Chapter Forty

“I admit that I didn't expect you to call in my debt so quickly,” King Vaxarion said later that evening at the royal dining table.

The celebration feast was in full swing around us, people dancing and feasting. There were so many attendants that buffet tables had been put up in the castle gardens and drink tables in the hallways. Not only was my dread there—my loyal dread full of new, working nobles—but I had also invited the soldiers who had fought beside us. They deserved to celebrate this win with us. They deserved that and more. I intended to reward every one of them with a monetary bonus for staying when they'd been given the option to leave. Gratitude and food were nice, but money showed appreciation like nothing else.

Word had been sent to the evacuees and they would return to their homes soon. But for the time being, the city was mostly empty. The streets were lit, but most of the homes were dark. And the only occupants were at the royal castle. It was strange but also wonderful. The city gates were shut and locked so everyone could enjoy the feast, but the walls had been left unguarded. The war was over. Only a fool would attack Renris now, when it was full of two types of Dragons and soldiers.

“Oh, you think this makes us even?” I teased the Sea King. “This was just your duty as my ally.”

Vaxarion blinked.

I chuckled. “But you've proven to be such a great ally that I'll dismiss the debt in the hopes that we can be friends as well.”

The Sea King snorted. “Mating has lightened your heart.”

“Yes.” I nodded and took my mate's hand. “That and getting rid of all the fucking traitors.”

The whole table laughed at that, including my parents, Ellas, and Duke Zixin. I heard that after we left, King Vaxarion had deposited his mate on the city wall and bid him to remain there while he hunted the fleeing traitors. And Zixin had obeyed! If only Aras would obey me like that.

I looked at my mate and reconsidered. If Aras obeyed me like that I'd be deeply unhappy, unsatisfied, and unalive—all terrible “un” things. I lifted his hand and kissed the furred back. “You saved my life today. Twice.”

“I thought that was me,” King Vaxarion said.

“Shh,” Duke Zixin hushed him. “This is romantic. Pay attention.”

My lips twitched at their banter, but my focus was on Aras. He smirked at me, the expression perfect on his primal face. Because it wasn't sardonic. Beneath that smug grin was love. It shone so brightly from his eyes that I didn't need our bond to see it. All the way back to Renris, I had checked on him, gently searching him for any sign of pain. Aras had killed his father for me. I believed it was the right decision, but it had been a rapid one. I knew my mate might regret it later. Or at least mourn.

But Aras hadn't known Risarren. All they shared had been magic, blood, and a pair of haunting eyes. My mate felt no regret over the kill and no sorrow for the loss of his father. I hoped that would continue, but if it didn't, I'd be there to help him through it.

“It's good that you can admit that,” Aras said. “Now you can apologize for trying to send me away.”

“Not happening,” I said. “I was merely trying to do my duty as your mate.”

Aras smirked wider. “But now, I'm stronger than you, Ly. So, I'll be the one looking after you.”

I softened my stare to say, “I think I can live with that.”

“You'd better,” he huffed. “I didn't save your life twice just for you to die of embarrassment because your mate is a powerful sorcerer.”

I burst out laughing. “As if I could ever be embarrassed by you.” I leaned over and kissed him before adding, “Now I can relax.”

“I'm only looking after you, not your kingdom. And you have a lot to do, Your Majesty.”

“I do?”

“You have to restructure your dread and help them find a new way of life.” He waved a hand out toward the Dragons who danced in the space between tables, several with non-Dragon partners.

I followed his gesture to look at the hall. The new nobles of the Gavemor Dread were not racist like those they'd replaced. Even if they had seen Dragons as better than others, after today's battle, their opinions would have changed. I did not doubt that. It was impossible to view the other races as less than after watching them take on more powerful foes with unwavering courage and determination. Even when it looked as if we would fail, those soldiers kept fighting.

“You have to build a new future, Ly,” Aras went on. “Not just in the enclaves but in your entire kingdom. You have a chance to change things for the better. A clean page to write a new story upon.”

