“Oh, I won't finish this for several days.”
“I know. I'm looking forward to it.” I pulled him into a kiss.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
By nightfall, the Dragon King found enough control to venture out of the carriage. His knights still stood guard, and when we emerged, they bowed to us in unison. Then they formed an honor guard—one that kept its distance—and cleared the way through the castle for us. We made it up to the royal apartments without the King attacking anyone. But just barely.
As soon as we were alone, Tor'rien was inside of me again.
I knew what to expect with a Dragon mating, but knowing and experiencing were two different things. He was right about the Dragon immortality—it did help. Hours later, I was astride him in bed, riding him enthusiastically with no concern about when we'd stop.
Of course, it wasn't constant. There were breaks in between Tor'rien's wild hours of need. The longer the mating went on, the shorter the time between those breaks became. And the more I looked forward to them. The sex was incredible, but lying in his arms afterward while we spoke about the future was even better. Because I could finally think about a future with him without worrying about anything. Not even living in the castle.
With his essence in me, my silly fears vanished. He was a part of me now, and Dragons fear very little. So, we spoke about me moving in—he considered that done already—and if I'dkeep working as a claw—I considered that an obvious yes. We also discussed what I might like to have in the castle to make me more comfortable. Things like that. We didn't bring up the murders or what would happen to the criminals he had helped me apprehend. Such topics didn't belong in our bed, much less while we were completing the mating bond. No, this was a time and place for joy and love. For relief and hope. It was time to look forward instead of digging up the past. Time for us.
Nuzzling into the Dragon King's embrace, I felt as if I had investigated my own life and caught the man who would make me happy. The only one. Tor'rien had been certain from the beginning, but I had to come to it in my own way. In my own time. And it was so much better because of that.
I had inspected all the positives and negatives. Found every reason to not love him. And then I had to accept the truth—that love couldn't be reasoned away. It couldn't be forced either. But Tor'rien had never forced me. He had stayed firm in his belief and waited for me to get there. Because he was my perfect match.
From detached claw to the heart of the Dragon King, my transformation was complete. Case closed.
Epilogue
“We should have done this at the castle.” Tor'rien crossed his arms and pouted. “You always pull my hair painfully when you comb it in the carriage.”
“Well, someone didn't get out of bed when I tried to wake him. So we had to do this on the way or we'd be late.” I pulled the comb through the last of his tangles and smoothed his hair. “There.” I tucked the comb in my jacket. In its usual place. I carried a comb now. For Tor’rien. “I knew you weren't the kind of man to take care of your hair.”
“I could cut it.” He slid his brilliant blues my way.
I snorted. “No. You can't.”
“Why not?” The King's lips twitched.
“You know why.”
He leaned over to nuzzle my cheek. “Because you love it. You love my hair, you love caring for me, and you love me.”
“Yes, all right.” I rolled my eyes. Then the carriage stopped, and I went serious. “We're here.”
A few moments later, Sir Gilhu opened the carriage door for us. The King climbed out first, straightened his clothing, and then held a hand in to me. I actually enjoyed him helping me likethat. It was a way for him to show affection, and it was proper enough that I approved of it being shown in public.
I straightened my clothes as well. They were of better quality now that I was a duke, officially accepted into the Rushao Dread. But over my fine silk shirt, I wore my claw jacket. Because it felt right. A nod of respect and perhaps a bit of an apology to the man who was being buried.
The King of Rushao rarely attended funerals, much less the funeral of a human. His appearance would have garnered a crowd if anyone had known he'd make one. As it was, there was still a crowd, but not as many as would have shown up for him. This wasn't about the King. It was about Kun-lo, his family, and all the other humans who had been cruelly left to die in the Hallax Mine. We were giving them a proper burial today, courtesy of His Majesty.
Every talon and claw who wasn't on duty was there. In addition to them, there was a small gathering of humans. I hadn't expected that. Then I saw one I recognized—a gardener from the park where Kun-lo had worked. He inclined his head to me.
So, Kun-lo wouldn't have his family to bury him, but . . . wait.
A man walked up to us. He bore a striking resemblance to Katai, just not so delicate. More masculine in features. Older too, but not by much.
“Your Majesty.” The man bowed. “I am Kawong. Kun-lo was my grandfather's brother. My parents are too old to make the journey, but he wanted one of us here to see Kun-lo to rest. And to thank you for all you've done for my brother. Youand Claw Shinkai.” He bowed to me. “Thank you for finding my grand-uncle and bringing his killer to justice. His disappearance and the deaths of his family have haunted my father and his father before him. You have given us peace.”
“You're most welcome,” the King said.
But I asked, “Are you Katai's brother?”
The Dragon knights guarding us went still.
