by Julia Mills
Melanie appeared behind her with a wide satin ribbon the color of antique silver and tied it around her waist. She grimaced at the way it accentuated the roundness of her hips, but quickly remembered Liam’s words when she’d said something about losing a few pounds before their mating. Never change, mo chroi’. I love you just the way you are. Every erotic curve and sensual dip is a feast for my hands and eyes. You are perfection, both inside and out.
Her grimace was replaced with a smile just as her sister, Alicia, appeared behind her with a pair of satin ballet slippers the exact color of her dress. Turning, she slid her feet into the shoes where they’d been placed before her and then spun for everyone in the room to get a look at the amazing dress her mate had given her.
On the verge of tears, Sarah Beth stepped up to her, kissed her gently on both cheeks, and whispered, “You’re a vision. I’m so happy and proud of you I could burst. Be happy, Hannah Marie, just be happy.”
“Oh, Momma, I will.”
Unwilling to cry and risk ruining her makeup, she turned to her sisters and joked, “Do I clean up nice or what?”
Everyone laughed and agreed, each taking a turn wishing her well. Melanie had just gotten through giving her a few last minute pointers concerning the mating ceremony when another knock sounded at the front door. This time her best friend turned to her and said, “This one’s for you, kiddo. Fate awaits. Be happy. Love you.”
“I love you, too, Meli Rose.”
Chuckling at the use of Melanie’s childhood nickname, the girls linked arms and headed to the door. Melanie reached for the knob, pulling it open to reveal Tomas and Cole, two of the Guardsmen in training from Liam’s home clan. Hannah knew they were younger than Liam but could feel the warrior spirit within them.
They resembled knights from King Arthur’s time, just as the attendants at Melanie and Jace’s mating ceremony had. She smiled as she realized their uniforms actually made sense since the men truly had come from that era, or their ancestors had. Both wore surcoats of the same rich amethyst color as her gown and were trimmed with braided silver rope. On each, an expertly stitched dragon in the throes of battle was so realistically rendered she could imagine it jumping off their chests. Their long-sleeved undershirt and pants were black, just like their knee high boots that were polished to a high shine.
Tomas and Cole moved to either side of the door, facing one another as Melanie made a sweeping gesture for Hannah to exit. Bending their arms at the elbow, the young Guardsmen waited until Hannah placed her hands on their arms for support. Together, the three of them took the steps off the front porch, carefully following the round patio stones to a small vine-covered gate at the corner of Melanie and Jace’s yard. Hannah was surprised to see it led to a small wooded area.
About twenty paces into their journey through the woods, Cole stopped beside a large stump covered with silk, holding the largest bouquet of deep purple roses Hannah had ever seen. She started to count but gave up at three and a half dozen. Leaning forward past her escort, she buried her nose in them, inhaling their heavenly fragrance. Releasing her hand from his arm, Cole picked up the bouquet and gently placed it in her arms. It was then she saw the card attached, inscribed with a simple but poignant message. You are my soul, my love, my everything. Forever yours, Liam. She took one from the bunch as Cole graciously offered to carry them.
Placing her hand atop Cole’s arm once again, they continued down the path, talking and taking in the wondrous scenery. The sound of water reached her ears, piquing her interest almost as much as her excitement. A few more steps and they cleared the trees. Hannah gasped as she found herself beside a small grotto. Water flowed over large polished rocks into a reflective pond naturally decorated with lily pads and cattails. The natural landscaping was flawless, but the man-made, well, ‘dragon-made’, decorations that surrounded the grotto were perfection. Maypoles decorated with hundreds of amethyst, silver, and white ribbons flowing together with the flower garlands winding around their lengths dotted the perimeter, making it seem dreamlike.
Her escorts led her to the far side of the water where a gazebo, decorated to match the maypoles, sat. It contained four incredibly ornate chairs resembling small thrones positioned in a semi-circle. The entire scene was nestled within a group of blossoming Cherry trees. One moment the chairs were empty, and then suddenly, the four Elders she’d met over the course of her stay with the dragons appeared. Rian, Stefan, Niall, and Marcas moved faster than her eyes could track. It somehow shocked her that even the old dragons moved fast.
