Page 31 of Witch's Bells and Mistletoe

Epilogue

KATHERINE

ONE YEAR LATER

A nervous anticipation fills me as I follow Adeon down the steps of the staircase that leads far beneath the house. The entrance is hidden well by magic, so I’m not worried about anyone coming upon us. Tonight is for me and Adeon. I’ve already given my grandbaby kisses aplenty and reminded my dear Fran of how much I love her and how proud I am of her, which is she accepts with far more pleasure since I’ve formally released her as my heir. It does me good to see her happy, and though everyone waits expectantly for me to name another, I’m in no hurry. Dragons have long lives, and I don’t plan on going anywhere soon. Maybe in a few years I’ll change my mind, but for now there is just family… and us.

And family has only gotten better since I’ve embraced us. I’ve found that balance between who I need to be for the coven and who I need to be for myself, and I’ve never been happier.

Of course, as happy as I am to have all my family in the coven house tonight, I’ve been looking forward to this moment all evening. Adeon has been working on this surprise for months, and I’m thrilled to finally see it.

“Are we almost there?” I whisper.

He looks back over his shoulder, his hand clasped firmly in mine, and smiles back at me. “Almost, my love.”

As it is pitch dark, I trust him explicitly as he leads me deeper. A hint of light appears, and for a moment I wonder if it’s my imagination until it flickers and grows brighter as it expands, filling the darkness with a golden light as we step from the stairs into a wide, basin-shaped room. I stagger and grab Adeon’s arm in awe as his laughter fills the huge chamber. No wonder the light was so golden. Everywhere I look there are piles of gold and silver and gemstones of every color of the rainbow. The ruby and the simple gold wedding band wink on my finger as if in response to the magic filling the space.

“Adeon, is this…?”

He nods with satisfaction as he peers out over it before slowly turning to me. “It’s ours, Katherine, just as I promised. And now the coven house is officially our home in every way. The last of my gold came from the mountain, and I sealed the way so that none might find their way from there. This is where we are meant to be.”

Emotion chokes me as I look over it. I knew that he meant it when he said that he would never force me to leave, but seeing the fulfillment of his promise made material in dragon gold and gems makes me want to cry and shout with happiness all at once as a warm flood of emotions fills my chest.

“There is one other thing that needs to be done to make it official,” he murmurs, and I look up at him in surprise as he turns me toward him and begins to tug my dress off.

“Is that so?” I whisper, and I smile when I hear his throaty rumble in response.

Being stripped naked within a cavern of gold is probably not the weirdest place I’ve been naked with Adeon over the last year, but for all that it represents, I think that it’s my favorite. I’m not entirely sure how it will work lying on a bed of coins and gems, but I’m not one to complain when he begins petting my skin as if he can’t get enough of touching it.

The first touch of cool metal on my skin startles me, but it warms quickly to my temperature, as does the other pieces my mate drapes on me. There is lust and adoration in his eyes as he admires his work as the jewels and chains trail across my breasts and around my neck. When he finally lays me back onto the gold, I’m surprised that the coins are small enough that they aren’t too uncomfortable to lie on. They are a little hard, but nothing pokes me uncomfortably and yet still Adeon spills more gold over me, his excitement growing in his eyes as coins scatter along my belly and between my thighs.

My breath catches because the slide of metal over my skin. It is different than his fire but in some ways just as pleasant as each coin is infused with dragon magic from so many centuries in a dragon’s keeping. I look up at him through lust filled eyes as he leans over me and smirks.

“It seems to me that this is going to block your fires a bit,” I observe playfully, knowing how much he needs that final burst of dragon fire over us to find true completion.

We both need it if I’m being honest with myself. Being deprived of that—even for erotic bed play among his treasure—is too much to sacrifice, but I eye him curiously when his smile turns mischievous in response.

“Why would you ever think that?” he hisses softly as he braces himself over me, his eyes going molten. “The dragon magic is in the flame. And every single coin has been bathed well. Dragon treasure doesn’t melt—it amplifies the flame.”

My eyes widen, and my nipples pebble beneath the gold sliding over them as his lips part and his fire descends like a vivid flower lighting up the cavern as it bursts from him. It flows over me and swirls with powerful ripples along the coins and jewels so that pleasure flames through me as he notches his cocks and thrusts true, scattering my senses with the first orgasm of the night to claim me.

“Happy Holidays once more, my sweet Katherine,” he whispers, his breath teasing my cheek as he rocks into me.

And a very Happy New Year.