They had been walking for over an hour, crossing over three miles and going deeper and deeper into the mountains. To her amazement, Rhia's legs never cramped. Her feet never got tired, she never lost her footing, and her heart rate never seemed to rise higher than a normal sixty beats per minute. Finally, an advantage to the magic.

"How are you doing back there?" Juniper called from a good ten meters ahead.

Rhia looked up at the woman. She was gorgeous. Taller than Rhia at five-eleven and towering over her in the pair of six-inch stiletto boots that she somehow managed to keep her balance in despite the rocky terrain. Her eyes were a bright violet colour, close to the colour of Keoni's. Her blonde hair was made up of messy curls barely contained by an elastic.

"How much further?" Rhia called.

"We keep walking until you're ready to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Anything you want. I'll answer every question you have."

Rhia caught up to her at the top of the ridge and looked out over the rise and fall of the Californian mountains. "This... heat thing." She said slowly. "How long does it last?"

"About a week. Might be a little shorter since it's your first."

She ran her hands through her hair and chewed her lip. The fire between her legs had lessened, but still persistent. "God, I feel like a fifteen-year-old who just discovered the showerhead."

Juniper laughed. "Your body is screaming for you to mate. It smells a male and sheds all those pesky heat pheromones. Men are stupid. Once it gets in their system, they can't get you out of their heads and they start getting aggressive. Nolan can be forgiven, being a vampire and all. Atticus must be real young to not recognize it. And Dáithí... Dáithí should have known better."

"I was... dreaming about him in his other form. How fucked up is that?"

"You were dreaming about Dáithí in his serpent skin?"

"Is that... uncommon?"

"Heat dreams are common enough," she said slowly, frowning. "I've found they usually happen in humanoid forms. Only the really old kin and the dragons mate in their true forms nowadays. But stranger things have happened."

"Please tell me it gets easier... God it can't always be so... relentless?"

"It isn't. Well, not really. You'll get used to it over time, but the first one is always the worst. Even if you know it's coming. My first heat, I kept fantasizing about making my way through the college football team."

"Don't know about a football team. But a foursome with a vampire, a shifter, and a dragonkin was starting to sound pretty appealing."

"I have to say, you were handling it quite well when I got there." Juniper chuckled. "I was with Dáithí during my first. He had to chain me to the bed so he could get a break."

"Wait... you and Dáithí were..."

"For ten years. Some of the best years of my life right up to the end."

"What happened?"

"I'm sure you've noticed, he's an intense, black and white sort of guy. Unbound good, bound bad, dragons even worse. I grew up unbound. My powers awoke unbound. I wanted to know what the other side was like. He saw it as a betrayal and kicked me out right then and there. He got real nasty when I tried to explain. I took the hint and took off. We haven't seen each other since."

"That's what you meant by closing the door on your past?"

Those golden curls bounced with her nodding head. "Dáithí was... he is the most passionate man I've ever met. He carries all that intensity into everything he does. He made me feel like I was queen of the world right up to that final moment."

She blinked a few times and looked away. Rhia cleared her throat and changed the subject. "So, is this like a monthly thing? Or yearly? How often do I have to go through this?"

Juniper snorted. "The elders wish it were that frequent. No, honey, once every thirty years or so."

"Thirty years!" Rhia's jaw dropped. "Do I still have to get my period?"

"Nope. All that's over and done with now that you're awakened."

"Can't get pregnant in between?"

"Not unless you bond. Dragonkin females can only get pregnant during their heat or during the bonding process. Why do you think we breed so damn slow?"

"Talk about the world's most effective birth control." Rhia laughed and lifted her hair off her sweaty neck.

"Oh, and you've gone one step further than that. You're dating a vampire. He won't be able to get you pregnant at all."

"You sure? He was yfeerie, before turning."

"Doesn't matter. He's not half and half, he is one hundred percent bonified vampire, and vampires can only breed with other vampires.

"Oh... well, that answers that question."

"What question?"

"Whether or not I wanted kids."

"You've spent your twenty-something years thinking you were human, and you never thought about having kids?"

