Dragon's Mercy
20.

Maria's soul feels like it's been ripped from her body. Pain as she's never known, encompasses her as she stares down at her dead mate in disbelief.

"Now you die too."

She looks up at the druid, but she's so overcome by Ryker's death she can't seem to move. Her legs feel like they're being held down by a ton of bricks. And suddenly, she doesn't care if she dies. The druid points his gun at her heart.

"No!" Crispin runs at the druid, knocking the gun out of his hand.

"Protect our dragoness!" Aelon jumps in front of her, using his body as a shield for her.

Crispin shifts into his dragon and shoots fire at the druid. The rest of her dragon flight runs at the druid. In a puff of smoke, the man disappears. Crispin shifts back into his human form and rushes over to Maria. She hugs Ryker's limp body to her chest as tears stream down her face. "Dragoness, let me help you up."

"I'll take care of Ryker's body." Aelon volunteers.

Crispin reaches for her. "No. There has to be a way to save him. We're true mates! We have the power. I know it."

He looks at her with sadness. "Lord Ryker's dead. There's nothing we can do."

"Well, there may be one thing. But it's dangerous, Dragoness Maria."

"What is it?"

"You need to take Ryker's body to the volcano of the dragon gods."

"Won't they kill her as soon as she enters?"

Aelon sighs and shakes his head. "They might, but they are the ones who would've made Maria and Ryker true mates."

"Which means they may bring Ryker back to me."

"Maria, you can't possibly be considering this. With Ryker dead, you're even more important to our flights."

Fear and dread sit in her stomach. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Crispin, I can't live without my mate. I need him."

"Then I support you, Dragoness."

~W~

That evening, she shifts into her dragon and lifts Ryker's lifeless body into her claws, before flying toward the volcano. When she lands on the ledge, she lays his body on the ground. "Dragon Gods, I'm here to beg for your mercy. My true dragon mate, Lord Ryker, has been killed by a druid. I'm here to ask you to restore his life."

An old woman, who looks frail, steps out from behind the rocks. Maria shifts into her human form as the woman approaches. Her power is unlike anything felt before. "We do not restore life. Once dead, dragons remain dead."

"You made us true mates for a reason. Save Ryker so we can defeat the druids once and for all. Please, I'll do anything."

"Would you give your life for Ryker's?"

"I don't know, then I'd lose mine."

"Wrong answer." The dragon god turns away, but Maria runs after her and latches onto her wrist. As soon as she makes contact, she's pushed by with an incredible force. "You are not allowed to touch me. Ever."

"I'm sorry. But please, I love Ryker. Help me save him."

The dragon god points to the volcano where the lava flows from the top. "You need to jump into the volcano."

"I can't. I already said I won't die for him."

"If you love is true, you both will live. If not, you both die."

"I'm confident our love is true."

"Then there's nothing to worry about." The dragon god walks away and disappears into the sky.

Maria shifts into her dragon and lifts Ryker's body. "I believe in our love. I believe in us." Holding Ryker in her claws, she flies into the volcano, down toward the lava. "Ahhhh!" Right before she hits the lava, the volcano explodes. When she opens her eyes, she's back in her human form and is in a tunnel beneath the volcano with Ryker. She leans over his lifeless body and shakes him. "Ryker? Ryker, wake up!"

Ryker slowly opens his eyes. "Maria?"

"Ryker, you're alive!" She wraps her arms around him and kisses him.

When he pulls back, he's still looking at her with confusion. "What happened?"

"The druid shot you..... and you died. I flew you to the volcano of the dragon gods and begged for them to help. I said I wouldn't give my life for yours and I thought they were going to make me leave, but I convinced them to tell me to save you. And it was to dive into the volcano."

"And you did?"

"Yes. They said if our love was true, we would both live."

"I love you so much, Maria." Ryker stands as he caresses her cheek. "You saved me. Now, let's go save our dragons." He leads her out of the tunnel, then they shift into their dragons and fly back to Ryker's territory.

Crispin and Aelon have led all the flights back to Ryker's house to regroup. They're all shocked to see Ryker fly in with her. "Lord Ryker, the dragon gods have saved you!"

"Maria saved me."

