Their Warrior Luna
Chapter 71

Harley:

“You are the best boy chomp!” I praised the massive creature while giving him belly scratches.

I still can’t believe he brought me to them. If I can figure out how to communicate with them, they will be the biggest asset in our winning this war against Eros. Chomp’s big purple eyes switched from happy and carefree to slits of combative rage. He rolled to his feet using his chin. He tucked me tightly between his front legs. I fought hard against his clutches to turn and see what he was so worried about. But I wish I hadn’t. I wish I had stayed clueless, tucked tightly in the clutches of the dragon who likes me.

I thought Chomp was huge. He is huge… but the herd of dragons that had snuck up on us while I was loving on Chomp. They are a whole new size. Massive isn’t an adequate description of these dragons. Black, purple, and other hues of blue, and eyes as black as night were locked on the two of us. Chomp’s smoke circles started blowing around me. The same smoke and soot he released before taking me thousands of feet into the air. But we weren’t going anywhere.

“Everything is okay, I will not hurt you,” I whispered to the larger one leading the rest. I thought maybe I could get him to listen to me and like me the way that Chomp does. His big black eyes were locked on me and the fact that he acted like Chomp was completely invisible scared me. Chomp is intimidating as hell, I mean… he is a dragon for goddess’s sake. But this otherworldly beast is from the hell that the humans are so fearful of.

The low rumbling that rattled the ash beneath my feet sounded like a chorus around us. The steady legs I was shoved in between for my safety were now shaking like a leaf in the wind. Embers lit in their nostrils like waterfalls of flame were ready to pour from them and I knew, we weren’t welcome here.

That familiar prickle stung my skin like tiny needles. I don’t know if this is my fear, or if at this moment, being surrounded by an element that I also possess gave me some type of comfort… either way, I called to the fire. I welcomed it in and asked it to burn brightly using me as its vessel and it did as I asked.

My black hair whipped wildly around me. The tips of my hair lit, and that fire spread all the way down to the tips of my toes. I stepped away from Chomp, who had started purring the moment my fire started.

I stepped forward, facing the leader. This is the only chance that I have.

“I need you. There is nothing that you need to be fearful of. I would never hurt you and I know you are only trying to protect them… but that’s why I am here. I have to protect you and this place and every place and every being outside of the walls of fire you surround yourself with. I am their queen. I am your queen and I need you. Something is coming… someone is coming. When he does, he plans to demolish everything. My pack and my people want to stop him. But to stop him, we need you. All of you.” I spoke to all of them, but I never took my flaming eyes from the one who intimidated me the most.

I stretched my arms wide, letting the flames burn brighter and higher. The flames were shooting over their heads, and they were all staring at the tendrils of flame seeping from me. The herd had gotten larger, they had all gathered closer to see the thing in the middle of them burning like a comet in the night sky. Just as fleeting as a comet, my fire burned brightly and then faded away to nothing.

“What do you say?” I asked the creature who had eyes as soft as black velvet.

The dragon spread his wings wide and bowed his head to me.

My steps were slow and calculated. I knew better than to rush up on something that could sneeze and obliterate a small town. I spread my fingers wide, reaching for the snout of the leader. If I had his acceptance, I would have theirs.

I looked into his eyes while my hand made its play to show him affection. His warm scaly nose pressed lightly into the palm of my hand and the breath that I had been holding onto so tightly whooshed from me in relief.

We have them. We have the dragons.

Alistair:

“Where in the f**k are they, Ferra? Where does that beast of burden go when it isn’t hiding here? We need to go get her.” I hated the gravel lodged in my voice and I hated even more that I hadn’t jerked her away from the dragon. It was young, a child even, and I know how unpredictable they can be when they are young and yet I let her around the thing anyways.

Dragons are nesting creatures and even though they were always a part of my realm, their nests were never on my radar. I have no idea where it could have taken her. Hell, I’m not even sure it was taking her to their nest. It could have just been separating her from us to eat her.

“Snap out of it. Your mental breakdown is leaking through the bond. We will replace her. She isn’t hurt or dead. The bond is still in place thrumming just as before. Axel grabbed my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“I mind-linked Nathan. He is gathering the army. If nothing, we can split them into groups. The perimeter seems to believe that since the merger the dragons have taken one of the taller mountains around us and only one of those is warm.” Denny spoke.

“You and Nathan can take a group to the other one. The three of us will take another group and check the one that she will most likely be in. I feel like her powers amplify in our presence and if that is the case, she may need them.” Atlas’s hands shook when they took the map from Denny, examining it for a path or an answer to get her home.

We split the troops into groups of two and armed them all heavily. I had never, as the king had to fight a dragon and I have no idea what it takes to kill one, but I know if that purple-eyed beast took my mate as an offering, I would rip its heart out with my bare hands.

Denny and Atlas were giving the troops their assignments when the wind picked up heavily. The whistle against the trees broke my attention and I turned just in time to see the wings. I almost let myself get excited, but I realized the wings I had seen hadn’t been dragon wings at all.

“Axel, we have a problem.” His shirt was bunching in my shaking fist and the fury engulfing me was unbearable.

He stepped from the tree line grinning. I wanted to smack the smugness from his face. How dare he? The rustling in the trees gave me the urge to look behind him, but something I learned a long time ago is to never take your eyes off someone you don’t trust. So, I didn’t. I didn’t need to though. I could hear their g****s plainly.

The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention to the familiar sounds rolling from behind him. He had built an army of dark ones and parked them right in our front yard. I guess Clearwater will be the first stop on his list of places to destroy, and if he is as powerful as what has been told, I can at least be thankful Harley isn’t here to see this if it goes south.

A glow in the distance flickered in the corner of my eye and I let my gaze shift to it quickly. On the mountain range that Denny had predicted she would be on was an orange glow. My gut twisted painfully when I felt nothing saying that my mate was being hurt and that could only mean one thing. She had awakened her fire and was using it for something or someone.

My eyes roamed back to the no longer smirking god to see that he too had taken notice of the warm glow on the mountain range. He turned to look to the army that he had created using the tortured souls of creatures who had been banned from their normal lives and convicted of one of the loneliest sufferings and handed us over to them. His words were light on his lips and, even with the distance between us, I heard him clearly.

“They are all yours.” He told them before blasting into the sky on the wings that I have the full intention of ripping off of his back the second that I’m given the chance.