Warmth rushed through me as I looked back at my mate. “You're saying that I shouldn't just rule, I should also make a difference?”

“Are you teasing me?”

I snorted a laugh. “Only a little. You know I've been wishing for this for a long time. The weight of elitism and racism made me bitter, but now that's gone. Of course, I'm going to help the enclaves restructure themselves. That is my duty as their king. And after the loyalty my kingdom has shown me, I must do right by it as well. You're speaking from my heart.”

Ellas, sitting down beside Duke Zixin, stood up and shouted, “Gavemor Dread!”

The music softened into silence and all action subsided as everyone gave their attention to my friend.

“My fellow nobles!” Ellas lifted his glass.

The Dragons cheered. They'd won a type of freedom for themselves. Their new status reflected that above all else. Oh, I'd be rewarding Dragons with the many estates that were now lacking owners, but they would still be needed to perform the jobs they had before. It would be strange, this working nobility, but I hoped it would influence other dreads. First, we'd have to prove that it could work.

“Our King has done a lot of things differently lately,” Ellas went on. “He has broken many traditions, including the one about presenting his mate.”

I went still.

“Ly?” Aras whispered.

“It's fine. It's Ellas,” I whispered back. But I was still nervous to hear what was said next.

“I support his decision one hundred percent,” Ellas went on. “I don't think our kings should have to seek approval from us to take a mate, not even if that mate is from another race.”

The Dragons cheered and several of the other races joined them.

“There's just one problem with that,” Ellas said. “We haven't been able to welcome our king's mate properly. And after getting to know this man, after seeing his bravery and loyalty to our king and our dread, I feel the need to rectify that. With our King's essence in his soul, he is now part Dragon. And he needs to know that we see that. So, Dragons of the Gavemor Dread, join me in welcoming our new duke to the dread.” Then Ellas raised his glass to Aras and said, “Welcome to the Gavemor Dread, King's Mate!”

The Dragons in the room repeated the words, then all of them, including myself, jumped to their feet and roared.

There were tears in Aras's eyes when the roaring died down. I drew him to his feet, then faced our dread with him. “All of you, and I mean every soldier who fought today, not just the Dragons, have humbled me with your bravery and steadfastness even in the face of death. We had help today from our new allies—the magic-users Jeven, Geralne Habri, Fregamo, and Saval.” I motioned at the magic-users, hoping no one noticed that Risarren wasn't named.

No one seemed to. They just cheered while those closest slapped the magic-users on their backs.

“And the Sea Dragons of Morilren!” I shouted before I inclined my head to King Vaxarion. More cheering came, and then I said, “But that will be the last time we require aid. We are never going to divide ourselves again. And because we now stand united, the Gavemor Dread will grow to become one of the greatest dreads on Serai!”

The response was deafening. Even the non-Dragons cheered this because the strength of our dread was directly proportionate to the strength of the kingdom.

When the roar died down, I said, “Internal fighting weakened us. I tore us apart. But it also gave us a chance to start anew. Now we can make this dread into exactly what we want it to be—a dread that supports its Dragons and views all as equal. And I want that equality to spread to the rest of our kingdom. You saw the bravery of the men and women from other races who fought beside us today. They fought for what we did—the chance to live in a better place. We can build that place together. If we live in harmony with each other and respect each other, we can make Gavemor the greatest kingdom on the planet. I want this day to be remembered in our history as the day when we became the kingdom that other kingdoms aspire to be. A place of safety, peace, and unity among all races!”

The castle stones vibrated and my ears rang with the strength of the applause. People stomped their feet in addition to clapping and cheering. And it went on for several minutes. During that cacophony, I pulled my mate into my arms and kissed him. It felt right. The perfect conclusion to the evening. Well, the perfect public conclusion.

As the cheering died down, I drew away from Aras and asked, “Shall we retire for the night, Mate?”

“Finally,” Aras grumbled.

I laughed as I turned to face the hall with him. “Now I'm going to celebrate our victory privately with my mate. I urge you all to do the same. And if you don't have mates, tonight is the perfect time to look for one.”

