Page 68 of Shifting the Flame
Together they soared above his property, above the sleeping town, climbing higher until they broke through a layer of clouds. The moonlight transformed the mist into a silver sea beneath them, their shadows dancing across its surface.
I love you,he projected, the emotion behind the simple words vast and overwhelming.I would have loved you as a human or a dragon or anything in between. But seeing you like this—free, powerful, and truly yourself—is a gift I never dared hope for.
She banked toward him, their wings nearly touching as they carved a path through the night sky.This is what I was always missing. This feeling... and you.
TWENTY-SIX
DANICA
Danica stood in front of the full-length mirror, her reflection almost unrecognizable from the woman who had first stepped into this guest bedroom three months ago. The ivory dress hugged her curves before cascading to the floor in elegant waves and the strapless neckline showcased the mate mark that shimmered faintly above her heart. She traced it with her fingertips, feeling the slight warmth that always radiated from the dragon emblem.
"Who would have thought?" she whispered to herself. "Danica Ulrich, forever in motion, finally standing still."
Her inner dragon stirred at the thought, a pleasant warmth spreading through her chest. That side of herself—the magnificent golden beast that had been dormant for so long—now made perfect sense of her restless nature, her constant need for movement, and for challenge. She hadn't been running away from commitment. She'd been searching for something that could match her hidden fire.
And she'd found it in Asher. In his strength, his passion, and his unwavering certainty that she belonged by his side.
Through the window, the autumn landscape spread before her in a tapestry of crimson, gold, and amber, much likehers and Asher's scales. The garden below—Asher's pride and vision that she'd helped expand—looked like something from a fairytale. Ancient cypress trees draped with Spanish moss created a natural cathedral, where their wedding arch that Asher had crafted himself stood, adorned with burgundy dahlias and golden marigolds.
"Well, don't you look like every dragon's dream."
Danica turned to find Gerri leaning against the doorframe, dressed in a tailored sapphire suit that made her white bob and diminutive stature somehow more commanding.
"Gerri!" Danica moved to embrace the matchmaker, careful not to crush her dress. "Is everything ready?"
"Honey, I've been doing this longer than you can imagine. The question is, are you ready?" Gerri's eyes flashed golden for just a second as she studied Danica's face. "Though I must say, you were made for this life."
Danica smiled, glancing back at the window where she could see guests arriving, greeting each other with warm embraces. Her business clients mingled with dragon shifters as if there had never been a world where they were separate.
"I never imagined I'd find all this. My event planning business is thriving, I have a whole clutch of dragons who accept me as family, and Asher—" She paused, her voice catching with emotion. "Asher finally has time for his furniture workshop because I can share his burdens."
"Balance," Gerri nodded approvingly. "That's the secret ingredient I look for when pairing mates. Not similarity—balance."
"I have you to thank for all of this," Danica said, smoothing a hand over her dress.
"Nonsense! I just gave fate a little nudge in the right direction." Gerri waved her hand dismissively. "You two did allthe hard work—arguing, fighting rogues, and discovering your inner dragon. I particularly enjoyed that last surprise."
"You weren't surprised at all, were you?" Danica asked teasingly.
"Let's just say I've seen a few humans discover their more... wild sides over my many years." Gerri winked. "Never gets old, watching someone realize they're so much more than they thought."
A knock at the door revealed Caleb, Asher's best friend and best man, his tall frame filling the doorway.
"Ladies, we're ready when you are." His eyes widened when he saw Danica. "Hell, Ulrich, Asher might actually combust when he sees you."
Danica laughed, feeling her dragon stir with anticipation. "That sounds promising."
Gerri straightened her jacket and winked at Danica. "I've officiated hundreds of weddings, but watching fated mates say 'I do' never gets old. The look on their faces—pure magic."
As Gerri left to take her position, Danica moved to the window one last time. The gardens that Asher had originally designed now bore touches of her influence—wilder arrangements among the structured beds, unexpected bursts of color amid the careful planning. Like them—order and chaos, finding harmony.
Her dragon purred beneath her skin, eager to join with her mate under the open sky. Tonight, after the reception, they would fly together above their territory, their home, their shared future stretching before them like the endless horizon.
"Time to get married," Danica whispered, feeling utterly, completely settled for the first time.
Danica felt as if she were floating down the aisle, each step carrying her closer to the most breathtaking sight she'd ever beheld. Asher stood like a monument of masculine perfectionbeneath the handcrafted wooden arch, his powerful frame accentuated by the crisp lines of his black tuxedo. The golden vest and tie that matched her dragon's scales shone in the late afternoon sunlight, making him appear almost illuminated from within. But it was his eyes—those intense green eyes—that held her completely captive, glittering with such naked emotion that her throat tightened.
Her dragon purred beneath her skin, recognizing its mate, and Danica clutched her bouquet of local wildflowers a little tighter to steady herself. The lanterns lining her path cast a warm glow that deepened as the sun began its descent, bathing everything in honey-colored light.
