The Matchmaker - The Arrax Saga Book 1 Chapter 36

Saphira had never felt more powerless. All she could do was scream, her voice raw with desperation, as tears blurred her vision. She hadn’t realised, hadn’t truly understood, when her feelings for Nikolas had deepened into something unshakable. But standing here now, watching the Elder raise his blade above Nikolas’ chained, helpless form, she knew without question, she would sacrifice anything to save him.

The Elder stepped into position, his expression calm, almost amused, as he gazed down at the restrained dragon.

“Not so powerful now, are we?” he murmured, his voice like ice. “It’s about time you were taken down for good. We hired the Matchmaker to take you in, to never let you leave, and they failed.” A cold smile curled at the edges of his lips. “I won’t.”

Saphira’s breath hitched, a violent surge of panic ripping through her as she saw his arms tense, the golden blade gleaming under the moonlight as he started his strike.

She screamed.

A sound of pure agony, raw, frantic, the kind that ripped through the soul.

And then everything slowed.

Time itself seemed to fracture, stretching, twisting.

A pulse.

It tore through her body, a force so powerful it shattered something unseen around her, exploding outward. The golden sword, the weapon meant to end Nikolas, was flung from the Elder’s grasp, sent flying into the darkness.

A sudden, searing heat spread through her, wrapping around her limbs, her chest, her very core.

Pain. Fire. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, something deep, something inevitable.

Saphira gasped, barely able to breathe as she staggered... no, not staggered. Changed.

Her gaze snapped downward.

Black. Two gleaming, shimmering black claws.

Her pulse thundered in her ears.

She was a dragon.

The realization crashed through her, overwhelming, impossible, undeniable. She had transformed.

And now, she wasn’t powerless. Not anymore.

Saphira let out a deafening roar into the night sky, her voice raw with newfound strength as time snapped back into motion. The power that had surged through her, the force that had changed her, still pulsed within her veins, unfamiliar yet intoxicating.

Then her gaze met Nikolas’.

That single moment, that unspoken connection, was all it took.

The mate bond ignited between them, shimmering gold tendrils swirling in the air, visible only to them. The energy linked them, wrapping around their souls, drawing them together in a way that was irreversible... unchangeable.

And as it snapped into place, fully formed, Saphira felt it.

Power.

A force she had never imagined, rushing through her like a storm, shifting her instincts, sharpening everything. She didn’t know how to wield it, not yet.

But Nikolas did.

The Elder took a step back, his eyes widening, fear creeping into the edges of his voice. “That’s not possible,” he hissed, watching her like she had shattered the very foundation of the world he controlled. "You are meant to be human and Nikolas weakened."

Saphira narrowed her gaze, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. He faltered, the confidence he had wielded moments ago cracking just slightly.

She turned to Nikolas, uncertainty flickering in her mind, what now? She had the power, but she didn’t yet know what to do with it.

Then, his voice filled her mind, steady, strong, assured.

*"I’ve got you, mate."*

Those four words settled deep in her chest, strengthening her.

Confidence replaced hesitation.

Nikolas moved, his massive form shifting beneath the weight of the chains. This time, his thrashes carried force, purpose. The metal groaned under the strain, the bindings straining under his strength. Then, his scales began to glow, releasing waves of heat so intense that steam curled into the air, and the chains, solid, unbreakable only moments before, began to melt.

“No, no, no,” the Elder muttered, fear taking hold now, his retreat turning frantic.

Saphira didn’t hesitate.

She moved swiftly, circling around, cutting off his escape.

They weren’t letting him go. Not until they had answers.

Nikolas let out a thunderous roar as the last of the molten chains snapped apart, the broken links crashing to the ground in a cloud of steam and dust. The force of his release shook the air itself, power radiating from him like a storm unleashed.

Before the Elder could react, Nikolas moved swiftly, relentless. He lunged, his massive black form colliding with the Elder, pinning him to the ground in one terrifying motion. The ancient figure barely had time to struggle before claws pressed against his chest, holding him firm beneath the dragon’s weight.

Saphira stepped forward instinctively, her own form thrumming with newfound power, ready to act, ready to end this.

But just as she opened her mouth, a flicker, a presence, shifted at the edge of her vision.

A second Elder.

He appeared like a phantom, robes flowing unnaturally as if untouched by the air around them. His face remained shadowed beneath his hood, but the power he carried was unmistakable.

Saphira barely had time to process it before the figure lifted a single hand.

A spell, silent, swift, ripped through the space between them.

And then, the pinned Elder was dead.

The blow landed without warning, without hesitation, and the lifeless body crumpled beneath Nikolas in an instant.

Saphira’s breath hitched, her pulse stammering with shock. Nikolas recoiled, shifting back, his golden eyes narrowing in confusion, anger, rage.

But before either of them could react, before they could stop him, the second Elder disappeared. Vanished. Gone, leaving nothing behind.

Saphira’s breathing was uneven, her massive form still adjusting to the overwhelming reality of what had just happened. She was a dragon. She had transformed. And now, she needed to figure out how to shift back.

Nikolas watched her with unwavering intensity, his golden eyes sharp, steady.

*"You need to breathe,"* his voice filled her mind, calming, instructing. *"Close your eyes. Feel it, your form, your bones, the energy that flows through you. Don't force it. Let it guide you."*

Saphira swallowed hard, nodding slightly as she forced herself to listen, to push past the panic, the lingering rush of power. She closed her eyes, focusing on her body, on the way her limbs felt heavier, stronger, different. She reached inward, searching for the part of herself that still belonged to the form she had known her whole life.

Human. She needed to find human again.

The warmth inside her pulsed, shifting, not violently, but naturally. It was instinct, buried deep, waiting for her to accept it.

And then she felt the change.

Her bones reshaped, her limbs shrank, her claws softened, until the weight pressing against the earth lifted. She gasped, stumbling slightly as she reoriented herself.

She was herself again.

Human.

She blinked, her breath coming faster as she tried to process everything, she looked up and Nikolas was watching her.

Their eyes locked, the golden bond still shimmering faintly between them, like lingering threads of magic tying them together. There was something in his gaze, something raw, unguarded.

Saphira had no words.

And in that moment, she didn’t need them. Because Nikolas understood. And that was enough.