Page 124 of The Dragon King's Assassin

Many of the Dragons gasped at this, surprising me yet again.

“Yes, I betrayed my mate and our Goddess, who sent him to me. For that, I will never forgive myself. But despite the way I treated Locrian, when he learned of Vettan's deception, he rushed back to my side. Vettan had drugged me, leaving me vulnerable and in a daze, unable to shift.”

Another gasp.

“This human fearlessly defended me against a Dragon when I could not defend myself, and although Vettan was stronger, Locrian proved wiser. His first strike was made with a poisoned dagger. He knew Vettan would die, but not how long it would take. So, Locrian fought on, protecting me until the poison set in, knowing it would likely mean his death. When the inevitable happened, and Vettan overpowered Locrian, the mating bond finally roused me, and I was able to join the fight. Together, we defeated the traitor.” Taroc looked around the gathering, meeting the stares of his dread. “I was shocked by the Goddess's choice of mate for me, as shocked as I assume all of you are, but now I see the wisdom in it. Now, I rejoice in it. Locrian is my match. Brave enough to fight for me but also to speak the harsh truths I need to hear. He helps me see this world and my kingdom from another perspective. My mate makes me a better king, and I know he will be just as good for our dread. Just as ferocious in his loyalty to you as he is to me.”

Then Taroc looked at me.

Oh, fuck, he wanted me to say something? What could I possibly say to convince a roomful of Dragons that I was a good match for their king? Maybe I shouldn't try to convince them. Maybe I should take Taroc's advice and be the man he fell in love with.

“Accept me or not,” I said, lifting my chin. “I love him, and no one on this planet is going to take him from me. Not even an entire dread of Dragons.”

Lips twitched, many even stretched into smiles, and one of those smiles was on the face of my king.

Yarena turned to face the dread. “Our king and his mate have spoken. Step forward and give them your decision.”

The Dragons glided into a line that flowed up the steps to us. The first man approached, his gaze unreadable. He inclined his head to Taroc, then moved to stand directly in front of me. Taroc had refused to give me any details, so I was prepared for anything. These were Dragons; they'd surely do something dragony, right? Acceptance might mean a ball of fire thrown in my face and denial could be—shit, that could be truly horrible.

I met the man's stare, bracing myself for the worst.

“Welcome to the Racul Dread, King's Mate,” he said and shook my hand.

I blinked. “Thank you.”

That was it?

The woman following him did the same, repeating those words exactly, and the Dragon after her as well, and so on. I didn't relax, no matter how many of them gave me their approval, called me King's Mate, and went back down the steps. Because the one thing Taroc had told me was that in the case of a non-Dragon mate, acceptance had to be unanimous. If even one Dragon disapproved of me, one of the thousands, we would be cast out of his dread. Taroc would have to give up the throne or me.

Fuck. How could he look so damn calm?

Sweat rolled down my back as I shook hand after hand and tried to keep my gaze steady. As the line shortened, I began to hope. Then I told hope to fuck off because isn't that always when things go bad, right when you start to hope?

But nothing went bad. The Dragons of the Racul Dread accepted me. Even Hersk, though that was a bit awkward. Then came the last Dragon. Yarena moved to stand in front of me and stared at me for a long moment. The other Dragons watched her carefully, waiting.

“Our king is very precious to us,” she said to me at last. “He's our strongest warrior but also wise. In all but this.”

I nearly passed out. Was I about to be rejected after standing there for hours, accepting everyone else's welcome? I looked over at Taroc and saw a crease between his brows. Fuck.

“King Tarocvar says that the Goddess chose you for him, but that is only partially true. The Goddess sends us those who she approves of, but she does not decide for us. Your mate doesn't understand that although he has not chosen you with his mind or even his heart, his soul made the decision to claim you, and your soul has chosen him in return, Locrian. A mating bond cannot be completed without the full consent of both mates. You judged each other worthy, and I find your judgments to be sound. You are a fine addition to our dread.” She held out her hand. “Welcome, King's Mate.”

The Racul Dread roared in celebration as I shook Yarena's hand.

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