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“As will I,” said Andres. “You give us no choice. Archos.”
They both bowed and left the room.
* * *
I didn’t have time to panic as events teetered on the edge of chaos just before sliding neatly into place. What I did have time to panic over was the formal ceremony Esmerelda had decided to hold in my and Julian’s honor, declaring us to the entire Drakán nation as true lifemates.
The mating fire was briefly mentioned in the Ancient texts that the five warriors had created so their people would know the history of the Drakán Realm. Since Calista’s mother had stolen all of our clans’ texts and handed them over to the enemy, I was quite ignorant about our history, as were my clansmen who weren’t Ancients. Calista and Alasdair had never found it necessary to record the time before the scrolls were stolen. The new archives began from the moment Alasdair took over as Archos.
As soon as Esmerelda had arrived at Mount Drummondsey, she’d started poring over the Ancient scrolls of Julian’s clan. According to Esmerelda, once two Drakán had experienced the mating fire, a ceremony was supposed to occur so we could show our appreciation to the gods for giving us our soulmate and the opportunity to continue our race. I personally wanted to tell the gods to go to hell, but Esmerelda insisted that we follow through with the ritual. She reminded me it was never a good idea to make the gods angry.
“Relax, my dear,” Esmerelda said. “This is just a formality. You and Julian have already been bound in every way that counts.”
“Don’t remind me.” I hadn’t touched Julian in almost a week. Between the sexual frustration and the undercurrents of violence that pulsed through the castle, my nerves were stretched as tautly as they could go.
“This ceremony holds more than one purpose. It not only shows the clan what you and Julian have become, but it’s also an event that will give them a united purpose. A true lifemate is something we all dream of.”
“Right. A united clan. I’m just the sacrificial lamb.”
Esmerelda took my hand and led me into the large ballroom where the ceremony was to take place. To say the atmosphere in the room was cold would be an understatement.
The ballroom was almost twice the size of the gathering room at Julian’s chateau in Belgium, and all of the Drakán filled one room for the first time in our Earthly history. They stood next to each other and breathed the same air, but they weren’ttogether. And they weren’t happy.
Each clan stood off separately, their colors visible among the sea of Drakán. It was a field of black, red, green, white, and blue. They’d ignored the orders to attend in all black under Julian’s colors.
Julian stood in the center of the room in front of an altar, his back to all the clans as he waited for me to join him at his side. He wore a beautifully cut tuxedo, and his posture was straight and proud. He’d pulled his hair back into a tail at the nape of his neck, and I fought the urge to reach up and unbind it so it fell around his shoulders. I loved it down. My mouth watered at the sight of him.
I wore a long, hooded red cape that tied at the neck and covered me from head to toe as I made my way toward Julian. He helped me remove it, and there were audible murmurs through the crowd as they noticed I was dressed in black—signifying the union of the clans and my union to Julian.
My dress gathered at my right shoulder and flowed straight to the floor in layers of sheer fabric. My feet were bare. The tattoo down my left side was clearly visible. I’d pinned my hair up, and Esmerelda had stuck a red rose behind my ear to remind me where I’d come from. I ignored the accusatory stares from the clans, including my own, and I tried not to feel guilty at what I had done. This was Julian’s show, and I had no more choices than our unhappy clans had.
I’ve missed you, Rena, Julian whispered through my mind.
He lifted my hand and kissed it softly. The touch of his lips against my starved skin sent electric shocks shooting to my very core. I barely stopped the moan before it escaped my lips.
When will you accept that you cannot run from me? We will never be as strong apart as we are together. Only when we’re together does our true power show. Open yourself. You can feel their envy hitting our backs like waves against the sand. They know they cannot stop us now that we’re joined.
I did as he said, and was almost knocked forward by the ferocity of emotions that came from the Drakán behind us. Waves of hate and despair. Anger and hope. And there it was—envy. Power rushed across my skin, and my dragon responded to it. She loved that others feared her. That they lusted after her mate. She was a selfish, greedy creature, as all dragons were, but the power that now ran in her blood did not lie. She was stronger. She was dominant.
My human self was more reserved. My conscience prickled at what I’d forced my clan to do. Something still didn’t feel right about the whole situation. It was hard to keep my dragon wants and my human common sense separated, especially when faced with so many other Drakán.
I didn’t look at him as I answered.I’ll accept that I can’t run from you once you stop trying to manipulate me and my feelings. I will not cower before you and let you make my decisions, mate or no. If our clans continue to fight the change of being united, The Destroyer will win, and you’ll have played right into his hands. If this plan of yours doesn’t work, and your greed to become king destroys our people, I swear to the gods I will kill you or die trying.
I didn’t make threats idly. I meant every word of it.
I will protect you and our people, Rena. I promise you. I can feel you pulling away from me, fighting against the hold we have on one another. Leaving me will not help you on your quest to find out more about your powers.
Maybe not. But I need to do it anyway. You cloud my mind, and I can’t trust you since you tricked me into handing you my clan on a silver platter. Getting as far away from you as possible is the best thing I can do for myself.
I’ve never been to America. I’ll enjoy coming after you.
I fought the urge to growl and release my inner fire. Talking with Julian never got me anywhere except naked, and that wasn’t an option right now.I think we need to get this over with. My brother is seriously thinking of running you through with a sword. And I promise, he’s very good at it.
Yes, I know. I saw him fight in the Macedonian Wars. I am better.
Erik had barely spoken a word to me since his arrival. In his eyes, I’d betrayed him and our clan by becoming mated to Julian. It didn’t matter that the choice had been taken out of my hands. Julian was our sworn enemy, just as the other clans were, and I was forcing them to rely on him for protection. Erik’s eyes had blazed with an intense hatred I’d never witnessed before. And it was directed at me. Calista hadn’t even bothered to show up. The rest of my clan avoided my gaze completely. All except Cal. He’d met my eyes with something resembling respect and understanding, and he’d given me a nod of encouragement before his father had pushed him out of my line of sight.
Panic began to set in as Esmerelda took her place behind the altar, and I gripped Julian’s arm involuntarily. Things were starting to seem much too similar to a human wedding ceremony. And I was human enough to hold some stock in the ritual. Julian grabbed me around the waist and held me tightly against him.
