"You're mine," Nevair said as if there had been an argument. Now that Lian hadn't died, he didn't want to leave any room for wiggling out. "Now everyone will want to touch you and worship you as a gift of the goddess, but you're mine. No one gets to have you but me." Nevair walked over to his wardrobe and removed the box he'd hidden inside. "When I was young and hadn't taken my vows yet, I knew some day I would have a mate of my own. I just knew it. So I took the money my grandfather left me and had this made for my future mate, for you. I love you, Lian, and I hope you'll accept this as a sign of my affection."
He held out the box to his lover who regarded him with wide, wary eyes.
"I love you, too," Lian said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Open it," Nevair urged.
Lian's smile, although half the power of his usual brilliance, still struck Nevair with its sweetness.
* * * *
Lian's fingers shook as he opened the wooden box. He didn't know what to do now besides stay as close to Nevair as he possibly could. The man defined Lian's world and for a person who'd always considered himself self-sufficient, Lian found his new dependency more frightening than turning into a dragon.
The gold cuff encrusted with jewels glowed in its red velvet setting. Rubies, emeralds and baby-fist sized diamonds covered the piece. He'd never seen a more beautiful piece of jewelry.
"What happens if I turn into a dragon with this on?" He had a momentary spurt of pride that his voice sounded steady.
Nevair's warm, understanding smile, settled Lian's nerves more than all the platitudes in the universe. "I paid extra for a sizing spell. It will always fit you no matter your form and it can't be removed by anyone but you."
Lian wondered how much Nevair's grandfather had left him.
Nevair gave him a shy look from beneath his lashes. "Although I live in this cathedral, my family has invested well. Most of my money goes to charity, but we will never lack for anything. I can take care of you."
Nevair's earnest expression melted Lian's heart. "I'm not exactly poor, sweetheart. The council pays me well for my research."
"Good, I'm glad you are valued," Nevair said.
Lian touched the jeweled cuff. It looked expensive enough to fund a small city, but Lian didn't want to take away from Nevair's moment by making any of the sarcastic comments sitting on his tongue. "Put it on me."
Nevair's glowing expression told Lian he'd made the right choice.
The cold metal shocked Lian's skin upon contact but quickly warmed.
Nevair took Lian's hands in his. "By my position as Pontifex I bind us together beneath the good will of the goddess to be as one for the rest of our lives."
A warm glow filled Lian's chest, replacing the chill freezing his bones. For the first time, a sense of home engulfed him. He'd been drifting for so long he never thought he'd find a place to call his before.
"I love you," he told the man standing before him.
Nevair's expression made Lian's breath catch in his chest. He'd been admired, lusted after, and needed by lovers before, but until that moment never to the extent shown in Nevair's eyes, as if he'd ripped himself open and offered his soul.
"I love you, too. No matter what happens, we have each other," Nevair said.
Lian smiled. "Good, I'll hold you to that."
Epilogue
"Where are we going to today, sir?" Lian's guard, Ferlin, asked.
"To the dragon fields."
"Yes, sir."
Lian ignored the groan from his other guard. Both hated the lack of security at the fields. They liked it best when Lian stayed in the spacious office given to him as the new Medical Director and didn't leave.
Lian had established a small clinic to take care of the dragonkin at the fields. Healers rotated to get used to being around dragonkin and learn about their special needs. Tres and Bourne were indicted for attempted genocide and were now serving time on a prison planet.
Bourne confessed about doing the entire thing for money and revenge. He'd hated the dragonkin since an old lover had mated with one and dumped Bourne the same day. When one of the dragonkin accidentally killed a man Bourne had wanted for himself, the hatred had grown. When Tres had offered him the opportunity to get back at them, Bourne had snapped up the chance. He justified the genocide by the fact it wouldn't kill current dragonkin but would prevent them from ever being born.
