Epilogue

Months passed. Although Nora had said yes to Alistair's proposal, they didn't marry right away.

She was impatient to bind herself to the dragon, to claim him as her own, just as he had claimed her, but it was Alistair who delayed.

Oh, he wanted to marry her. He'd assured her of that not just with words but with actions, every night—as well as most mornings and a fair number of afternoons. But he wanted the wedding to be perfect.

"Perfect" to a dragon meant a gown custom-made by the finest tailors in the kingdom, inlaid with precious gemstones, so it glittered like a rainbow. It also weighed almost as much Morthil.

But when the gown was done, and the weather was lovely, Alistair told her it was finally time.

Dragons had no priests; there were no guests except Morthil, who wore a rainbow of sapphires on his collar. He took his shelter under the shade of a tree to avoid the worst of the sun. Concerned, Nora had found an unusual dark bolt of fabric in Alistair's hoard—their hoard, as he insisted it be called—and used it to fashion a veil that blocked any lingering rays.

They'd tried to leave him behind the first time, but Morthil was having none of it. The swallump had bulked up since she had come to live in the cave, likely from the nutritious knights it had swallowed whole. There had, thankfully, been only a limited amount of burping resulting from the large meal.

The wedding did not take place in the cave. Rather, Alistair spirited her off to a hidden valley with a large lake at the center. The sun was high in the sky, making Nora's gown sparkle and reflect on the water as he set her down.

Alistair had explained the ceremony to her several times. A simple exchange of vows, and he would tie his life to hers, sharing his eternal flame.

They would both live a very, very long time.

And as she would now share his flame, she would be the only creature in the world that could render the obsidian dragon vulnerable—as Bess had said, when she wed the beast, she would gain that power over him.

"It's not too late to back out," Alistair whispered in her ear.

He was dressed in finery to match her own. A black silk suit, golden hardware at his buttons and cuffs, a cape draped over his shoulder pinned in place with an enormous diamond.

She gave him a sidelong glance, pretending to fill her gaze with censure when she really just wanted to drink in his appearance. She liked him plenty in tight leather pants and nothing else, but Alistair in formal wear was an experience.

"Getting cold feet?" she teased.

"There's not a single part of me that doesn't burn for you, precious one."

His words were playful, but his expression wasn't. He looked at her like she was the most valuable thing in the universe, and he would burn the world to cinders if it pleased her.

He led her to a spot in the clearing and stood across from her, gently lifting her palms atop his own.

"Do you, Lenora Tashe, take me as your twin flame, your eternal partner, the one you shall trust to guard your life above all others?"

"I do. Alistair Obsidian-Claw, do you take me as your twin flame, your eternal partner, the one you shall trust to love your heart above all others?"

He had barely said I do before his lips devoured hers.

And they celebrated then and there. Her dragon made quick work of the gown that had taken months to make, jewels soon flying into the lake with a plink, plink, plink.

But her dragon didn't care. Because his most valuable treasure was in his arms.

Want to see Alistair"s heat-filled POV of their wedding night? I"ve got you covered.

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