To Tame a Dragon - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,73

heat where everything was gritty and abrasive, where everything was harsh and unforgiving, that he’d lost sight of everything beyond.

He'd spent centuries seeing only the ugliness of the world, the pain it so often inflicted. He’d spent centuries pursuing glory, conquest, and power, but he’d never found contentment.

Not until her.

Falthyris opened his eyes. The Endless Blue stretched out before him, its waves gently rolling onto the pale beach upon which he stood. His mouth curled into a smile as his gaze fell on Elliya and their sons, who were playing in the surf—running, jumping, splashing, and laughing.

That he’d once measured time by the decade seemed surreal to him now. He could scarce believe that nearly six years had passed already. At five years old, little Akanos was not so little anymore, and Zevryn, younger by two years, seemed to grow bigger every day.

Falthyris had told Elliya that pride had always been of the utmost importance to dragons. Those words had been true then, and they remained true now. None could match his pride, none could shake it—for it was here, laughing in the water beneath a vibrant summer sun.

He slowly walked toward his mate and children, his family, his smile widening with every step. His tail dragged lightly over the sand behind him, leaving a trail not unlike those created by his sons—though Akanos’s and Zevryn’s paths across the beach had been considerably more haphazard than Falthyris’s.

With their little wings and tails, the children should have had an advantage over their mother in their splash battle. But Zevryn had not quite mastered the art of using those parts in unison, and tripped himself just as often as he managed to splash his mother, and Elliya had drawn upon more of her skill and natural athleticism as Akanos had grown in size and confidence to ensure he was always challenged.

Even carrying another babe in her rounded belly, she was agile and surefooted. That would change in another month or two, but he found it fascinating regardless.

Falthyris combed his fingers through his long hair, sweeping back strands that had been blown loose by the breeze and tucking them behind his horns. He’d found himself wondering often if his parents had felt the same about one another as he did about Elliya—and if they’d felt the same about Falthyris as he did his own sons.

He felt…full. Loving and loved, as cherished by his family as he cherished them. How had it taken him nearly two thousand years to find this? How had he lived for so long without realizing what he was missing?

Falthyris the Golden, Scourge of the Sands, Lord of the Shimmering Peaks, could not imagine a life worth living without these three people being part of it. And, though he was not likely to admit it aloud, the tribe had also become a valued part of his life. The way they worked together and survived together, the way they laughed and sang together, and the way they mourned and celebrated together had all affected him deeply.

He could not help but look back upon those distant, hazy memories of the humans he’d encountered ages ago with a new perspective. There’d always been so much more to them than he’d let himself see.

Humanity had much good to offer the world—and the very best of it was right here in front of him.

Cool, foamy water flowed around his feet as he walked up behind Elliya. He wrapped his arms around her, and she laughed, kicking her legs as he lifted her and spun her in a quick circle. When he lowered her onto her feet, he did not release his hold. Instead, he slid his arms down, settling his hands over her rounded belly.

His tongue flicked out, catching her scent on the air. He loved the extra layer he detected now, the extra sweetness he’d first detected in his lair years ago. He’d learned what that change in her fragrance meant when it had become clear she was with child for the second time—the new life growing within Elliya altered her scent, and each child had presented a subtly different smell.

“You have finally decided to join us?” Elliya asked, turning her head to smile back at him.

He was helpless but to return that smile. “Should you not be commending my bravery, female? Fire and water are opposing forces.”

She scoffed at him. “Oh? How, then, did we manage some of the things we did in the river beneath the Red Star?”

Falthyris laughed and leaned his