” Aisling added. “They’re green, but they’re too light. Not like his.”

Herbert squinted up. “But the rest… it’s him. Or it could be.”

As Svante and his dragons looped once more, their silhouettes casting monstrous shadows, he roared again and then they vanished into the hills, fire trailing behind them like smoke from a dying forge.

The villages were left steaming, shaken, but untouched.

No one had died. No one was even hurt.

But the damage, the fear, had taken root.

 

Chapter 5

The last glow of the sun slipped behind the hills as Jensen soared through the sky, wings slicing the wind, Jared secure on his back. The golden hour light painted the treetops below in warm hues, but Jensen’s thoughts were already clouded with unease.
They had spent the day in Rothír’s Creek, sharing laughter and food with Marten, the twins, and Aisling. For a while, the warmth of that fragile hope, humans and dragons, together, felt real.
But Svante’s eyes kept haunting Jensen. That forced smile, the flat, unreadable tone when he’d agreed to follow the rules. ‘I’ll follow the rules,’ Svante had said. ‘But I will not forget what happened.’ It hadn’t sounded like submission. It had sounded like a warning.
Now, as the mountain caves came into view, tucked against the ridge where dragons held their quiet councils, Jared leaned forward, resting a hand on the back of Jensen’s neck.
“You’re quiet,” he murmured. “More than usual.”
Jensen angled his head slightly, enough to glance back with one green eye.
I’m thinking, he rumbled. That’s not always good news.

They landed in a soft thud at the cave’s ledge. The scent of stone and moss filled the air as Jensen shifted to human form. Inside, Roarke, Tiu, and Runa were already waiting, deep in quiet conversation around a firepit of glowing coals.
Roarke looked up. “You’re back early.”
“I’m unsettled,” Jensen admitted. “We had a peaceful day. The humans… they’re open. Curious. There’s laughter.” He glanced at Jared. “But it won’t last if Svante does what I think he’s itching to do.”
Runa raised a brow. “He agreed to the council’s terms. No shifting in villages. No flying low. Full disclosure. We made him accept.”
“Accepting doesn’t bind him to anything,” Jensen said. “And Svante was Airik’s closest friend. He hasn’t forgotten what happened.”
Tiu leaned forward, expression grim. “You think he’ll retaliate?”
“I think he wants to,” Jensen said. “The way he watches the humans. The way he looks at Jared.”
That last part made Jared’s stomach twist slightly. He didn’t speak, but his hand found Jensen’s.
Roarke folded his arms. “If you’re right, we’ll need to act before he breaks the peace. The humans barely trust us as it is.”
“We can’t banish him on suspicion,” Runa added. “And if we push, he’ll use that as fuel.”
“Then I’ll watch him,” Jensen said. “I’ll be ready. I just wanted to make sure we’re… unified.”
Tiu nodded. “We are. And if Svante steps out of line, he won’t just face you.”
Jensen breathed deeply, the tension in his chest not fully eased but steadied by the weight of support.
Roarke glanced between them. “Take care, both of you. The first spark hasn’t caught yet, but I can already smell the smoke.”

~~~

Flying back to Rothír’s Creek, Jensen smelled exactly that when they got closer. Smoke. Heart racing, he sped up.
Hold on tight, Jared, he said, worried. Maybe we’re already too late. I smell smoke.
“You think Svante already struck?” Jared replied, sounding alarmed. He sniffed the air, but his nose wasn’t as keen as a dragon’s.
I hope not, Jensen replied, unconvinced.
Using his true leader communication, he inquired by Tiu and Runa if Svante and his friends were accounted for. His blood froze in his veins for a second when Tiu told him they weren’t.
The wind was ruffling Jared’s hair as Jensen dashed with the speed of a hurricane towards the little settlement.
He banked hard and swooped low, wings sending a gust that scattered ash. Jared climbed down, instinctively knowing Jensen wanted to know him safe, and right then, safe was away from the village.
Stay low. I’ll be back, he told his human.

A moment later Jensen launched back into the sky, fury powering his ascent. He quickly located Svante and shot straight toward him, roaring a challenge that cracked across the air like thunder. Svante turned just in time to take the hit, Jensen’s shoulder slammed into his side and sent him spiraling off his path.
Enough!
Jensen roared, diving between Snorre and Jorun, forcing them apart with a curtain of flame that lit up the sky without hitting a single villager. He was done playing peacekeeper. Now he was the shield.
Fall back! he barked.
Jorun hissed but obeyed the force of Jensen’s presence, banking away toward the treeline. Snorre snarled, unleashing a final blaze toward a burning cart before following.
Svante recovered in the air, circling once more. You’re late, old friend, he called mockingly. Didn’t you say something about peace?
You went too far, Svante, Jensen growled, smoke rising from his nostrils. His voice was hard with barely contained rage.
Svante smiled faintly, almost bored. There are no bodies. Be proud of me.
Is that your idea of peace, Svante? Jensen growled, voice low and edged like steel. Scaring villagers like they’re prey? I warned you!
Svante didn’t look at him at first, eyes scanning the horizon, as if admiring his work. Then, he slowly turned, jade-colored eyes locking on Jensen’s.
Peace, Svante echoed with a bitter smile. You think they’ll ever truly accept us? You think they won’t turn on us the first moment it’s convenient?
Jensen turned, eyes ablaze, wings fanned wide.
I said peace could work, he growled. But not when there are traitors who disregard ANY dragon rule!
Jensen closed the distance between them, his chest rising and falling with restrained fury.
They were willing to try. Eoin agreed. The village opened its gates. And you torched the skies the first night they began to hope. Disregarded my promise to them.
I talked with Roarke. With Runa and Tiu. We knew you were trouble, but we thought you had at least some honor.
Svante bared his teeth slightly, in a silent threat.
Hope is a lie when built on betrayal. Your honor means nothing to me. And whatever the old ones say, I’m sure I’m stronger than them. What can they do to me? What can YOU do to me?
I see, Jensen pressed out between clenched teeth. This isn’t about peace. This is about Airik, isn’t it?
Svante’s wings tensed, his eyes narrowing.
He was our brother. A dragon of our kind. And you struck him down like he was nothing.
He tried to kill Jared, Jensen retorted, voice cold now. He wanted me chained in power, with him holding the key. And when he couldn’t control me, he turned violent.
Svante came closer, his tail dragging flicking angrily in the spark filled air.
He loved you, Jensen. Maybe twisted, maybe wrong. But he loved you. And you cast him aside for a human!
He didn’t love me. He loved the power a union with me would have given him. He was never my choice, Jensen said firmly. He betrayed me, let me rot in a human dungeon. You don’t do that if you love someone.
The wind whipped around them, their wings flaring slightly as tempers rose.
You made your choice, Svante spat, unfazed by Jensen’s words. Don’t be surprised when it destroys you.
Jensen leaned in, eyes glowing faintly.
I’m herewith restricting you and your friends to the dragon lands, Svante. If you or either of them fly over here again, lay so much as a claw on another village, I will not hold back again. Then you will be banned.
There was silence. Tense, thick. Then Svante’s expression shifted, something darker behind his grin.
Careful, Jensen. You might want to sleep with one eye open. That pretty little human of yours makes a fine target. Soft. Mortal.
Jensen’s entire body rippled with anger, but before he could lunge, Svante flared his wings.
Would be a shame if something happened to him.
And with that, Svante turned around, a streak of green flame vanishing into the dark, toward the cliffs where his allies waited.
Jensen didn’t give chase. Not now. He wheeled back and scanned below.
The fires were being doused by villagers with buckets and blankets. The wounded were being helped. And near the edge of the woods, Jared stood, breathless, eyes locked on Jensen in the sky.
He had arrived just in time to keep the worst from unfolding.
But only just.
Jensen still hovered for a beat, muscles trembling, his jaw clenched.
Then he turned toward the ridge above, toward Jared. Somewhere beneath the surface of his fury… was fear. He couldn’t lose Jared. Not now, not ever.

~~~

In the morning, the village square was tense, simmering with quiet unease.
Smoke from the burned field still lingered in the air near Rothír’s Creek. It had left behind a black scar against the hills. Children clung to their mothers, while elders whispered in tight circles.

Jensen had dropped Jared back near his cabin in the cover of darkness. He himself had decided to go after Svante, make sure he didn’t dare returning to the human lands. Jared hadn’t wanted the separation, but Jensen had deemed it safer.
“I can’t go after Svante with you on my back, Jared,” he had said. “I’m not going to risk your life.”
“But you’ll risk yours,” had been Jared’s protest.
“I’ll be fine, kjære. Please, trust me.” He looked deeply into Jared’s eyes. “I’ll meet with Roarke first. He needs to hear what happened first hand. But I need you to be here. You know, if you need me, you can talk to me. Call me. We’re connected by the magic, remember?”
He’d rubbed his thumb across Jared’s magical tattoo on his wrist and the tattoo, both their tattoos, started to glow.
Finally Jared relented. Agreed. They hugged tightly and shared a kiss. Then Jensen left.

~~~

You said this was urgent, Roarke began as soon as Jensen had touched down. What happened?
Last night, Jensen said, voice clipped, while we were talking, Svante flew over Rothír’s Creek. Fireballs. Crops are damaged, as well as some houses, but no one seems to be hurt. I think he wanted to be seen.
Tiu’s eyes darkened. That sounds like Snorre’s style. He always liked theatrics. You sure it was Svante?
I saw him, Jensen replied. And people will think it was me. The resemblance is… uncanny in dragon form. Snorre was there, too, as well as Jorun and Tjure.
Runa sighed and paced back and forth for a moment.
Let the humans talk. The fear will fade. Svante’s smart enough to know not to cross the line. He saw what happened to Airik. He wouldn’t want that fate.
Jensen’s jaw tightened.
I’m not convinced. Svante stood right in front of me and said he’d follow the rules. I believed him. But this, this was a warning shot. And he followed it up with a threat.
Tiu took a step forward, expression grim.
I know Svante. And I know Snorre. If Svante’s playing with fire, it’s because he thinks he’s protected. Airik died, yes, but he died fighting. Not by decree. Svante might think he has room to twist the laws.
We made it clear, Jensen said. No fire near villages. No shifting in human territory. No lies. And above all, no fear. We’re supposed to be building trust.
I told him he’s restricted, but I doubt they have returned, yet.
Roarke frowned.
Did he say anything directly to you?
Jensen glanced down for a second, then answered.
He told me to sleep with one eye open because it would be a shame if anything happened to Jared.
A silence fell over the council.
Runa finally straightened up, showing her full size.
Then we need to act. Fast. If he strikes again, truly strikes, it could be too late. We can’t exile him over a few fireballs in the sky, but we can use magic to keep him here for threatening the true leader. Let Tiu and Leif fly out to see if they can find him. Bring him home. Or at least not let him out of their eyes.
We don’t wait, Jensen agreed firmly. Not anymore. I’ll speak to him again through the magic. Make it clear this is his final warning. He must return home and stay here.
Tiu nodded.
And I’ll find Leif, tell him to watch out for Snorre, Jorun, Svante and Tjure. If they are together, they’re planning something.

Jensen then stood at the jagged cliff’s edge, his silhouette outlined in silver by the moon hanging high above the sleeping valley, Roarke’s shape behind him in quiet support. He exhaled once, deeply.
A moment later he reached out, audible to all dragons of his flight.

Svante!

The name struck like a lash across the bond that tied dragons still to the ancient ways, like a thunderclap in the clear skies. There was no question in it. No invitation. Only summons.
Hidden somewhere in a hollow in the mountains, Svante and his friends stirred and exchanged looks.
You dare provoke war under my rule? You scorch earth meant for peace? This is not a warning, Svante. This is the final line you and your friends will not cross again!
Keep away from the humans. Leave the villages. Keep your fire, or I will do more than just banish you all.
Jensen stepped forward, and the wind itself seemed to flinch.
Break the peace again, and I will cast your name from the ledgers of our kind. You will be hunted, stripped of kinship and sky, remembered only in fear.
You know what happened to traitors in the old age. I will make it happen again.
There was no reply, not that Jensen had expected any, but far away, across the tether of thought, something bristled. Cold fury. Quiet, gleaming rage. Svante had heard him.

~~~

Jared hadn’t been able to sleep after Jensen left and when he heard a quiet commotion outside in the morning, he stepped out of his hut. Immediately, all eyes fell on him. Some filled with fear, others with anger and disappointment. He sighed and squared his jaw before walking to the village center.
Instantly upon seeing him, people started to talk. To accuse.
“You have a nerve showing your face here,” Arne growled when he spotted Jared. “Your precious… dragon,” he spat the word, “has shown his real face last night. Very convenient that you weren’t around, as he almost burned down this village and Darrow Fen.”
Arne was seething and Jared swallowed hard.
“That wasn’t Jensen.”
“It looked like him,” Arne insisted, voice trembling. “We all saw it. Saw him. Him and his dragon brood.”
“It wasn’t him,” Jared insisted, more gently this time. “He’s trying to stop the dragons who did this. And he will. I know it.”
Before anyone could respond, a gust of warm air swept through the square.
All heads turned upward.
Jensen landed just outside the village gate with a heavy thud, his dragon form cut in silhouette by the orange dusk. His scales shimmered darkly, streaked with soot, and his green eyes burned, not with fire, but fatigue and fury.
He shifted mid-step, stumbling slightly, dust rising around him as his boots hit the ground and his eyes locked on Jared’s.
Jared crossed the square in seconds.
“You found him,” he said quietly, searching Jensen’s face. “Did you?”
Jensen shook his head. “I sent out a message. Every dragon heard it. Svante is hiding somewhere beyond the realm. I have Tiu and Leif chasing him after the confrontation last night.”
His voice was taut, every word held on a short leash.
The villagers were watching. Waiting.
“He threatened me,” Jensen explained.
More and more people of Rothír’s Creek came closer to listen. Some had armed themselves with pitchforks, others carried their swords openly at their side.
“I warned him, if he attacks again, I will hunt him down and bring him to justice. That I promise you all.”
Jared took his hand and didn’t let go. Jensen looked exhausted and he felt he needed to do his own part as well to make sure Jensen wasn’t doing all the fighting alone.
When the villagers didn’t make any more moves towards them, Jensen relaxed a bit. He decided taking action would be the best way to handle this.
“Right. I suggest we make sure the village is ready,” he said, looking at Eoin. “Just in case Svante doesn’t follow my rules.” Then he turned to the crowd. “Bring out all the dragon balm you have. We coat every cabin. Every fence. Nothing will burn if they dare to return.”
Jared squeezed Jensen’s hand before moving to the storehouse. Jensen followed in silence, still visibly seething.
Soon, most the villagers, even though still uncertain, some even unconvinced but desperate, joined them.
Buckets of balm were passed from hand to hand. Jared, Jensen, Douglas and Tomkin climbed ladders, brushed thick lines of salve along roofs, around windows, over every thatch and timber beam.
Marten, the twins and Aisling followed suit and even Arne and Cheallach put themselves to work. Usually the village huts were only coated from the inside since many cooked with open fire. This time, the protection needed to be on the outside.
They worked all day, only stopping for a bite to eat and as twilight rolled in, Marten and Herbert finished the final roof, exhausted like everyone.
Jared leaned against the well, watching the last of the villagers return to their homes. Jensen stood beside him, finally letting out a breath.
“Do they believe us?” Jensen asked.
Jared looked up at him, eyes tired but sure.
“They’re scared. But I think most believe in you.”
Jensen’s gaze flicked to the horizon. “Then I’ll give them a reason to keep doing so.”
Giving Jared a lingering kiss, Jensen shifted once more to fly out as a sentinel keeping an eye open for Svante and his crew.

Jared retired to his cabin, physically and emotionally exhausted. He sat on the edge of the cot, elbows on his knees, fingers laced and unmoving. His eyes were hollow, trained on nothing. Smoke clung faintly to his clothes, and a thin scratch ran down his cheek where he brushed along something he couldn’t remember while fire proofing the cabins and huts. He hadn’t even noticed.
There was a brief knock on his door and then Aisling pushed it open with her hip, balancing a plate in one hand and a folded cloth in the other. She paused when she saw him like that. Then she sighed, gentle but firm, and crossed the room.
“Eat,” she said simply, setting the plate beside him. Bread, cheese, and a bit of apple. She held out the cloth next. “Here. You’re bleeding.”
Jared blinked like she’d pulled him from underwater. “It’s not bad.”
“I didn’t say it was. I said you’re bleeding.” She crouched down in front of him, wiping gently at the cut with the damp cloth. He didn’t flinch, not from the sting or from her eyes watching him.
“They think he’s part of it,” he murmured, barely audible.
“They’re scared,” Aisling said. “But some of them are starting to see the truth. It helps that you stayed.”
“I didn’t know where else to go,” Jared said, trying for a smile. It didn’t land.
“Good.” She pulled back, tilting her head toward the plate. “Now eat something before I shove it down your throat.”
Jared gave a quiet huff. “You sound like him.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He picked at the bread. Took a bite. Swallowed slowly. “Thanks.”
She touched his arm before standing. “You’re not alone in this, Jared. You’ve got us.”
He nodded, eyes already drifting half-shut. “I just want him back safe.”
“He will be. He’s a dragon and you’re his treasure. And if it’s correct what the old stories say about dragons and treasures, then there’s no doubt that he will be back.”
She smiled reassuringly and turned to go.
“Have a few more bites, Jared,” she said.
He smiled as he nodded and then called her name before she reached the door.
“Aisling.”
She looked over her shoulder.
“Thanks. Really.”
She nodded once, her face softening. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

~~~

The sky was dark velvet stitched with stars, but Jensen saw none of it. His wings cut through the night with practiced silence, his eyes sharp as he swept wide circles above the slumbering village and the dark woods beyond. Smoke no longer rose from the hills. No fire licked at rooftops. But the air still smelled like fear and scorched bark.
He’d circled three times already, watching, waiting, ready to dive at the first flicker of trouble. But it was quiet. At least for now.
When he finally descended, it was just before dawn. The village still slept in its uneasy hush, a single odd window glowing faintly.
Jensen shifted before walking into the village through the gate and went straight to Jared’s cabin. Quietly he stepped into the cool interior. He didn’t call out. He didn’t need to.
Jared lay curled on the cot near the wall, his knees tucked close, a blanket half kicked aside. His hair was mussed, skin pale, eyes rimmed dark even in sleep. He stirred, murmuring something unintelligible, the shape of a word that could’ve been Jensen or no or nothing at all.
Jensen padded softly to Jared’s side. A wooden plate sat forgotten nearby, a crust of bread and two apple slices untouched. Only a few bites were missing.
Jensen knelt, careful not to startle Jared. He reached out, brushing a hand lightly over his hair. Jared flinched, then relaxed. The tension eased from his shoulders even in sleep, as if some deep part of him knew who was there now.
Quietly, Jensen stretched out beside him, wrapping an arm around Jared’s waist and pulling him close. The human sighed into his chest, still not waking. Just breathing.
And Jensen held him. Let him breathe. Let him rest.
He kept his eyes open, staring out the dark window toward the ridge. He would not sleep. Not until he was sure the village would see the sun rise without fire.
But Jared’s weight against him, warm and steady, made the ache in his chest ease, just a little. Jensen pressed a kiss to his hair, his voice barely a breath.
“I’ve got you. I always will.”
And for the remainder of the night, Jared slept peacefully.

 

Jared stirred beneath the threadbare blanket, the dim morning light slipping through the shuttered window. The familiar warmth pressed against his back made him blink blearily, and when he turned slightly, a tired smile curved across his face.
Jensen was there.
Curled behind him, one arm lazily wrapped around his waist, eyes half-open, watching.
“Hey,” Jared greeted, breaking into a soft but tired smile. “You didn’t sleep really, did you?”
Jensen didn’t answer right away. He looked away for a breath. “Didn’t need to. I was listening. Making sure nothing stirred near the gates.”
Jared sat up, wincing slightly from a sore muscle in his side. He rubbed at it absently and then turned around so he was facing Jensen.
“You’re going to fall over if you don’t at least try to catch up on some sleep,” he said. “Can you try? Just for a while? For me?”
Jensen exhaled slowly, leaning forward until their foreheads touched. “If you promise to stay close.”
“You say that like I’d ever leave.”
With a tired chuckle, Jensen let Jared slip his hand under his shirt, rubbing his back The mattress creaked under their combined weight and Jared pulled the blanket over them as Jensen’s arms found his waist.
“I’ve got you,” Jared whispered. “Now sleep.”
Jensen smiled. Jared didn’t know he had used the same words when he returned. Closing his eyes, he pulled Jared closer and after a few deep breaths, he drifted off into sleep. Jared watched over him for a few minutes and then fell asleep again as well.

They were awakened a few hours later by a firm knock on the door.
Jared blinked, then sat up, just as Tiu’s voice called in from outside. “It’s me. Open up.”
Jensen moved quickly, barefoot and still sleepy-eyed, to the door. Tiu stepped in, looking windblown and urgent.
“I’ve found them,” he said without pause, looking at Jensen, then at Jared. “They’re holed up in the basalt caverns near the northern ridge. I tracked Snorre halfway there before he looped back.”
Jensen’s jaw tightened. “Good. I’ll want someone watching them every hour until this ends.”
“Leif and Eira are already moving into position,” Tiu replied. “They won’t get another jump on us.”
Jared, now standing beside the hearth, ran a hand through his hair.
“I hope Svante got the message. I hope…,” he trailed off and breathed deeply. “But somehow I doubt they will lay low.”
Jensen looked at his human, his green eyes lighting up a little.
“If they come back, they will pay the price. We will prevail and soon peace and a new togetherness will take root. I promise, kjære.”

