Page 28 of The Last Bachelor Dragon

“You’re the last one of us,” Juliet said. “We wanted it to be perfect.”

“And the first thing we’re going to do is take a swim to wash off all this trail dirt,” Wren said, pulling her shirt over her head. “Last one in is a rotten egg.”

Nora was self-conscious at first, but it didn’t take long forher comfort level to grow and she joined in the fun, splashing and swimming with the other women until they all crawled out of the water. After drying themselves in the sun, Stella announced that it was time for them to start getting ready and they made their way over to the white tent one by one. Inside, she found everything they would all need to get ready, including a rainbow of dresses hung on a rack in the back of the tent and her wedding dress right in the middle.

A second later, Kennedy rushed through the flap in the tent, slightly out of breath. “I got here as fast as I could,” she said. “What did I miss?”

“Clearly a shower,” Wren said, wrinkling her nose and handing over the basket of toiletries. “Go have a swim and get cleaned up. You haven’t missed anything important.”

“What happened with Adaloni?” Juliet asked. “Did the bugs work?”

“Like a charm. We can hear everything that goes on,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got three days to get ready for them.”

“That’s plenty of time to get everything into place and still have the wedding,” she said, relieved. “We’ll be ready for them when they show up.”

“Adaloni won’t know what hit him,” Kira said. “I just wish I was going to be there to see it.”

The women grumbled for a while about how unfair it was that they had to get left behind, and she was relieved to know that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “But it’s worth it,” Eden finally said, rubbing her little baby bump. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to this little one.”

“All right ladies, that’s enough serious talk,” Kennedy said. “I’m going to go have that swim. We have a wedding to get ready for. This is supposed to be a happy occasion.”

For the next few hours, there was a whirlwind of female activity, but they finally all managed to get ready, and Nora found herself standing in front of the mirror, the seven otherwomen standing behind her. The dress Maria had designed was perfect for her; the soft peach color brought out the blue of her eyes while giving her skin a warm glow, and the cut flattered her generous curves without revealing too much. With her hair done up in a complicated arrangement, she almost didn’t recognize herself, and all she could do was stare.

“Max is going to pass out when he sees you,” Stella said, smiling at her in the mirror. “You look absolutely gorgeous. Marie is a genius.”

“Did I hear my name?” Marie asked, striding through the flap in the tent. “Ah…I knew that dress was perfect for you, Nora, you look amazing.”

“Thank you,” she said, turning from the mirror, a tearful smile on her face. “You’ve all been so wonderful, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

“Everyone is here,” Marie said, walking over and giving her a hug. “Are you ready to marry the man of your dreams?”

CHAPTER 18

***MAX***

The sun had begun to set, the torches and candles had been lit, setting the perfect scene. All that was missing was his bride, Max thought, as he shifted nervously from foot to foot. “Relax, it will be over before you know it,” Cameron said. “Just take deep breaths.”

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment forever,” he said, smiling at his friend. “If you’d told me a year ago I’d be standing here waiting for the woman of my dreams to marry me, I would have called you crazy.”

“Things do have a way of changing,” Cameron said, slapping him on the back. “I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened, not a bit of it.”

He opened his mouth to agree, but his words died on a sigh when he saw Nora step out of the tent, and any other thought fled his mind as his body responded to the sight of his soul mate. The dragon inside him came to life, sending a wave of magic surging through him, followed by a wave of desire that made his entire body begin to tingle. Warmth soon followed, and he let out another sigh, suddenly anxious to have Nora in his arms.

When she stepped up to him, her cheeks pink with excitement, it was all he could do not to kiss her right then, but he took her hand instead and turned to face Theo. “I’m honored on this special occasion that Max and Nora asked me to perform the marriage ceremony,” he said. “I guess it’s fitting that as the first one of us to get married, I should be the one to marry the last one of us to discover happiness in the arms of a strong woman.”

He paused, letting a ripple of laughter spread through the group, then continued. “It’s also fitting that we’re here. This waterfall has been special to all of us in one way or another,” he said, smiling at the knowing looks that passed between the couples. “Max called it the heart of the island, and I think he’s right. I’d like you all to join me in celebrating the union of Max and Nora here in this special place.”

When the moment came for him to pledge himself to Nora, he said the words, tears stinging his eyes, but refused to look away from her, not embarrassed by the emotions surging through him. She repeated the words, slightly breathless, tears running down her cheeks, her eyes locked on his, making the dragon inside him rejoice.

“Now with all that mushy stuff out of the way,” Theo said, ginning at them both. “I pronounce you man and wife. Max, you may kiss your bride.”

As he pulled her into his arms, the sun dipped below the horizon, but as he captured Nora’s mouth, a bright light appeared above their heads, and as he kissed her, it grew brighter and then exploded into millions of tiny pin-pricks of light that slowly fell over the group. A feeling of well-being fell over the clearing and everyone sighed, but Max and Nora didn’t notice, they were too lost in each other and the power of the bond pulsing between them.

When they finally came up for air, faces flushed, chest heaving, everyone laughed, then rushed over to them, callingout congratulations. Nora was breathless when they all finally gave them a moment alone. “Well, we did it,” she said, smiling up at him. “We’re an old married couple now.”

He laughed. “I don’t know about old, but I like the married part,” he said, then gave her a kiss. “And I’m looking forward to what comes next.”

“You mean dinner with our friends,” she said, laughing at the disappointment on his face. “You’re just going to have to be patient.”

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