The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 193

The glow faded.

The silver threads of magic unravelled into the air, dissolving like mist. The tremble in the earth stilled. The forest exhaled.

Saphira blinked, her vision clearing as the last shimmer of light faded from Nikolas’s dragon form. He stood tall for a moment longer, wings tucked close, silver-white scales gleaming in the fractured sunlight.

Then he began to shift.

The transformation was slower this time, graceful, deliberate. Scales receded, limbs reshaped, light folding inward. When it was done, Nikolas stood before her, human again, breathless and bare-chested, his skin still glowing faintly with residual magic.

Saphira didn’t move.

He did.

Nikolas stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace, arms wrapping around her with a strength that made her knees buckle. She clung to him, burying her face against his shoulder, the scent of ash and dragon fire still clinging to his skin.

“You saved me,” he whispered, voice thick. “Your blood… it saved me.”

Saphira pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. “You came back,” she said, tears slipping down her cheeks. “You found your way back.”

“I didn’t,” he said softly. “You pulled me through.”

Behind them, the forest was quiet.

The Cinderwood pack had fled, vanishing into the trees after the Elders, their confidence shattered. The Arrax pack stood in a wide circle, watching in stunned silence. No one spoke. No one moved.

Asher’s mouth was slightly open. Zafira’s eyes shimmered with emotion. Jed stood at the front, his arms crossed, gaze locked on Nikolas.

The silence shattered as a healer burst through the trees, robes flaring behind her like wings, a satchel clutched tight to her chest. Her boots skidded across the damp earth, breath ragged as she called out, “I have the antidotes. Three vials, freshly brewed!”

Saphira’s head snapped toward her. “Dax,” she breathed, already sprinting.

Her feet pounded the ground, heart hammering as she reached the healer in seconds. She snatched one of the vials with trembling fingers, her grip so tight it nearly cracked the glass. “He’s barely holding on,” she said, voice taut with urgency. “We need to try now.”

The healer nodded, face pale but focused, and followed her back toward the fallen warrior.

Dax lay curled on his side, limp and slick with sweat, his skin ashen. His breath came in shallow, uneven gasps. Saphira dropped to her knees beside him, her hands hovering over his chest, fingertips brushing the faint flutter of his pulse.

“Hold on,” she whispered, uncorking the vial with a sharp twist. She tilted it gently to his lips. “Just a little. Come on, Dax.”

He swallowed weakly, throat bobbing.

She waited.

Nothing.

The healer knelt beside her, brow furrowed, eyes scanning Dax’s face. “It’s not taking,” she murmured. “His system’s too far gone.”

“No,” Saphira said, her voice slicing through the air. “No, it has to work.”

Dax convulsed once, his body arching, then fell still again. His eyes fluttered shut.

Saphira’s heart slammed against her ribs. ‘*Vaelora,’* she called inward, panic rising like a tide. ‘*Why isn’t it working?’*

The dragon’s voice came back taut and focused. ‘*The poison is layered. Not just Elder-forged. It’s hybrid, wolf and dragon magic, twisted together.’*

Her breath caught. Her gaze dropped to her wrist, already bruised from earlier. “I’m dragon,” she murmured. “But I’m also wolf.”

Without hesitation, she bit down again, drawing fresh blood. The sting barely registered. She held out her wrist to the healer. “Mix it,” she said, voice steady now. “With the antidote. Just try.”

The healer hesitated, then nodded. She poured the remaining antidote into a shallow bowl, added Saphira’s blood, and whispered a quick incantation. The mixture shimmered faintly, swirling with silver and violet, then settled into a soft, silvery hue.

They gave it to Dax.

Seconds passed.

Then his chest rose sharply, a gasp tearing from his throat. His eyes flew open, wild and confused. He coughed, groaned, and tried to sit up, limbs trembling.

Saphira caught him, arms wrapping around his shoulders. Relief surged through her, hot and overwhelming. “Easy,” she said, smiling through tears. “You’re okay.”

Dax blinked at her, voice hoarse. “I’m… okay,” he rasped, nodding slowly.

She held him, heart still pounding, knowing they’d just pulled him back from the edge.

The healer stared at Dax, blinking in disbelief. Her hands hovered near his chest, as if expecting him to collapse again. “I don’t understand,” she murmured. “That shouldn’t have worked. Your blood, it changed the reaction. We have more to investigate now. Much more.”

Saphira nodded, her voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through her. “Then investigate. We’ll need every edge we can get.”

She rose, brushing dirt from her knees, and turned toward Nikolas.

He stood a few paces away, still shirtless, the faint shimmer of silver lingering across his skin. His eyes met hers—steady, unreadable, but softer than before.

Saphira stepped close, her voice low. “You’re incredible,” she said. “I want to understand what happened. Vaelora gave me… cryptic messages. She’s hiding something. But for now, what do we do? The Elders ran scared.”

Nikolas looked past her, scanning the pack. Warriors regrouped, some tending to wounds, others watching him with awe. He exhaled slowly, jaw tightening.

“We go after them,” he said. “We don’t let them vanish into the trees and regroup. Not while they still have power.”

The healer stepped forward, concern etched into her face. “But the antidotes, they’re not ready. We only have the first batches. The rest are still being brewed.”

Saphira’s breath hitched.

*‘They will be ready,’* Vaelora murmured, calm and cryptic as ever.

Saphira didn’t flinch. She turned to the healer. “We’ll make it work,” she said firmly, not revealing what Vaelora had told her. “Nikolas is right. We need to go after them, and the Cinderwood pack. They won’t have gotten far. We can’t risk letting them slip away.”

Nikolas nodded, already shifting into command. “Take Dax back to the pack,” he told the healer. “Make sure he’s fully stable. Guard him.”

The healer nodded and moved to help Dax to his feet.

Nikolas turned to the rest of the pack. “Everyone else start moving. Same direction the Elders fled. Fan out, track them. Don’t engage unless you have to.”

He looked to Saphira, Zafira, Jed, Asher, and Anastasia. “We fly ahead. Saphira will mind-link us if she sees anything. Same goes for the rest of you, if you find them first, link her.”

Saphira nodded, already reaching inward, the bond with Vaelora pulsing strong. She shifted with ease, wings unfurling in a shimmer of silver and flame. Around her, Nikolas, Jed, Zafira, Asher, and Anastasia shifted in unison, their dragon forms rising like sentinels of vengeance.

They met each other’s eyes.

And then they launched into the sky.

The hunt had begun.