"Well, we saved each other. Now, we need to regroup because the druids will be back."

"Are you going to merge our flight with Ryker's flight?"

She looks at Crispin, who stands with the members from her old flight, the one she was raised in, then looks at Aelon, who stands by Ryker's flight. The flight that has accepted her as their dragoness. Lord Gregory stands off to the side with his dragons, waiting to see what she'll decide. Ryker looks down at her and holds her gaze.

"I don't think merging our flights is what's best."

"I agree. The flights are strong enough to stand on their own."

"Especially because we'll always be allies."

"Which flight will you stay with, Maria?" Crispin asks.

"My place is with Ryker, my mate. So I'll stay with the Demon flight."

"What about us? Our flight needs a leader."

Ryker quickly mindlinks with her. "Crispin's right. We should get your dragon flight a new leader. It will give them confidence and make them stronger."

"I can't decide. So there will be no leader."

The flight looks disappointed. "I'll announce someone soon once this is all over."

"We'll plan an attack on the druids in two days." Ryker announces.

~W~

They lead their flights back to his territory. When they get back to their bedroom, he walks out onto the balcony. "I can't believe I actually died today."

"What did it feel like?" She perches her chin in her hands.

"It felt weird. I was floating and saw tons of dragons, but no one I knew. It was like I was waiting for something."

"I've never been so scared. And the pain was unimaginable. I could barely move. It was like my heart and soul were being ripped from my chest."

"I can't imagine...... can't even think about you being hurt." Ryker smiles as he looks to the sky. "Now that the dragon gods have chosen to save me, I'm not worried about the druids anymore."

"Oh, I'm still a little worried, though. The power I felt today from the druid leader was intense. But it wasn't anymore powerful than what I felt from the dragon gods."

Ryker pulls her into his arms and hugs her close. "And it's not more powerful than us." He kisses her.

She opens her mouth, welcoming his tongue. Suddenly, she feels a small heartbeat coming from inside her. The heartbeat comes again and she knows without a doubt that she's pregnant with Ryker's child. "So, would you be okay if we had children sooner rather than later?"

"Yes, I want children as soon as possible. I don't see a reason to wait. I should be dead after what happened today. If I've learned anything, it's to live for today, not tomorrow." He gives her a flirty wink, then leans in and kisses her lips. "If you want, we can get started right now."

"Is sex all you think about?"

"You were the one who brought up kids. I'm just agreeing with you and being proactive."

"I was just checking to see if you're still interested."

"I'm very interested in having a family with you." Ryker takes her hand and leads her into the bedroom. "It's only been a few weeks since we've been chained together, but it feels like I've known you for a lifetime."

"We've been through so much together."

The memories from when she first woke up chained to Ryker flash through her mind all at once. He smiles back and reaches a hand out to caress her cheek. "Ryker, I'm so glad we didn't kill each other when our chains came off. We would've been deprived of such a beautiful love."

"You are my perfect half. When I asked you to marry me before, you said you needed to know that I loved you before."

"Yes. Our mate-bond was chosen, but I want to marry for love. I think we both deserve it."

Ryker's hands move to her lower back, holding her against his hips. She leans into him, placing her hands on his hard chest. "Telling you that I love you doesn't even begin to express the depth of my feelings for you. I'm beyond crazy about you. Even when you make me mad, I'm still completely in love with you."

"I don't know why I would make you mad because I never do anything wrong." She chuckles.

Ryker laughs as he tickles her side. "Please. You know you're a handful. And now that I've told you I love you, there's no reason why you can't marry me."

"That's true. Knowing you love me takes away my doubts. But the dragon flight thinks we're already married. They don't know we never officially didn't do it."

"We'll just say that we're renewing our vows. And since we did it alone the first time, we want the flights to be apart of it this time." Ryker walks to his dresser and pulls out a box. Her breath catches the look of love in his eyes. "I had an engagement ring made for you. But then I thought I'd give you the choice, if you agree to marry me."

"I can't believe you had three rings made."