As one, the Elders nodded their greeting as Tomas and Cole left her standing next to a small decorated chair holding her roses. A rustling to her left alerted her to the arrival of the other Guardsmen. Since Liam and Hannah were not with Liam’s home clan, the Golden Fire Dragons, Rian and the other Blue Thunder Elders had conferred with Carrick and Rayne from Liam’s home clan, and all agreed to allow the Blue Dragon Force to witness the young couple’s union. The six Blue Dragon Guardsmen, along with Jace and Royce were dressed in their finest, similar to her escorts but in colors matching their specific dragons. Rory was at the head of the line, standing tall and proud in a surcoat of royal blue accented with swirls of deep green. Hannah expected him to look more like the Commander he was since it was a solemn ceremony, but true to form, he wore a shit-eating grin and winked as she glanced at him. Then came Kellan, the recluse of the group. As always, his long, dark blond hair covered the scars on the left side of his face. She’d been told of his valiant service as a Marine but had yet to thank him. His midnight blue surcoat was so dark Hannah really had to focus to make sure it was blue and not black.
Next was Declan, who everyone referred to as their techie. His surcoat was the brightest blue of them all and reminded Hannah of the noonday sky. Lennox, the ‘mad bomber’ as they all called him, wore a surcoat of an almost teal color, equal parts blue and green. Pearce, the one responsible for everything no one else wanted to do, had a dress uniform almost as dark as Kellan’s, but with a silvery luster to it. Lastly for the Blue Dragons was Brannoc, the only one Hannah hadn’t met in person. He was dressed in such a light color of blue that she wondered if he’d ever been mistaken for a white dragon.
Looking at her with fatherly pride was Royce, her mate’s mentor and the oldest of the MacLendon Force of the Golden Fire Dragons. His beautiful royal blue surcoat with green accents truly fit the gentle giant who seemed to care for everyone while grumbling and complaining all the way. Lastly was Jace, Liam’s best friend and her best friend’s mate. His glistening bronze surcoat exactly matched the dragon she’d seen on the day they’d been saved from the Dorcha. All the men smiled, filling her with the true acceptance of a family she’d never expected to have. Add that to her sisters and the man she would love for the rest of her life, and Hannah was overwhelmed by her blessings.
Liam came striding around the gazebo, looking better than any man had a right to look, essentially stealing the breath from her lungs. His deep purple surcoat with silver braids and embroidery accentuated the amazing body she knew lay beneath. His smile lit up the twilight as he looked directly into her eyes. The electrical current she was quickly coming to associate with her mate snapped to life. She realized he’d felt it too as his pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. Her body intimately reacted to everything when they were together. She only hoped she would make it through the ceremony without dragging him behind the gazebo and making love to him until neither could walk, much less think. She knew he heard her thoughts when his smile widened and he winked.
Great minds think alike.
He stopped ten feet from her, almost at attention. Hannah held her breath, waiting for what would come next. Rian cleared his throat and began speaking in his low, commanding voice.
“Long ago, when knights and dragons fought side by side for King and Country, it became apparent dragon kin was no longer safe from those that would expose and destroy them. They sought to join with the knights, who for centur
ies had fought so valiantly as their allies. Thus, through magic and the will of both dragon and knight, the Blue Thunder Clan and Golden Fire Clan of the Dragon Shifters became a reality. It was through the joining of many different clans that we have all become the strong and powerful Force we are today.
“We are here, at the Grotto of Prayer, a place long blessed by our ancestors that went before us, to honor what the Universe put into place all those many years ago. To acknowledge and bless the mating of Liam Alexander Drennan to the one the Universe made for him, Hannah Marie McKennon. Will those seeking to witness this union please step forward?”
