Page 36 of Lachlan

She really is our true mate and beloved queen, Lachlan’s dragon announced with pride.

Much as it warmed Lachlan’s heart to hear those words, he needed Belle to know how much she would be giving up of her past and how fully her future would belong to the two of them. “As my mate, your long lifespan would mean you will have to leave behind any and all family and friends?—”

“I’ve already thought about that,” she assured. “There isn’t anyone I would regret leaving behind. I would like to finish my degree in mythology,” she added with a frown. “But I could do that remotely, if necessary.” She grinned at him. “I wouldn’tneed to travel for research anymore either, because I’ll be living with real dragons.”

“You understand my brothers will always be an integral part of our lives?”

“I can hardly be a queen without any subjects.” Belle burst out laughing as Lachlan winced.

She appeared more lighthearted than he’d ever seen her, and her bubbling happiness was wondrous to behold.

“I really do understand, Lachlan.” She placed a reassuring hand on his arm, her gaze fiercely intent. “I sincerely believe I was meant for this, born for you.”

“You were.” Lachlan fully believed that too.

“Perhaps, now that you’ve found your true mate, Hunter and Ranulf might do the same?”

It was Lachlan’s dearest wish that they would.

In the meantime… “When would you like to mate with me?” His voice shook slightly at the enormity of the changes—most certainly for the better!—having Belle as his mate would bring to his life.

The most important one being that their mating would result in a bond between them that was so strong, neither of them would feel unloved or know a moment of loneliness ever again.

“I would love for that to happen right now, but I realize it isn’t possible.” Belle grimaced. “I need to be ‘rescued’ before I can disappear again without the McGregors asking questions. I should stay long enough to attend Ben’s funeral too, before seeming to leave. Otherwise, they’ll think it odd I didn’t stay andpay my respects to the young man who supposedly died trying to rescue me,” she added with a frown. “I’ll also need to officially give up my room in the house in London. I’m sure the others will understand, perhaps even be relieved, at my doing so.”

“They might stay on to attend Ben’s funeral too, so that you could tell them, then. Would you like me to accompany you to the funeral?” Lachlan offered.

“I would love it if you could, but won’t the villagers think it odd if I turn up to the funeral with one of the Drake brothers?”

Of course they would.

Lachlan and his brothers might keep their interaction with the villagers to a minimum, for the obvious reason it made it easier for them to disappear for decades before returning, but there was only one way to explain his presence at Belle’s side.

“Not if I’m the one to rescue you,” he decided. “That way, I can also say you’re staying at Drake House until you’re fully recovered from your ordeal. Then we can spend as much time together getting to know each other as we want.”

Lachlan seriously doubted that either he or his dragon would have been able to let Belle out of their sight until their mating had been completed anyway.

His heart soared in the knowledge that, in a very short time, Belle would become both his mate and his queen.

Although he had a feeling the time would pass exceedingly slowly for him until that became possible.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next week turned out to move as slowly as Lachlan had predicted it would.

Ben’s body was found, with no one any the wiser as to his having been murdered by being thrown out of a helicopter.

Lachlan “rescued” Belle and informed the grieving McGregors that she would be staying at Drake House with them until she had attended Ben’s funeral. He made no mention of what would happen to her after that, and they didn’t ask, too consumed with grief for the death of their son.

Hunter had successfully recovered the hard drive from Ben’s laptop, only to find that some of the contents had been irretrievably corrupted. This was making it more difficult to find the information that would give them the identity of the treasure hunters.

It had been that endeavor that caused Belle to put forward the idea they should turn the tables on the treasure hunters who had killed Ben.

She suggested that, instead of eliminating all evidence of their own existence as they would normally have done in these circumstances, the Drake brothers should instead consider becoming the hunters rather than the hunted.

No decision on that idea had or would be made, unless or until Hunter managed to salvage the information they would need to go forward.

In the meantime, Lachlan and Belle spent every waking moment together, getting to know each other.

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