Page 30 of Waking Her Dragon

It wasn't a rejection of her, but a pure, involuntary reflex. Years of relentless torture had hardwired his nerve endings to believe that approaching hands meant nothing but pain.

Stopping instantly, Sydney’s heart dropped to her toes as she felt the sheer weight of his trauma. Dropping her hand, she refused to force herself on him. Instead, she looked directly into his panicked lavender eyes and asked softly, “May I?”

Garrett stared at her. The question seemed to throw him completely. She instantly knew that no one had asked his permission for anything in an eternity. After a long, agonizing beat, he gave a barely noticeable nod of his head.

Slowly, tenderly, Sydney stepped in and cradled his bruised, dirt-streaked cheek in her palm.

BOOM.

The universe erupted. The Mating Bond didn't just flare–it detonated inside their souls. Blinding white Dragonfire swirled around them, illuminating the dark cavern. In their minds, Kara’s massive golden form soared skyward, met instantly by Aodhan, a glittering, magnificent gray Dragon King. The cosmic symmetry locked into place. Everything in the room vibrated in response.

It wasn't enough Magic to heal his shattered bones, but it was more than enough to prove an undeniable truth: they belonged to one another.

The white light faded, leaving Garrett breathing heavily, staring at her as if she had just rewritten reality. "I don't remember you," he whispered, the admission sounding like a confession of absolute defeat.

Sydney’s heart broke into a thousand more pieces, but she held his gaze, her thumb gently wiping a tear from his cheek. “That’s okay,” she promised softly. “I remember enough for both of us.”

The fragile warmth of their connection evaporated as the chamber itself violently revolted.

The moment Sydney's skin met Garrett’s, the dormant white and gold veins pulsing beneath her didn't just light up– they detonated with blinding brilliance. All around them, jagged, ancient sigils carved into the obsidian walls ignited like phosphorus. The distant sound of primordial water exploded into a deafening, rhythmic roar that shook the very foundations of the cavern, sending fractures racing across the ceiling. Somewhere deeper in the dark, a massive, grinding metallic echo signaled that the threshold was shifting, locking into place.

“BREAK CONTACT!” Kara screamed inside her mind, her voice a piercing siren of pure panic. “SYDNEY, PULL AWAY NOW!”

The Special One jerked her hand back, but it was already too late. A massive, blinding pulse of raw Light ripped violently out of her chest, a physical shockwave that slammed directly into Garrett’s core.

The trap had sprung. Anchor and key had finally touched. The primeval, unholy mechanism of The Abyss had recognized both components, and the lock was turning.

Garrett let out a ragged, strangled cry as the Magic tore through his battered frame. His chains rattled frantically. Blood freely flowed from all his gaping wounds.

Instantly, Carrick moved, barreling forward and mystically erected a towering wall of crimson and gold Dragon Magic between them and the darkening chamber. His teeth bared against the sudden pressure, she watched the renowned Guardsman push with everything he had.

Then, cutting through the roaring water and grinding stone, a sharp, rhythmic sound echoed from the shadows.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

A derisive, agonizingly slow clap drifted out from the smoky blackness at the far edge of the cavern.

“Brilliant. Truly magnificent,” a smooth, sickeningly amused voice purred.

From the shifting mists, Leviathan stepped into the light. He wasn't raging. He wasn't screaming. He looked entirely, utterly delighted, his dark eyes glittering with the smug satisfaction of a gambler who had just played a flawless hand.

“There she is,” the Demon Lord murmured, tilting his head as his gaze swept over her.

Sydney turned slowly to face him. This was it. Her very first face-to-face meeting with the creature who had systematically torn Garrett’s life apart, the monster who had haunted her every waking hour for weeks.

However, as she stared at him, the expected terror never arrived. Instead, a profound, unnatural stillness washed over her. The frantic panic, the exhaustion, the tears– all of it burned away in an instant, replaced by a cold, terrifyingly controlled rage that froze the breath in her lungs.

Leviathan’s smile widened, entirely unfazed by her stare. “The Special One. The great savior of the Dragon Realms.”

Sydney didn't flinch. She locked her eyes onto his, her voice dropping into a flat, venomous drawl. “The asshole. Yeehaw, lookie there, we got ourselves an honest-to-God bastard.”

Leviathan chuckled, a smooth, terrifying sound that rippled through the freezing grey mist. "A biting tongue for a girl who has walked straight into her own slaughter. But I suppose a little defiance might make the victory sweeter."

Taking a slow step forward, his eyes locked onto Sydney. "You already understand the shape of this room, don't you, Special One? You felt it the moment your skin met his. The perfect, cosmic symmetry."

Leviathan gestured casually toward Garrett, whose chains rattled as he shifted weakly. "Your precious Guardsman and his Dragon King of old are the anchor. They have held the weight of this threshold for what must seem like an eternity. Do you have any idea how much effort it took to weaken him, to systematically break his defenses, without accidentally snuffing out his pathetic little life? The anchor must be alive when the key arrives. Otherwise, the lock crumbles."

"And I'm the key," Sydney said, her voice dropping into that dangerously flat, icy tone.