"Of course, I thought about it. My ex wanted me to drop everything and become a stay-at-home mom after we got married. After we broke up, though..." she shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just didn't really see myself with another guy, settling down, raising a family... Everything with Nolan sort of came out of left field, and it wasn't like we're going to be able to really settle down while he was working for Constantine. And now with all of... this... happening... I don't even know if we're going to make it to France."

"Yes, I heard the tail end of that fight."

She swiped angrily at the tears brimming in her eyes. "I can't stop crying." She hissed. "Why can't I stop fucking crying?"

"Do you want the answer, or do you want me to make you feel better?"

"Answer, please, I'm tired of people trying to make me feel better when I don't even know what I'm upset about."

"As far as I can tell, there are three things. The first, and the most obvious, you're in heat. Your first heat. The hormones and the magic and that you've got so many males sniffing around you... It's really no surprise your emotions are so up and down. Then there's your awakening itself. Hatchlings spend years training their minds and their bodies for it. The closest most humans get to understanding is if they get to the training phase of vampiric transition."

"Training phase?"

"Oh, yes," Juniper's eyes glimmered mischievously. "Born vampires have more advantages in overall power, but it isn't just the magic that makes the turned ones into stud-muffins."

Rhia burst out laughing. "Okay, so what's the third thing?"

Juniper's smile faltered slightly. Her eyes darted down to Rhia's side. "Have they told you the issue with your shift?"

"Sort of. Something about the plates in my ribs holding me in this form. Honestly, I am quite okay with staying just like this."

"Which is fine... after the first time."

"What does it matter if I never shift? No offense to you, or anyone else on the compound, but the longer I can pretend I'm still entirely human, the better."

Juniper gave her a pitying look. "Awakenings like yours are dangerous because, even for a prepared hatchling, there is too much magic all at once. The only treatment is to force the shift. It's not pleasant nor is it easy, and most get stuck for a while after. But the first shift is the most important. Our magic was never supposed to be contained within a human form. The first shift aligns your magic with your dragon skin. Shifting back keeps the alignment."

"And if I still refuse to shift?"

She looked away, out towards the ocean. "Did you know that Russia currently holds the record for the most powerful atomic weapon test?" she asked quietly. "It was fifteen-thousand times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. A yfeerie like Dáithí, one without any extraordinary abilities or significant power, has enough magic to make the Tsar Bomba look like a firecracker. You, Rhia... You have hellfire." She met Rhia's eyes again. "The total misalignment of your magic would be apocalyptic. If you don't shift... the dragons will have no choice but to kill you."

Rhia felt her insides freeze. Panic was slowly starting to rise in her throat again.

"That's the third thing. Your magic wants to survive. Your actions are working against that." Juniper jerked her head north. "Come on. There's more walking for us to do."

She followed mutely, mind buzzing. They walked for another hour, another three miles of a nearly vertical incline. The low brush was replaced by tall pines. Rhia had almost forgotten there was this much nature was so close to the city. She used to go out to the mountains with her friends in high school to get away from the overbearing supervision of their parents. The mountains held a lot of firsts for her. First kiss, first party, first beer.

Juniper looked over her shoulder as Rhia suddenly laughed. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she sighed almost wistfully. "Just thinking... My high school reunion is going to be really awkward."

"Oh, come on." Juniper laughed. "You're saying no one in your class voted you 'most likely to be an entirely different species'?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that we actually had that as an option on our ballots?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. The wording was different. It was 'most likely to turn into a vampire', but you get the point."

"No... really? You bet on which of your classmates would apply to turn? That's..." She left the last word hanging as if she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Hey, look," Rhia laughed. "The Twilight movies were wrapping up and still super popular, and then there was the Vampire Diaries series that was also really good and don't even get me started on how many vampire books came out around that time. It was every seventeen-year-old's dream to turn. If they weren't so comically inaccurate, I would almost think that Constantine commissioned them to boost vampire popularity."

Juniper stopped again and gave Rhia a look of pure amazement. "Were you a fan-girl?"

