Page 96 of To Match A Dragon's Fire

Kieran had said that the binding ceremony was a public declaration of our mating bond. And the humans in attendance—minus my girls—weren’t technically human at all.

I left the mark on my neck exposed as I walked down the aisle.

From the whispers through the crowd, that’s what they’d really come to see. I knew instinctively that this was a symbol of hope they’d thought was lost. It was nice to be the one to bring it to them, even if I wasn’t quite sure what it meant.

After the ceremony and brunch, we were going to the caves, where Bemouth was preparing to host our guests as they checked out the new rune.

The old dragon was one of my favorites. I was excited to visit with him again.

But it was Kieran who drew my focus now.

He waited at the altar wearing a loose white shirt and black slacks, barefoot with a smile on his face. My mate was so handsome, he took my breath away.

An elderly woman in a long robe who had scales above her eyebrows and slitted pupils stood next to him. An ancient female dragon. Some sort of priestess I presumed.

I still couldn’t believe this was my life.

“Believe it.”Kieran smiled. Appreciation lit up his handsome face. I’d never felt more beautiful or more admired than I did under his gaze.

I didn’t have a big wedding the first time around and I didn’t remember much of it besides being a nervous mess.

This time I was full of confidence as I met my dragon mate under the gazebo, sure that I’d found the right match.

A gentle morning breeze ruffled the petals and the earth felt steady beneath my bare feet as I placed my hand within Kieran’s hand.

“Is everything okay?”

“It is now.”He raised my knuckles to his lips and pressed a soft kiss as the priestess began to chant.“Malachy couldn’t make it. And Lucan is running late.”

“I’m sorry.”I squeezed his hand gently before turning toward the priestess. She pulled out a long, red ribbon and raised it to the sky.

Kieran had told me a lot about his cousins, and I knew he was looking forward to repairing their relationship.

“Don’t apologize.”Kieran brushed his thumb over mine as the priestess started another chant, wrapping the ribbon around our wrists to symbolize our bond.“This moment is about us.”

I nodded, wondering for a brief moment if maybe I should’ve gotten the English version of this ceremony. It felt a lot like signing the bottom of a Terms of Service contract without reading the fine print.

But as long as I got my dragon out of it, I could deal with whatever else came our way.

∞

“And there he is.” Kieran sighed as he popped the cork.

A black and purple dragon, bigger than Kieran’s beastly form, roared overhead as he circled the compound.

“Always a show-off,” Kieran muttered as he poured the champagne.

“Isn’t that the dragon who came here before?” Riley frowned.

“It is. I remember how scary he looked,” Harper piped up from behind her plate of sweet treats. Agatha had outdone herself for our little brunch celebration.

“Harper,” Willow scolded. “Be polite.”

“It’s not her fault,” Kieran chuckled. “Lucan is a little rough around the edges.”

“He’s battle-hardened,” Fredrick said as he took the bottle of champagne and finished pouring the glasses. “Life has made him scarred, not soft.”

“Why isn’t he landing?” Riley asked, shading her eyes as she stepped away from the veranda to get a better view.

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