~~~

The afternoon sun filtered down through the pale summer clouds as Jensen walked beside Jared through the village paths of Rothír’s Creek. Life hadn’t exactly returned to normal, there were lingering stares from some, a few hushed voices behind doors, and all over still people fixing things from the fire or stowing things in case there was more.
Today, though, Jensen wasn’t flying in the skies. He walked through Rothír’s Creek beside Jared, his steps slow and purposeful, seeing if they could still do something to help secure the cabins.
Near the well in the village square, Niven was shrugging off his guard’s cloak, a yawn caught in his throat as Ualan took up the spear beside the gate. He looked up and straightened when he saw them.
“Jared,” he called, then looked at the dragon next to him. “Jensen,” he then added, a little cautious.
“Niven,” Jared greeted, trying to keep it light. “End of shift?”
Niven nodded. “Just got off. Thought I’d rest a bit before heading home. If I’m too early, Áine, my wife, will make me help with dinner. And I’m just too weary after that night.”
Jared glanced at Jensen, who gave a slight nod. “Mind if we join you?” he asked.
The guard hesitated, then motioned to the benches lining the center. “It’s a free bench.”
They sat in a loose row, the space between slightly awkward, but not unfriendly. The square was quiet. A few villagers walked past, some carrying baskets, others children, but though their eyes lingered, they said nothing.
Niven drummed his fingers on his knees for a moment, then glanced at Jensen.
“So… you’re really just going to stay here, huh? No vanishing off to your caves?”
“Not unless someone needs me to,” Jensen said plainly. “I promised Jared that we will live here where his home is. That peace, the community I offered, that’s not fake. I meant it.”
Niven nodded slowly. “I do want to believe that, but that dragon last night… it looked a lot like you. We may be able to distinguish between a blue and a green dragon, but we’re having a hard time to tell same colored dragons apart.”
There was an honesty in his voice, weariness, but also a trace of curiosity.
“I grew up here,” Niven added. “The stories we heard… dragons were always something from the outside. Dangerous. Distant. Never…” He gestured vaguely at Jensen. “Sitting on a bench in the middle of the square.”
Jared chuckled. “You should’ve seen him try soup the first time. Not so distant when he sneezes pepper out his nose.”
Jensen gave Jared a long-suffering look, but Niven actually laughed.
“You will find many dragons of the same color,” Jensen picked up on the topic that bothered him. “We’re still quite different. You may be able to see that better when we’re right next to each other.”
Niven looked up and then nodded slightly.
“That is possible. I want to believe that the dragon we saw wasn’t you. But I know some here are struggling with it. Then his gaze turned thoughtful. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his voice lower now, more careful.
“That place you escaped from, Rocastle. I heard they had you locked up. But… what exactly did they do to you there? Why did they keep you?”
Jensen didn’t speak right away. His eyes stayed fixed ahead, watching a few villagers cross the square with a wheelbarrow of drying herbs. Then, in a voice too calm to be anything but practiced, he said, “They harvested me.”
Niven blinked. “Harvested?”
“For my blood,” Jensen clarified. “Dragon blood carries healing properties. They knew that. So after Airik made me crash, they somehow dragged my unconscious body into their dungeon to have a ready source of dragon blood.”
Jensen’s voice was low, steady, but Jared could hear the slight dread and repulsion in Jensen’s voice.
“They would cut away the same patch of scale,” Jensen continued. “Over and over. Deep enough to draw enough blood to fill their vials. Then they’d let it heal,just enough, and do it again.”
Without much ceremony, he pushed his waistband down slightly on one side, just enough to reveal the old scar. A palm-sized patch of skin, still slightly different in color shaped like one of his scales, marked where the same area had been opened and closed too many times.
Niven stared at it, his brows pulling together. “How often?” he asked, his voice oddly soft.
Jensen looked down at the mark himself before covering it again. “At first, every ten days. Then once a week. Toward the end… daily. Sometimes more.”
The silence that followed felt heavy. Niven sat back, like the weight of it physically shifted something in his spine. His eyes, once wary, now held something else, guilt, maybe. Or grief.
“I didn’t know,” Niven murmured.
“You weren’t meant to,” Jensen replied. “No one was. They wanted to keep their treasured dragon secret. I believe the day I escaped, they were attacked because someone else wanted to own a dragon, too.”
Niven looked at him again, this time not with the skepticism of a village guard trying to keep order, but with something far more human.
“I’m… sorry,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.
Jensen gave a small nod, not expecting the words, but not brushing them away either.
“I should get home,” Niven added after a long pause, standing slowly. “Áine will be wondering where I am, and… I’ve got a lot to think about.”
Jared gave him a small smile. “Thanks for sitting with us.”
Niven nodded once. “See you around, Jared. Jensen.”
As he walked away, there was something different in his stride. Not defeat, but reflection. And maybe, in time, understanding.
Jensen leaned back on the bench, watching the last rays of sunlight stretch over the rooftops. Jared reached over, letting his fingers brush Jensen’s.
“You didn’t have to tell him that.”
“I know,” Jensen said quietly. “But they’ll never trust us if they don’t know the truth.”

The village square had quieted, the sun slipping low behind the hills, washing Rothír’s Creek in gentle gold. Jensen and Jared still sat on the bench, sharing silence and the weight of the conversation with Niven, when a pair of familiar voices called out.
“There you are!” Aisling’s voice broke the stillness, bright and brisk as ever.
Jared turned just in time to see her striding across the square, skirts swishing, Halbert trailing a step behind her with an easy grin.
“I told you they’d be sitting around brooding somewhere,” she said, hands on hips, clearly addressing Halbert, though both her eyes were on Jared and Jensen. “Well? Are you going to come eat, or do I have to personally drag you?”
Jared blinked. “Eat?”
“Yes, Jared. Food. The thing people forget when they’re too busy brooding over things they have no control over.” She shot Jensen a look. “You too, by the way. You look like you haven’t seen a warm plate in days.”
Jensen opened his mouth to protest, but Aisling was already moving forward, grabbing Jared by the arm and gesturing for Jensen to follow.
“My parents made a roast. And potatoes, some greens. And freshly baked bread. Also, Halbert here is threatening to eat all the honeycakes if you don’t hurry.”
Halbert smirked. “To be fair, I was only going to eat Jared’s. I thought it was safe to assume he wouldn’t be interested.”
Jared rolled his eyes but smiled as he stood. “You’re jealous I get honeycakes.”
“I’m jealous of a lot of things,” Halbert said with exaggerated drama, grinning easily. “But mostly that you’ve got people cooking for you.”
Jensen rose more slowly, still quiet, but something soft flickered in his expression as he watched the three friends banter like nothing in the world had cracked beneath their feet. Aisling caught his look.
“Come on,” she said gently. “My parents won’t bite, I promise.”
He nodded, and together the four of them made their way toward the little cottage at the edge of the square, the lanterns inside already glowing warm and golden. The smell of herbs and bread drifted on the breeze, and for a little while, the night promised peace.

Aisling’s parents’ home was small and humble, but it felt like stepping into a memory. The air was thick with the smell of herbs, roasted vegetables, and something sweet baking in the oven. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows over the stone floor and low wooden beams.
Aisling ushered them in like a general marching soldiers to safety.
“Sit. No arguments. You’re guests and that means you do nothing except breathe and chew.”
Jared chuckled as he pulled out a chair at the long, slightly uneven wooden table. “She’s in one of her moods,” he murmured to Jensen.
“I noticed,” Jensen replied dryly, but his eyes had softened. It had been a long while since he’d stepped into a space that felt like home. He usually just felt that when he was alone with Jared.
Halbert helped Aisling’s father, a quiet, stout man named Aram, carry a platter with the roasted leg of lamb, adorned with roasted potatoes and root vegetables to the table while her mother, Norra, placed out a loaf of dark bread, still steaming, and a pot of fresh butter with flecks of sea salt on top. The chairs creaked under everyone’s weight as they settled around the table.
For a few moments, they ate in quiet. The food tasted delicious, the root vegetables carrying a slight char and the roast was juicy with a delicious herb crust, richly spiced and hearty. Jensen took his first bite slowly, chewing thoughtfully.
“This is… very good,” he said, sounding almost surprised.
Norra smiled from across the table. “I didn’t know if dragons liked thyme, but Aisling insisted.”
“I do,” Jensen said softly. “I like thyme.”
Jared nudged him. “He also likes pancakes. And honey.”
“Speaking of,” Halbert said, pointing with his spoon, “the honeycakes are staying on the shelf until everyone’s bowl is clean. I counted them. Stealing won’t work.”
Aisling rolled her eyes. “He’s guarding dessert like it’s gold.”
“Can you blame me?” Halbert said, mouth already half-full. “It’s the only thing getting me through being in the same room as a dragon who could eat me in two bites.”
Jensen’s brows lifted. “Two bites? I could manage it in one.”
A beat of silence.
Then Halbert burst out laughing, and the tension at the table melted like snow on warm stone. Even Aram cracked a grin.
Later, after second helpings had been taken and the honeycakes finally appeared, glazed and warm, Aisling leaned back in her chair, sighing contentedly.
“This is what we need more of,” she said. “Dragons and humans just… sitting. Eating. Laughing.”
“It’s a good start,” Jared agreed, catching Jensen’s gaze across the table.
Jensen, for a moment, let his shoulders relax.
“Let’s just keep it going.”

~~~

Night fell heavy over Rothír’s Creek, but it wasn’t darkness that woke the villagers, it was flame.
Roaring red light lit up the outskirts of the village as three homes burned like a torch for minutes before the dragon balm extinguished the unnatural fire. People screamed. Buckets were thrown, but the blaze was too hot and the huts would have been lost if not for the balm.
And then they saw him.
A dragon.
Dark green scales rippled in the firelight, with bright jade eyes glaring down. To most, it was unmistakable.
“It’s him again!” someone yelled. “He’s doing this after all!”

Chapter 6

Svante banked over the burning houses one final time, then vanished into the trees with a triumphant screech. The message was clear. He’d wanted to be seen.
At his side, the other dragons hovered, just waiting to do more damage. As they flew off they torched a few rooftops, leaving a dark rising smoke live a warning to be remembered.
Jared was outside, helping to eradicate some smaller fires like burning bushes. He was met with seething glares and angry words, but he shrugged them off and focused on the small fires.

~~~

The wind stung Jensen’s wings as he cut across the sky, eyes narrowed against the evening glare. After the dinner they had shared with Aisling’s family, Jared and he had retired to Jared’s cabin.
They had talked a little and Jensen had told Jared he wanted to search for Svante. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach he’d had an uneasy feeling.
After leaving the village, Jensen had searched half a dozen secluded spots he remembered using as a young dragon to hide, searching for Svante, hoping to intercept trouble before it began.
He began patrolling the human lands afterwards, tired but determined to make sure Svante, Snorre and the others didn’t cause any more trouble.
Something gnawed at him, like an instinct, causing him to fly faster. A sudden shift in the wind. And then he smelled smoke. Thick and rising, curling in the sky like a signal of war.
This time it was Rothír’s Creek.
He turned sharply, heart plunging into his gut.

When he arrived, the once-quiet village was chaos.
The renegade dragons had descended like a storm. Svante’s flames danced dangerously close to rooftops. One hut had already caught fire. A storage shed exploded in a blast of sparks. Children screamed and ran away from Jorun’s flames. Livestock fled in panic. The villagers shouted over the din, grabbing buckets, weapons, anything they could.
And from afar, the green shimmer of Svante’s scales looked just like Jensen. Jensen knew it. Svante knew it.
Jensen heard voices shouting and his stomach twisted.
“It’s the same dragon!”
“He betrayed us!”
“It was all lies, all of it!”
Then there was a panicked voice, Jared’s voice. He tried to yell over the cries.
“No! That’s not him! That’s not Jensen!”
But they weren’t listening. Not this time.

Jensen’s roar shook the air, loud and angry, and he dove from the sky, fire already pooling in his throat. He blasted a jet between Jorun and Tjure, forcing them apart before they could dive again at the villagers.
ENOUGH! he roared, slamming Svante out of the air with a sudden lunge.
The renegades wheeled around him, biting, clawing, fighting in full force. But the humans only saw a dragon among dragons.
By now arrows flew and spears were thrown. Jensen took it all, flinching as a spear scraped his wing, refusing to fight the humans. Refusing to hurt them. His only focus was driving Svante and the others away.

Meanwhile, Jared ran, ducking falling debris and dodging panicked villagers.
“Stop it!” he shouted at a group of men with pitchforks. “He’s protecting you!”
Cheallach shoved him aside. “Get out of here, liar! You and your beast!”
A stone flew and struck Jared in the shoulder. He gasped and looked to see who threw it, incredulous. It was just in time to duck, because another rock came flying his way.
Someone pulled his arm and Jared turned, ready to defend himself. It was Marten.
“Jared,” he called. “It’s no use… go and hide until this is over. Please!”
Jared shook his head and then felt something pelt his neck. Pain shot through his body and he realized, Marten was right.
“What about you?” Jared panted, ducking behind a hut.
“They’re not mad at me. I’ll be fine. Now go!”
Marten looked at Jared urgently and then turned to help the twins and Aisling putting out small fires.
Jared looked up in the sky one more time, seeing his dragon fighting, and his heart ached that he couldn’t do anything to help him.
An arrow whirred closely past him, and Jared made sure they wouldn’t get a chance to aim at him again. He dashed between huts and cabins and finally through the gate. Without stopping he ran until he came to the treehouse that was still only known to him and Jensen.
Jared used the holes in the tree bark that were left by Jensen when he used his claws to climb up and covered the twenty meters as fast as he could.
Up in the treehouse, he let himself fall down, breathing heavily from exertion and worry.
Through the opening in the foliage he saw bits of the fight, tensely hoping that Jensen managed to ward off the attack and chase away Svante and his friends.
Tears of frustration blurred his vision. The air reeked of ash and betrayal. Jared caught a glimpse of Jensen, bleeding and battered, finally sending the last of the renegades fleeing.

The night was hushed now. The chaos below had quieted, but not vanished. Smoke drifted like ghosts above Rothír’s Creek, and the village still pulsed with unease and mistrust.
High above, in the worn treehouse tucked between thick branches, Jared sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, arms wrapped around his knees. He was trying to stay awake, waiting for Jensen, but exhaustion was winning.

