25. Chloe

TWENTY-FIVE

Chloe could feel the mark that Adrian had left below her lower hip throbbing.

It had stung when he'd done it, his claws sharp like a sword or a carving knife. The cut wasn't deep, but she felt its meaning acutely.

It's finally over.

She heaved a sigh of relief, still adjusting to her new reality.

The scrape left a long pink line that would soon grow into a scar, sinking deep into her bones, along with the fact that she was now a member of the royal family.

The next step in the process of matehood was making it official in the eyes of the kingdom. That meant a wedding and, finally, a coronation that crowned her as the Dragon Queen.

She combed through the library of the castle since she'd moved in, studying the lineage and lore of the dragon shifter with an ardor akin to a graduate student writing her thesis.

She wanted to feel worthy of the people she would be ruling over. It was an extra burden of duty that came with falling in love with a king, but Chloe was more than willing to take that on.

So for the entire month, while the spectacle of a union and coronation were prepared, Chloe studied and spoke with Adrian. Soon, he'd be her husband and her king.

They spoke one night out on the terrace, the moon full once again. They were nude, the night having been full of lovemaking.

The wedding would be tomorrow alongside the coronation. It was tradition to have them done the same day, which Chloe wasn't nuts about.

"There are many customs. Most of them have to do with what you are wearing," Adrian briefed her. She tried to pay full attention, but she could feel the information overloading her, even after hearing it multiple times.

"You will be given the traditional garb of the dragons, a shimmering bodice, and a flared soft green skirt with golden trimming. Then the ritual of the ceremony will take place in the hall. And the crowning later, once dusk settles."

She snuggled into her man. "Thank you for obliging me," she said, kissing along the ridges of his pecs. "I hope I can be the queen you need me to be."

He kissed the top of her head, then drifted his fingers down her long cascade of hair. His voice was peaceful under the moonlight.

"I have no doubt about it, my love."

On the morning of the wedding, the castle was flooded with guests from all around the world.

Humans, those that Chloe knew at least, were also cordially invited to the lavish event.

The dress that Adrian had described was delivered in extravagant wrapping, the material supposedly made from the finest silk and forged from the original scales of a primordial dragon. The design was elegant and intricately woven.

Chloe felt more and more like a queen as the corset was tightening, her voluptuous body enhanced by the oddly soft shapewear.

Her hair was left to flow down her back, its glossy satin finish shimmering under the morning sun as she floated down the steps to the hall where the union was to take place.

She could hear the muttering and din of the guests. Everything was so surreal that she couldn't tell if the chatter was positive or disapproving.

A cape, colored a sweet pale lilac, was draped over her. It belonged to one of Adrian's grandmothers.

It had brilliant gold gems weaved into the lacing that ran along the ends up to the propped-up collar.

Chloe stood at the threshold of the aisle, the coronation and ceremonial hall filled to the brim.

For a moment, she wondered if all of it had been some obscene, fantastical hallucination.

Then, the tall gothic doors parted.

What felt like a thousand eyes turned to acknowledge the king's bride.

Not one held any malice or disgust. Chloe was shocked and disarmed by their embrace of her humanness.

She walked down the aisle holding a scepter, the sanctioned dragon scepter that was carved centuries before for the queen to brandish at her will.

It symbolized, according to Adrian, the queen's will to contribute to matters of both battle and diplomacy. It represented the duality of her role as both a leader and a warrior.

The king stood at the end of the aisle in all of his royal, graceful glory.

A sense of charm and honor bled off him, filling the great hall with an ambiance of earnest competency as well as fortitude.

Chloe didn't think she could love him more, but at that moment, the orchestra of her heart sang the most precise and staggering melody she'd ever heard in her short life.

The man was flooding her with tangible enchantment.

The approval of the dragon kingdom had Chloe soaring, allowing her to get through the ceremony without a hitch.

She tried to think of it as a normal wedding rather than a prolific, marvelous turn of events. Dragon ideals had changed, just as Adrian had always believed they could. His people were willing to embrace her and put their faith in her and their bond.

That was a lot to carry on her human shoulders.

So she fixated on Adrian, dwelling on his handsomeness and gracious words, eventually leading them into the much more crucial event … the coronation.

The great hall was just that. It was great, meaning mammoth in its length and depths.

They moved down to the opposing end of the hall for the time that dusk fell, which was also a long-practiced convention with a folklore origin.

Apparently, the first dragon that was ever wed and had a queen crowned did so at nightfall, the glistening of scales touched by the final sliver of burning sunlight. The practice continued for centuries, built upon the belief that a dragon shifter's existence would forever thrive within the shadows.

Chloe would now be the first human queen to join the lineage.

She sat on a black throne, spikes like wilting roses curled at the edges, while Adrian sat next to her. They sat in the last cast of sunlight as it sunk below the horizon. Observers were silent, watching history being made right before their eyes.

The sun washed over Chloe's vision, and the crown emerged out of a velvet box.

One of Adrian's more trusted confidants stood before her, removing it carefully.

It winked in the dying light, crafted with fused antlers and opaque green jasper and jade stones engraved into the base of the slick black band.

It looked like something out of a fairy tale … a glance into the life that Chloe was intentionally entering.

"Chloe Hoffman, human, the great ancestors of Dracos, and the souls beyond, grant you the honor of crowning you Queen Chloe Dracos, the first of the flesh."

The crown was far heavier than it looked. It sank upon her head, but she sat up straight, holding her scepter by her side with a boldness she never knew she possessed.

She balanced it all with Adrian by her side. The spectators then slowly, in a miraculous wave, began to bow.

Chloe was once again in a state of shocked awe.

The dragon world had accepted her with uproarious favor. She felt her eyes begin to glass over when Adrian laid his hand on her knee.

He shouted over the ruckus as the day faded into the depths of night.

"I told you so."

Once the coronation had finished, there was a private reception, closed to the public. During it, Eldred, rumored to be one of the oldest dragons on the planet, kissed her hand with a bow and complimented her bravery.

"It takes a lot for dragons to change. You and Adrian have brought that upon our world, and we couldn't be more thankful for it."

Chloe was beaming for the rest of the royal congratulations. But she was also tired and wanted to celebrate on her own terms with her new dragon husband.

"One last thing," Adrian whispered into her ear, sensing her urgency.

They waved from the top of the castle at the people they were going to be ruling over as one.

Chloe was astounded by how many dragon shifters there were. They spanned over a hundred yards and beyond.

Street lamps flickered while their people buzzed like fireflies, floating quietly into the night.

When they were finished, Adrian wasted no time.

He swept his queen off her feet and carried her to their private chambers.

"Oh, My Queen," he growled, laying her on the bed, fresh wind blowing in from the terrace. "I have been thinking about making love to you all day. I cannot believe you are mine."

Still wearing the crown, Chloe, with a newfound sense of brazenness, pulled Adrian on top of her. She parted her legs and began to hike up the skirt of the dress, eager and ready for her king.

"Oh, My King," she crooned back. "And you are mine. Mine always and forever."

"Always and forever." His head lowered between her legs.

They made love for the first time as King and Queen. Their passion would know no bounds, leading their kingdom with their hearts always beating as one.