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While he usually got along with Finn, Chase didn't hold back a growl. "Why does everyone keep bloody asking me that? Do I need to wear a T-shirt that says, 'Aye, I can be a doctor's mate' so that people will leave me alone?"
Finn shrugged. "It might help." Chase opened his mouth, but Finn raised a hand and added, "Settle down, lad. I judge more on actions than merely age, but you and Layla have been together less than two weeks. And with what's happening with her parents, I don't want her to jump in without thinking and possibly regret it later."
Fucking fantastic. Finn thought Chase would be a mistake.
He was about to say what he thought of that, but Layla's voice filled the air. "I'd like to think I can make decisions for myself. I'm not exactly what you'd call impulsive," she drawled.
Chase turned around. Just the sight of Layla alive and teasing made his heart swell. He raised a hand, palm up. "Come here, love."
She didn't hesitate to place her hand in his and then raised an eyebrow. "What's this all about anyway?"
Finn chuckled, but Chase ignored him. He took Layla's other hand and pulled her close, until her front pressed against his. "Mate me, Layla, right here, right now, in front of Finn. I love you, and I don't want to wait."
"Chase," she breathed.
Moving a hand to her waist and the other to her cheek, he continued, "We can put off the frenzy as long as you like. But become my mate, Layla. Because life is too short to wait."
Layla smiled slowly, and both man and beast took notice. Even though her actions already told him her answer, she said, "Aye, I'll mate you right now, Chase."
His gaze dropped to her lips. Damn, it was becoming harder and harder not to kiss his female. He murmured, "When it comes time for the frenzy, I'm going to make sure my dragon behaves long enough to let me kiss my fill of your sweet lips, love."
She blushed, and blood rushed south. He was going to spend the rest of his life making her blush as many times as possible.
Finn cleared his throat. "I hate to rush this, but I need to meet with the Iranian dragons tonight for a dinner meeting of sorts. If you're ready, I'll call Ara in to be another witness."
Never severing eye contact with one another, they nodded in unison.
Chase barely noticed Finn getting Arabella. He was too busy tracing Layla's jaw, her cheek, even the bridge of her nose. He could tell she was tired from the smudges under her eyes, but it didn't make her any less beautiful to him.
Finn finally spoke again, meaning he'd returned. "Then let's begin. In lieu of arm cuffs, you'll have
to draw each other's names in the old language for now."
Taking his cue, Chase spoke first as the male, per tradition. "Layla MacFie, I've had the chance to watch you from a distance for two years, observing how much you care for others, give your everything to make them healthy, and have also noticed your daily sacrifices to make it all happen. However, in the last two weeks, I've come to know the lass underneath, the one with her own demons and trials, the one with a hidden sense of humor, and also an oddly innocent female who blushes more than anyone I know. I love everything about you and look forward to teasing you more, forcing you to relax, and simply being the person you can depend on above all others. I love you, Layla MacFie. Will you accept my claim?"
"I do," she murmured.
Taking a marker from Finn, he slowly wrote his name in the old dragon language on her upper arm, the one without the tattoo. Even though man and beast liked the sight, both couldn't wait until she wore the silver arm cuff engraved with their name while naked and screaming in their bed.
Once he finished, Layla spoke. "Chase McFarland, I tried everything to avoid you and put you off. But despite it all, you kept trying, to the point I couldn't help but notice you. When I needed help, you didn't blink an eye to offer. And as you took care of me one time after the other, I finally allowed myself to rely on someone besides myself. Not only that, for the first time in a long time, I want to simply fly somewhere pretty with you, to listen to the melody of the wind whispering through the heather and peaks. I want to live life, with you. You bring out the bits and pieces of myself I rarely show others. And for it, I love you, Chase McFarland. Will you accept my claim?"
He nodded, and she took the marker. However, as she began to write the first letter, she paused and closed her eyes. Chase asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
His instinct warned otherwise. He watched her closely, for the slightest change as she finished writing her name on his arm. Was she paler than normal, or was it merely his imagination? For the first time, he wished he had a smidgen of medical training so he could be a better judge.
When Layla tried to lay the marker down, she dropped it on the floor. In the next beat, she leaned against his chest.
Something was definitely wrong. He said softly, "Layla, love, tell us what's happening."
"I-I can't focus. Everything's blurry, and…"
Layla passed out in his arms, but he caught her and kept her upright. As his heart pounded double-time, he slowly eased her to the ground, doing his best to keep it together so he could help his mate.
His brand-new mate, and one he fucking wasn’t going to let make him a widower so soon.
Even before he’d finished easing Layla down, Finn was already on her other side. Chase had barely caressed Layla’s cheek before his clan leader reached for her neck and placed his fingers on it, searching for a pulse.