Then a shadow passed across the opening between the tree tops, wings slicing against starlight.
With a soft thud Jensen landed nearby, shifting seamlessly into human form as he ducked into the trees to climb the trunk up to the treehouse.
“Jared?”
Jared looked up, bleary-eyed, and then launched himself forward. Their bodies collided in a desperate hug.
“You’re okay,” Jared breathed. “I didn’t know if they’d hurt you, or if…” He pulled back slightly, checking Jensen’s face, his arms, his chest. “You’re covered in blood.”
Jensen’s hands came up, cupping Jared’s face. “Not mine. Most of it, not mine. Just bruises and scrapes.”
Then his eyes narrowed.
“But you’re bleeding.”
Jared blinked, confused. “What?”
Jensen’s fingers gently brushed the side of his neck, a small but nasty cut, dried blood staining his collar.
“Someone threw a stone,” Jared muttered, realizing for the first time. “I didn’t notice.”
“And your hands? You climbed up the bark with bare hands.”
Jared looked down at them.
“I used the holes your claws made,” he breathed.
Jensen inhaled sharply and guided him down to sit. He shifted a claw and cut his arm, using his glittering blood to cover Jared’s wounds. The heat was immediate, but soothing and soon all the wounds were healed.
They sat in silence for a long moment.
“I didn’t think it would be possible for you to climb up here all the way. I was searching for you,” Jensen said softly after a moment. Jared gave him a tired, crooked grin.
“Yeah. I wasn’t thinking. I just knew I needed to get away. They were throwing rocks at me. Shooting arrows.”
Jensen leaned in, kissed Jared’s forehead. Then his voice dropped, low and heavy.
“They’re scared, Jared. But I’m going to make this right. I swear it. Svante… I let him get too far. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Jared touched his chest, lightly. “I know. Just… don’t lose yourself trying.”
Then, wordlessly, he started tending to Jensen’s wounds. A gash near his shoulder, a long scrape down his side. He moved gently, reverently, but thoroughly and with his care and Jensen’s dragon healing powers, the wounds soon vanished.
When it was done, Jared curled up beside him, resting his head on Jensen’s chest, listening to the beat of his heart.
Jared lay stretched across Jensen’s chest, one leg tangled between his, his cheek rising and falling with every slow breath Jensen took.
For a few minutes, the air was still. Only the wind whispered through the trees and Jensen’s fingers lightly tracing idle circles on Jared’s back.
“They thought you were attacking,” Jared finally murmured, voice low and heavy with fatigue. “They wanted to kill you.”
Jensen didn’t speak at first. His eyes were fixed on the star littered sky visible through the trees.
“I know,” he finally said. “And I don’t blame them. Svante planned it that way. He used me. Used how much he looks like me to turn their fear into rage.”
Jared shifted, propping himself up slightly to look at him. “What can we do?”
Jensen exhaled slowly. “I need to get ahead of him. He’s not just trying to ruin the alliance with the humans, he’s trying to draw blood now. I’ve been playing by the rules. He hasn’t.”
“You mean… you’re going to fight him?” Jared asked, softly.
Jensen nodded. “If it comes to that. But I’ll try to reason with him one last time. I owe it to what we built, to what you and I started.”
He reached up, brushing a lock of hair from Jared’s brow.
“I’m not going to let him take any more from us.”
Jared searched his face. The lines of worry were deeper now, cut into Jensen’s expression like scars. Still, there was fire in his eyes. Not fear or resignation.
“You won’t be alone,” Jared whispered.
Jensen gave him a small, tired smile. “I never have been. Not since the day in the cell when you took over my watch. Not since you chose me.”
Jared leaned down and kissed him, soft and lingering.
And then he rested his head back against Jensen’s chest, letting out a long sigh. The weight of the day, the fear, the pain, it all settled into quiet exhaustion.
“Wake me if you go after him,” Jared mumbled, voice already fading.
“Sleep,” Jensen said softly, wrapping his arms more tightly around him. “I’ll still be here.”
As Jared drifted off, Jensen turned his gaze once more to the small window. The stars were flickering, sharp and cold. Somewhere out there, Svante was planning his next move.
But so was Jensen.
He sat with his arms wrapped around Jared, eyes fixed on the night above the treehouse. He would protect him. Protect all of them.
No matter what.

~~~

Morning filtered through the canopy in slanted beams, dusting the forest floor in gold. Jensen and Jared had risen with the sun, moving quietly, not speaking more than necessary. The air was heavy with uncertainty.
Now, they stood at the edge of the tree line, just within sight of Rothír’s Creek.
Jensen kept his human form, though every instinct told him to be ready. Jared stood close at his side, his bruises on his neck faded but not gone.
“We don’t have to do this now,” Jared murmured, eyes fixed on the village gates.
“We do,” Jensen said firmly. “Running won’t fix anything. Hiding won’t bring peace.”
They stepped out into the open and approached the gates.

From his hut at the gate of the village, Drystan, one of the perimeter guards, spotted them first. He stiffened, eyes narrowing.
“They’re here!” he shouted, voice cutting through the still morning.
Metal rasped as swords were drawn. Bows were raised. Drystan stepped forward, blade at his side but not yet lifted.
Behind him, more villagers arrived. Arne, Cheallach and others Jensen didn’t know by name but recognized from the tense meetings and wary stares. Eoin, the elder, was nowhere in sight.
“Don’t take another step!” Drystan, one of the guards, shouted. Ualan and Niven stepped up next to him with drawn swords.
“Why did you come back?” snarled Cheallach from behind them, clutching a pitchfork. “Haven’t you done enough?”
Jared stepped between the guards and his dragon, hands raised, voice cracking with urgency. “Listen to me! That dragon, the one you saw, that wasn’t Jensen!”
“You expect us to believe that?” Ualan cried, eyes wild. “We saw him!”
“He was out there searching for them. To stop them. Why would he attack the village with me here? Why would he fire proof it first? It makes no sense!” Jared called.
“He has the same eyes!” shouted another. “The same shape!”
“No,” Jared insisted. “The dragon you saw is named Svante. He is angry because Jensen chose me over Airik.”
“Lies!” Arne spat as the people pressed forward. “We never did anything toward this Svante. Jensen however had been a captive in YOUR old village. Of course he’s angry. Dragons don’t forget, and he wants revenge!”

Jensen stepped in front of Jared. He looked to Eoin, who had appeared silently at the back of the crowd, his face torn with conflict.
“That’s not true,” Jensen said, voice low and raw. “If I wanted revenge, I wouldn’t have saved Jared after the attack. I wouldn’t have stayed away from the dragons when I got free. I chose to live as a human, so I could be with Jared.
And now I’m the leader of my flight. I didn’t choose this. The magic chose me.
I can’t just live as a human among humans anymore. I have to live in both worlds and we thought it would be best if humans remembered dragons have a human form, that there was a time where humans and dragons lived in peace and even had their own little families.
I want this to work. Most dragons want it to work. But Svante can’t see past his pain of losing a dragon he considered a friend.
Please, believe me. Believe Jared. We will sort this out so nobody has to live in fear.”
This had been an unusually long speech for Jensen, a testimony to how much it meant to him that everything worked. His eyes once again settled on Eoin.
Before Eoin could answer, however, a stone hit Jensen in the shoulder, sending him stumbling. Jared cried out.
It was the breaking point. Whatever Eoin would have said, it didn’t matter. The villagers were not ready to listen right then.
Marten and the twins along with Aisling arrived on horseback, ready to evacuate if necessary.
“Come on, we need to let this settle first,” Jared pleaded.
Jensen faced the crowd alone now, his bleeding shoulder already healing.
“No,” he replied to his human. “Not yet.”
He lifted his voice and called, so everyone could hear him.
“I know you believe I burned your crops. And all you have is my word, and Jared’s word, that it wasn’t me. I understand your anger. So, do what you must,” he called out. “But know this: I didn’t burn your homes. And I will prove it.”
The crowd stilled at the quiet certainty in his voice. Some of the huts behind them still smoldered faintly. And yet, in that moment, no one moved.
Jensen finally turned, walked towards Jared and they left.

The mountain air was cool and dry, but none of them were comfortable. Jensen had flown again, searching for Svante. This needed to end.
Jared, Aisling, Marten, and the twins sat in a narrow clearing tucked between rocky outcrops, just above Rothír’s Creek. Below them, the faint glow of dying embers marked the edge of the village. The ruins of the fires still smoked, sending thin plumes into the night sky.
No one spoke for a long time.
Then came the gust, sudden and strong as Jensen landed nearby, his dragon wings folding in tight, his eyes flashing green in the twilight. He shifted mid-stride, stepping into the clearing in human form, tension coiled in every movement.
Jared stood immediately. “Well?”
“I couldn’t find him,” Jensen muttered, jaw tight. “Not yet. But I will.”
Aisling stepped forward, brushing soot from her coat. “They’re convinced it was you.”
“I know.” Jensen’s voice was low, but steady. “That was Svante’s plan.”
Jared crossed his arms, frustrated. “We could talk to them again. Show them reason…”
“No.” Jensen cut him off gently, but firmly. “Don’t go back. Not yet.”
“Jensen…”
He turned to Jared, stepping closer, voice quiet but intense.
“They’re afraid. And fear turns people cruel. They might not listen. They might try to hurt you, or worse. I won’t risk that.”
Jared swallowed, nodding. “Alright.”
Marten sat nearby, frowning into the fire they’d built. “What do we do then? Just wait?”
“For now,” Jensen said. “I need to keep flying. Svante is out there. He wants this to fall apart. I won’t let him win.”
He was exhausted by now but it didn’t matter. Everything, everyone depended on him to restore the peace and start the new unity over.
He turned, the shadows of his wings already stretching out as he began to shift again. His dragon form rose before them like a living statue of iron and emerald.
Before he took off, he turned his great head toward Jared, voice rumbling through the bond they shared.
Stay hidden. I’ll be back.
Jared nodded silently, watching him lift into the sky, powerful, swift, and already distant by the time the echo of his wings faded.
For a long time, they listened to the wind.
The fire crackled softly. Somewhere down the hill, an owl called.
Aisling poked the flames with a stick. “We should take turns keeping watch.”
“I’ll go first,” Jared said, already looking to the sky, waiting.
Waiting for his dragon to come back.

~~~

The winds over the jagged highlands screamed like old ghosts, tugging at Jensen’s wings as he hovered over the vast lands of the dragon realm. He’d been searching for Svante everywhere, and this was the last place he hadn’t yet checked. The cliffs had once been home, before blood stained the stones and Airik’s betrayal blackened the skies.
Finally he had found a trace of Svante and his crew, Snorre, Jorun and Tjure. For a second he had deliberated going to Roarke for backup, but his pride told him he had to do it.
He came alone.
On the edge of a windswept plateau, stood Svante. Jensen’s emerald eyes were locked onto the dragon before him, scales moss green, the eyes a pale jade. A faint smirk etched into the angles of his snout.
Svante was flanked by Snorre, Jorun, and Tjure, who seemed more tense than they wanted to appear, with their wings tucked and eyes narrowed to a frown. The wind carried the scent of old smoke and dried blood.
Jensen, Svante said coolly. The peacebringer. The traitor.
I told you I would find you. But I didn’t come to fight, Jensen said. Not unless I have to.
Snorre sneered. That’s rich, coming from a soulbound dragon who slaughtered his own kind.

Jensen’s jaw tensed, but he kept his voice steady.
You’re bold, acting like you’ve done no wrong.
Svante gave a low, amused rumble. Bold. Or just honest. I don’t hide who I am. Unlike you, Jensen.
Jensen’s jaw twitched but he kept his cool. He could tell what Svante was up to.
You’re trying to bait me into fighting so you can claim I struck first.
Would that be such a tragedy? Svante’s wings shifted subtly. The great peacemaker, undone by his own temper. A tragic end for a dragon who chose a human over his kind.
You’re wrong, Jensen said, his voice low with steel. I didn’t choose against dragons. I chose for peace.
Let me ask you, why you’re burning villages? Why you’re making humans fear us all over again? You said you’d follow my rules!

You know why, Svante spat. I changed my mind about following those stupid rules!
The air grew sharp with silence.
Jensen stepped forward.
If that’s what you want to do, not follow the rules, you’re free to join a different flight that have rules you like better. I will ban you from these lands. You and everyone who stands with you.
You murdered your own flight brother, Jorun snarled. For a human boy.
Jensen inclined his head.
I didn’t murder Airik. He initiated the fight. And he wasn’t my flight brother anymore. He betrayed me. He betrayed every honor we had. I was in chains because of him, Jensen said, barely holding back his anger. He was exhausted, hadn’t slept since Svante started his game.
You all know about it. He told you lies so Hjálmarr didn’t come to free me. Still, after Rocastle’s fall, I didn’t come for revenge. I had closed that chapter. But he decided to start a new one.

He looked each of them in the eye. He started it by trying to kill Jared.
Snorre scoffed. Yes! Because he didn’t want a human at the leader’s side!
Jensen growled. Jared is my mate. My soulmate. And Airik knew that. He knew the moment I claimed Jared, not in violence, but in truth, he’d never lead again. That he’d never be the one.

Tjure stepped forward, fury in every line of his face. So you killed him for love?
No, Jensen said quietly. I killed him because he tried to take Jared’s life. And he wasn’t going to stop.
So what about the rest of us? Svante snapped. Do you think dragons will follow a leader who lies with a human? Who puts their needs above ours?
Jensen exhaled, smoke curling from his nostrils.
You don’t understand a word I said, so then hear this, Svante. I won’t let you destroy what we’ve built!
So what? Svante said with a mocking tilt of his wings. You’ll exile me? Strike me down like you did Airik?
Jensen didn’t flinch. I won’t strike unless I must. But if I must… I will.
Svante stilled in the air, gaze sharp, searching Jensen’s expression for fear, for fury, anything he could exploit.
But Jensen’s restraint was iron.
Svante smiled. Not warm. Not amused. A slow curl of teeth and contempt.
Then let’s see how long you can hold back… before the humans make that choice for you. Next time we meet, it won’t be words.
With that, Svante took off, one powerful stroke of his wings sending him into a spiral downward toward the forest shadows, where his allies waited.
A moment later, Jensen took off. He needed to find Roarke. He had to protect the humans, Jared, at all costs.

But he couldn’t do it alone.

Chapter 7

The wind whistled through the narrow mountain passages as Jensen landed outside the hollow of the leader’s cave, his wings folding tight against his back. His jaw was tight. His eyes held shadows.

Inside, Roarke waited, informed by Jensen while he flew. The elder dragon watched his leader with calm eyes and looked up as Jensen entered.

You saw him again.

Roarke didn’t need to ask. He could see it in the way Jensen moved. Tense, restrained.

Jensen nodded once.

I confronted Svante. He’s escalating. I warned him, told him if he didn’t stop, he’d be exiled.

And? Roarke’s voice was low, calm, but watchful.

He made a threat, Jensen said, his voice darkening. Not just against the peace. Against Jared.

Roarke’s eyes narrowed.

He dares use your bond as leverage.

Jensen’s jaw clenched.

If he hurts Jared, there won’t be a cave deep enough to hide in.

There was a long pause.

 

Then we stop them, Roarke said firmly, voice gaining strength. Before they try again. We don’t wait for another burned field or panicked village.

He turned and walked to the stone shelf lining the back wall. One by one, he reached out with his mind and summoned the names.

A few heartbeats later, the sound of wingbeats filled the hollow.

Tiu and Leif arrived first, landing with grace and urgency. Runa, her copper scales gleaming, followed, sharp-eyed, already understanding.

Moments later, Geir and Eira, the youngest of the group, landed in a practiced swoop. Geir’s silver-green hide shimmered faintly in the low light, while Eira tucked her fiery red wings with quick precision, alert and quiet.

You’re probably wondering why we’ve called you, Roarke began, facing the group. Svante and his group are planning something worse. They’ve already burned, scattered, terrified. Sown the seed of doubt among the humans just when Jensen made them trust him.

He looked to Jensen, who stepped forward.

We think they’ll try again soon. This time, they might not care about casualties. They’ve threatened someone I care about deeply.

My mate.

My soulbound.

We can’t let them near the villages again.

 

Runa’s brow furrowed.

You think they’ll go after the humans again so soon?

I know they will, Jensen said. They’ve tasted chaos. They’ll want more.

Roarke nodded.

We’ll do this smart. No confrontation yet, not until we see them. I want all of you to circle the human lands. High and quiet. Watch from above. If Svante’s group moves, we’ll intercept before they strike.

Tiu stepped forward.

And if they already attacked again?

Jensen’s expression darkened.

They haven’t. Jared would have called me. But if they try anything, we find them. And we end this once and for all.

The dragons exchanged glances, then nodded in unison. Roarke’s voice dropped low and sure.

Tonight, we fly with purpose. For peace. For our leader. For his mate. No more games.

 

~~~

 

The people of Rothír’s Creek had gathered in the old hall, the village moving together in these difficult times. Lanterns swung slightly in the breeze coming through the chimney flue, casting flickers of gold across anxious faces. The low murmur of voices quieted as Eoin stood at the head of the long wooden table, his wife Elanor beside him.

“Young Jared and his friends are staying outside the village,” Eoin said, voice low but firm. “By choice. They’re not hiding. They’re giving us space to think without anger clouding every word.”

“That’s generous of them,” Arne muttered from his seat near the hearth, arms crossed. “Or calculated. Maybe they’re keeping out of sight so they won’t be in the thick of it when the next fire hits.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.

 

Tomkin, the goldsmith, leaned forward. “I was there when Jensen drove off those other dragons. He didn’t attack us, he protected us. They burned him, left scorch marks. I saw them draw blood. Why would they do that if they were playing on the same team?”

Cheallach scoffed. “Or he knew how to look like he was helping. They staged it. You think dragons don’t know how to lie?”

“One burned down our barn,” said a woman near the back.

“And what about our crops?” someone else called.

 

“They both helped fire proofing our cabins,” Elanor remarked. “Why would they do that if they planned on burning it down?”

“But they look the same!” snapped Arne. “From the ground, who can tell who’s who when the sky’s on fire? That is, if there are two of them.”

“They don’t act the same,” Tomkin said. “Jensen carries a human on his back. That human would die if the dragon meant harm.”

 

A long silence stretched.

Eoin rubbed his face, weariness evident. “Then we prepare for both truths,” he said at last. “That Jensen is who he says he is… and that Svante and the others are trying to tear this apart from the beginning.”

He looked around the room. “We’ll keep Jared and his friends safe if they come back here. We’ll treat them as allies. We’ll post more watchers. If Jensen flies, one of us tracks him. If another dragon comes, green eyes, moss hide, we’ll be ready.”

“And if we’re wrong?” asked Cheallach.

Elanor’s gaze was calm, steady. “Then we’ll know we have to fight all dragons in order to stay alive.”

 

The room fell quiet. Outside, the wind carried the smell of scorched earth and distant smoke. Inside, opinions remained torn, but the lines of battle had shifted.

No longer dragon against human, but truth against doubt. And trust, fragile as spun glass, waited to see whether it would shatter or hold.

 

~~~

 

The skies above the valley were calm, deceptively so. A gentle breeze stirred the tall grasses along the southern edge of the woods, where the woodlands gave way to the fields of Rothír’s Creek. The golden light of the setting sun bathed the landscape in warmth. To any unsuspecting eye, it was a peaceful afternoon.

But just beyond the tree line, four figures crouched low among the underbrush, their eyes fixed on the distant rooftops of the village.

 

Svante’s jade-green eyes shimmered even in his human form, catching the sunlight like fireflies in deep woods. His pale hair, damp with sweat, clung to his brow as he turned to the others, Snorre, Jorun, and Tjure.

“They’re up there now, circling,” he said in a low voice, motioning skyward. “Jensen. Leif. Tiu. Maybe more. They think we’re far away.”

Jorun grinned, sharp and humorless. “Let them waste their strength chasing wind. That magic to hide us is really powerful.”

“Are we waiting until full dark?” Snorre asked, impatient, shifting on the balls of his feet. His arms were folded tight across his chest, but his fingers twitched, eager.

 

“No,” Svante said. “We go when the torches are lit. That’s when they’ll be blinded to the shadows. That’s when the villagers will see only flame and fury. And by then, it will be too late.

But, you have one job to do before, remember? We have to get leverage. We need to get our hands on the human who started all this nonsense.”

Snorre nodded.

“I didn’t forget. I’ll leave now. I can already smell that vermin.”

He turned toward the edge of the woods and left.

 

Svante watched until he was out of sight.

“This place here is perfect to hide the human, until one of us has to get him for leverage. If we even need him. If not, we leave him here to rot.”

Tjure let out a low chuckle, cracking his knuckles.

“That sounds like a plan.”

 

~~~

 

The afternoon light was soft, golden, and deceptive, as if the world had forgotten the fires that had raged just a day before. Jared crouched near the creek bed, rinsing a cloth in the water, his eyes tired but determined. Behind him, Marten and the twins gathered wood for a small fire, because the night could be cold. Aisling knelt nearby, preparing herbs for Jared’s still-tender wounds.

They had remained outside the village as Jensen had asked. Close by, but out of sight.

 

Too far, as it would turn out.

Snorre had watched them, first from above when they flew there, profiting of the superior eyesight of a dragon. Then hidden in the trees and brush, cloaked by the thick canopy. He was there by the creek, waiting for the perfect moment. Jensen was gone. The humans were busy. And Jared was just far enough from his friends.

 

Snorre moved with the unnatural silence of someone who had hunted before.

Aisling had turned her head. Marten had started singing. Halbert and Herbert were arguing about something stupid.

And Jared heard the twig snap only a moment too late.

He turned, eyes widening. “What…?”

A powerful hand clamped around Jared’s mouth and nose, cutting off sound and air in an instant. The cloth dropped from Jared’s hand as he struggled, panic flaring in his eyes. He kicked, clawed, tried to scream, but the noise died in Snorre’s iron grip.

Jared thrashed harder, his lungs burning. Snorre pulled him back into the brush, the water masking the noise of broken branches and shifting boots.

“Quiet now,” Snorre whispered against Jared’s ear, almost mocking. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Jared’s vision dimmed. His arms slowed, legs weak. Black spots bloomed in the corners of his sight. His thoughts scrambled to Jensen, trying to find the connection to him, but stillness was faster and Jared went limp in Snorre’s arms.

With practiced ease, Snorre hoisted him over one shoulder and vanished into the trees, leaving only the sound of the creek behind.

 

Farther up the hill, Aisling turned toward the stream, frowning.

“Did you hear that?”

Herbert shook his head. “Hear what?”

But the moment was gone. And so was Jared.

Aisling’s head snapped up. The air had changed.

“Jared?”

No answer.

Marten dropped the sticks. “Where’d he go?”

They searched, checking the creek and all bushes, the brush, the trees, calling his name, but never got a reply. Then Halbert found the dropped cloth, still damp, lying beside the creek’s bend.

“He wouldn’t just leave,” Herbert said, face pale.

“Not on his own accord, at least,” Aisling whispered.

Marten’s hands clenched. “We have to tell someone. We can’t… we can’t wait for Jensen.”

 

