When they landed on the outcrop of rock that led into the council chamber, he could feel that someone was already waiting for them inside. The cave vibrated with the familiar power of air and earth.
“Don’t let the chimera scare you,” he murmured to Liana as soon as he’d shifted back. “He’s intimidating at first, but he’s really not all bad.”
Liana raised a brow. “That sounds inviting. But I bet he won’t be half as scary as my year in customer support.”
Timothy snorted in surprise and amusement. “And no one here can fire you, even if he does scare you. You’re my mate. You’re the Lady of the Water now.”
“The Lady of the Water,” Liana repeated and took a deep breath. Then she gave him a soft, tender smile—the same smile she’d given him when they’d woken in each other’s arms. “Lead the way, my ocean dragon.”
When they walked into the large cave that housed the council of elements, he saw that Damon and Gregory were already waiting for him. They were in their human form, and their mates were standing by their side.
At the back of the cave, shadows flickered—Gareth, the chimera, was in attendance.
Pressing Liana’s hand in reassurance, Timothy walked forward.
Damon was looking very earnest, but Gregory smiled as soon as he saw him, taking a step forward to clasp his shoulder.
“You made it!” Gregory said. “And you’re looking good.”
“All healed,” Timothy confirmed, giving Damon a nod.
He hadn’t always gotten along well with the dragon of the earth—but they were allies in the fight against the fire dragons now. Their usual squabbling could wait until they’d dealt with this threat.
“This is Liana, my mate,” Timothy then said, unable to hold back a wide grin as happiness welled up inside him once more.
Let them tease him for being the last to find his mate. None of that mattered, now that he’d found Liana.
Or perhaps, they could gang up on the griffin together, who wasn’t really a member of the council—but still, he was the last unmated shifter in Sky Home now.
With the exception of the chimera, of course—but then, cursed Gareth would never have a mate.
“Liana, this is Gregory, the storm dragon, and his mate Naomi. And this is Damon, dragon of the earth, and his mate Autumn.”
“I’m so glad we finally get to meet you,” Naomi said brightly. She was quite visibly pregnant now. An infectious smile spread over her face as she shook Liana’s hand. “I’m sorry our little get together didn’t work out. We were all worried for you. But now that you’ve safely made it back, you must be tired.”
“We’ve prepared a room for you,” Autumn added, “or, well, tried to help Ginny, as much as she’d let us.”
“Which wasn’t much,” Naomi said dryly.
“But there’s food in the kitchen. You must be starving, both of you.”
As if on command, Timothy’s stomach rumbled. It had been a long, long time since breakfast.
“Dragon of water, come forward,” the voice of the chimera boomed from the shadows. “Let me hear what has come to pass.”
So much for food...
With an apologetic smile to his friends, Timothy walked towards the end of the cave, where shadows gathered. Liana’s hand was still in his.
“Fire dragons attacked us. You’ve probably heard all about it already,” Timothy said. “But what is important is that there was one among them who was different. He was more powerful than any fire dragon I’ve encountered before.”
“How different?” the chimera asked thoughtfully.
“He was a creature of fire and smoke. Of shadows.” Timothy hesitated, then touched his chest. “When he attacked, he effortlessly penetrated a shield of water. Fire shouldn’t have been able to do that. But it was fire wrapped in darkness.”
“And the darkness wounded him,” Liana added softly. “I saw it spread across his chest. Like tendrils of shadow.”
“Shadow and smoke,” the chimera’s voice grumbled. “That is familiar.”