"Oh yeah."

"Did you ever apply?"

"Nah. Living to thirty seemed like a lofty goal at the time, there was no way in hell I was going to apply to live to nine hundred." She paused and frowned. "How long do... dragonkin live? You're not really immortal, are you?"

Juniper raised an eyebrow. "Only the dragons are truly immortal. We might as well be, given the human perspective." she heavily emphasized the 'we' and Rhia flinched. She was not letting her get away with the whole denial thing. "Excluding Keoni, the oldest kin to ever live, died when he was a few years over two-hundred thousand years. Most of us will only live to be one-fifty, maybe one-seventy-five."

Rhia groped for a tree to support herself. One hundred and fifty thousand years? By the time she would be considered old she would be...

"Wait..." she said slowly. "Excluding Keoni? Why excluding him?"

"He's mated to Ares. The mate bond is for life. Dragons are immortal, so Keoni is immortal too."

"How does that work? A dragon and a dragonkin... doesn't the bond... I just don't see how it can be a consensual relationship if he's forced to feel the way he does for Ares."

"The mate bond and the dragon bond are two very different things. Trust me, it is an enthusiastically consensual relationship. They are... passionate lovers."

"And you know this because..."

"Their house in Alexandria has silencing spells in place of doors. I had thought that nothing could be more scarring than walking in on my own parents." She shuddered.

"Sure, it comes off as enthusiastic when it's mind control."

"Rhia," The lofty amusement of her tone suddenly darkened, and her New Orleans Cajun accent cracked like whip. "I understand that this is all new to you and you have some preconceived notions about the dragons put in your head thanks to Dáithí... but I really, really need you to stop thinking like that."

Rhia took a careful step back. A fancy new set of alarm bells tuned in directly to Juniper's magic went off in her head. She had found the line and was teetering dangerously close to the edge. "I'm sorry," she said carefully. "Help me understand."

Juniper blinked and the threatening glow began to fade. "The mate bond joins their hearts and their souls. It is much deeper than that of the dragon bond. Keoni is not limited in anyway. His power is far greater than any unbound could ever imagine. As far as we are concerned, he is the tenth dragon. While he's here, out of respect for Quin's fragile ego, he manipulates the bond to resemble the one that Quin has over his own kin. He doesn't like it. Ares doesn't like it. We, their kin, do not like it. But it is a sacrifice he makes to keep the peace. That's why he doesn't stay in Quin's territory for long periods of time. That's why he can't tell us what's really going on right now. I can answer any question you have about the awakening, Rhia, but only Keoni can tell you who you are."

Rhia's eyes widened. "Does he... know who my parents are? Where I came from?"

"I don't know," Juniper shrugged. "But there is something about you that he finds special. He wouldn't have dragged me out of Athens or recalled his elites from across the world to come here if you were just some regular yfeerie regardless of how rough your awakening is. Mithras could have called the specialists to get your ribs fixed up. Sophie could have helped you through the initial awakening. I can name a dozen females who are better suited to guide you through your first heat than me. Yet, we are here. The whole time we have been on the edge of Atticus's property, respecting your wish to be left alone while preparing to protect you from... whatever Keoni is afraid of. He is trying to give you space. But in my honest to the gods opinion, I think you should give him a chance to explain his side."

Rhia shifted uncomfortably. Swallowing hard she asked; "Keoni told Nolan that the dragons can't bind me. Is that true?"

"The dragon bond is one of the most important decisions we ever make as kin, but it isn't for everyone. The unbound are a small percentage but they exist commonly enough. The un-bindable, however, are rare and are usually some of the most powerful kin to ever live. If Keoni says you can't be bound, he does not say it lightly."

She threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine. I'll... think about it."

"Thank you." Juniper nodded approvingly.

Rhia eyed the other woman for a long minute. "What... what does it feel like. Your... your other form?"

Her smile was pure brilliance. "It's freedom." She breathed. "I know you don't believe me right now, but the moment you shift, Rhia, everything feels right. It's everything we were ever meant to be."

