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I’m fine, love. It could be a lot worse.
The dragon lowered his head to the floor of the balcony and tilted it to the side so Ash would have solid footholds to climb onto his back. Are you ready?
“Yes. The only thing I need is you.” Ash climbed on, and he flew toward Viktorija’s secluded house.
I couldn’t agree more. It will take two hours to get there, and I say travel time doesn’t count.
Ash laughed. “What if something happens and they need you?”
Vik and Mother can reach me through our family bond. Don’t worry. There is an army of loyal Therians, and they will keep things under control for a few hours. They’re scouting for a new palace site and preparing for the coronation while we’re gone.
“Have I told you how incredible it feels to ride you through the sky?”
The dragon laughed, which shook his body. That won’t be the only time tonight you say riding me feels incredible.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time, husband mine.” She paused. “Are you sure you’re up for this? I mean, given everything.”
I am. A wise woman once told me that I had to remember to live while I was surviving since tomorrow is not guaranteed. If my time comes tonight, I will know I savored every second we had together. I will mourn for the rest of our very long lives. Tonight, I want to focus on our love.
Ash sniffed back the tears his words inspired and held on tight. “I love you so much, Luca.”
The couple spent the rest of their journey talking about lighthearted subjects and getting into the right mindset for a romantic interlude. Ash was half-expecting a dark murder cabin to match Viktorija’s mercenary personality. She was pleasantly surprised to see a quaint stone cottage atop a mountain peak, miles from other sentient creatures.
Luca’s shift to human was much easier without the palace’s magic interfering, so his change took only moments. Ash admired his naked body again and debated whether to give him the clothes she’d brought. He wouldn’t be wearing them for long anyway.
He stood and shook himself, aiming a cocky grin at his mate when he caught her staring. His hunger for her grew by the second, and he wouldn’t wait another moment to kiss her. Snow drifted around them as Luca pulled Ash into his arms. He kissed her with all the passion he’d had to restrain since their mating while they’d dealt with one crisis after another.
Ash met his passion with exuberance. Her heart didn’t race as her excitement grew, but that was one of the many things she would have to get used to as a vampire. When she felt his arousal, Ash moaned in pleasure against Luca’s lips.
“If we don’t get inside soon, you’re going to have a very different kind of blue balls. Not that I will ever complain when I get to watch you run around naked.” Ash stroked his length as she looked up, pleading and hungry. “I brought your clothes, but that would be like throwing a sheet over the Mona Lisa.”
Luca laughed, scooped her into his arms, and trudged through the snow to the door. “We wouldn’t want you committing crimes against humanity, so I’d better make an honest woman out of you, Mrs. Do you want to go by Romano or Nablyudatel?”
Luca carried her over the threshold, and Ash swung the door shut behind them. Then Luca set her on her feet. She gave him a radiant smile and went up on her toes to kiss him. “Your Therian name. I don’t expect we’re going to spend much time in the human world from now on. Your days of teaching college history are over.”
He nodded. “You’re right, though I can provide you with the tutors to complete your education and live out your lady vampire Indiana Jones fantasies.”
The joy on her face warmed his heart. “You understand me!”
He unbuttoned her jeans. “I do, and I take great joy in that, but right now, I can’t think of anything I want more than to get you naked.”
Ash moaned when he dipped his head and pressed a soft kiss to her neck. “Who am I to deny the king?” she asked, kicking her shoes off and shimmying out of her pants.
He pulled back and looked at her seriously. “I am your mate, your husband, your friend, your partner, and your equal in all things, but I am not your king, Ash.”
“I understand and appreciate what you’re saying. Thank you.” She started to pull her sweater over her head but stopped and pouted when a thought occurred to her. “What if I want to play the kinky king seducing the visiting foreign princess? Mom’s read historical romances my whole life. You would not believe some of the scenes Dani and I found in those books. I have ideas!”
Luca chuckled, pulled her sweater over her head, and kissed her. “I promise to act out any fantasies you want to make reality.”
“And you’ll officially marry me after everyone stops setting the world on fire for, like, five minutes?”
He laughed long and hard, the genuine happiness of the sound soothing her soul. “Gods, I love you. Yes, Ash, we will have the wedding of your dreams. Whatever you want, from an elopement in Vegas to a full-blown royal wedding.”
“We’ll figure it out.” She ran her hands over his arms, tracing his black and cobalt dragon markings and remembering when she’d thought they were tattoos. “It’s just a ceremony and a party. We have belonged to each other from the moment we sealed our bond.”
Neither had paid any attention to the interior of the cottage so far. Luca glanced around, seeking a suitable setting for what he had in mind. The single large stone room had comfortable overstuffed furniture in bright colors, with art on every available surface on easels. Supplies lined the wall next to the windows, and it had a loft bedroom. He saw flickering lights up there and wondered if Viktorija had prepared for their arrival. Turning Ash around with gentle hands on her panty-clad hips, Luca resisted the urge to strip off the flimsy barrier between him and her body so he could make love to her.
“I think she left us a surprise upstairs. Want to go check it out before we get so caught up in each other that we forget where we are?” Luca asked. He was still hard, painfully so, but getting her to the bedroom suited his purposes. When she agreed and hurried toward the stairs, Luca slapped her ass and followed her, enjoying the view.