From their place next to the gazebo, the eight Guardsmen stepped forward. She knew they had all trained her mate, fought with him, bled with him, and now shared the happiest moment of both their lives with them. They knelt as one and bowed their heads. Rory then stood and addressed the Elders, “We, the six of the Aherne Force and our brethren from the MacLendon Force, wish to witness and offer our blessing to the union of these two souls, two halves of the same whole. May they live long, fight hard, love harder, and produce many young to flourish in this world when their souls have gone to the Heavens.” He knelt next to his men and bowed his head once again.
Rian began again, “Your witness and blessing have been acknowledged and accepted Aherne and MacLendon Forces. Liam Drennan, you may go to your mate.”
Hannah didn’t even see him move before he was standing in front of her with a look in his glowing hazel eyes that filled her with love, adoration, and awe-inspiring humility. She was truly blessed by the Goddess and the Universe to have found real love. He took her hands in his. All the emotion and power he held for her flowed from his fingertips to hers.
Rian began again, “The Purple Dragons are warriors who represent devotion and royalty. It is the purple dragons who first took the throne of power from those that would’ve seen us destroyed, even before man walked the Earth. The Universe shows favor on her purple-scaled warriors as they delivered her chosen ones from certain death. They symbolize extreme passion from the red side of their nature, which is balanced by the reason from their blue-scaled ancestors. They use those characteristics to protect all they hold dear and dole out justice fairly with unwavering commitment. Their love never tires, but instead, grows stronger with each passing year. To mate a Purple Dragon means to accept all that they are and honor the power shared between mates.
“Now is the time of the marking. May the Universe continue to bless you and yours all of your days here and in the Heavens.” She knew the Elders were leaving by the boot strikes on the wood of the gazebo, but she couldn’t look away from her mate and assumed the other Guardsmen had followed.
Hannah had no idea how long they stood ensnared in one another’s gaze before Liam pulled her the last few inches to him. He lowered his head and stopped right before his lips touched hers. His breath tingled on her lips as he whispered, “Ta’ mo chroi istigh ionat,” before closing the scant distance between them. The first brush of his lips touched every cell of her body. A heat unlike any she’d known consumed her from the inside out, laying her open, heart and soul, to her mate.
One perfect moment in all of time, just for us.
A sharp pain on the left side of her neck caused her to flinch and try to pull away. Liam left her lips, taking a moment to look into her eyes before trailing kisses across the sensitive skin of her neck until he reached the tender spot. He licked and sucked until all thoughts of anything but their bodies loving one another were banished from her mind. Her fingers wound through his hair, pulling him closer as he continued to lavish her neck and shoulders, making spontaneous combustion imminent. Pulling his mouth to hers, Liam leaned back just as her lips would’ve met his and winked, denying her what she desperately wanted.
“Are you trying to kill me?” she asked, using their mindspeak for the first time.
Liam threw back his head. Hannah saw a mark on his neck she knew hadn’t been there before as he laughed his marvelous booming laugh, making her tingle all over. She reached up, touching the brand that resembled a flame with a scale in the center. As she ran the tip of her index finger over the mark, Liam growled low in his throat. His fingers then found the spot on her neck where she’d felt pain just a few minutes before. Intense arousal flooded her body. Hannah was sure she would lose consciousness from just his fingertips on her mating mark. As she looked into his eyes, he nodded, “Yes, mo chroi’, they match, and if we don’t stop touching them, there will be no stopping us.” He wiggled his eyebrows as she removed her hand from his neck.
“Now you stand right there. I have something I want to show you.”
He winked as he backed away, leaving Hannah to imagine what he was up to. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long before the feel of magic, like a million butterfly kisses, touched every exposed inch of her skin. She watched as the man who held her heart turned into an amazing purple dragon right before her eyes.
“Come on over. I won’t bite…much,” Liam teased.
“You better not breathe fire or anything else that might mess up my dress.” She chuckled and then laughed aloud when she realized the weird, almost hacking noise she heard was Liam laughing in his dragon form.