"I couldn't decide, so I want you to choose which one you like best. You're going to be wearing it, not me." She chooses the silver dragon emblem ring. He takes the ring and slides it on her finger, then kisses her hand as he gets down on one knee. Tears of happiness stream down her cheeks. "Maria, from the moment I met you, I couldn't keep my hands off you. You affected me in a way I didn't understand. Then I found out you were my mate and it all made sense." Her whole body buzzes with excitement, she can barely contain herself. "I can't wait another minute to make you my wife. Being mates isn't enough, I want to marry you in truth. I could die again tomorrow, but at least I'll have you as my wife for today. Maria, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Ryker. I would love to marry you."

He stands and wraps her in his arms. She puts her hands on his shoulders and presses her lips to his. He kisses her gently at first as if he's afraid to break her. "We're going to be very happy together." He kisses her again, but this time, his kiss is desperate and full of love. After a few heated moments, he pulls back. "I meant it when I said I want you as my wife today. I think we should marry tonight. It will give the flight hope and strength."

"Tonight is perfect. I want to make it official as soon as we can."

There's a knock on the door and Agnes enters. "Ryker, you're alright!" She runs over to him and checks him over.

"I am. I was injured, but Maria saved me."

"I heard. Thank you, Maria."

"Agnes, Ryker and I have decided to renew our vows tonight. After all that's happened, we want to recommit to each other."

Agnes's eyes light up with excitement. "That's wonderful news! It's the perfect time for a celebration. Come, Maria. You can get ready in my room." The woman ushers her into the bedroom and calls a bath for her.

"Agnes, do you have any rings I can give to Ryker? He gave me a wedding ring, but I don't have a ring for him."

"I have just the thing." Agnes walks to her dresser and pulls out a gold ring in the shape of a dragon claw. "This was his father's ring. He'll recognize it instantly."

"Thank you, this is perfect. I want tonight to be special for Ryker. I'm also going to write my own vows."

"Oh, he will appreciate that."

She sits down and writes her vows. By the time she's done, she has tears in her eyes. After a quick bath, she stands from the tub. Agnes has a stunning gown laid out on the bed. "This is the traditional dragoness wedding gown. It's been in the flight for years and been worn by all of our previous dragonesses, except for Simone. She refused to wear it when she wed Ryker's father because she wanted something new."

Maria slips the gown on. "Oh, this fits perfectly. Thank you so much, Agnes."

"Well, I've come to think of you like a daughter."

"I think of you like a mother too. You've been so kind to me from the moment we met."

"Well, we're family."

"Yes, we are." She looks in the mirror at the stunning dress. She puts on the third dress, liking how it's flirty and fun in the front. "Oh, I like this one better. It feels more like my style."

Agnes looks at Maria with tears in her days. "You look so beautiful, Maria. Ryker will love that on you." She looks in the mirror with excitement. Agnes straightens her dress, then steps back to beam at her. "Are you ready to marry my son, Maria?"

"Yes, I've been ready for awhile."

"That's a good sign. I like your confidence." Agnes leads her out of the door and through the forest.

Her breath catches when they get to a beautiful outdoor setup. "Wow, I can't believe you did all of this in such a short amount of time."

"Only the best for our dragoness."

She turns as Crispin approaches. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Agnes invited all of us to celebrate with you." Crispin winks at Agnes, who gives him a shy smile. "Besides, I knew I couldn't miss this. Your father isn't here, so I know he'd want me here to see you off."

"My father is here in spirit."

"Yes, he's always with you. And he was always proud of you."

She hugs Crispin, grateful for his support. "Thank you. I assume I'll be seeing you around here more often?" She smiles at Agnes, who looks away shyly.

Crispin gives a chuckle at Agnes's reaction. "I'll be here quite a bit to visit. And that Agnes has agreed to have dinner with me."

"I only agreed to one dinner."

"Oh, you'll be agreeing to more." Agnes walks down the center of the aisle to stand at the front by Ryker. A warmth spreads through Maria when she looks up at the altar and sees Ryker staring at her. "He's the lucky one, Maria." Crispin gives her a wink as he walks her down the aisle, hugging her before handing her off to the dragon lord.

Ryker takes both her hands and faces her. "Your beauty humbles me, Maria."

"Oh, thank you. You make me feel the most beautiful."

Agnes steps between them to officiate the wedding. "Dragons, we're gathered here today to renew the vows of true mates, Lord Ryker and Dragoness Maria. Lord Ryker, you have your own vows that you wrote."

