The Arena novel Chapter 56

I’m exhausted, I’m burned, I have a dislocated shoulder and some broken ribs.

I knew claiming Tana would be hard, but damn, my girl is a fighter. I want her to know that I love her, and I’m only doing this because I want her at my side. I would never force her submission this way if I didn’t have to. I want a partner in my life, not another pack member.

At first, when she blows her fire on me, I think she’s still fighting, until I feel it. The power, the adoration, the love, the submission. She gave herself to me, and if I thought I had felt pleasure before when I marked her, this is a whole other level. Euphoria, like I’ve never felt before, floods into my system. This is different than what Kenna showed me. It’s the difference between a daughter’s love and a mate’s love.

I only have a moment to enjoy it before I feel my body healing. Every broken bone begins to mend, my shoulder snaps back into place, and the blisters covering my body soothe and disappear. Her submission healed me.

The only place that still stings is where she marked me. That burn, while less than it was a moment ago, is still aching. I look down at it and see that it’s in the shape of a dragon. A fire dragon. Her image is on my chest.

My heart swells. I didn’t know what it would be like to claim Tana. I didn’t know that it would be so much more than claiming a werewolf mate. But she has literally given herself to me, right over my heart.

I lean over, rubbing her snout, kissing her. “I love you, Tana. Now, let’s get you out of these ropes.”

I begin undoing her ropes, untangling them from her wings first, letting her adjust so they aren’t caught under her body. I had to pull hard to make sure she didn’t land on her wings. I really didn’t want to hurt her, but in a fight like this, it was impossible not to hurt her. I notice, too, that her mouth is bleeding from where I bridled her with a metal rope. It had been a last-minute decision, but it had worked.

As I untangle her, she watches me. I stroke her scales, waiting for her to heal herself, and I’m surprised when she doesn’t immediately start healing.

“I’m going to climb on your back now, love. I’ll have these ropes off you quickly.”

I get up on her back, untying the rope from her back ridge, which was the only thing that kept me in place when she was spinning that last time. Then I untie the metal rope that’s in her mouth from the rope around her neck, freeing her completely.

When I’m done, I jump off her, expecting her to stand and give me some more of her cocky attitude. Instead, she lies there, just watching me. What is this?

“Tana.” I rub the area near where her mouth has torn. “Baby, why aren’t you healing?”

She opens her mouth, and I expect the same screeching sounds I am used to hearing, but instead, I understand her. “I can’t heal myself when the injuries are caused by you. Only you can heal my injuries. If you choose to punish me, I must suffer the injuries you give me.”

What the fuck?

“Tana, I don’t want you to suffer. I only claimed you this way because it was the only way. If there had been any other possible way to have you by my side, you and Kenna, I would have done it. So, heal yourself, please. I don’t want you to suffer.”

“I can’t, Cedric. If you want me to be healed, you will have to heal me.”

“Tana, you know I don’t have the power to heal. I’m not a dragon.”

“As a dragon rider, you now have traits of a dragon. The power to heal is one of them.”

“Okay, first, tell me how to heal you, then I want to come back to the dragon rider thing. So, what do I have to do?” I ask her.

I look at my amazing mate, who has given me this incredible gift. “I did it. Where else are you hurt?”

“My side, where I landed,” she says, shifting to give me access. I gently slide my hand down her body until I feel her flinch.

“Here?” I ask her. When she nods, I repeat the process, going around her body until she is completely healed.

“Now, do you want to take your gems back to your cave, and then we can talk?” I ask her.

She looks at me, then at the gems. “They are no longer mine, Cedric. They are yours now. All that I have, all that I am, is yours now.”

I walk to her side, making sure she can see how serious I am. “All that I am is yours now, too, Tana. That’s how this mate thing works. I don’t want your gems. They are yours. I never wanted them. Everything that I want is right here. Here and back at your apartment. You and Kenna. So, let’s get your gems and tuck them away into your cave. Then you can shift, and we can talk. I think we have much to discuss.”

I go collect her gems, surprised that she doesn’t even flinch when I pick them up. I obviously have a lot to learn about what it means to a dragon when they are claimed. I return to her, and she lowers her head, looking over the gems. “See, completely unharmed,” I tell her.

“Are you going to let me get on your back, Tana?”

She tilts her head, looking at me. “You are my rider now, Cedric. You are the only one who is allowed to ride me unless you give someone permission to be on my back. Although I would hope that you will always allow Kenna on my back if needed.”

Oh yeah, I have a LOT to learn about what it means to claim a dragon.