People chuckled and raised their glasses to that.

“Happy hunting,” I said. “And goodnight, my friends.”

I bid my parents, my best friend, and my royal guests goodnight before leaving the dais with my mate. We moved slowly through the hall, stopping to speak with people as two of my King's Guard escorted us—one a Dragon and one an Argaiv. I would continue to keep my Guard mixed to show my respect for all the races of Serai. And even though my entire dread was now noble, I would do away with the law that only Dragons from noble families could serve the King. There were a lot of laws I was going to change.

Tomorrow.

Tonight, I would focus on my mate. We had waited too long for this. Our mating had been stolen from us by the Eye. All right, not stolen exactly, but muted. Tainted. We didn't get to fully appreciate it. And every sexual interlude that followed had been likewise tainted, either by the Eye, my fears, lies, secrets, or the looming war. This would be our first time together when we could truly relax and just enjoy the pleasure. No lies or secrets. No fear of exposure or death. Just Aras and me. And our love.

I was so excited to be with my mate that by the time the doors of the royal apartments closed behind us, I was shaking. Immediately, I swung Aras up and around in a circle, bringing him down into a kiss. He smiled as he kissed me, and our joy bubbled up until the kiss became laughter.

“I love you, Ly,” Aras said as I set him on his feet.

“I love you, Aras. My mate. I will love you forever.”

“And now we know that we have forever.”

“Nothing is certain but our bond, our love, and our will to fight for them.” I stroked the fur on his cheek. “But, Gods willing, we will not have to fight again.”

“You've done something no other Dragon King has, Ly. You formed a united army with another Dragon kingdom—a sea kingdom, no less. Even with your dread diminished—”

I interrupted him to say, “Our dread.”

Aras grinned brightly. “Even with our dread diminished, we will be seen as one of the most powerful kingdoms on the planet. No one will dare to threaten us or Morilren.”

“Not that it's common for Dragon kingdoms to go to war, but I agree with you. They may, however, seek to form their own alliances.”

“Is that so bad?”

“No. Maybe this battle will change more than Gavemor.”

“I'm sure it will, Ly. You have cast a stone into the lake of history and ripples are rolling into the future.”

“I hope so, Mate. But tonight I want to focus on the present. On you.” I took his hand and led him into the bedroom.

The balcony doors were open, emitting the night breeze, but I didn't close them. I liked the crisp air and the view of the sky. Somewhere in that vastness, a goddess smiled. I could feel her approval and pleasure. Our win was hers as well, and our love was proof of her wisdom. Or maybe the strength of her magic. Whatever had chosen us for each other, it was brilliant.

There was no rush tonight. We slowly undressed, then let our hands wander as they would—learning each other as we'd never had the chance to, with love infusing every touch. We eventually got tired of standing and got in bed, but only to resume our explorations more hedonistically.

“This is how our mating should have gone,” I said, smoothing my hand over the line of Aras's hip.

Aras's eyes twinkled when he countered, “But would it have? I mean, even if you'd told me, would you have been able to be so calm with me?”

“No, I suppose not. Not the first time, at least. But afterward, I would have done this.”

“You did, Ly. Don't you remember?”

I frowned and thought back. “Those days are poisoned with the Eye's presence for me. Anger and frustration also filled me. I wanted so badly to tell you. To announce it to everyone. My dragon tore me apart inside.”

“I can't fathom the kind of strength that took.”

I shook my head. “I don't see it as strength. I see it as foolishness.”

“You were tricked, but you did what you thought was best for your kingdom. Even when it hurt you.”

“But I hurt you too.”

Aras cupped my cheek to say, “You confused me. You angered me. Infuriated me, actually.” He widened his eyes, then chuckled. “And you tied me up in lust so tightly that even without the bond, I wouldn't have glanced at another man in desire.” He grimaced, then added, “You, however, were glancing all over the place.”

“Only to make you jealous. I was desperate to keep you with me, and I thought it made you want me more.” I sighed. “There were so many obstacles between us.”

“And we surmounted them all,” Aras declared triumphantly as he sat up. “Now, I want to surmount you.”

