“You earned it long before I woke up.” I meet his eyes. “This is your clan, Caleb Craven. Your authority. I’m just here if you need me.”
“And we’re grateful for it.” He extends his hand.
I take it. The gesture formal. Final.
A Dragon King acknowledging a new order.
I leave the defensive line. Make my way through corridors to the safe rooms.
The door opens at my approach. Mara bursts out.
“You’re okay!” She crashes into me. Arms wrapping tight.
“I’m here.”
She pulls back. Checks me for injuries. “You’re sure? Nothing broken? No weird magical wounds?”
“I’m fine, Mara.”
“Good. Because I spent the last forty minutes in that safe room losing my mind.” She punches my shoulder. “Don’t do that again.”
“We were under attack—”
“I don’t care. Find a way to text me updates or something.” But she’s smiling. Relieved.
“I have no idea how to do that.”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course you don’t.” She glances around. “Can we go?” she asks. “I need to not be in a space that just got attacked.”
“Yes.”
We walk through the Aurora outpost. Past guards standing down. Past dragons celebrating victory.
Back to the residential level.
To the room where our bond made itself known. We step inside.
Mara closes the door. Leans against it.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hello.”
“We almost died.”
“We survived.”
“Yeah.” She pushes off the door. Moves closer. “And now we’re here. And the bond is waiting.” She presses her hand to her chest. “It’s asking if we’re ready.”
“Are you?”
“Terrified. But yes.” Her eyes meet mine. “I want this. Want you. I want to be your mate.”
I cup her face. “Then let’s finish what we started.”
Chapter 34
Mara
