“Inanna was the first and only white witch who had power of all the elements and the First Dragon's mate. She bequeathed a ring to the mate of every Wyvern as a test. A true mate could not only find the ring but was also gifted with power.”
“And what happens if one is not a true mate?”
Jakob didn't know. His father had no mate, and his grandparents were gone long before then. He looked around to Cage and Ky, but they both shrugged. None of the three of them had even met their grandparents, much less been to a Wyvern mating ceremony. Which was why Jakob had never even sought to give Ciara the ring in the first place.
Match glared at Ciara. “The last ring in existence was my grandmother's. She fought a wicked battle against another witch who claimed to be my grandfather's true mate. When the other woman took the ring my grandmother found and put it on, the elements tore her apart.”
Jakob waited for the knot of fear that statement had to form in his throat. But it didn't. Ciara would be fine, more than fine. She would rock the hell out of this challenge and put Match in his place once and for all.
But did she know that? Did she actually believe they were mates?
He would have to reassure her as they prepared for the ceremony.
Or maybe not. The wind whipped through her hair and that enticing fire lit up her eyes. She held out her hand, palm up, and motioned Match closer.
Match narrowed his eyes at her but deigned to lean down, eye to eye with her.
“Bring it on.” Ciara turned on her heel and marched back into the house. The rest of them followed her while Match stayed outside smoking.
“Time to show us to your lair, you secretive bastard.” Cage looked around the room as if he could spot the entrance.
Fuck. He was going to have to take them down there. But after losing the relic and the attack by the horde of demon dragons, he was going to have to move his treasure anyway.
“Not yet. This is not something to just pull out of our asses. Why don't you two go find out from the big red Dick in the garden how this ritual goes?”
“What are you two going to do?” Cage’s tone implied exactly what he thought they were going to do.
“I’m going to help Ciara get ready.”
“Yeah, I just bet you are.” Ky winked at Ciara and waggled his eyebrows.
Jakob punched him in the arm and dragged Ciara away from the chance of any more innuendos from those two. He pulled her up the stairs and back to his room to do exactly what they had both implied.
He shut and locked the door behind them and watched as Ciara took in the veritable jungle of his bedroom. “I guess you like to have a lot of plants around, huh?”
He made the space as much like the outdoors as he possibly could. One side of the room was completely coveredwith a living wall. Moss and other small plants grew from floor to ceiling. He had a large king size bed, but spent most of his evenings sleeping in front of the fireplace on the mat of grass in a dragon-sized planter box.
He imagined taking her over and over in that grass, but today she would probably be more comfortable in a bed.
“What are we doing up here?”
“This.” He picked her up in his arms and in three strides was across the room and dropping her into the bed. He didn't give her a chance to ask any more questions. He'd waited far too long and had three too many interruptions before getting her under him again. He crawled over her, caging her beneath his body and slid his tongue across her lips until she opened for him and returned the kiss.
Ciara reached down and grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and yanked it over his head. “I don't think this is what we are supposed to be doing.”
“All of those supposed to's can go fuck themselves. I've been waiting to do this since we got back to the house.” Match and the stick up his ass could wait a few more hours.
“I like how you think, dragon.” She wrapped her thighs around his hips.
He loved how she was just as anxious to be with him as he was her.
“I want you to know that I don't need this test that Match has set up to prove you are my true mate.” He brushed the hair away from her eyes and settled his hips against hers.
She wiggled under him almost making him forget what he'd wanted to say.
“You're not worried that I won't pass?” She bit her lip and he hated to see the bravado she'd displayed earlier fade from her eyes.
He captured that same lip between his teeth and sucked it into his mouth. He tasted and teased her tongue with his. He needed her and not just her body.