After the battle, Dahlroth asked me to return to the maze and remove the medallion from his back. I cringed as the horrific process repeated itself in reverse until Dahlroth's humanoid form lay face-down on the ground, shaking and trembling before me.

"Dahlroth," I whispered. "Hurry, you'll catch cold."

"I'm an ice dragon," he said with a grunt. "I don't get cold."

"You know what I mean." I gathered his Shadow Rider cape and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Can you stand?"

"Exhausted," he groaned. "Give me a moment. The transformation takes a lot of strength."

I lay down on the frosty ground facing him, and his eyes widened as they gazed at me. "Even in this form, you are a gorgeous woman, Khrysakh. Why did you torture me by becoming a child?"

"I won't be a child forever," I said with a smile. "In a few months, I'll be eighteen."

"You know, I miss the astronomy tower, the stars, and the moon," he said, rolling onto his back and gazing at the stars. "I miss holding you, touching you, and nestling against your neck."

"Dahlroth, what's wrong?" I asked. "You sound upset. You can talk to me."

He turned and faced me. "I don't want you to fall for Lord Darius."

"What? He's you."

"Only the darkest part of me," he replied. "He wouldn't hurt you, but he wouldn't treat you right, either. I'm afraid of what he will do to you. To the Empire. For the Empire. You deserve better."

"I won't fall for the darkness, Dahlroth, I promise."

"Lord Darius has smelled the burning embers from you," he whispered in reply. "I know you're too proud to admit it ..."

"Don't worry about me," I said with a wistful smile. "I'll be fine."

"Lord Darius feels the Fire for you as well," he said in a strained voice. "It rages inside him even though he's too proud to admit it. When he knows you feel the same, it burns even brighter."

"Just trust me."

"Mutual fire can only end one way, Khrysakh."

I cupped his cheek in my hand, and Dahlroth leaned into my palm. "If I don't stay with Lord Darius, you're asking me to give up on your soul. I don't know if I can do that. Not now."

"Dahlroth the Protector will keep your true essence safe," he whispered. "He'll wake us one day--perhaps when all the humanoids have vanished--and we can live together again."

"Yes."

"How long must I wait?" His eyes stared at me, lidded and dark. "I want you so much. Now more than ever. Just one kiss before my eternal rest. Just one."

I scooted nearer to him, and he wrapped his hand around my waist, pressing me against him. "We've been mated for two thousand years, Khrysakh," he said in a husky voice. "I never tire of your affection, though. My desire and my devotion to you have only grown stronger with time."

His eyes burned into mine as he wrapped his hands in my hair, drawing me in slower, inch by inch. A fire blazed within the deepest parts of my soul, and eternity seemed trapped in this one second before we kissed.

Pins and needles spread down my scalp and into my neck, trailing down my spine and into every nerve. He paused before my lips, his familiar scent of pine and mint fanning the flames of my desire.

My insides pooled as he cradled my neck with one hand and my waist with the other, his eyes focused on my lips before they flicked up to my eyes, asking for permission.

Please, kiss me!

When he pressed his lips to mine, they brushed my skin with a gentle, tentative touch. His ice met my fire, and the heady combination made me fade into oblivion. He pulled me nearer, winding his hands in my hair. We kissed until we couldn't breathe and the flames of passion roared between us.

"Khrysakh," he breathed, as he pulled away from the kiss.

"Stay with me," I whispered. "Wake up my dragon form. We can fly away and enter a new land where we'll be safe and can live our lives in peace."

"What about your friends?" he asked. "What about the castle you've so bravely defended?"

"To Hades with Castle Eismark!"

"Would you have your comrades fall into the pit of despair in exchange for our happiness, Helena? Would you let the Gatál subjugate our land forever? Would you have a world war rage?"

"Can't we just think of ourselves for once?"

"Then you are not the woman I know and love," he whispered as he tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. "You aren't Helena de Grazia or even Khrysakh Dahlroth right now."

"What are you saying?"

"You're naught but a frightened, lovesick child," he said as he stroked my hair and gazed into my eyes. "Wake up, Helena. Do the right thing, like I did."

"Now you're just being cruel," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "You're asking me to lock you up again, frozen in time in that prison? You're my mate, my partner for life."

Dahlroth lifted my chin until my gaze met his. "I have never pandered to Helena's childish desires. This decision is bigger than both of us, but it's ours to make."

I turned my back to him. "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Helena de Grazia would never sacrifice her friends to escape with her lover," he said as he wrapped his arms around me and pressed my back to his chest. "Would she?"

"No," I whispered as tears welled in my eyes.

You're not just my lover.

"Right, then," he said in a husky voice. "Plug me back in. Lord Darius and Dahlroth can defend us all and shield us from the upcoming storm."

My heart cleaved in two. I knew we had to follow through on our responsibilities, but I didn't want to give up on our connection just yet.

"Our time will come," he breathed in my ear. "Remember, dragons live practically forever."

Even though I tried to be strong, my throat clenched. "Will you wait for me?"

"No one can touch me or my Shadows," he murmured. "No one except you. Your dragon form didn't make me do that--I decided on that flaw of my own free will because I want no other."

He gave me a tender kiss on my neck and pressed me close to him. "Look!" Dahlroth pointed to the same constellation he showed me the first time our souls reunited. "Asteria is shining upon us tonight--she favors our decision."

Silent tears trickled down my cheeks as I clasped his freezing hands. Pins and needles traveled up my arms. "I don't want you to go," I said.

"Unless you decide to rip out my heart," he breathed, "I will never be gone forever." I felt the smile on his lips when he kissed my shoulder.

"Don't even joke about that," I said with false sternness.

"The point is that it's never really a goodbye," he replied. "Think of it as a temporary hiatus until our world matures into a more peaceful and freer realm."

"All right," I conceded. "I'll send you to sleep, but only for a little while. I'll come back for you."

"Thank you," he said as he pressed me to him. "Let's enjoy these last few moments of our embrace before I settle into my peaceful slumber."

As we teleported and traveled through space and time in each other's arms, I didn't feel ill. It felt so right as I nestled close to him, and I let all the doubts fade into darkness. The strong beat of his heart thrummed in the vastness of limbo as Asteria looked at us and smiled.

___

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please don't forget to vote and/or comment to let me know! <3 Your support and your encouragement are always appreciated.

Please be aware that this is a raw draft and subject to substantial changes during the editing phase. That might include added chapters, changed scenes as well as deleted and/or added passages. Feel free to let me know if something sounds weird or needs revising. That kind of feedback really helps during the editing phase.