~~~

 

Inside the woods, Svante’s eyes glared at Jared, laying on the ground just the way Snorre had dropped him, still barely conscious. He softly moaned in pain and Svante’s face distorted in a satisfied grin as he bound the human, rendering him incapable of fleeing even when he was conscious again.

His gaze locked onto a torch flaring to life near the village gates, heralding the slowly approaching twilight.

A feral smile spread across his face as he stepped into the open and shifted.

It’s time.

 

~~~

 

Aisling’s boots hit the path in frantic rhythm, Marten right beside her, and the twins just behind. Halbert’s voice was hoarse from shouting Jared’s name, and Herbert’s face had drained of color. No one had said it aloud yet, but the truth weighed heavy on all of them.

Jared was gone.

The gates of Rothír’s Creek loomed ahead, torchlight flickering in the early evening gloom. Two guards, Niven and Ualan, stood posted, leaning on their spears until the four came barreling toward them.

 

“Halt!” Niven barked, stepping forward, lowering the butt of his spear. “What’s happened?”

“He’s gone!” Halbert panted. “He’s gone, someone, he… we were right there!”

“Slow down,” Ualan said, brows furrowing as he steadied Halbert by the shoulder. “Who’s gone?”

“Jared,” Aisling snapped. Her face was pale and streaked with sweat. “One of the dragons must have taken him. We didn’t see it happen, I just heard the faintest sound, but there was no sign of struggle. He’s just gone.”

 

A small crowd had begun to gather behind the guards. Among them stood Arne, arms crossed and lips twisted in a skeptical frown.

“Oh, come on,” Arne scoffed. “It’s another ruse. Another trick to make us feel sorry for them. You don’t really think a dragon would…”

But his voice cut off mid-sentence.

A deep rumble swept over the village like thunder rolling low across the plains and the eyes of all gathered turned skyward.

On the horizon four shadows descended through the clouds, approaching Rothír’s Creek at a rapid speed.

 

One of the dragons body carried a moss-green shimmer and sharp silhouette, flanked by three more lithe and glistening bodies. They flew low and slow, just enough for every eye to see them. Their wings spread wide, firelight catching on their scales. The villagers backed away instinctively as the beat of leathery wings stirred the dirt into spirals.

Ualan’s hand tightened around his spear and Niven’s jaw clenched.

“To arms!” the guard shouted. “Seek shelter! Get the water ready!”

 

~~~

 

Jensen banked hard into the wind, his massive wings casting long shadows over the clouds as he flew alongside Leif and Runa. They flew at a distance to each other, searching for any sign of Svante and the other renegade dragons.

I see nothing, Runa called out. Not a sign of them since we left the caves.

They’re hiding, Leif replied, his yellow-gold wings catching the last rays of sun. Maybe deeper east. We should fan wider.

Jensen’s eyes scanned the tree lines, the hills, the river. But something gnawed at him, an unease low in his chest.

They wouldn’t strike while we’re airborne, he murmured. Would they?

Runa shrugged mid-flight. They wouldn’t be that foolish.

Okay, we split up, Jensen said. I have a bad feeling. Runa, search the dragon lands east, Leif, head towards the ice seas. They have to be somewhere.

Jensen himself circled back towards the human lands, like he’d been drawn there by an invisible force.

The sun was past its peak, the air sharp with the scent of salt and pine. He made another slow circuit over the fields, his eyes tracing every path between the villages and the border to the dragons, searching every shadow.

Then he noticed it. Something had changed, he could feel it in his gut. A cold shudder rushed through his dragonfire blood.

The connection between him and Jared, always faint but steady, a presence like warm embers in the back of his mind, had gone quiet. One moment it was there, the next it was nothing. No warmth. No flicker of thought. Just a hollow, cold void where Jared should have been.

Jared? Jensen’s mind reached out instinctively, the mental call sharp, urgent.

Nothing.

He pushed harder, his mind battering at the silence. Jared, answer me!

Still nothing.

His wings flared wide, catching the wind as fear churned through him. Usually dragons could not feel human thoughts at all, but since Jared was his mate, they had been connected by dragon magic. Jared’s presence had always been there since then and Jensen could think of only one reason it would vanish.

Muscles coiled, Jensen spurred into in a dive. The wind howled past him as he tore through the air, angling for Rothír’s Creek. His heart hammered, instincts screaming. He didn’t know what had happened, if it was Svante, Snorre, or something worse, but every second was too long. He folded his wings for speed, his shadow racing across the fields below, and let one thought burn through his mind like fire.

Hold on, Jared. I’m coming!

 

~~~

 

The sky turned iron-gray, the sun buried behind stormclouds like it knew what was coming. Jensen flew high above the valley, eyes narrowed against the biting wind.

The fields blurred beneath him, the tree lines a smear of green and shadow. Then the air shifted, sharp and bitter.

 

Smoke.

 

It hit his senses like a slap, coiling thick and acrid in the wind. His gaze snapped to the horizon, seeing dark plumes rising from the heart of Rothír’s Creek. And between them four dragons swooping the sky.

 

Fire licked from their jaws, rooftops bursting into flame, sheds collapsing under waves of heat. Villagers scattered like ants, shouts and screams carried even this far by the wind.

 

Jensen’s chest constricted. Jared could be in there. Was Jared trapped somewhere in the chaos, hurt, unable to reach him? Was that why the connection was gone? Or had something else happened? He didn’t hesitate.

 

Wings locked for speed, Jensen dropped lower, the air whistling past his ears. His heartbeat was a thunderous drum in his skull, each wingbeat hammering him closer. Below, flames painted the streets in flickering gold and red, villagers tossing buckets of water against the inferno with desperate, useless motions.

 

The renegade dragons wheeled overhead, mocking in their precision. Jensen roared, the sound cutting through the chaos like a blade. His dive sharpened, body angling like a spear toward Svante’s flank. If Jared was in the village, he had to get to him. If Jared wasn’t, then burning these attackers from the sky might be his only chance of buying time to find him.

Either way, nothing was going to stop him.

 

~~~

 

With a roar that split the heavens, Svante dove low over Rothír’s Creek, his moss-green wings stretched wide as a fireball exploded from his jaws. It struck a wooden shed at the far edge of the village, bursting into flame with a violent rumble.

Behind him, Snorre and Jorun swooped sideways, spiraling through the sky like monstrous shadows. Each spat fire down on the village aimed to burn, frighten, and force panic. Smoke billowed. Flames licked up the sides of storehouses and crept toward the edge of nearby homes.

 

Eoin grabbed a bucket of water, called for everyone who could to do the same. Drystan handed out pitchforks and tools for everyone who didn’t have a weapon. They dashed toward the growing flames, shouting warnings and curses, their small human shapes dwarfed beneath the circling dragons. Buckets were flung in desperation, water sizzling uselessly against blazing timber. Sparks landed on thatched roofs. The air reeked of smoke, fear, and dragonfire.

 

Arrows began flying up ineffectively. Those that hit glanced off the shimmering scales. Still, the guards and townspeople tried, their resolve stubborn even in the face of fire.

In the chaos, Aisling, Marten, Halbert, and Herbert shoved their way through smoke and confusion, joining the fray without hesitation. Halbert swung a shovel at a falling ember that landed too close to a stack of wood. Aisling ran to the well, heaving buckets, shouting for the villagers to form a line.

“We can’t let them destroy everything!” she cried, tears stinging from the smoke rather than fear.

“They’re trying to make it look like Jensen is doing this!” Marten shouted, shielding his eyes from a fiery arc that swept just overhead.

 

In the chaos, a figure arrived high above the village and then dropped like a meteor.

Jensen had arrived. His black-and-green form streaked down with a deafening roar that cracked the air itself. His eyes burned with fury as he careened toward Svante, who broke formation with a smirk, clearly expecting him.

Jensen hit the ground like ball lightning, landing between the village and the dragons, his wings outstretched and his roar echoing through the hills.

 

ENOUGH! he bellowed, audible to both, humans and dragons, the words laced with fury and finality.

The four renegades turned, not startled, but ready.

You really think you scare us? Svante growled with a sick smile. Unlike Jensen’s shout, his words were just audible for dragons.

You better be scared , Jensen replied, voice like cracking ice.

You shouldn’t have come alone , Jorun snarled.

I didn’t, Jensen retorted, having sent a call to the council the second he’d been heading to Rothír’s Creek. With a sweep of his tail he sent a fireburst arcing across the sky as warning to the village below. A signal to evacuate. Hoping it would be understood.

Snorre struck first, leaping forward with a fire blast of obsidian flame. Jensen deflected it with his wings, ignoring the pain as his wings were the most heat sensitive, ducked under Tjure‘s divebomb, then spun as Snorre‘s tail lashed at his flank.

Svante’s dragons fought like a machine, like pieces of a deadly puzzle designed to break him. And for a while, it worked.

Jensen was fast, strong, and full of fire, but they were relentless. Snorre seared a line across his shoulder. Svante slammed him into a boulder. Jorun’s tail caught his wing, drawing blood.

 

But Jensen roared and rose again, wings cracking thunder through the clouds.

You think I won’t bleed to protect them? he growled.

The smoke twisted like a serpent up into the dusk, streaking the crimson sky as Jensen surged upward, wings cutting through the heat. His dark green glistening form gleamed against the firelight, and then, he dove.

Svante, Snorre, Jorun, and Tjure tried to surround him, their roars echoing across the valley. The villagers stared skyward, caught between fear and awe, unsure whether the black and green dragon that arrived last would survive or even deserved to.

 

Jensen banked left, narrowly dodging a torrent of fire from Snorre, whose scales glinted with heat. He rolled in midair, whipped around behind Jorun, and with a mighty crack of his tail, struck the greenish-blue dragon across the neck. Jorun spiraled, wheezing smoke, and crashed hard against the upper ridge near the far edge of the village, laying still.

 

“One is down!” Herbert shouted from the ground, shielding his eyes. “He did it!”

But Jensen had no time to celebrate.

Tjure came in from above, talons outstretched. Jensen twisted, a split second too slow. Tjure’s claws raked across his flank, drawing blood. Jensen grunted, swerved mid-air, and slammed his shoulder into Tjure’s chest, knocking the wind from him. He sank his talons through his flight skin and with a powerful beat of his wings, Jensen shot skyward, dragging Tjure higher. And there he let go.

The rebellious dragon plummeted with a thunderous bellow, crashing into the riverbank outside the village where trees splintered beneath him. Steam hissed from his nostrils as he struggled, dazed.

 

Svante and Snorre remained, both more furious now that they were alone. So they struck in unison.

Svante’s fire roared toward Jensen’s face while Snorre dove beneath and slammed his tail against Jensen’s body, throwing him off balance.

Jensen roared, righted himself mid-tumble, and snapped his jaws toward Snorre’s wing, catching it just enough to send the dragon spinning wide.

But Svante was already on him again

Their bodies slammed together in midair with bone rattling force, black and moss-green scales scraping, talons clashing. They twisted and locked in a spiraling descent, fangs bared, wings entangled.

 

Below, the villagers were watching spellbound, as talons locked and teeth gnashed between two dragons that in the slowly setting sun looked almost identical.

Jensen and Svante twisted and fought in a furious spiral through the sky. Their wings beat like thunder, sending gusts over the burning fields below. Svante’s moss-green scales shimmered with heat, his eyes glowing that uncanny jade hue, full of fury, full of vengeance.

Jensen snarled and pushed into Svante’s chest, breaking their deadlock. The two dragons tumbled apart in midair, each circling, battered and bleeding. Smoke curled off their hides, some from flame, some from sweat, some from pain.

A split second passed and then Snorre came screaming back into the fight.

 

“Jensen, behind you!” someone, Marten, shouted from the ground, but Jensen already knew.

He twisted hard just as Snorre’s tail swept by, catching his flank and dragging a growl of pain from his throat. Jensen flared his wings, rolled through the hit, and with a burst of power, smashed his talons across Snorre’s ribs, sending him veering off with a roar.

That’s when Svante hovered above him, wings outstretched as staying aloft became harder, smoke rolling from his nostrils, his chest rising with fury.

 

You fight well, Jensen, Svante spat, but you fight with no teeth.

Jensen’s eyes narrowed, his voice a rumble in his throat. You’re done. Jorun’s down. Tjure as well. Surrender before the others come.

But Svante just laughed.

A cold, sharp sound. Not amused. Triumphant.

You think this is about a fight? he sneered. You think this is about villages and fields?

He leaned forward, voice low and venomous.

We have him, Jensen.

Jensen’s heart lurched in his chest.

Svante grinned.

Your precious little human. Jared, isn’t it?

Time stilled.

 

Svante saw what he wanted to see, the panic that flickered in Jensen’s eyes, just for a heartbeat. His grin became a little wider when he saw his own crew taking his side again. Battered, bleeding and dazed, but still upright to fight with him. He snarled, confident of victory.

You didn’t notice, did you? While you were so busy fighting for humans who’ll never trust you…

His grin twisted into something evil. We took him. Quietly. Thoroughly. And if you ever want to see him alive again…

 

Jensen growled, eyes lighting up with anger.

Svante laughed again. Louder.

There we go. Thought you’d lost all your spunk to that wannabe lyndworm.

 

WHERE. IS. JARED? Jensen hissed, a sound void of emotion and full of promise.

I have a proposition, true leader. If you can catch me. Svante spat a fireball at Jensen and took to the sky.

Jensen twisted his body to avoid the fire. Not that it could burn him, but being wounded, the heat licking on that wounds would cause unnecessary agony that would last longer than the pain from twisting away. When he looked again, Svante was gone.

No … Jensen whispered. Jared!

 

He launched into the air, higher than before, wings forcing themselves into the stormwinds. He didn’t know where Svante had gone, but he could feel his part of the bond aching. It had always kept them connected, let him know that everything was okay, that Jared was safe. But now Jensen could feel something was wrong. He knew Jared was alive, but hurting. And Jensen would tear the sky apart to bring him home.

Jensen’s wings cut through the sky like blades, the wind howling past him, but he barely heard it. His body was screaming from the earlier battle as he followed the bond, hoping to get to Jared before Svante did. Out of instinct he tried to feel Jared once more, but there was only static. Silence. A void.

 

Then he spotted Svante. He was hovering over a cliffside clearing, surrounded by curling stormclouds and distant smoke, as well as his friends, his wings glowing faint with magic. The look on his face was calm, too calm.

Jensen closed the distance and stopped just out of reach of being vulnerable to fire spitting, his breath ragged, eyes burning.

Where is he?

Svante touched down on a boulder on the cliffs, keeping Jensen aloft, exhausting his strength.

He’s alive. For now.

Jensen’s jaws clenched. What did you do?

Oh, relax. I haven’t hurt him much. A cut here, a bruise there. Enough to remind him who holds the reins.

Svante stepped closer, his smirk spreading. I’ve blocked the bond. An old trick, rare magic. Learned it from Airik. You won’t be able to trace him. He’s somewhere here in the mountains, beyond the reach of your heart.

Jensen’s breath caught. That was why he couldn’t feel him. Jared wasn’t dead, but cut off. Alone. Wounded. And afraid.

Svante circled him slowly.

But I’m not unreasonable. I’m willing to return him to you.

 

Jensen turned, eyes narrowed. What’s the price?

Svante stopped moving. His voice turned ice-cold.

Kill three humans.

Jensen said nothing.

His friends. The twins and that other guy. Svante smiled like a blade. Your little resistance. The humans who stood by you when no one else would. Kill them in front of the village. Make it a message.

You’re insane , Jensen breathed.

No, Svante growled. I’m just done pretending. Dragons were never meant to grovel. We were born to rule! You betrayed your own kind for a human and now you’ll feel what that costs.

Jensen’s jaw tightened.

And if I refuse?

Svante’s eyes lit up pale green. There was a malicious fury in them that was mirrored in his voice when he spoke.

Then we’ll start sending you pieces of him.

Jensen felt a fury rise inside him like he’d never felt before. His eyes were glowing and the smoke rising from his nostrils was mixed with fiery sparks.

A drop of rain struck the stone between them.

Svante spread his wings and bared his teeth, briefly.

 

Tick-tock, Jensen. Time’s bleeding out. He’ll only last two days. Show me fire.

And with a mocking snarl he pushed off, his goons in his wake, leaving Jensen alone at the cliff, his heart crashing like thunder.

 

Jensen hovered for a moment, the rain starting to fall in earnest. Lightning lit the sky, but nothing could come close to the storm inside him.

He concentrated on Jared, trying to feel him through the bond in spite of the magic. To no avail. There was no sign of him, no flicker of the bond. Only the echo of pain where connection used to be.

He closed his eyes. Then opened them, jaw set.

 

I’ll do it, he ground out, knowing Svante would still hear him in his mind. I’ll play your game. But I’ll write the ending.

Chapter 8

The fires still clawed at the sky, orange and black plumes rolling upward as if Rothír’s Creek itself were exhaling smoke. The battle was over for now, the dragons gone, but the damage lingered in every scorched beam and every cry from the wounded.

Buckets sloshed from the well, water arcing into the air before splattering against half-burned roofs. People shouted orders, some in panic, some in anger. Everyone who was able was helping to put out the last flames or salvage what was salvageable.

The twins worked in tense silence, passing water between them with jerky, mechanical movements. Aisling crouched beside a man with a burned arm, tearing a strip from her own shawl to bind it. Marten darted between the well and the east row of houses, where flames still licked stubbornly at blackened wood.

But it wasn’t just fire in the air, it was the shift in the way people looked at them. Longer glances. Harder eyes.

“…brought them here…” someone muttered near the well.

“If the dragons really took Jared, they brought them here,” Arne growled. “But maybe Jared wasn’t taken. Maybe he was brought to safety so he wouldn’t be harmed in the attack.”

“And his friends are just a ruse to make us think that the green dragon is different,” Cheallach agreed, sending suspicious looks at Aisling and the boys.

A clump of wet ash landed near Herbert’s boots. Halbert’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing, but Aisling’s voice cut in before he could answer.

“Come on,” she said, low but firm. “We can’t help anyone like this.”

They set down their buckets. No one spoke as they slipped away from the smoke and heat, keeping to the side alleys until the noise of the village dulled behind them.

The field beyond was cooler, the air still heavy with the smell of charred wood. Their hiding place outside the walls, up on the cliff and half-ringed by old boulders which waited as if they had been expecting them.

Halbert dropped onto the grass with a frustrated huff. “They don’t even care we were helping.”

“They’re scared,” Aisling murmured, though she didn’t sound sure. She hugged her knees, staring at the ground.

Marten looked toward the distant glow where the village still fought the flames. “Scared, angry… doesn’t matter. They’re turning on us. We grew up in the village. They should know we wouldn’t turn against them!”
He sighed.
“But you’re right. They’re scared.”

Perched next to each other that overlooked the village, the friends watched as their people continued to fight the flames. Smoke poured upward in heavy columns, smudging the horizon. Flickers of orange still burned between the rooftops, stubborn fires refusing to die.

Even at this distance, the damage was clear, several cabins dark and sagging, the main street littered with shapes that moved in frantic bursts as villagers ran with buckets.

