“He’s not that old, Faye Cleopatra.” Faye grinned, and Lorna’s love for her daughter spread throughout her body. “I love you, hen.”
“Love you, too, Mum.” Faye walked to the door. “I’ll let them know you’re coming!”
With that, Faye left Lorna alone. The thought of an empty cottage would’ve crushed Lorna a few months ago, but now she had Ross. The sooner she mated him, the sooner she would have someone by her side for the rest of her life.
Her dragon grunted. Why are we still standing here? Let’s go. The sooner we get your human celebrations out of the way, the sooner I can claim Ross tonight.
You just had him last night.
Aye, but I want more.
Pushing aside her beast’s lusty thoughts, Lorna exited the small room that hadn’t been damaged in the attack and walked down the hall. At the entrance to what had once been the great hall, she took a deep breath and entered the room.
Clan members filled the spaces between the former walls of the room. By the look of things, the entire clan had turned out for her mating ceremony.
However, after a cursory glance, Lorna met Ross’s gaze, and everyone else melted away at his wink. Even after all this time, one wink sent shivers down her spine.
Wanting to put a formal claim on him, Lorna picked up her pace. It was time to take Ross Anderson as her mate.
~~~
While Ross was grateful he and Lorna’s ceremony wasn’t being broadcasted, the front row of photographers from both media outlets and the Department of Dragon Affairs irritated him a wee bit more with each click and flash of the camera. At this rate, his vision would be full of spots, and he wouldn’t be able to appreciate Lorna’s beauty.
Then he finally saw her enter the room. The dark blue of the dress made her skin glow, but he barely noticed as he held her gaze. Every day he wondered how he was lucky enough to have Lorna MacKenzie at his side, let alone her love, too.
But for whatever reason, he did, and Ross was less than five minutes away from claiming Lorna as his mate for the rest of their lives.
At that thought, he realized he would gladly brave a hundred cameras and go permanently blind if it meant securing the DDA’s permission again to mate his woman.
Luckily, he already possessed the signed document in his sporran. His and Lorna’s mating was legal.
Lorna walked toward him, never taking her gaze from him. When she finally arrived at his side, he took her hands and squeezed. Not caring that every dragon-shifter in the room could hear him, he murmured, “You’re so lovely.”
“You clean up well yourself.”
There had been some debate, but ultimately, Ross had convinced Lorna to let him wear the human kilt with the Anderson tartan of blue, red, and yellow, paired with a black suit jacket and bowtie.
They probably would’ve gone on staring at each other for a while if Finn hadn’t cleared his throat from the front row. No doubt, he was worried about Arabella.
Sometimes, Ross wondered how female dragon-shifters kept from murdering their mates in their sleep.
Releasing Lorna’s hands, Ross picked up the silver arm cuff engraved with his name in the old language. “Lorna Stewart MacKenzie, before everyone here today, I claim you as my mate. I never thought I’d get a second chance in my lifetime, but you were the shining star in a sea of darkness. Through your sheer stubbornness, you kept me from dying. I fought cancer and won for you, love. Please tell me you’ll accept my mate claim.”
“Of course I will, despite your hyperbole.”
Grinning, Ross placed the cuff on Lorna’s upper arm. Seeing the silver glinting in the light and knowing it was his name on her arm satisfied a primal part of him.
Lorna picked up a silver ring engraved with her name in the old language. The clever dragonwoman had suggested incorporating both human and dragon-shifter traditions into the ceremony, to show the dragons were open to new ways of doing things, too.
If he could love her more, Ross would.
Lorna eased the ring on the fourth finger of his left hand. “I accept your claim, Ross Anderson. Everything about you makes my life more fulfilling. I never expected to laugh or love as hard as I once had. But then you showed up in my life, and my heart woke up. Not only do I shiver at your touch, but I also love how you care for others, including me. You will keep me on my toes for the rest of my life, and I look forward to the adventure. I love you, Ross, and claim you as mine in front of the entire clan.”
“Good, then come here.”
As the audience chuckled, Ross pulled Lorna flush against his body and kissed her. Each stroke of her tongue against his made him forget about everyone watching them. At that moment, all he could think about was the dragonwoman who had stolen his heart and given him a second chance at a happily ever after.
*~*~*