“I believe you need to drop the 'sur' to have that make sense,” I teased.

“Oh, I will drop you,” he said as he got between my thighs. Then, with a move that made me gasp, he lifted me upright and poised me over his shaft. “I'll drop you right on my dick.”

I floundered to get my knees on the bed as I laughed. “Whoa, that was a little fast. I was hoping to go slower tonight. Just take our time.”

“I have failed my mate!” Aras wailed and tossed me onto my back again. “How could I not sense your desires?”

I laughed until he grabbed the back of my thighs and shoved them up, angling my pelvis off the bed. That cut my laughter short, and when Aras set his mouth to me, I gasped again, the sound quickly shifting into a moan. His textured tongue teased me before rolling into a spear and entering. I cried out and grabbed my legs to pull them further back.

Aras moaned against me, his hands sliding down the back of my thighs to come together at my center. One leathery palm worked my cock as the other massaged my sacs, sending me to a level of pleasure I hadn't realized was attainable. It wasn't just his skill, but also the joy in my soul. The relief of a clear conscious. The departure of fear. I felt lighter and in that lightness, I could feel more. More pleasure, more desire, and more love. Everything was sharper, clearer, and brighter.

“Oh, fuck!” I cried out and came like a teenage boy all over myself.

My mate chuckled as he lifted his head. Watching me spasm, he continued to pump my shaft until he had milked every drop from me. Then, as soon as my shudders began to subside, he reached between us and guided himself into me.

We both cried out with the bliss of it. The mind-spinning pleasure of becoming one. And it was so much more than mere sex. Our souls slammed together, the mating bond merging us so completely that, for a few wild moments, I couldn't determine where I ended and Aras began. We were truly one. Minds, hearts, and souls combined.

And then Aras began to thrust.

With the first slick slides of his flesh, my body reminded me that we may be bound in magic, but we were still two separate men. And the coming together of our bodies was another type of magic. I let go of my legs, propping them on Aras's arms so I could grab his broad, furred shoulders.

“Aras, my mate, you are magnificent,” I said.

“Only when I'm with you,” he said.

“Then you'd better not wander far.” I lifted my hips to meet him.

“I won't. I've hired a captain for the Tiger's Claw.”

“Already?”

“My first mate. He's the perfect choice. I settled things with him before I sent the ship to Latur.”

I cupped Aras's face and pulled him down into a kiss. As our tongues twined and bodies pumped, I poured my love into my mate. Aras was giving up the sea for me—the only home he had known. But I would make him a new home on land, where he could have stability, love, and the family he'd always wanted. I would make sure Aras never regretted his sacrifice.

Easing back, I said, “You won't have to give it up completely. I have several ships. We can take one out for the day whenever you want.” Then I gasped as he went deeper. “But let's discuss it later. Right now, I need you to fuck me faster, Mate.”

Aras grinned, showcasing his fangs, and quickened his thrusts until he was slamming into me, his fur softening the sound of our joining. My body shook. My whole world trembled. And I knew it would always be so. My mate had turned my life upside down from the very beginning. I was a new man because of him. A happy man. I needed to make him happy too.

Summoning my claws, I dug them into Aras's shoulders and growled, “Harder, Mate! Fuck me harder!”

Aras howled in ecstasy and slammed into me hard enough to bash my head into the bed frame. I grinned even as I put a hand against the wood to brace myself and protect my skull. This was what I needed. This was what would keep us enthralled with each other forever. This unpredictable ride that went from tender to savage in a heartbeat. Kisses that turned into bites. Grasping that turned into clawing. We'd leave each other floundering in the best ways, even as we rose together to heights of passion and love that we had never known were possible.

“Lyrandir!” Aras shouted as he locked up against me.

His bliss shot through our bond and grabbed me by the sacs, wringing my climax out of me.

“Aras!” I added my shout to his.

And as we shuddered and held on to each other through our storm of rapture, we whispered words of love that made it even sweeter. I may be King, but Aras was my captain, and he would rule my heart forever.