Halbert stood up and crouched near the edge, elbows on his knees, his face unreadable. Herbert came to stand behind him, arms folded tight across his chest. Aisling walked to be beside her boyfriend, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“They’re still fighting it,” Halbert said finally, voice low.

“Yeah.” Herbert’s jaw worked as though he wanted to say more but didn’t.

“They’ll blame us,” Aisling finally said quietly.

Halbert’s head turned, a frown tugging at his mouth. “We didn’t…”

“Doesn’t matter,” Aisling cut in. Her gaze didn’t leave the village. “We’re with Jensen. With Jared. That’s all they’ll see.”

No one argued. The silence between them was heavy, filled only by the distant sound of shouting that carried faintly up the slope.

~~~

The storm clouds still lingered as Jensen landed just beyond the treeline where Marten, Aisling, and the twins were camped. The earth shook slightly beneath his weight, but he made no sound. His wings folded in, his scales catching the dim light in fractured glints of silver and shadow.

The friends looked up as one, each of them looking tense and startled. Marten half-drew a blade and Aisling was already reaching for a rock.

“Wait,” Jensen rasped, shifting into human form with a shimmer of light. He staggered slightly, breath tight, eyes bloodshot. “It’s me.”

Marten narrowed his eyes. “You smell like storm and murder.”

“I should,” Jensen said grimly. “I need your help. And… I need you to trust me.”

The twins looked at each other. Then at him.

“What happened?” Halbert asked, voice uncharacteristically quiet.

Jensen didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Aisling.

“You weren’t on Svante’s list,” he said. “He didn’t count you among Jared’s closest. That’s his mistake.”

Her eyes sharpened, taking in Jensen’s battered form. He was covered in barely healed wounds, even sporting some that were still bleeding sluggishly, like it took too much effort for his body to concentrate on healing itself. His eyes, still green but raging with a fire that belied his apparent calmness, were part worry for Jared and promise to avenge everything they dared doing to him.

“What list?” she finally asked, breathing deeply.

“He’s blackmailing me,” Jensen replied, voice low. “He’s taken Jared. I can’t feel him, he’s blocking the bond. And he’ll only give him back if I…” He swallowed. “If I kill you.” He looked at the boys.

Aisling’s mouth tightened, but she didn’t flinch. Marten cursed under his breath and the twins paled.

“You’re not going to do it,” Herbert said.

“No,” Jensen said. “But they have to think I did.”

He turned to Aisling, stepping closer. “There’s no time. I need you to ride hard. Head towards the Unicorn Pass, all the way to the top. It’s the best place to find Roarke, Leif, and Tiu. I told them to wait there for me when they arrive.
Tell them Svante’s hiding Jared in the western cliffs, near the old watchtower caves. Tell them to bring everyone they can summon. Then come to the village.”

Aisling stared at him, then nodded once, sharp and fast. “I’ll bring them.”

She turned to Halbert, gripped his arm for a moment and kissed his lips. Then she swung onto her horse and vanished into the forest.

~~~

Jensen knelt before Marten and the twins, pulling a leather pouch from his side. Inside was a thick, shimmering balm, reddish gold, smelling faintly of ash, herbs, and ozone.

“Dragon balm,” he explained. “You know it. And you have to trust it. It’s old magic. It protects not only objects, but even skin from flame and heat, although only for a short time.”
He smeared it across their arms, faces, chests, over any exposed skin, and under their collars too. It gleamed faintly for a moment before absorbing.

“That feels weird,” Herbert muttered. “Like beeswax and pepper.”
“Smells like burnt pine,” Halbert said.
“You’re not supposed to like it,” Jensen murmured, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“What do we need it for?” Marten asked, clearly not meaning the fire proofing.

Jensen looked at him.
“They want me to kill you. In front of everyone. Else they’ll send Jared back to me in pieces.
I have to make it look like I killed you. I will use fire, just enough for show and to mask me getting you to safety.
I know it’s a lot to ask, but so much depends on it. Everyone’s future depends on it! And for that, you have to trust me.”

The twins and Marten exchanged some glances and then nodded, all three of them.
“We trust you,” Herbert spoke for them. “We want Jared back in one piece and the village back to safety. And we want for dragons and humans to live together in peace.”

Jensen smiled tightly and inclined his head in acknowledgement.
“That I want as well.”
Then he rose, stepped back, and in a flash of brilliant silver light, shifted.

Wings unfurled and bones cracked. Fire pulsed through the clearing as Jensen took on his full dragon form once more, towering above them, like a majestic and resolute beast. His wounds were even more evident in dragon form but it didn’t make him look weak. It made him look like a warrior for peace. He lowered his head and looked down at them with glowing eyes.

Then, slowly, carefully, he raised one claw and dragged it across three scales on the softer underside of his belly. They loosened, a small stream of blood trickling from the cuts.

Take the balm and rub it in, Jensen instructed the boys. They did as requested without hesitation. Jensen hissed as the wounds closed in a way they weren’t meant to close.
Good, he growled softly. Now, listen up. I need you to return to Rothír’s Creek in the morning. Don’t worry about the people there. They won’t harm you. They know the real enemy here is not you.
I will come swooping in, and when I do, I need you to stand firm. Do not run, because if you do, I can’t aim my fire. I promise you, it will be smoking hot, but I won’t harm you!

He looked at the boys urgently until each of them had looked him in the eye and nodded.

Thank you. Now, the scales here will be to harbor you for a short while. I have to hide you like that because it’s supposed to look like I turned you to ash. You’ll be safe. I’ll make it look real.

Marten stepped forward, giving the dragon a long, steady look.

“You’re risking everything,” he said. “For Jared. For us.”

Jensen rumbled. He’d do the same.

Marten smiled faintly. “I know.”

Jensen exhaled, steam curling from his nostrils. His heart thundered like war drums. He looked at the boys one more time and then he rose, wings spread, fire churning in his chest.

~~~

By morning, the smoke had thinned to a pale haze drifting over Rothír’s Creek, the smell of char clinging to the damp air. Marten and the twins came down from the cliff in silence, their boots crunching over the frost-stiff grass. They had a restless night filled with worry for Jared and the village. And for Jensen.

The gates stood open, one guard, Ualan, was leaning on his spear but making no move to stop them. Without a word, they stepped into the village.

The streets were busy with people hauling buckets from the creek, patching roofs with scavenged boards, sweeping up charred debris. The groan of shifting beams and the occasional hiss of water on embers filled the air.

A few villagers paused to watch them pass. Some gave curt nods, others only stared, eyes hard. No one spoke.

Marten swallowed, feeling the weight of every look. “Just… keep moving,” he muttered to the twins.

They split off without discussion, Halbert joining a group hauling water, Herbert helping to lift a scorched rafter from the blackened skeleton of a shed. Marten fell in beside a pair of older men stacking salvaged planks.

Grim looks followed them, but no one turned them away. They worked until the ache in their arms burned away the tightness in their chests, losing themselves in the rhythm of lifting, carrying, and repairing.

Only the badly wounded rested, laid out in the shade of the meeting hall. Everyone else was on their feet, and for the moment, that included them.

~~~

The ropes bit into Jared’s wrists and ankles, every movement sending a fresh sting through raw skin. His shoulders ached from being forced back against the cold stone wall, and each breath came shallow, partly from the bruised ribs, partly from the three dragons in human form crouched nearby, their eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

Svante leaned against a rock, arms folded, his voice low and deliberate. “You should’ve stayed in your little village, human. Would’ve been easier for you. And for him.”

Jared’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak.

Snorre crouched in front of him, lips curling into a slow grin. His hands shifted, skin splitting into dark scales, nails lengthening into hooked talons. He pressed one against Jared’s cheek, just enough to leave a thin red line.

“Careful,” Snorre murmured mockingly. “Don’t move. We wouldn’t want to mar that pretty face… not yet.”

Above them, high against the pale sky, Jorun circled silently, his dragon form just a dark speck, watching.

Jared’s mind strained for that familiar, steady thread of connection to Jensen. Nothing. Just a hollow, heavy void where the bond should have been.

Svante seemed to sense it. He smirked. “Strange, isn’t it? That silence. No warm little voice in your head telling you everything will be fine. Maybe he’s too far. Or maybe…” He let the words hang, eyes narrowing. “…maybe he’s already dead.”

Jared glared at him, defiance clearly left in his posture.

Snorre’s talon traced lower, down the side of his neck. “If he tries to find you,” he said softly, “he’ll die for real. And you’ll hear it, won’t you? You’ll know when the life drains right out of him.”

They laughed, quiet and cruel, and settled back to wait, each small sound of movement above reminding Jared that Jorun was still there, still watching, ready to signal the others if Jensen came close.

 

The sound of wingbeats grew steadily louder until Jorun dropped out of the pale sky, landing in a shower of dust and dry leaves. His talons folded into boots as he shifted to human form, his face flushed from the flight.

“They’re back,” he said without preamble. “The friends. The twins and the lanky one. Walked right through the gates this morning. Helping with cleanup.”

Svante’s head tilted, a cold smile creeping across his lips. “Perfect. The pieces are all where we want them.” He stepped forward, eyes narrowing on the distant line of trees as if he could see straight into Rothír’s Creek. Then, without looking away, he called out in a carrying voice, laced with dragon telepathy so sharp it almost stung.

Jensen. It’s time. Meet me at the cliff if you haven’t changed your mind about wanting your little human back.

Jared stiffened, heart pounding hard enough to hurt.

Tjure’s grin was slow and deliberate as he walked over, rolling his shoulders. “Time to make sure our little audience doesn’t spoil the show.” He crouched, bringing his face close to Jared’s. The gag he pulled from his belt was thick, rough-woven, and when he pressed it between Jared’s teeth he made sure Jared felt the bite of the coarse fabric against split lips.

“Wouldn’t want you shouting warnings,” Tjure murmured, almost conversationally, as he tightened the knot.

Then, in a smooth shift of muscle and bone, the man was gone, replaced by a massive dragon. Tjure’s talons closed around Jared with just enough pressure to remind him how fragile the human body was. The air whipped past in a blur of green and brown as the dragon rose and swept toward the village’s edge.

They landed in the shadow of a jagged ridge, far enough to remain unseen, close enough to see the thin columns of smoke curling above the rooftops.

Tjure shifted back to human, keeping one hand on Jared’s shoulder to keep him still. “Now,” he said, almost cheerfully, “we wait. And you get to watch your protector prove where his loyalties really lie.”

Jared strained against the ropes, but the gag silenced him. The only sound he made was a low, furious breath through his nose, his eyes fixed on the village below. He had no idea what was about to happen, but the mention of the twins and Marten let his blood freeze in his veins.

~~~

In the heart of Rothír’s Creek, the sounds of patching up cabins and huts rang through the warm morning air. Axes were biting into charred wood, the crack and snap of beams being shifted was heard over the murmur of low, weary voices.

Halbert and Herbert worked shoulder to shoulder with Marten, sweat streaking through the soot on their skin as they dragged the heavier timbers toward the growing piles. Niven was with them, his shirt sleeves rolled up, sorting beams with practiced efficiency. “This one’s gone,” he said, tossing a splintered length aside. “This one…” he tapped another, turning it over, “salvageable. Set it by the south wall.”

The four of them fell into a rhythm, the work steady and almost wordless except for the occasional muttered comment about repairs or missing tools. Despite the hard labor, a faint air of guarded cooperation hung in the air. The hostility from the day before hadn’t vanished, but for now, their hands were too full to spare for grudges.

Far from the village, the air was thinner and colder. Aisling stood at the lip of the Unicorn Pass, her cloak pulled tight around her against the wind funnelling through the peaks. She had spent the night in a shallow alcove of rock, her pack for a pillow, the distant glow of the burning village still etched into her mind.

Now she watched the skies, eyes sharp against the pale horizon. Every glint of sunlight on a far-off wing made her heart jump, but each time it was only a hawk or a scattering of cloud.

“They’ll come,” she murmured to herself, though whether it was a promise or a prayer, she couldn’t say. And so she waited in silence, ready to signal Jensen’s dragons the moment she saw them crest the mountains.

~~~

The meeting point was the stone plateau in the highlands at the cliffs that Jensen had chased Svante to the other day. Jensen rose into the air with a thunderous flap and flew hard through the thinning clouds until the four shadows appeared.

Svante stood at the center, wings extended, flanked by Snorre and Jorun, his loyal pack.

Well? Svante asked. Your heart turned ash yet?

I want to see him, Jensen growled, hovering just above the ledge. Prove he’s alive.

Svante grinned coldly. After you do your part.

Jensen’s tail lashed, claws scoring the rock beneath him. He decided to stall a little.

I see your group is missing a member. Tell me where Tjure is?

Svante’s eyes narrowed, his spines flaring slightly. Worried, are we? he snarled. You’ll find out soon enough. Unless, of course, you’d rather force my hand.

Snorre’s deep chuckle rumbled from behind Svante, and Jorun tilted his head, silent, watching.

Jensen’s nostrils flared. You can’t keep this up, Svante. You’ll never get me to abandon Jared. He’s my mate, the magic…

Shut up! Svante’s voice was steel. Do it. Or I’ll rip the bond from existence and you’ll never feel him again. You’ll live a thousand years in silence. Alone.

Jensen held his gaze, muscles taut, every instinct screaming to strike, but he knew this wasn’t the moment. Without another word, he spread his wings, caught the wind, and launched himself skyward toward Rothír’s Creek.

~~~

The air over Rothír’s Creek shimmered with heat and smoke, the village still bearing scars from the last attack. Jensen’s shadow slid over rooftops as he circled, slow and deliberate. He could feel eyes on him from the villagers below, tense and waiting, and somewhere beyond, Svante’s gaze, sharp as a blade.

Near the center, he spotted them. Herbert, Halbert, and Marten were stacking beams in the open square. Their movements stilled as they noticed him overhead.

Don’t be afraid, he thought grimly, directed at the three, just for them to hear. Trust me. You’ll be safe.

Then, in his mind, he reached out again. This time to the dragons he was expecting. Roarke, please… hurry. Now.

In a second thread, a lot softer, he reached for the bond that should have tied him to Jared.
If you hear me, Jared, I’m fine. Don’t believe your eyes, now. Believe your trust. Believe our bond. I love you. And l will save you!

There was no reply. Just emptiness.

Focused, Jensen dropped into a slow spiral, talons flexing. The villagers spotted it and shouts rang out, boots thudded on packed earth. People scrambled for cover, dragging children with them.

Finally, Jensen let it happen.

He snapped his wings back, tucking them tight, diving like an eagle toward his target. The rush of air screamed in his ears. Below, the twins and Marten stood rooted, frozen in a mixture of involuntary fear and trust.

~~~

High above, on a rocky ledge, Jared strained against the ropes biting his wrists. Tjure crouched beside him, his grin splitting wide when Jensen began his descent. Jared could see it was him, he knew it, felt it, and tried to shout through the gag, tried to hurl his voice into their bond.
I’m okay, Jensen! Don’t do it! Don’t listen to them! Please!

But the bond was a wall of cold stone, and no sound passed through.

Jared watched on helplessly as Jensen flared his wings at the last possible moment, the gust knocking dust and straw into the air. His chest expanded, fire gathering deep in his throat. And then he loosed it.

A roaring sheet of flame poured from his jaws, wide and unrelenting, swallowing the three young men whole in a blaze of orange and gold. The villagers screamed, horror-stricken, some turning away, others frozen in shock.

From above, Jared’s muffled scream tore against the gag, his eyes wide as the fire devoured everything in its path.

Chapter 9

The wind funneled sharply through the gorge at Unicorn Pass, whistling in the cracks between the stone spires. Aisling had been pacing since dawn, all along the narrow ledge, with her horse tethered behind her. Every so often, she’d lift her gaze to the skies, straining to catch the shape of wings against the pale morning.

When three shadows finally swept across the cliff face, she let out a sharp breath of relief. Roarke led the way, wings cutting through the thin mountain air, with Runa close behind and Tiu bringing up the rear. They banked when they spotted the human and dropped into the wide stretch of pass where she waited.

“You’re here!” Aisling blurted before their talons even touched the rock. She rushed forward, words tumbling out. “It’s Svante, he’s set something up. He’s trying to force Jensen to kill my friends in front of everyone. He’s planning it so the whole village turns against him.”

Roarke’s dragon eyes narrowed, the spines along his neck rising slightly. When?

“Now. Maybe already.” She gestured wildly toward Rothír’s Creek. “We need to get there fast!”

Roarke suddenly stiffened, his head jerking as though he’d caught a far-off sound. His pupils thinned to slits.

Roarke, please… hurry. Now. Jensen’s voice rang through his mind, urgent and sharp.

The old dragon didn’t hesitate. We move.

Runa’s wings flared, catching the rising wind. Tiu bent low, lowering one massive foreleg toward Aisling. Come. We’ll make better time this way.

“I can’t leave my horse,” Aisling protested.

I’ll carry you both, Tiu assured her. His talons wrapped with surprising gentleness around the mare’s barrel and Aisling’s waist in one careful scoop. The mare snorted but didn’t fight as Tiu’s grip was steady, his chest radiating a calm, slow warmth as he launched upward.

The wind tore at her hair and cloak as the pass fell away beneath them, stone cliffs becoming a blur. Before long, the fields north of the village spread below. Tiu dropped into a controlled descent, setting the horse down on soft grass and lowering Aisling beside her.

Be safe, he said simply, then kicked upward into the open sky, angling back toward Roarke and Runa.

Aisling shaded her eyes, watching the three dragons streak toward Rothír’s Creek in a formation tight with purpose, their wingbeats pounding the air like war drums.

 

~~~

 

In the heart of Rothír’s Creek, flames boiled around the three young men, heat searing the air. But despite that inferno, Jensen’s aim was precise. His fire had formed a circle around them, subjecting them to heat, which the dragon balm kept them safe from. No flame was touching a hair on their heads.

In a heartbeat, Jensen dove toward the blaze, talons snapping out. Screaming a terrifying challenge, he broke through the flames, and in one smooth motion, he scooped all three into his grip, drawing them tight against the softer, scaled underside of his belly where he’d loosened the armor plates just enough to hide them. They were shielded from heat from the inferno by the scales they were hidden beneath. Jensen pushed off again and banked sharply upward, carrying them away under the cover of smoke and illusion.

Below, all anyone saw was the dragon lifting from a sea of flames, the ground scorched black where three young men had once stood. Above, hidden against his body, they cowered silently, eyes wide, as Jensen flew them toward safety.

 

~~~

 

On the ledge, Jared’s whole body was trembling. Not from the chill wind, but from the sickening weight in his chest. His heart hammered against his ribs, pounding so hard it felt like it might tear free. His breaths came sharp, shallow, burning his throat as he fought against the gag.

The ropes bit into his wrists as he pulled without realizing it, twisting and straining until the coarse fibers cut skin. Warm blood slicked his palms, but he barely registered the sting.

He refused to believe that what he’d seen was true. Jensen, his Jensen, would never kill humans like that. Not Marten. Not the twins. Not anyone.

The image of that raging wall of fire kept flashing in his mind, but deep inside, something stubborn, something fierce told him it wasn’t what it looked like. It couldn’t be. This had to be a trick, a ruse forced on him somehow.

Jared bit down on the gag. Svante might think he could sever the bond, but he couldn’t sever their trust.

Amid all the fire, it hadn’t escaped Jared’s attention that Aisling was missing. This fact and his belief in Jensen calmed his heart and filled it with hope. Everything would be alright. Had to be alright.

He forced himself to still his breathing, ignoring the burning in his wrists. Whatever game Svante was playing, Jared swore to himself he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of breaking.

