Jules connected his gaze with Elouan’s. “You don’t know how much I’ve fantasized about getting you naked. How much I’ve wanted you.”
“Can’t be more than I’ve wanted you.”
Jules dropped his face down, but instead of a kiss, he went straight to Elouan’s neck. Did he intend to…He bit.
Elouan froze for a moment before every muscle seized, and he came, his grip growing slick. Then Jules pulsed, continuing the bite. Could he possibly know what he did? His teeth broke skin, making Elouan wince.
Then euphoria began, dragon venom winding through Elouan’s veins.
Dragon venom.
Jules collapsed onto Elouan, breathing hard, his heartbeat unusually loud.
Elouan couldn’t have fought what came next, driven by want and instinct. He located the spot where Jules’s neck met his shoulder. His fangs descended, and he bit.
Connected. Connected in a way he’d only dreamed about, as only dragons could be. Mates. His other half. For now and forever.
Jules froze, then panted. He jerked, climaxing again. Elouan stroked Jules’s cock through the orgasm.
The heat in his veins intensified, the joining of two dragons, permanently. Though they’d not spoken about this, it was right. Elouan’s dragon agreed. Purring came from two dragons, not just Elouan’s.
Mated. He’d mated, never again to be alone, no longer a lone alpha in search of a mate. He found his destiny. His omega.
He’d also secured a home for his omega, then claimed him. Or rather, the omega had claimed Elouan. Even being away from Adrakus, their dragons recognized the rituals.
Their dragons. They’d recognized each other in the mountains, led their stubborn human halves to this moment.
Nothing mattered but that Jules was Elouan’s, as Elouan was now Jules’s. He didn’t need to ask for the Goddess’s blessing. Somehow, he knew she’d approve. Sakaris’s words came back to him:
You won’t be alone, Prince Elouan. Keep your eyes open. There’s no telling what—or who—you might find.
“You’re the bronze dragon,” Jules said, wonder in his tone. He brushed gentle fingers against Elouan’s cheek.
“And you’re the gold.” Elouan planted a kiss against Jules’s forehead and snickered. “Hawk, my ass. You had no idea about me, did you?”
“Moira maintains spells so no other dragon can sense us, which means we also can’t sense them.”
“I thought I sensed you once, a few nights ago.”
Jules nodded. “Moira dropped the spell to try to connect to her children in Adrakus. That’s when we found out they were gone.”
The relatives Moira and Ray had lost. His heart ached for dragons he didn’t even know. Was this what his father meant about a king caring for all dragons, not simply his own court? “I’m so sorry for their loss. And yours. I need to have a long talk with all three of you.” He kissed Jules again. “We’ll save that for later.” They drifted off in each other’s arms—a mated dragon pair.
But more than a mated pair. The king and consort that his court needed, everything Elouan had ever needed.
Chapter Seventeen
Jules woke up, enfolded in Elouan’s arms. The overwhelming sense of safety nearly brought tears to his eyes. He’d always been on the lookout for some unseen enemy, be they human or dragon. Moira’s constant vigilance only added to the problem, her worry spilling over onto Jules.
With Elouan, he could forget the hidden threats and simply relax. Breathe. Just be. His body might not be big enough to contain all the happiness rushing through him. He and Elouan had found each other, despite seemingly endless obstacles. Somehow, against all odds, he’d found an alpha dragon mate.
A mate who wouldn’t be leaving. Never. They’d mated, their lives forever entwined. Whether they settled into this little bungalow or returned to Adrakus, they’d be together.
Jules’s dragon purred, and if he concentrated, he could make out the barely audible answering purr from Elouan’s dragon.
He looked up into dark eyes. He’d thought those eyes brown, but they were nearly an indigo blue. What had possessed Jules to bite Elouan? Mated. A mate.
“When did you realize I was the dragon you’d seen?” Elouan asked, his voice sounding curious and not accusatory.
