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Her dragon’s words snapped her out of her trance. “If you want anything, you have to earn it, Killian. Keep that in mind.”
Amusement danced in his eyes and Brenna studied Killian’s face. Who was this male and what had happened to him?
A knock on the door garnered her attention. She whispered quickly, “Keep this a secret for now, okay?” He nodded, and she let in the other Protectors.
As they put on a different set of restraints and then removed the first ones, she never took her gaze from Killian’s.
Yes, she wanted to stay on Glenlough, but what the hell had she agreed to? She only hoped she wasn’t in over her head.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Two days later, Aaron stood with Teagan in one of the conference rooms inside central command. Orla, Brenna, Teagan’s mother Caitlin, and Colm MacDermot were inside the room as well.
To prevent sabotage or backlash, he and Teagan were mating in private. Teagan had asked Colm to be a witness in case the DDA questioned the mating; a nonrelative’s word would hold more weight. As Aaron caught Colm’s eye from across the room, they nodded at each other.
His dragon spoke up. See? I told you he’s not a threat.
Maybe not, but he had yet to prove himself before. His help with coordinating search and recovery teams after the attacks has more than earned him my respect.
Good, because we need to forge our own allies within the clan.
His dragon fell silent and Aaron looked back to Teagan. She smiled at him. Keeping the fact that she was his mate from the others would be bloody difficult. However, the most important thing was that the DDA would know about the mating as soon as possible, both in Ireland and the UK, and it would allow him to stay.
Once the clan was stable and the DDA wasn’t breathing down their backs, he and Teagan would make a formal announcement.
He studied Teagan’s face for any traces of regret, but only saw love. Still, as leader, Teagan was supposed to speak first. Yet she hadn’t said a word in the last sixty seconds.
Aaron asked softly, “Are you having second thoughts?”
“Of course not,” Teagan answered. “I was trying to think of any last-minute ideas so that Killian could attend, too. It feels wrong for my brother not to witness one of the most important days of my life.”
Taking her hands in his, he squeezed. “I know, love. But you laid out all the risks with having him here. Not only could he use it as a chance to escape, but he might also share our secret before it’s safe. If he regains his memories eventually, he’ll forgive you.”
“I hope so,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry we couldn’t have your mother here either. The DDA is watching us too closely to risk sneaking her onto the clan’s lands.”
Aaron gave a sad smile. “I’m sorry, too. But once things calm down a bit, we’ll find a loophole for her to visit. An in-law should count for something.”
Orla tapped her cane. “Yes, yes, it’s a shame. Now, let’s begin. We all have appointments to keep today.”
His dragon huffed. I feel bad for her late mate. He must’ve been a saint.
Rather than answer his beast, he squeezed Teagan’s hands again. She nodded and took a deep breath before saying, “Aaron Caruso, you are the best kind of male. You support me when needed, but also know when it’s necessary to take charge. In addition to your strength and intelligence, you have a way of erasing my doubts and frustrations in a way no other male has done before. Your humor and cooking skills are just icing on the cake. In other words, I love you, Aaron Caruso, and I want you to stand by my side to not only be my mate, but to also help me lead the clan. Do you accept my mate claim?”
“I should ask you to keep listing my positive traits and convince me your love is genuine.” She growled, and he laughed. “All right, all right. Of course I accept your bloody claim, woman.”
He released one of her hands. Teagan picked up the plain silver arm cuff that would later be engraved with her name and slid it onto Aaron’s tattoo-free bicep. “Then this band symbolizes my claim. I will engrave it later, so don’t think of doing your own design in the meanwhile.”
He winked. “We’ll see how long it takes you to have it done. If it takes too long, I may n
eed to put ‘Teagan’s brilliant lover’ in the old language.” She glared and he lightly brushed her cheek. “I look forward to what you come up with.”
At his touch, she visibly relaxed. She opened her mouth, but Aaron spoke again before she could. He’d delayed long enough. “Teagan O’Shea, you’re a bloody brilliant leader. You care about your people and literally put your life on the line to stand up for them. While I love your ability to lead, I also love your feisty humor and inner strength. Not to mention your cleverness and quick thinking. Oh, and of course, your sexy body.” She rolled her eyes and he added, “I love the whole package, and I’m honored to lead the clan at your side. Whatever you need of me, I will do as long as it doesn’t involve tying me naked to a pole in the middle of the night, out in the open for the clan to see in the morning.”
She smiled wider. “That option will always be on the table.”
“We’ll see about that.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I love you, Teagan O’Shea. Will you accept my mate claim?”
“I suppose.”
