Brim’s arms came around her from the back. Pulling her into his warmth, she soaked in his strength. “I am proud.”
Kaden appeared with a tired looking Terrie clinging to her husband.
“The battle is won. Slade and the others are cleaning up the mess. Unfortunately, Breylla escaped, but there’s little harm she can do now with her army destroyed.”
Amber’s head fell back against Brim and he tightened his grip. “Thank god, I think I need another holiday. This has been more excitement than I’m used to.”
“Sorry, Amber, but it may not be over yet," Kaden said with an apologetic tone. “The King wants to see Brimstone.”
“Fuck the King, I’ll see to my mate first. Come on baby, I’m taking you home to heal you.”
“So full of charm, isn’t he?” Amber gave them a wary grin.
Darren’s chuckle was followed by a curse. “Bloody broken ribs. Next life, I’m coming back as a cyborg; cyborgs are cool.”
“You watch too many movies, love.” Slazz shook his head.
Amber twisted in his arms. “I’m okay, Brim. You need to see the King. The pain is only a mild throbbing now.”
“No.” He pointed his finger at her nose. “You are more important than any fucking King.”
“Honey, you can’t beat that kind of logic,” Darren said with a smirk.
Kaden lifted his wife and she hung her arms around him. “I’ll leave you to talk logic, I’m going to care for my own mate.”
Terrie waved as he carried her out. “Good luck.”
Amber smiled at her big dragon, her heart filled with love for him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “No, my Brimstone's logic is infallible, even when naked and covered in blood.”
A smile twitched up the corners of his mouth while he gazed back at her. “Fucking believe it, baby. Now, let’s go.”
Chapter 12
Wide-eyed and holding tightly to Brimstone's hand, Amber’s stomach churned with nerves. It was almost like she was meeting the parents.
“You have nothing to fear; I’ll tear anyone apart who dares to even look at you the wrong way,” Brim reassured her for the fifth time.
“And I’ll dance on their remains,” Slade added for good measure, walking on her right side. She felt as if she had two guards, escorting her to an execution chamber, apart from the smug grin on Slade's face.
Brim kept glaring at the other dragons they passed while she attracted curious stares. Some didn’t try to hide the lusty gleam in their eyes. The writer’s side of her brain did note, however, she was yet to come across a scraggy and plain-looking face. It must be dragon genetics to be so buffed up, with chiselled jaws, high cheekbones, and lush, masculine lips aplenty.
She sighed, thinking back over the past two days of bliss with her dragon. They booked back into the Darwin hotel and Brim spent the nights reminding her how much stamina a dragon possessed.
During the day, they went for long walks, talked about their lives and did a few more touristy things, like fish feeding at a place called Aquascene set up for the tourists on the Darwin foreshore. She had to stop him from grabbing and eating the fish, explaining they were in a protected area and he couldn’t eat them. He grumbled it was a fucking a waste of good food. She patted his arm and took him to a sushi bar, where he ploughed through their entire stock.
Slade turned up, declaring the King demanded their presence. She was healed, and there was no excuse not to go.
Brim packed her up and they went to the portal. The desert valley showed no signs of a huge battle between dragons and demons ever taking place.
Two guards stood in the desert sun, nodding at the three of them when they passed through.
Brim insisted on shifting and flying her to the dwelling, so she could get the whole effect of the gigantic columns of grey stone which looked like they were holding up the mountain itself. Multiple, massive balconies stuck out like tongues on various levels where dragons landed and entered. The Dragon Realm itself was full of tall peaks and deep valleys. They flew above winding rivers and lush fields with human-like creatures who tended herds of sheep, cattle and goats.
“Look up there, in the mountains.”
She spied the tall peaks dotted with dark holes and ledges. “Those are dens in the cliffs. These are the homes of dragons. It’s where we collect and guard our treasures.”
“What stops others from coming in and taking what’s yours?”
“Honour and a few dragon spells to guard. A dragon can curse their treasure, so no other can touch it. Dragons do not mess with others collections, the consequences are not worth the effort. If a dragon is stripped of his power, the spells vanish and the treasure is open for anyone to take.”