"Could you... Could you show me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Juniper took her by the wrist and pulled her through the trees to a clearing. She left Rhia at the edge of the trees and jogged to the center. A ripple of power coursed across her skin. Her shift was quick and smooth, her body from nose to tail was just over twenty-five feet. Her body was less like Dáithí's bulky, tank-like form and more slender. Her scales were thicker and wider, closer to miniature armored plates, especially around her joints. She sat back on two powerful legs. Her wings were folded tightly in her body. She was a beautiful cream colour, with a shimmering violet magical light glowing just under her scales. Her tail wrapped around her body and ended in a vicious spike, almost like a scorpion tail. "Holy shit." Rhia breathed, stepping forward. "That's... you're beautiful."

A hoarse, chuffing sound same from her throat. That familiar pain drilled straight into her skull and she gasped. Juniper lowered her body until her head was next to Rhia's, one big violet eye meeting hers. "Try to relax." She heard Juniper's gentle voice floating in her mind. "Take a deep breath and focus."

Rhia sucked in a breath of hair and the pain began to subside. "Is this that link thing?" she panted.

"It's a psychological connection dragonkin can make with each other to communicate."

"Does it always hurt like this?"

"It will for a while. It gets easier with time and practice."

"How do I... link back."

Another chuffing sound and laughter filled her head. "Just focus on what you want to say and imagine aiming the words back at me."

Rhia took a deep breath and tried to center her thoughts. "IS IT WORKING?!"

Juniper flinched back, a high-pitched squeak of pain coming from her immense jaw full of sharp teeth. "I guess volume control will come in time."

Rhia could feel the pained laugh in her voice. "Sorry." She muttered. "Is there anyway to... stop someone from linking to me?"

"Dáithí?" She nodded and Juniper made a rattling sound that sounded kind of like a sigh. "I've been meaning to ask how did you met him? I have a hard time believing that he's here just to make up with Nolan."

"He came recommended by the private investigator I hired." She looked down at her shoes, not wanting to meet Juniper's eyes. "I didn't want to be a burden on Nolan. I didn't want him to worry."

"You don't need to justify anything, honey. Not to me."

Tears threatened to fall again. "The things he makes me feel... It's different than how I feel with Nolan. He makes me question everything I thought I knew. What if he... What if we..."

She stopped, not wanting to give the thought any more weight. Juniper stared at her with those big, glowing eyes. It was impossible to guess what she was thinking in this form. "What did you think of Dáithí before your heat?" she asked.

"I... didn't think... anything of him."

"Then I don't think you should be making any big decisions about you and Nolan while you're in heat. The hormones raging through your body are enough to drive a nun to the whorehouse. Your body may just want satisfaction, but your magic recognizes that Dáithí is the only dragonkin within mating range. When it's all over, those things he makes you feel might go away."

Rhia nodded. She couldn't explain how she felt about Dáithí now. But she knew how she felt about Nolan. She liked him. She cared so deeply for him. But... love? Juniper was right. Making decisions wasn't a good idea right now.

"Can I touch you?" she suddenly blurted out.

Another chuffing laugh and Juniper nodded. Rhia reached out and ran her hand along the smooth scales of her neck. She was soft and dry, with powerful muscles rippling underneath, sort of how she imagined a snake to feel.

"I... I thought you'd be... bigger."

"I'm only seventy-five," Juniper sounded almost defensive. "I'll get bigger. You'll be small, too, when you first shift."

They stood there in silence for a few moments. Juniper stood calm and still, giving Rhia the chance to take it all in. When Rhia finally stepped away again, Juniper shifted seamlessly back into her human skin, hair still wild and clothes in perfect order. "Thank you." She whispered. "I... I guess I didn't realize how much I needed this."

"You're welcome." Juniper smiled. "I am going to suggest kicking the boys out for the night. You need some space from the males."

She nodded slowly, considering her next words. Was she ready? "I should call my mom." She said softly.

Juniper laughed and took her arm. "I am so glad you came to that on your own. That makes this next part a lot less awkward."