Page 85 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“By the traditions of the Draconis Court of D’Vaire, you are now mates. You have honored all of us by allowing us to bear witness to your joining,” Aleksander said.
Zane slid off his cloak and helped Tiri do the same. They went right into Saura’s waiting arms. Once the pair were standing in their matching sleeveless shirts, Costas and Dra’Kaedan cut fresh wounds into their palms. Knowing how uncomfortable it was making Tiri to have his skin exposed, Zane wasted no time in pressing their hands together. “Sprite Grove to Draconis. Duke to Duke-mate. Our blood has spilled, and our spirits have bonded. We ask Fate to grant us a mark from left shoulder to elbow so the world may bear witness we belong only to each other.”
A horrible burn worked its way over one of Zane’s biceps, but he was unperturbed. Fate gave him a gorgeous rendition of Tiri, complete with his coronet. He had a few precious seconds to appreciate his dragon on Tiri’s arm; then he grabbed the cloak from Saura. Once Tiri was piled back in it, he tugged him close and dropped a kiss on his sweet lips.
“Congratulations, Court D’Vaire is privileged to have been a part of your special day,” Aleksander said.
Tempted to tell him there was nowhere else on earth he could imagine hosting it, Zane pulled Tiri tighter to his body and smiled. Those words he had to hold in so he wouldn’t alienate or insult Chrysander and Ellery, who were having theirs at some hotel in downtown Vegas where the press would be in full force. “We’re flattered you let us inside that big bubble that protects you guys,” Zane teased.
“This was so nice. It makes me mad that sprites don’t have any of these wonderful traditions,” Tiri muttered from against his chest. “Thank you, Aleksander.”
“No need to thank me. I wish you both boundless joy in the future.”
“We all do,” Dra’Kaedan assured him. Then his grin turned mischievous as it so often did. “Now, who’s hungry?”
“Oh, you mean besides you?” Zane retorted.
“I’ve yet to see a dragon turn down a steak. Let’s go help chop some carrots for these elves and sprite so we can have some freaking awesome cake,” Dra’Kaedan replied. His brow furrowed. “Freaking’s not a bad word, is it?”
Tiri’s bright laughter filled Zane’s ears. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Wonderful,” Dra’Kaedan exclaimed. “Now, are we going to eat or what?”
Zane shook his head at the ravenous sorcerer and pulled away from Tiri so he could grab his hand. He was more than willing to move the evening along. With the mating ceremony over, Zane wanted to fully wrap their souls together, and he was ecstatic that it would require the two of them to crawl between the sheets. His plan was to make Tiri’s first sexual experience as incredible as he could. He didn’t have to worry about whether he would enjoy it; with the beautiful sprite in his bed, there was no way he couldn’t.