The front of his snout and nostrils were black and led to numerous peaks and valleys, displaying every imaginable hue of purple scales running from his nostrils to his eyes. Hannah marveled at all the different patterns his scales made. She’d only made it as far as his face and already, she was absolutely mesmerized.
The scales around his eyes were much lighter, almost translucent, with a violet hue, and smaller than any other she could see. They were layered in a protective manner that also accentuated the large gold-flecked hazel orb looking down at her.
A row of imposing spikes started at the base of his head, growing in length and width as they ran down the entire the length of his spine and ending just before his tail. Glancing back to his head, she saw he also had two very lethal looking horns growing from his brow ridge and curling back over his cranium for at least six feet.
She walked closer, placing her hand on the side of his muzzle, massaging as she moved towards his wings. They were gigantic, even folded into his sides, she imagined they would cover the better part of the grotto. The thin cartilage resembling veins ran throughout his wings, accentuating the deep purple of his scales. The skin between those ‘spines’ felt like a heavy raw silk to the touch.
Making her way back to the front of the beast, she likened his scales to hand blown glass, but the longer she touched them, the more she could feel their incredible strength. Placing one hand next to the other, she massaged under his jaw, feeling how much softer and thinner the scales were there.
Hannah walked all the way around his head, making her way to his hindquarter and back paw. She laughed aloud when faced with the huge appendage before teasing, “I’m glad dragons don’t need manicures.”
“Very funny, mo ghra’. Remember there are lots more witch jokes than dragon ones, and paybacks are a bitch.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, tough guy.”
As she rounded his rear end and came to his tail, Hannah was immediately reminded that these creatures were warriors. The tip of his extremely long tail sported a huge triangular shaped spade, what she’d heard the others call tail-spikes, covering the entire surface. One swipe and she knew everything in its path would be devastated.
Walking back to his head, she kissed what she guessed was his cheek, and stepped back. Magic filled the air, and once again Liam stood before her, beaming like he’d hit his first home run and sexier than a man has a right to be.
He guided her to a blanket expertly spread on the grass to the side of the grotto. Once they were seated, he produced a small purple velvet box. “What’s this? Presents? But I don’t have anything for you. You’ve done too much, Liam.” She smiled while looking at the beautiful decorations and thinking of the magnificent ceremony he’d just given her.
“No way! You a
re my soul, Hannah Marie. The best part of me. I’ll never stop showing you how important you are to me. If I could wrap up the entire world and present it to you on a silver platter, I would, just to have you always look at me just as you are right now.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “You are all that matters,” he whispered, and the depth of his emotions brought tears to her eyes.
Unable to speak, she nodded and then gasped as she opened the box. There, lying against the purple velvet, were the most beautiful earrings she’d ever seen. Two delicate bells, fashioned from purple dragon scales, hung from petite golden chains, which flowed from emerald cut diamonds that shimmered and shined. “They are absolutely stunning.” She laid her hand on his cheek and sweetly kissed his lips.
“They were my mother’s. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to have something new made especially for you, but I couldn’t let this day go by without giving you just a small token of my love and devotion. I promise to get you something all your own as soon as we get home. I already have Emma working on designs.”
“You will do no such thing, Liam Drennan. I love these earrings! They are part of your heritage, a long, proud lineage I only want to enhance and continue. I’ll wear these earrings every day of my life with pride and try to live up to the woman who wore them before me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Liam chuckled and then immediately became serious. “Thank you, mo ghra’. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now put them on. I want to see them in their new place of honor, adorning my mate.”
As quick as she could, she replaced the pave balls she’d worn for her mating ceremony with the earrings Liam had given her. Shaking her head slightly, she smiled slyly as the bells hanging from her ears rang. “You know what happens when a bell rings,” she chuckled.
He pulled her onto his lap and looked deep into her eyes. “Who’s been sharing my secrets? I wanted to show you what happens.” She knew he was just feigning hurt feelings, but played along anyway.