He looks at her and everything fades away except for him and his words. "Maria, you were brought into my life when I was least expecting it. Being chained to you forced me to see you as something other than my enemy. You became someone I could trust with my life, my lover, my mate..... and my wife." She can't fight the sob building in her throat anymore and tears spill over. "There's nothing that I wouldn't do for you. I'm proud to stand next to you as your husband. I promise to love you, honor you and cherish you until my dying breath. I can't wait to grow old and gray together, because I know you're going to get more beautiful as our years go on." Ryker's thumbs move over the palm of her hand as he stares into her eyes. "I love you, Maria."

The emotion she feels from Ryker is so intense she takes a deep breath and gathers herself. He smiles lovingly at her, waiting for her to recite her vows back. Her heart pounds as her nerves set in. She shakes her head subtly at Agnes, signaling she doesn't have vows prepared.

"Okay, Maria. Repeat after me. I, Maria, dragoness of the Demon flight, take Lord Ryker to be my husband...."

She quickly repeats the tradition vows as Ryker smiles. ".....till death do us part."

The crowd smiles as the ceremony comes to a close.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mates for life."

Their flights cheer as she leans in toward Ryker for their first kiss together as husband and wife. She gives him a soft kiss on the lips, lingers for a few minutes, then pulls back.

"I love you, Maria."

"I love you too." Ryker takes her hand and the rest of the flight follows the couple to the reception. "Oh, this all looks so beautiful! Agnes did such a great job with decorating so quickly."

"Yes, she's amazing."

They mingle with the guests for awhile, then he turns to her and raises his brows. Everyone excitedly lines up. She turns around and tosses the bouquet and to Ryker's surprise, his mother catches it. "Oh, I got it!"

The happy couple share a laugh as Crispin smiles brightly.

"I think she and Crispin are becoming an item." Maria beams.

Ryker stares at Crispin. She thinks he's going to be angry, but he just smiles. "I like him. He'd be good for her."

"I think so too. They seem happy."

~W~

After a perfect night of kissing and dancing, Ryker pulls Maria to the side. "It's time to go. But where we're going, we need to fly because it's a little far." She shifts into her dragon and follows Ryker as they soar through the air. Thirty minutes later, they land on a private beach. He walks her into a private house on said beach. There are rose petals covering the bed and floor. "I rushed here while you were getting ready."

"Ryker, this is so romantic."

"I'm not romantic. I just knew you would like it." He pulls her into his arms and kisses her.

"Tonight's been perfect."

"It's not over yet." Ryker's lips trail down her neck as his hands move to knead her breasts. His hands move lower and grasp her wedding dress, possessive in his moves. Slowly, she holds Ryker's hot gaze as she unzips the back of her dress and slips it down. "You are so beautiful. I will never get tired of looking at you." As she slips off the dress, he takes off his clothes as well so that they stand before each other naked.

"You're very sexy too, Ryker." She moves her hands over his abs, tracing each muscle, then he kneels and kisses a path up her leg. "Oh, I love how you kiss me."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ryker licks higher up between her legs, making her shiver and clench in anticipation. He stands, then lifts her onto the luxurious bed. Her breath quickens as he explores every inch of her body with his hands. "Fuck, Maria, it's like touching you for the very first time." His lips graze where he marked her and shivers run down her spine. She moans with pleasure when he pushes his hard cock against her slit. "Are you ready to experience the most orgasms you've ever had in your life? Since this is our first time as husband and wife, I want to make it special."

"Ugh.... I'm too tired." She rolls over, feeling the aches and pains of war.

"It's been a long day."

"And we'll have plenty of time." Lying in bed in a deep calm, she rolls onto his chest and sighs. He wraps his arms tightly around her. "I love you."

"I love you more." He kisses her and they both fall asleep.

~W~

The following morning, they arrive back at the flight house. As soon as they walk into the dining room, Aelon runs inside.

"Lord Ryker! We just got word that the dragon hunters and an army of druids are ma'rching toward us. It's an army meant to destroy us."

Ryker's whole body tenses with anger as he shouts to his dragon flight. "Prepare for war!"

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