Tjure crouched beside him. The dragon’s human face was lit with excitement, leaning forward like a spectator at the best part of a play. “Did you watch, little human?” Tjure whispered in his ear. “Your great friend has chosen his side.”

Jared ignored the jibes, keeping his eyes fixed on the scene below, waiting for a glimpse of proof that his hunch was not betraying him.

 

~~~

 

From their vantage point, Svante’s grin was almost feral, eyes gleaming as he leaned forward to drink in the chaos below. The villagers’ shouts rose in a wild, horrified chorus as fear, rage and disbelief all tangled into one raw sound.

They were already terrified by the way Jensen circled the village. And then Jensen dove.

Svante’s tail twitched with delight as the dragon’s shadow swept over the square. Look at them, he murmured, savoring every cry that followed. They’ll remember this for generations.

Snorre let out a low chuckle, his eyes locked on the scene as flames roared up around the three humans. Perfect, he said, voice thick with satisfaction. Every doubt burned away. They’ll never take him back after this.

Svante’s and Snorre’s eyes shone in unison, basking in the moment, certain that the bond between dragons and humans had been reduced to ash.

 

~~~

 

Jensen rushed through the skies for a moment, then dove low behind the forest. He knew when he touched the ground he was out of sight for the dragons, hidden by the trees.

Quickly, get out and hide, he told the twins and Marten. I have to go back and get Jared. More dragons will arrive soon. They’re on our side.

Not waiting for an answer, Jensen soared again, his roar now different. Fierce and triumphant. And Svante, still savoring what he believed to be victory, followed him straight to where Jensen wanted him as soon as he set his jade eyes on him again.

Jensen’s powerful wings beat against the wind as he climbed into the skies again, his heart pounding like war drums. Below, tucked safely under the green canopy of the forest, Marten, Halbert, and Herbert waited, unharmed. Roarke would find them.

Now it was time to finish what he had begun. With a snarl rising in his throat, Jensen turned skyward and ascended through the thinning clouds. Back toward Svante.

The air crackled with old magic and waiting death as two dragons hovered over the village, Jensen and Svante, striking green eyes locked on pale jade ones like drawn blades. Seeing them this close together in broad daylight allowed everyone to see the differences between them.

The villagers stood frozen, watching from rooftops and battlements. Some hid behind carts and doors.

Svante’s voice growled into the air, deep and cruel. You did it. You really did it. I saw the fire with my own eyes.

Jensen didn’t answer. His wings were spread wide, his form steady, but his tail flicked with tight anger and he opened all conversation for everyone, dragon and human, to hear. He used the true leader’s magic and he was sure that neither Svante nor his friends had noticed.

You want your precious mate? Svante sneered. Fine.

His snout pulled into an evil smile.

Tjure. Bring the human.

A gust of wind whipped down as Tjure emerged from the misted ridge behind Svante, clutching a struggling form in his claws. Landing with a metallic thud of claws and armor-like scales, Tjure sent Jared tumbling forward.

Tied. Bruised. Bloodied, but alive.

A rag was tied around Jared’s mouth, and his arms were still bound, but his eyes were immediately locked on Jensen.

Wide. Searching. And somehow still holding all the trust he had into his dragon. Because he knew that Jensen would never hurt an innocent.

He tried to speak under the gag, scrambling to his feet. Tjure shoved him forward roughly and Svante grinned as Jared stumbled. Then he twisted in the air to face Jensen.

There. There’s your prize. Bruised, yes. But still breathing. For now.

Jensen’s body tensed as he circled lower, touching the ground. He was itching to get to Jared and his claws were digging into the ground.

Let him go.

And lose my leverage? Svante sneered. He landed opposite Jensen, but blocking off his way to Jared. No. First we see how well you finish what you started. Let the humans look and see that the dragon that promised them peace bleeds for nothing.

Jensen’s tail lashed. Fire coiled behind his teeth. But his voice, when it came, was calm.

They saw everything they needed to. I kept my end of the bargain, Jensen growled, voice reverberating through the village like thunder. Unlike his adversaries he was aware that the humans were listening, spellbound. I gave you your spectacle. Now let him go!

Svante curled his talons into the ashy ground, a dark grin spreading across his face. His moss-green scales shimmered with cruel delight.

I suppose you did, he mused. But I find myself… unconvinced. One more condition, Jensen.

Jensen’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Shift, Svante said, glancing at Snorre and Jorun lazily. Become human. Show us how badly you want him. Strip away your armor. Fight for him as prey.

A beat of silence followed. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Jensen didn’t move.

Svante’s grin twisted. Or don’t. I’ll let Tjure rip him apart piece by piece while you watch.

Jared struggled against his bonds, eyes burning behind bruises. He shook his head frantically, screaming a muffled no under the gag.

Jensen stared at Svante. Then, slowly, deliberately, he shifted. He knew it was a trap. He knew Svante wanted him vulnerable. But to get Jared back, there was nothing short of killing humans that Jensen wouldn’t do.

The light wrapped around him like molten glass, condensing inward. Wings folded, claws retracted, and when the glow faded, Jensen stood in front of them, his green eyes locking onto Jared’s.

For a heartbeat, all was still. Then Tjure shoved Jared forward. With his talon he cut the bonds, not caring if he caused another wound. Jared stumbled forward toward Jensen, his legs weak from mistreatment.

“Jared!” Jensen shouted, and broke into a run. The ground beneath his feet trembled. But before he could reach him, Snorre struck.

From above, the dragon swept down with a howl and swung his massive tail, catching Jensen cleanly across the ribs. There was a sickening crack.

Jensen was flung into the air like a rag doll. Blood sprayed in an arc as he hit the rocky ground hard, skidding across the stone and gasping for breath.

Jared ripped the gag off and screamed, his voice finally free.

“JENSEN!”

Jensen’s eyes flickered, then glowed. And with a roar that shook the sky, he shifted back to his dragon, wings snapping open, talons raking stone as he lifted off the earth.

Snorre came back for another pass, but this time Jensen was ready. He launched himself higher in the air and slammed into him with a feral snarl, his jaws clamping down hard on Snorre’s neck. The two dragons tumbled through the sky in a tangle of claws and fangs. Snorre thrashed, biting and roaring, but Jensen twisted, using the wind’s momentum to slam the other dragon into the cliffside with a bone-crunching crash.

Snorre collapsed, groaning, sliding down the rock like a broken doll.

Jorun charged next, fire already building in his throat. Jensen turned, one wing shredded but still flying. He barrel-rolled midair, narrowly avoiding the blast, then dove.

He struck Jorun from above, claws ripping through armor-like scales. They hit the ground hard. Jensen pinned him, jaws glowing with fire that he spat at Jorun.

The renegade dragon howled, then stilled, unconscious and scorched.

Jensen stumbled back, wings trembling, ribs heaving, blood dripping from his chest and legs. He turned just in time to face Svante and Tjure, attacking him as a pair. Svante’s voice echoed around the village, cruel and mocking.

All this for one human, Jensen? Is that what your legacy will be?

Jensen didn’t answer. He just beat his wings, chest heaving and prepared for the last fight.

The sky now was a storm of wings and fire. Jensen was bleeding, battered, wings torn but still soaring, and he fought with the relentless desperation of someone who had nothing left to give, but still gave it anyway.

Above the village, Tjure slammed into him mid-flight, claws raking across his flank. Jensen cried out, spiraling downward with glittering blood spraying from open wounds. Gasps and shrieks rose from the villagers below.

“He’s losing,” Tomkin whispered.

“Is that… is that Jensen?” Arne, who stood beside him, asked.

“He’s the one who burned the boys. Isn’t he?” Cheallach growled, anger still bubbling inside him.

“No! Wait, look!” Eoin pointed towards the village gates. Through the smoke and dust, Aisling galloped in on horseback, the wind tearing at her cloak. Behind her came Roarke in dragon form, carrying the twins they had picked up. Runa carried Marten and they landed gently, setting the humans down on the ground for all to see.

The crowd murmured. The twins and Marten were alive and well, they even looked unharmed, but undoubtedly shaken. 

“What? How?” Cheallach gasped.

“They’re alive?” Drystan added.

“They weren’t burned at all!” Elanor smiled. 

And just like that confusion turned to realization, fear turned to guilt and concern. The dragon fighting above them wasn’t the enemy. He was fighting for them!

While the villagers stared upward, their voices quieting in reverent dread, Tiu shifted to human and ran towards Jared, who had fallen to one knee. Blood streaked his face. His hands trembled.

“Easy,” Tiu said, kneeling beside him. “You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”

“Jensen!” Jared cried. “He’s hurt, he…”

“I know. We’re going to help him.”

Roarke and Runa wasted no time. They moved to Snorre and Jorun, both unconscious, and bound them with thick cords that shimmered faintly in the light. They were dragon bonds, runed and unbreakable.

Just then, a great crack shook the village and all heads turned skyward.

 

~~~

 

Jensen twisted mid-air, wings faltering as Tjure came at him again, jaws open wide. He barreled at Jensen with lightning speed, determined to finish the wounded dragon.

Jensen snarled and spun. In one powerful sweep, he lashed his tail around with immaculate timing, smashing it into Tjure’s chest as he arrived. The thundercrack of bone and impact echoed across the cliffs. Tjure careened into a wall of boulders and crumpled.

Dust billowed where the dragon had hit the ground and Tiu rushed to secure him, murmuring an oath of binding as he wrapped him in dragon-forged ropes.

Jensen still hovered in the sky, wings flapping unevenly, bleeding from dozens of wounds. His body trembled.

Only one remained.

Svante rose from the clouds like a storm of malice and blood, eyes glowing, wings spread like shadows across the sun.

Below, villagers crowded the walls. Jared struggled to stay on his feet.

“Jensen!” he screamed, throat tight with fear.

Svante looked down upon the wounded dragon below him and sneered.

You should’ve let him die. You would’ve saved yourself all this pain.

Jensen looked up, smoke curling from his nostrils, his breath ragged but steady.

I’d die a thousand times before I let you take him!

And then they charged.

Jensen met Svante mid-air, claws clashing like thunder. Their bodies crashed with seismic force, whipping the smoke into vortexes. Svante spewed fire, a savage, jagged stream of orange and Jensen banked sharply, letting it lick harmlessly over the rooftops below. With a vicious twist, he whipped his tail and sent Svante spinning into the forest trees.

Svante roared as he narrowly avoided a collision and came back at Jensen, spewing a wall of blue fire. The pain was searing. Jensen’s scales cracked and his breath hitched. He twisted, slammed his wings outward in a violent shockwave that sent Svante rolling back.

Blood ran in rivulets between Jensen’s scales. Smoke curled from his wounds. But his eyes, those sharp, unwavering eyes, locked on Svante with fire yet unspent.

Jensen fought like a storm with a dying center. Svante returned with fury, and this time Jensen wasn’t fast enough. The other dragon’s teeth sank into his shoulder, and Jensen let out a bellow that reverberated from the cliff edge.

He writhed, slammed his wing into Svante’s head, and brought his talons across the other dragon’s chest, deep enough to force retreat.

But Svante wasn’t done, yet. He was bleeding and torn, much like Jensen, but he didn’t want to end like Airik. He darted under Jensen’s guard and sank his claws into Jensen’s wing-joint, twisting. Jensen screamed, flame lashing out wildly and catching a distant treeline. Jensen slammed down hard, one wing mangled, body heaving. Svante drew closer again.

Jensen rose, his flight path wavering. His vision swam and the sky spun. It was time to end it once and for all. With his last strength he charged Svante, catching the weakened dragon on his neck, teeth snapping down hard enough to penetrate the scales with a crunch.

Svante howled one last time and then grew eerily still. A moment later he dangled limply from Jensen’s jaws. Jensen quickly released him to let him crash to the ground before he ended up taking him with him.

Finally it was over. Finally none were left. But Jensen’s strength was dwindling rapidly, wings failing and he turned toward the last memory he had strength for.

JARED!

He turned towards the village, low and fast. Too fast. Each wingbeat felt like knives in his muscles. Blood streamed from his side, trailing in the wind like a banner.

Above the square where Jared was waiting, Jensen lost altitude. His wings crumpled, unable to orchestrate a controlled landing anymore and the green dragon hit the earth with a thunderous crash.

Chapter 10

Jared was running before the dust had settled.

“JENSEN!”

The dragon stirred weakly, smoke curling from split scales. His chest heaved, eyes flickering open to see Jared rushing towards him. He let out a low rumble, and with a groan of shifting bones and glowing light, Jensen collapsed inward, his form condensing, reshaping until he was human.

Blood trickled from his temple. His clothes were torn in many places, littered with gashes much like his dragon body had been. Blood seeped from the tears, glittering crimson, like dragon blood did.

Jared dropped beside him, hands shaking. “You stupid, brave dragon, why did you fight alone?”

Jensen smiled, faint, wincing. “Had to… remind them who I am.”

“You look like hell.”

Jensen coughed. “Hell looks better.”

Jared pressed his forehead to Jensen’s. “You’re going to live,” he murmured. “You hear me? You’re not done. Not yet.”

And Jensen, battered, broken and bleeding, let himself close his eyes. Jared was there. Jared was alive and safe, the village was safe and Roarke was around. His wounds would heal, eventually, but the main thing was that Jared was alive and safe.

Jensen let himself drift. He had nothing left to give. He knew he was safe in Jared’s arms and his body became limp. Blood continued to seep from wounds and his breathing was shallow, teeth clenched against pain even in unconsciousness.

Jared held him tightly, one arm around Jensen’s shoulders. Dirt and blood streaked Jared’s hands, his cheeks, even his lips. His heartbeat thudded so loud in his ears it nearly drowned the approaching footsteps. But he heard them and looked up.

Villagers were gathering around them, some still holding pitchforks and bows, women with children clutched to their sides. Smoke still rose in the distance where other fires had burned. Suspicion still clung to their faces like soot, but now paired with doubt. None dared come too close, but none had turned away either.

Jared pulled Jensen closer, protectively. “Don’t,” he said, voice hoarse but firm. “He’s not your enemy.”

Arne stepped forward, opening his lips to speak.

“Step back,” Jared growled, his voice edged now, sharp like a wolf’s snarl. “You saw what he did. He saved my friends. He saved all of you. Of us.”

For a moment there was silence. Even a falling leaf could be heard. Then footsteps approached from behind the townspeople. They were softer, lighter.

Two figures emerged when the villagers parted and Jared breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized the iron-gray hair of Roarke. He was dressed in long robes that shimmered faintly like scales when the wind moved. His eyes were deep-set and kind, rimmed with crow’s feet, though they burned with power long held in check.

The second man was Tiu. His pupils gleamed ever so slightly with gold. His arms were folded, but he looked nervous, uncertain. The flicker of fire beneath the skin not quite mastered.

Roarke raised a hand in peace. “No weapons,” he said gently to the humans. “We’re here for him. Only to help.”

Jared stayed firm, unwilling to part with his mate. “If you’re here to take him somewhere, you better take me along.”

“No,” Roarke interrupted, voice like the hush of a mountain wind. “I’m here to heal him. And Tiu as well. We came as soon as the winds carried word of the betrayal.

Runa is waiting for the others outside the village. They will bring home Tjure, Jorun and Snorre. Svante will be buried in the sea.“

“He killed him,” Jared breathed, realizing once more just how close he had come to losing Jensen. Just then, Jensen’s breath caught and he coughed, wincing, without opening his eyes.

Jared looked down at Jensen. His breathing was more ragged now and there was blood on his lips.

“He won’t make it,” Roarke said softly, “not without help. You know that.”

Fear ran through Jared’s body like ice through his veins. He clenched his jaws and rubbed his thumb over Jensen’s pale cheek.

“How will you help? Like you did back then after the fight with Airik?”

Roarke stepped closer. The townspeople didn’t stop him.

“Dragon-mending,” Roarke nodded, kneeling. He explained everything for the benefit of the humans. “A weaving of fire and marrow. We burn the infection, fuse the bone, rekindle the heart flame. It’s ancient. Painful. But it saves lives. Especially dragon lives.”

“It will hurt him more, right?” Jared asked, remembering.

Tiu spoke for the first time. “Yes. But only briefly. And he’ll sleep through most of it.”

Jared hesitated. He still felt the anger of the townspeople. But maybe… he looked up at them, saw them watching. He saw their silence wasn’t filled with hate anymore. It was wonder, curiosity and a fragile hope. He nodded.

“Do it. Please.”

Roarke and Tiu knelt on either side of Jensen’s crumpled form. They placed their palms on his chest and his brow, murmuring words in a low, crackling language. Sparks leapt from their skin to his.

Jensen flinched.

Jared held his hand. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, brushing sweat from Jensen’s brow. “Just hold on.”

Fire, soft, golden, and strangely gentle, began to glow beneath Roarke’s fingers. It spread slowly across Jensen’s chest, tracing his veins like rivers of light. His wounds hissed as the magic took root. Bone twisted, then settled. Torn flesh pulled together.

Jared watched, awestruck, as the worst of it, the scorched wing-scars and the shattered ribs, mended before his eyes. When it was done, the fire receded. Roarke leaned back, winded but smiling.

“He’ll live,” he said.

Jared almost collapsed from relief. “Thank you,” he croaked and then looked at Jensen again. And then there was something else, something he’d been missing since Snorre had taken him.

He could feel their bond again, the waning pain still left in Jensen’s body, but also the returning strength. Jared smiled and blinked his eyes, discarding tears of relief.

Roarke’s eyes met his. “He fought for a new world. Let’s not make him build it alone. You are hurt as well. Jensen will still sleep a while, let me heal your wounds so you can concentrate on him.”

Jared’s eyes were big and grateful when he looked at Roarke. He nodded, and Roarke part shifted his hand to a claw, scratched his forearm and dropped the blood onto Jared’s wounds. He had to repeat the cut two more times because they were healed before all of Jared’s cuts were seen to.

“Thank you,” he breathed when it was done and the pains and aches in his body dissolved.

 

~~~

 

The villagers had been watching the scene before them with hopeful interest. Now, some edged closer to watch how the wounds on Jared were disappearing.

When Roarke stood up again and stepped aside a bit, a middle-aged, sharp-eyed woman stepped ahead of the others. Jared felt her presence and looked up to see it was Marten’s mother.

“Was it him?” she asked Jared. “The dragon that carried them away?”

Jared nodded.

“He made it look like fire,” she murmured. “But there was none.”

“Oh, there was fire,” Jared mumbled. “But…”

“Mom,” Marten called, rushing through the crowd to hug his mother. “I’m fine, we’re fine. He saved us. Jensen came to us to tell us about what he was forced to do to save Jared.

He rubbed all of us out with dragon balm to keep us safe and then carried us away under his belly scales. He hurt himself to carry us to safety, look!”

Marten pointed at Jensen, who was still resting in Jared’s arms. His wounds had been healed, but his clothes were still shredded and useless. The tattered shirt had ridden up on his mid section, revealing four distinct scars.

All his injuries from the dragon fight had been healed and reduced to a slight pink marking that would still disappear altogether. But on his hip, there was a scale shaped scar, obviously older, and next to it, towards the soft part of the belly, there were three scars, shaped like the upper ridge of the scales Jensen had in his dragon form, still looking red, despite being healed.

When they had used the dragon balm to keep the scales from healing back immediately, they had disrupted the natural healing powers which consequently had caused scars to build for an injury that usually healed completely.

Marten’s mother gasped. She didn’t fully understand, but she could see what her son was trying to say. This dragon, Jensen, had injured himself purposefully to keep Marten and the twins safe. This kind of sacrifice to keep someone else safe was a rare thing to do.

