The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 203

Saphira woke with a sharp inhale, her hand pressed tightly to her chest. The room was still cloaked in shadow, the lamp dimmed to a soft glow. Her breath came fast and shallow, her pulse fluttering beneath her skin. The dream clung to her, flame and stars and Vaelora’s voice echoing in her mind.

Beside her, Nikolas stirred.

His eyes opened slowly. He turned toward her, brow furrowed, his expression mirroring hers, wide-eyed and shaken.

“You okay?” he asked, voice rough with sleep, his hand reaching instinctively toward her wrist.

Saphira blinked, her throat tight. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

Their eyes locked in the dim light, breath still uneven, hearts still racing. She could feel the heat of him beside her, a reminder that even though it was real, it was still just a dream.

“I saw Vaelora,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not as a dragon. As a woman. She told and showed me… things. She said I wasn’t just born, I was forged. That our bond awakened something ancient.”

Nikolas sat up slowly, the blanket sliding down his chest, revealing the curve of his shoulder and the flicker of silver veins beneath his skin. He rubbed his hand across his jaw, eyes distant. “I saw Vorthar,” he said. “He said the same about you. He also said that I carry royal blood. That something ancient was dormant until you.”

Saphira’s breath caught. Her fingers curled into the sheets. “She said we were meant to ignite this new form. That it was written before we were born.”

Nikolas nodded, jaw tense. “Vorthar said the same. He also said we have to figure out our future ourselves. He wouldn’t tell me anything else.”

Saphira shifted closer, her hand finding his, fingers threading through his. “Vaelora said the same. Why do they have to be so cryptic? It would be easier if they just told us.”

Nikolas met her gaze, his thumb brushing gently across her knuckles. “I agree. But maybe they need us to figure it out so it’s ours. So it’s not duty or obligation, it’s choice.”

Saphira exhaled slowly. “I suppose that makes sense,” she murmured. She understood it, but it didn’t make it easier. “Vaelora said the answer is ours to find… Together.”

Nikolas reached out, brushing his thumb across her cheek, his touch warm. “Then we will find the answers and what it means to us. Whatever it takes.”

She leaned into him, resting her forehead against his, their breath mingling in the quiet. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know,” he said, his voice soft. “Me too.”

They lay back down, limbs tangled, his arm wrapping around her waist. Saphira pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone, then another to the hollow of his throat, her fingers tracing the edge of his jaw.

She felt the weight of the dream still pressing against her ribs, but his presence softened it, made it bearable.

“What time is it?” she asked, leaning up to peer over Nikolas toward the clock on the bedside table. Her hand rested lightly on his chest for balance.

Nikolas turned his head, squinting. “Almost time to get up.”

He looked back at her, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “Fancy getting up now and going for a fly?”

Saphira sat up fully, using his chest to push herself upright, her smile blooming wide and bright. “Yes!”

Nikolas laughed, brushing her hair back from her face. “Come on then. Let’s get ready and go before everyone else wakes up.”

They slipped out of bed, quiet and quick, dressing in soft layers and boots. Saphira’s heart beat faster. No pressure. No mission. Just flight. Just freedom. Just him.

The sky was starting to streak with sunlight when Saphira stepped out onto the balcony with Nikolas. The wind was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and morning air.

Nikolas stood beside her. He turned to her with a grin that tugged at something deep in her chest. “Ready?”

Saphira nodded, her heart already lifting. “More than ready.”

They shifted together. The transformation was seamless now, like breath, like memory. She felt the magic hum through her bones, the bond between them pulsing strong.

Nikolas looked at her, *“Let’s fly,”* he said through the mind-link, his voice brushing her thoughts.

*“Try to keep up,”* she teased, as they leapt from the balcony in perfect sync.

Wings sliced through the air as they soared into the open sky. The pack house shrank beneath them, the forest stretching out like a sea of green and gold.

Nikolas looped around her, his voice playful in her mind. *“Race you to your lake.”*

*“You’re on,”* she replied, diving low and fast, her wings folding tight to cut through the air.

They flew like they were born to, twisting through clouds, skimming treetops, chasing each other in wide arcs and sudden drops. Saphira’s heart beat wild and joyful. For once, there was no mission. No battle. Just them together.

*“You’re cheating,”* Nikolas accused as she pulled ahead again.

*“I’m just better,”* she shot back, internally grinning.

At the lake, she landed first, boots crunching against the stone. Nikolas touched down beside her, they shifted back, both breathless and grinning.

“You cheated,” he said aloud, brushing a leaf from her hair.

“I’m just strategic,” she replied with a wink.

They stood at the edge of the water, the sun beginning to rise behind them, casting golden light across the water. Saphira stepped closer, her fingers brushing his. “This definitely feels like ours.”

Nikolas nodded, his gaze steady. “Because it is.”

She turned to face him fully. “Do you think we’ll be ready? For whatever this bond is meant to become?”

He reached out, cupping her face gently. “We already are. We just have to keep choosing it.”

Saphira leaned into him, their foreheads touching, breath mingling. The wind curled around them like a blessing.

Nikolas watched her, his eyes dark with heat. “You’re beautiful here.”

“I’m always beautiful,” she said, smirking as she slipped into the water.

He followed, clothes discarded, the lake wrapping around them. The moment he reached her, she pulled him close, her legs wrapping around his waist, her mouth finding his in a kiss that was anything but gentle.

Their bond flared.

Nikolas groaned against her lips, his hands sliding down her back, pulling her to him. She arched into him, her breath catching as his mouth found the curve of her throat, then lower, reverent and hungry.

Saphira tangled her fingers in his hair, her body moving with his, the water rippling around them. Every touch, every breath, every heartbeat felt like a vow.

They moved together in the centre of the lake, surrounded by trees and sky and silence. No eyes. No expectations. Just them.

When it was over, they stayed wrapped around each other, floating in the warmth, breathless and whole.

*“This,”* Saphira whispered through the bond, *“is what I want to fight for.”*

Nikolas kissed her temple. *“Then we will.”*

And in that sacred stillness, they simply held on.