Roarke nodded. “That’s what he’s been trying to tell you all. There is a place where dragons and humans can live together without fear.”

A murmur was spreading through the crowd as several of the villagers nodded in agreement. Not all believed, but no one reached for a weapon anymore. It was a beginning.

And Jared, still holding Jensen’s hand, knew that sometimes beginnings came not with banners or songs, but with fire, and healing, and the silence after the war.

Jensen stirred, breath deepening like wind returning to a long-quiet mountain. His fingers flexed in Jared’s hand. A groan escaped his lips, followed by a sharp inhale as awareness returned, along with some pain. Then he opened his eyes.

Their green color still lacked some depth, but they were flickering like coals, that just caught the light.

“Jared?” he rasped in a raw voice.

Jared laughed through the tears already slipping down his cheeks. “You’re awake. Thank every star in the sky, you’re awake.”

Jensen gave a faint smile, wincing as he shifted. “Are… are you hurt?”

Jared barked a wet laugh. “Me? Look at yourself! You crashed into the earth like a falling star, fought four dragons, and still found a way to survive just to make me worry.”

At that, a cluster of feet rushed forward. Marten and Aisling were first and behind them the twins, Herbert and Halbert, were practically tripping over each other in excitement trying to dodge the crowd to get to the pair still sitting on the dusty ground.

“You beautiful bastard,” Marten grinned as he kneeled next to them, looking into Jensen’s eyes. “We thought you were done for.”

“I didn’t,” Halbert lied with conviction.

“He did,” Herbert said, contradicting him.

Jensen chuckled weakly, voice hoarse. “Still as loud as ever, I see.”

From behind them, Roarke cleared his throat and looked gently at the true leader of his flight, his expression calm and dignified.

“You nearly didn’t make it,” he said. “But you held on. And thanks to your own madness you’ve brought us all a second chance.”

Jensen looked around, slowly realizing they were surrounded not by blades and threats, but by silence and watching eyes. Dozens of villagers stood along the edges of the clearing, wary, but no longer hostile.

From among them stepped Eoin, the village elder. There was no fear in his eyes now, only something heavier. Regret, perhaps. Gratefulness. Relief. And something close to hope.

Jensen tried to sit up fully and Roarke helped Jared steady him. Then, bracing on one knee, Jensen rose. He stood, battered and bruised and still visibly biting back some pain and aches, but tall.

Eoin came to stand in front of him. His gaze dropped to the curved blade at Jensen’s side, the sword Jared had made for him and that was part of his outfit whenever he shifted to human form. It was crusted with soot and dragon blood. Jensen followed his gaze. Then, without a word, Jensen drew the weapon from its sheath and symbolically let it fall. It hit the ground with a solid thunk.

Jensen looked briefly at Jared, who understood and removed his steadying hand. He stepped forward and extended his hand to Eoin.

“I’m sorry,” Jensen said. “For the fire. For the fear. The renegades who burned your homes have been brought to justice. They acted against everything we stand for.”

Eoin stared at the offered hand for a long, heavy moment. Then he reached out and clasped it. A murmur rippled through the villagers like wind over water.

Eoin’s voice was clear. “And I’m sorry for doubting you. For letting old ghosts blind me to the truth standing before me.”

He squeezed Jensen’s hand. “Tomorrow,” Eoin continued, “if you feel recovered enough, you and I will sit down. Bring everyone you feel you need and then we’ll write the laws for what comes next. Together.”

Jensen nodded. “Together. ”

Jared stood with Marten and Aisling, who had Halbert’s arm slung protectively around her shoulder. Herbert stood behind them, fingers interlacing with Marten’s. The square was still littered with small shards of debris and ash, but there was a strange calm now, a lull after the storm. Villagers moved about, whispering in low voices, some still glancing warily at the dragons who loomed in the background.

“I thought we were done for,” Herbert muttered, rubbing at a cut on his temple. “When the fire came down… I was sure it was the end.” He looked at Jensen. “I know you promised us to keep us safe, but I had no idea how you’d accomplish that. But you did.”

Aisling shook her head sharply. “I knew Jensen wouldn’t let it happen.” Her voice was quiet, but there was steel beneath it.

“Still,” Marten added, quieter, “I’ve never seen anything like it. Dragons were always just a story of long forgotten times. And all of this, what happened now, it’ll take time before it feels real.”

Jared looked at them, his chest aching with relief and exhaustion all at once. “What stands out for me is that you stayed,” he said softly. “Through all of it. Even when everyone else doubted, you believed in me. In Jensen. I’ll never forget that.”

For a moment, their little circle felt sealed against the world. But then the crowd shifted. A hush spread through the square as two figures stepped forward. Arne, broad-shouldered and grim-faced, with Cheallach at his side. Their boots struck the cobbles heavily as they stopped before Jared and Jensen, who was leaning slightly against his mate for support, still pale from the fight.

The silence thickened.

Arne’s jaw worked as though he had to bite down hard before the words would come. His eyes flicked from Jensen’s torn clothing, the sword on the ground, to Jared, standing tall but weary.

“I owe you both words,” he said at last, his voice gravelly. “I fought against this. Against the thought that dragons and humans could stand side by side. It was near impossible for me to watch this dragon tear through our homes with the same hide and color as your dragon here, Jared.”

Jensen’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing. The villagers leaned in, listening with bated breath.

Arne drew in a long breath. His next words rang clear enough to reach all around them. “But I saw it with my own eyes. How he fought, how he bled, how he came back here, broken, half dead but wanting to be at your side. And I know now, that whatever else comes, we can always trust your dragon.”

There was a beat of stunned silence and Arne bent down to pick up the sword Jensen had discarded. He looked at it intently for a moment before offering it to Jensen, hilt first.

Jensen looked into Arne’s eyes for a few heartbeats, and then nodded, accepting the apology. He took the sword and returned it to its sheath.

“It probably wasn’t easy saying these words. That you did say them shows me the measure of the man you are. I’ll gladly be your friend and I hope we will never have to stand side by side in a battle. But if we have to, I know I can rely on you.”

He held out his hand to Arne, who took the offer and shook it strongly. If Jensen felt any discomfort from his injuries, he didn’t show it.

Cheallach stepped next to Arne after the dragon and the man had clasped hands and nodded.

“I offer my apologies to both of you as well. I let myself be ruled by fear of the unknown, and by anger. But I see now, that there is no need for either. You can always count on me if needed.”

Jensen nodded his thanks and shook the hand Cheallach held out to him. The tension in the air seemed to release, replaced by cautious murmurs, some surprised, some approving. Jared blinked, his throat tightening. He glanced at Jensen, who met his gaze, the faintest curl of a smile ghosting his lips despite the pain.

 

~~~

 

The following day, the scent of ash still hung heavy in the air of Rothír’s Creek. Smoke curled up in thin, wavering trails from certain corners and the village looked scarred and blackened. Where sheds and homes once stood whole, now only charred beams and half-collapsed walls remained. But the ruins weren’t silent.

From the skies came the thunder of wings. Great shadows swept across the clearing as Roarke and several other dragons circled down, their scales catching the pale morning light. Roarke was the first to land, his talons sinking into the earth with weight enough to make the ground tremble. Without shifting, he addressed the gathered humans.

Good morning, he greeted . I think, looking around, there is much devastation here. Dragons have caused it, so we’re taking it upon us to make sure you’ll quickly be able to rebuild.

Leif here, to my right, will lead a group that will bring trees to use for rebuilding your houses. Please address him for requirements.

Runa and Tiu will make sure that Svante’s remains are taken care of. Jorun, Snorre and Tjure have been returned to our lands and will be kept there, unable to return here.

After this, he turned and launched himself back into the sky, vanishing toward the tree line along with Leif and a few more young dragons.

About ten minutes later they returned, Roarke carrying two trunks of pine trees between his massive claws, branches still rattling with needles. Behind him, Leif and Eira followed, each burdened with a similar load.

When the dragons dropped the trees and moved aside, Callum, the carpenter, rushed forward to inspect the timber. Then he ordered the young men to carry them to the saw to get them in shape.

Again and again the dragons flew out to the evergreen forest, felling trees with a sweep of talons, carrying them back like bundles of straw.

Back in the village, other dragons like Ylva and Geir used their claws to shred bark cleanly away, peeling it in long strips that fell in heaps. The humans gathered the pieces eagerly, using the rough bark cuttings to fill gaps in walls or as cushioning for the new roofs.

In the center of it all, Marten, Halbert, and Herbert moved tirelessly, dragon balm smeared on their hands and arms as they brushed it into beams and rooftops. The sharp, resinous smell of the salve filled the air as they fireproofed everything the villagers raised.

Children darted between piles of wood, carrying tools, nails, or bundles of bark. Aisling and some of the women stitched salvaged cloth across makeshift frames for temporary shelter. Ualan and Cheallach helped swing hammers and saws, sweat running down their soot-streaked faces.

Together everyone worked tirelessly to fix what could be fixed and rebuild what couldn’t be fixed.

“I think that doing this together will show everyone in Rothír’s Creek that living with dragons can be beneficial for all,” Jared told

Jensen when they took a break to have some freshly baked bread that Kian, the baker, was handing out.

Jensen nodded, chewing meticulously. Human food was still fairly new to him and he celebrated the flavors the still slightly warm bread delivered.

“Yes,” he agreed. “It’s a good thing now that everyone is on the same page. We can compensate for the things that got destroyed by showing our reliability, which is… how do you call it? Two flies with one stone?”

He smiled. Human proverbs and expressions were quite fascinating to him and he just hoped he was using them correctly. The warm gaze that Jared reward him with was all he needed.

 

~~~

 

The smell of smoke was finally dissipating in Rothír’s Creek, making it easier to breathe for everyone who stayed in the village. Jared’s throat was just as grateful for that fact as he rolled up his sleeves after his break and stooped beside Marten. Together, they smeared dragon balm thickly along a freshly cut beam, the resin shining dark and wet in the sun.

“Don’t miss the knots,” Jared reminded, his voice hoarse but steady. “They’ll burn quicker than the rest if you do.”

Marten gave him a grim nod, and the twins moved along the length of wood, their hands sticky and fragrant with the salve.

Above them, the thunder of wings grew louder. Jared lifted his head just as Jensen came soaring in, a massive tree clutched in his talons. The ground shook when he dropped it, a spray of dirt and pine needles scattering across the square.

There you go , Jensen rumbled, lowering his head. He used his claws like great axes to shear the trunk into manageable sections. His talons split the bark cleanly, the strips rolling away in curls.

Jared clapped the dust off his hands and ran to him, laying a hand against the warm scales of Jensen’s body.

“Thank you,” he smiled. Jensen was still recovering, even though Jared knew he would deny it, but as the dragon leader he wanted to put in work to show he was leading by actions, and not only by words.

Jensen tilted his head, brushing his snout against Jared’s arm before turning back to the work.

Anything to help this finally get on the right path, he replied, huffing beautiful smoke rings for Jared to see. Then his tail swept the splintered bark in neat piles for the villagers to gather.

Across the square, Roarke and Leif carried in two more trees, while Eira and Geir shredded bark into heaps. The villagers fell in beside them almost naturally now, cutting the dragons’ offerings into beams and  bundling bark to stuff gaps in the walls.

Jared moved from place to place, checking beams, helping brace frames, his hands blackened with soot and balm. At one point he climbed halfway up a scorched frame with Halbert to hammer in a roof support, laughing breathlessly when the board slipped and nearly crushed them both.

Through it all, Jensen brought tree after tree as he worked alongside all of them. When he group of villagers struggling to lift a ridge beam into place, he used his talon to bring it in place and holding it steady until they fastened it. The people stepped back, sweat on their brows, awe and a fragile respect in their eyes.

In the evening, when the sun sank behind the ridge and the day’s work ended in bruises and torn palms, Jensen sat in the square with Jared by his side, using his blood to heal cuts that needed it.

One by one, villagers approached. Jared had urged them at first, but soon they came on their own. Niven sat stiff-backed while Jensen traced a hand over the raw scrape on his arm, dripping some of his blood onto the wound, closing it without leaving a scar.

Even Arne came. He lingered at the edge, waiting until everyone had their turn before stepping forward. He held out his cut hand like an offering he didn’t want to give, eyes lowered respectfully. Jensen said nothing, simply took his hand in his own and let the blood do its magic. When it was done, Arne blinked at the healed skin, inclined his head and walked away saying his thanks.

When the last cabin was raised, the whole village seemed to breathe easier. The smell of fresh timber lingered in the air, mingling with dragon balm and the smoke of fires cooking food. Children ran again between the houses, their laughter a sound that had been missing for too long.

That evening, Eoin appeared, dust still in his hair and his tunic streaked with resin. He beckoned Jensen and Jared without a word, leading them past the rebuilt square to the edge of the village.

There, standing straight and new among the other cabins, was a house unlike the rest. The beams were thick, cut with care, the roof sloped strong against rain and wind. The doorframe was freshly carved with patterns of vines and knots, and the inside smelled of pine and stone.

“For you,” Eoin said simply, his voice rough but steady. “We built it together. Thought it was time you two had a place of your own.”

Jared froze in the doorway, eyes wide, and then turned to Jensen with a look that held more than words could carry. Amazement, gratefulness and untamed joy that just waited to break free.

Jensen ducked his head slightly, overwhelmed. For the first time since Rocastle, since chains and cages, he felt something ease inside his chest. He wrapped an arm around Jared’s shoulders and held him close as they stepped inside.

They looked around, taking in the interior, an array of furniture, salvaged as well as brand new, and in a separate room, a bed big enough for both of them.

When Jensen turned back to Jared, he smiled broadly and then wrapped his arms around the human, not caring that they weren’t alone. Their eyes locked for a moment and then he lowered his lips onto Jared’s, kissing him with a tenderness that proved to everyone in the cabin just how much Jared meant to the dragon leader.

“Thank you all,” he finally said, voice warm and rumbling. “This is a gift that is too much, but we will accept it. Because it’s a symbol of new friendship.”

“You are so amazing,” Jared added. “I’m actually speechless, and that means something.”

Eoin and his wife chuckled, along with Jensen.

“You’ve never spoken truer words, gràdh,” he said to Jared.

“Believe me, I know, kjære,” Jared replied. “This here feels like home, because I’m with you. Neither Airik nor Svante could change that we belong together. And we belong here as much as we belong to your flight.”

Jensen gazed into Jared’s eyes for a while. Finally he nodded and then leaned down, slow, deliberate, as though to savor the meaning of the moment. And when his lips finally met Jared’s, it was not the desperate kiss of survival, but something gentler, steady, like a promise sealed in the heart of their new home.

Elanor glanced at Eoin, her lips curving with a knowing smile. The old leader gave a soft grunt of approval and turned away, giving them both the dignity of privacy.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Jared let himself sink into the warmth of Jensen’s embrace, his chest light, his heart unburdened. This cabin, this kiss, this was the beginning of peace.

Chapter 11

Notes:

Finally, after way too long a time, this story comes to an end. I know there was a terribly long pause between some chapters and I sincerely apologize for this. Thank you for your patience and sticking with me. I hope the story makes up for the long wait.
And who knows, maybe there will be another time stamp, or two.

As for you, my dear DarkSun, this story was for you. It’s YOUR dragon that I brought to life and fleshed out, asking you about advice or help quite a few times. Your feedback always made my day and I really hope you’ll enjoy the last chapter as much as those before.
Thank you for being my idea bouncing bunny and for calling me out when things don’t fit or match. ❤️ Writing for and with you has been so inspiring and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Stay being the Dean to my Sam and maybe we will get the next 995 stories done as well. Love you! 😘

 

~~~~

The door clicked softly shut behind Eoin and Elanor, leaving the cabin wrapped in a quiet that felt almost sacred. Jensen’s hand lingered at the small of Jared’s back as they both exhaled, the weight of the last days finally giving way to a lighter air.

“Shall we?” Jared asked with a cheeky little smile, tugging Jensen gently by the hand.

Jensen returned the smile and let Jared guide him through the cabin. They explored the gift the villagers had poured their work and hope into. The floorboards creaked faintly underfoot, smelling of sap and earth. When they pushed open the last door, Jared froze for a heartbeat.

The bedroom was simple but beautiful. A sturdy bed stood against the far wall, its frame carved with intricate dragons that wound around the posts as if ready to take flight. The mattress smelled of fresh moss, plumped and softened with care, and over it lay fine linen sheets, whiter than anything Jared had ever owned. A carved dresser sat against the side wall, and above it hung a mirror rimmed in a frame shaped like a soaring dragon.

Jared moved closer, his fingers tracing the lines of the carvings along the bedframe. “They… they made this for us,” he whispered, wonder filling his voice.

Jensen stood a step behind him, silver eyes wide, his breath caught in his chest. “I’ve never… no one’s ever…” His words faltered, but the stunned awe on his face said enough.

Jared turned then, a soft smile curving his lips. “Guess we ought to thank them properly.” His tone carried a playful edge, but when he leaned in to kiss Jensen again, it was filled with tenderness.

That kiss broke the last of Jensen’s restraint. The fire in him stirred, hot and unyielding, rising as naturally as his breath. His hand slid to Jared’s waist, pulling him close, and in one swift movement, he guided Jared back onto the bed. The moss mattress gave under them with a soft sigh, the fine sheets cool against their skin.

Jared laughed against Jensen’s mouth, breathless, and Jensen silenced it with another kiss, hungry this time, fierce, as if to test the strength of the gift they’d been given. His hands roamed over Jared’s frame, igniting heat wherever they touched.

“Seems sturdy,” Jared murmured, smiling against his lips.

Jensen chuckled low, his forehead pressed to Jared’s. “We’ll have to make sure.”

The new bed groaned softly beneath them, the fresh linen already twisting as Jensen’s weight pressed Jared into the mattress. His mouth was fierce, demanding, devouring Jared’s lips until Jared gasped against him, his body arching in surrender.

Where Jensen’s hands roamed they left a trail of heat. Sliding beneath Jared’s shirt, his palms skimmed the sensitive skin, claiming every inch. Jared shivered as those hands gripped his hips, strong and possessive, dragging him closer. He could feel Jensen’s need, hard and undeniable, pressing against him, making his own body ache with want. It had not been that long, but with all that happened the past few days, it seemed like it had been ages.

Their kisses broke only for ragged breaths, Jensen’s lips trailing lower, down Jared’s neck, biting and soothing, leaving marks that burned with every brush of his tongue. Jared’s fingers tangled in Jensen’s hair, tugging him closer, desperate. A groan tore from his throat as Jensen’s hand slipped lower, sliding over him, through the thin fabric, stroking with deliberate slowness that made his hips buck helplessly.

“Jensen…” Jared’s voice cracked, breathless, pleading.

A growl rumbled from deep in Jensen’s chest, primal, vibrating through Jared’s body. He pushed Jared’s shirt up, dragging it off impatiently before letting his own follow, their bare skin meeting in a rush of heat. The sensation made Jared gasp again, his nails digging into Jensen’s shoulders as their bodies pressed flush, hardness against hardness, igniting the sparks between them even more.

Jensen kissed him again, rough, hungry and thoroughly until Jared was dizzy from the lack of oxygen. His hand slid lower, slipping beneath Jared’s waistband now, wrapping around him fully, and Jared moaned into the kiss, the sound swallowed by Jensen’s mouth.

“Mine,” Jensen growled again against his lips, pumping his erection with deliberate, possessive strokes that left Jared writhing beneath him, moaning, trembling with each movement.

“Yours… I’m always yours,” Jared rasped. His eyes were glued to his dragon’s human body, roaming all over as he took in the older, paled scale shaped scar and the new, still reddish ones where he’d more or less cauterized the wounds to save the twins and Marten.

Jensen noticed where Jared’s eyes were tuned to and lifted his chin gently with his fingers.

“I’m fine. You’re fine. Everything is perfect.”

His green eyes locked on Jared’s hazel ones and he lowered himself back down, showering his face with kisses.

Then Jensen’s mouth trailed lower, down Jared’s chest, tongue tracing over a hardened nipple before biting gently, making Jared’s back arch off the bed. His hands slid under Jared’s thighs, pushing them apart, and Jared gasped as Jensen positioned himself between, the press of his body heavy, powerful, inescapable.

“Look at me,” Jensen ordered, his voice a low growl that vibrated through Jared’s bones.

Jared obeyed, breath shuddering as luminous green eyes, dragon eyes, locked on his, filled with fire and hunger. The sight alone nearly undid him.

Jensen pulled the last of their clothes away, slow and deliberate, baring Jared completely beneath him. For a heartbeat, Jensen just stared, drinking him in, the faintest tremor in his chest betraying how much this meant. Then he claimed his mouth again, hungry, fierce and unrelenting, while his hand slid lower, teasing, preparing, stretching Jared until his groans turned from arousal into aching need.

“Jensen, please, need you.” Jared’s voice broke, desperate.

With a groan, Jensen shifted, lining himself up, the thick heat of him pressing against Jared’s entrance. He pushed forward slowly, watching Jared’s face, swallowing his every gasp, every twitch, until he was seated fully inside, deep and burning. Both of them trembled, their breaths ragged, relishing in the intense sensation of being one.

Jared’s hands clutched Jensen’s shoulders, his nails digging in the skin, but instead of pain Jensen’s growl deepened, primal, possessive. Then he moved.

Slow at first, deliberate thrusts that sent shudders racing through Jared, stretching him, filling him. But the rhythm quickly grew harder, faster, Jared’s body rocking with every thrust. Their wrists emitted a green glow that grew brighter with every thrust, the tattoo made by dragon magic responding to their passion.

“Mine,” Jensen snarled again against Jared’s throat, thrusting deep, hard, making Jared cry out with every word. “You’re all mine.”

“Yes,” Jared panted. “Forever.”

The fire built between them, unbearably hot, their movements frantic now, desperate. Jared writhed beneath him, hooking his legs around Jensen’s waist, begging without words as his body was already trembling on the edge. Jensen grunted and let his hand slip between them, stroking Jared in time with his thrusts, rough and sure, eyes locked on his face so he wouldn’t miss a thing.

A moment later Jared’s body tensed and he groaned loudly as his release tore through him, hot and blinding. His body clenched tight around Jensen, pulling him with him into the abyss.

Jensen roared, burying himself deep as his back arched and he spilled hot inside Jared, his own climax ripping through him, leaving him shaking.

For a long moment, they just clung to each other, foreheads pressed together, breath mingling, hearts pounding. Jensen finally collapsed against him, careful not to crush him, still buried inside, still trembling.

Jared’s lips brushed his ear, a soft, hoarse whisper. “Always yours.”

Jensen kissed him, softer now, reverent. “Always,” he agreed.

The fire in their bodies finally ebbed, leaving only warmth, the thrum of two heartbeats pressed close. The new bed creaked once as Jensen shifted, easing onto his side without pulling out, unwilling to break the closeness yet. His arms folded around Jared, holding him tight, their damp skin sticking together in a way neither cared to fix.

Jared’s chest still rose and fell unevenly, his hair damp against his forehead. He turned his head, smiling faintly, lips swollen from kisses. “You realize we could’ve broken this bed already?”

Jensen’s laugh was low, still rumbling in his chest. “Then it wasn’t built well enough.” He brushed a thumb over Jared’s cheek, marveling as though it were the first time he touched him. “But I think it survived. We could give it another test, though.”

Jared groaned and chuckled at once, burying his face against Jensen’s neck. “Gods, you’re insatiable.”

“Only with you,” Jensen murmured, nuzzling into Jared’s hair, inhaling deeply as though memorizing his scent.

For a while, they lay like that, no words, just warmth, Jared tracing idle patterns over Jensen’s arm, Jensen sighing softly because the light touches sent shivers down his spine. The quiet was comfortable and felt sacred.

Finally, Jared whispered, “I thought I lost you. When Svante had me… when I couldn’t feel you through the bond anymore… it was like the world went dark.”

Jensen’s hold tightened instantly, his voice rough. “Never. Not while I breathe. Not even if the world burns around us.” He kissed Jared’s temple, lingering. “I’d tear down the skies themselves before I let you go.”

Jared pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. In that look, he saw it, the dragon who he had cared for once, the protector who had risked everything, the lover who now lay tangled in his arms.

“Then we’re the same,” Jared whispered with a smile. “Because I’d follow you anywhere.”

Jensen kissed him again, slower this time, no fire, just promise.

When they finally pulled apart, Jared curled closer, letting exhaustion drag at his eyes. Jensen kept watch, his hand stroking gently through Jared’s hair, until sleep claimed them both, wrapped together, safe, in the first morning of their shared home.

 

~~~

 

The first pale light of dawn slipped in through the shutters, spilling across the new cabin walls and catching on the dragon-carved bedframe. Jared stirred, not because of the light, but because of the warmth wrapped so completely around him.

He blinked groggily, then smiled. Jensen was still there, still holding him as though the night hadn’t ended. His breath was even, calm, but his green eyes were open, glowing faintly in the dim light, watching Jared with a quiet intensity.

“You didn’t sleep much, did you?” Jared murmured, his voice rough with sleep.

“I did, for a while,” Jensen said softly, brushing a thumb along Jared’s jaw, his tousled hair attesting the truth of his words. “Woke up with the first sunlight. I was watching you.”

Jared groaned, amused, and buried his face against Jensen’s chest. “That’s creepy.”

“It’s devotion,” Jensen countered, and the teasing smirk that tugged at his lips gave Jared no choice but to laugh.

For a long while, they just lay there, tangled together, Jared pressing lazy kisses against Jensen’s collarbone, Jensen’s hands tracing lines down Jared’s back. The world outside was quiet, still recovering from all that had happened, but here, in this cabin, peace finally seemed real.

Eventually Jared sat up, stretching, the sheet slipping low on his hips. Jensen’s gaze followed the movement, warm and hungry all at once. Jared caught it and chuckled, brushing his messy hair from his eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, smirking. “We’ll never get out of bed.”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Jensen murmured, tugging him back down into his arms for one more kiss.

It was slow, unhurried, different from the storm of passion the night before. Just lips pressing, lingering, sharing the taste of belonging.

Then an insistent knocking broke through the moment.

Jared groaned into Jensen’s mouth. “Of course it couldn’t last, could it?”

Ignoring it stubbornly, Jared resumed kissing Jensen, letting his hands roam over his bare skin. But the knocking at the door grew louder, quicker, until even Jensen groaned.

Jared slid free with a reluctant sigh, tugging on his shirt as he crossed the cabin.

“Will they put me on trial if I kill whoever is being such a nuisance?” he asked and Jensen huffed out a laugh, falling back into the cushions.

When Jared pulled the door open, Marten nearly tumbled inside, the twins right behind him, all of them bright-eyed and curious.

“Out of the way, Jared!” Halbert announced, clutching an armful of bright woven cloth. “We’ve come to make this place look lived in!”

Herbert stumbled in right behind, cushions stacked high against his chest. “I said we should’ve waited,” he mumbled, muffled behind the pile.

Marten followed at a calmer pace, holding up a small carving of a dragon curling around a tree trunk. His grin was broad. “Don’t mind them. We brought housewarming gifts.”

Jared laughed, shaking his head. “It’s not even been one night.”

“And that’s exactly why,” Marten said. “Can’t have you living in bare walls like hermits.”

Just then, Aisling swept up the steps and inside with the kind of authority that brooked no argument. A basket hung from her arm, and in her other hand she carried a steaming pot of freshly brewed coffee.

“Move aside,” she ordered, setting everything on the table. “Breakfast. And don’t tell me you’ve eaten already, because I know you haven’t.”

The smell of bread, pastries, and rich coffee filled the room, cutting through the sharp tang of fresh timber. Jared’s stomach growled in betrayal, making the twins snicker.

Behind him, Jensen had finally dragged himself from the bed. When he appeared in the living room, his hair was a dark tumble, his shirt half-buttoned, and he looked more dragon than man in his groggy scowl. Yet when his eyes landed on Jared, they softened, warm with that quiet glow that always made Jared’s chest tighten.

Herbert whispered to Halbert, not nearly as quietly as he thought: “See, he’s not even awake yet.”

Jensen arched a brow, and Halbert nearly choked trying not to laugh.

“Sit,” Aisling commanded before anyone else could say a word, shoving mugs into their hands. “Eat. Talk later.”

They all crowded around the small table, the cushions and blankets abandoned in a heap for now. Jared found himself between Jensen and Marten, the twins already tearing into bread.

“So,” Marten said with a sly grin, eyes dancing. “How was your first night here?”

Jared froze mid-bite. Jensen calmly sipped his coffee, though his mouth tugged at the corner.

“Comfortable,” Jared answered quickly.

“Comfortable?” Halbert leaned forward, mischief shining in his eyes. “That’s all? Comfortable?”

Jensen set his cup down, voice smooth as silk. “The bed was… satisfactory.”

That sent Herbert into laughter, nearly choking on his bread, while Aisling rolled her eyes and smacked Halbert’s shoulder before he could say anything more.

“You’re all terrible,” Jared muttered, though his ears were burning.

But as he looked around the table, the laughter, the warmth, the smell of food and coffee in their brand new home, he realized he didn’t mind at all. The table was close to the window, with two benches at either long side and chairs by the short ones. Aisling and Halbert had taken the window bench, while Herbert had taken the single chair on the short side. Marten was sitting opposite him while Jared and Jensen were perched on the other bench, looking out the window.

The table was crowded, laughter bouncing off the new cabin’s walls. Jared could barely move with Herbert elbowing for more bread and when he moved a bit, Herbert seized the opportunity and squeezed himself between him and Jensen with a triumphant grin.

“Move over,” Herbert muttered, already settling in. “You’re hogging him.”

Jensen stilled, green eyes narrowing just slightly. For a moment Jared thought he might bristle. Dragons weren’t exactly used to sharing space, but instead, Jensen leaned back against the back rest with a faint smile tugging at his lips. He let Herbert sit there, let him chatter about cushions and paint colors, even laughed softly at one of his jokes.

But later, when Herbert leaned too far to grab another pastry, Jensen smoothly slipped into the space again, reclaiming his seat at Jared’s side without a word. Jared felt the quiet brush of his leg under the table, subtle, grounding, and smiled to himself. Herbert just about managed to not sit in Jensen’s lap and sighed dramatically as he returned to his original seat.

“Oh, look at that,” Halbert said with a grin, elbowing his twin. “Possessive.”

“Dragons always hog the best spots in the house,” Herbert shrugged and winked at Jared.

“Can you blame him?” Marten chimed in, leaning against the backrest with folded arms. “If I had Jared, I’d guard him too.”

Herbert’s eyes widened comically. “So, are you saying you wouldn’t guard me?”

Marten chuckled. “Nobody is going to steal you from me. I’ll always have you.” He looked at Herbert and then strained to give him a kiss.

“Oh, come on, get a room,” Halbert groaned in mockery.

“Can we?” his twin asked with sparkling eyes.

Jared groaned, burying his face in his hands as the twins erupted in laughter. “You lot are impossible.”

His brother and Marten laughed while Aisling just shook her head, looking apologetically at Jensen. Then she rose with her mug, touched Jared’s shoulder, and nodded toward the door. “A word?”

Jared glanced at Jensen briefly and then followed her outside. The morning air was sharp, the faintest smell of smoke still lingering faintly from the fires, but the sound of laughter through the cabin walls softened it.

Aisling studied him a long moment, then smiled. “You look lighter.”

Jared frowned, unsure. “Do I?”

She nodded. “For the past days I saw you carrying worry like a weight on your back. Even when you smiled, it didn’t reach your eyes. But now?” She gestured toward the cabin, toward the noise of his friends and the man waiting inside. “Now it does.”

Something in Jared’s chest tightened. “I didn’t think we’d ever get here,” he admitted. His voice cracked a little. “There were so many moments I thought I’d lost him. Lost… all of this.”

Aisling reached out, squeezing his arm. “But you didn’t. You fought, both of you. And look what came of it.”

He nodded, swallowing hard.

She tilted her head, her grin turning teasing. “Besides, it’s good for him.”

“What is?” Jared asked.

“All that noise in there. People teasing him, tugging him around, treating him like he’s one of us. He needs it.” Her eyes softened. “And so do you.”

Jared laughed, wiping at his face quickly before anyone could notice. “You always know what to say.”

“I know you,” she said simply. Then she patted his arm once more and turned for the door. “Come on. Before your dragon thinks I’ve stolen you away.”

Jared lingered just long enough to glance back at the village, the roofs patched, life beginning again, and then stepped back inside, where Jensen sat waiting, shoulders eased, a faint smile curving his lips.

The cabin was louder than Jared had ever thought a cabin could be. Herbert was already poking through the dresser drawers, muttering about “storage potential,” while Halbert leaned dangerously back in his chair to see if the ceiling beams were strong enough for “future decorations.” Marten had settled at the window seat with a smug grin, as if he owned the place.

Jared squeezed past them all and dropped down beside Jensen again. The dragon shifted just enough to make room, his green eyes flicking to Jared with that quiet, steady warmth.

“About time,” Herbert remarked, watching the way Jensen’s hand immediately brushed Jared’s knee under the table. “I was starting to think you’d grown shy around us.”

Jensen’s gaze slid to him, slow and unimpressed. “There is a thing called privacy. Even us dragons know about that. And most humans do, too. You, however, might be the exception,” he said evenly, but the faint curl of a smile betrayed him.

The twins hooted. “Careful, Herbert,” Halbert chimed in. “I think the dragon’s got claws even when he’s polite.”

“Don’t test him,” Marten added with a smirk. “He just fought a handful of renegades. Pretty sure he won’t hesitate to nudge you off a chair.”

Jensen arched a brow, silent, but Jared caught the faintest flicker of amusement in his eyes. He leaned closer, their shoulders brushing, and whispered just for him. “They’ll never stop teasing. Best get used to it.”

“I am… learning,” Jensen murmured back. His hand lingered where it rested, not moving, but firm and grounding. Then he spoke louder, so all could hear. “I can endure their noise. If it means sitting here. With you.”

That silenced them just long enough for Herbert to blink and nudge Halbert. “Did he just call us noisy?”

Halbert grinned. “I think he did.”

“Good,” Marten said, tossing a cushion at Jared, who caught it with a laugh. “Means he’s one of us now.”

And while the others burst into laughter again, Jensen’s hand tightened slightly against Jared’s knee, his own private claim amid the chaos, and his anchor.

The table was still crowded with half-eaten rolls, crumbs scattered like confetti, and the sharp smell of coffee clinging to the air when a new knock sounded at the door. Jared got up, pushing past Marten who had tried to wedge another cushion onto the bench, and opened it.

Tomkin stood there, grinning from ear to ear, a small carved wooden box in his hands. “I worked all night to finish it,” he said simply, stepping inside. “Thought it was time we show you we really appreciate everything. Especially the help at rebuilding.”

The chatter died down as he placed the box in front of Jared and Jensen. Inside, two rings gleamed in the morning light, silver bands etched with delicate scale-like patterns, each crowned by a claw that cradled a shimmering dragon gem.

Jared’s breath caught, his hand reaching out to brush against one before glancing at Jensen. The dragon’s eyes softened, a flicker of awe and something deeper shining there.

“They’re beautiful,” Jared whispered. “They look even better than what I had imagined. That… that’s precious work, Tomkin. Thank you so much.”

The friends moved all at once, Herbert leaning over to inspect the claws, Halbert demanding to know how Tomkin got the gems, Marten declaring he’d never seen craftsmanship like it. Even Aisling, who had been busy pouring more coffee, stood still to admire them.

“You’re wearing them, right now, yes?” Herbert urged. “Try them on!”

Jensen didn’t argue. He slid the ring onto Jared’s finger first, his hand steady and gentle, then let Jared do the same for him. A shimmer of light seemed to dance along the silver, catching everyone’s eye.

“Fit like they were made for you,” Tomkin said with quiet pride.

“Which they were,” Marten pointed out. “Right?”

They all agreed, voices overlapping with questions and praise, but Jensen eventually leaned close to Jared and murmured low enough only he could hear, “I need some quiet.”

Jared nodded instantly. He stood, tugging Jensen’s hand. “We’ll be back,” he told the others, smiling through their protests and teasing remarks.

Outside, the air was fresh with pine and sea breeze. They walked hand in hand through the gate where Niven stood, greeting them with a smile.

Jensen shifted smoothly, wings unfurling with a rush of sound that stirred the grass around them. Jared climbed onto his back, settling into the familiar place on his scales, fingers brushing over the new ring.

Without a word, Jensen leapt skyward. The ground dropped away, the village shrinking beneath them. For the first time in days, Jared felt his chest loosen as they circled together over Rothír’s Creek, the village rebuilt, smoke gone, life stirring again.

And above it all, just the two of them, bound by fire, their tattoo, and now by silver.

The wind rushed in Jared’s hair, cool and sweet, as Jensen climbed higher until the rooftops of Rothír’s Creek were no more than dots below. Jared leaned forward, laying himself close against Jensen’s neck, feeling the steady strength in him.

You did well, Jensen’s voice rumbled through his mind, quiet but sure. All of this, your village, your people, they stand today because of you.

Jared smiled faintly, the weight of the ring on his finger warm against the back of Jensen’s scales. “Not just me. You, too. You saved us all and I really believe that now, we can finally build here what we were hoping.”

There was silence for a moment, only the beat of wings, then Jensen’s thought came again, softer, almost shy despite all his might. I never thought I’d have this. A place among people, where I’m free. And you. Dragon magic has its ways, and even though there were years I wish I had never had to endure, there was the one constant, my beacon. And that was you. You cared then, and you care now.

I believe dragon magic wove our paths together, that things had to be this way to create our bond. And if that was the only way for me to meet you, then I’m glad it all happened the way it did.

You’re worth all the pain I went through, kjære.

Jared squeezed his eyes shut against the sting of tears and then swallowed down the lump that had formed when listening to Jensen’s words. Finally he laughed into the rushing wind.

“Well, you’re stuck with me now. No going back. And I agree with you. I wish getting to meet you wouldn’t have meant years of pain for you, but I’m happy about the way things are now. Very happy. Because I love you with all that I am, gràdh.”

Jensen’s chest vibrated in what might’ve been a chuckle. He tilted one wing, sending them swooping playfully down and back up again, and Jared’s laugh carried through the skies.

Below, villagers shaded their eyes, pointing up at the glinting figure overhead. A few cheers rang out, not of fear but of joy, and it made Jared’s heart swell.

The dragon banked in a wide circle, sunlight catching on silver and green, until finally he called back to Jared. Let’s go home.

And when they landed again, side by side, it was with smiles still on their faces, ready to face whatever came next, not as dragon and human, but as one.

Jensen shifted back, Jared still laughing as he tumbled into his arms, and together they walked toward their cabin with the sound of their friends calling in the distance. Whatever tomorrow brought, today was theirs, full of laughter, warmth, and a love stronger than fire.

 

 

 

 

~fin~

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of Tales Of A Dragon