by V. Vaughn
Once again Devon and Royce offered her their bent elbows, but this time led her down the narrow stone steps to the beach. She removed her shoes as Kyra had instructed, thanked both older Guardsmen, and headed to the white wooden chair Royce had said was hers with Seth following close behind.
Making her way to her seat, she took in the elaborate preparations her mate had made to make their mating ceremony absolutely perfect. About ten yards from where she was to be seated stood a massive archway covered in bronze roses like the ones she carried, along with hundreds upon hundreds of bronze, silver, and white ribbons woven through the lattice work blowing in the sea breeze.
To the left was a large raised dais on which sat five ornate chairs resembling thrones. The platform, too, was decorated with bronze roses spilling from large ceramic urns wrapped in enormous white bows. There was also a large circle drawn in the sand with tiny white tea roses right in front of the platform.
Taking her seat, Melanie prepared to wait but was pleasantly surprised when less than two minutes later the four elders she’d met from Jace’s clan and Rian, the Head Elder of the Blue Dragons and Royce’s older brother, walked onto the platform, taking their places in the makeshift thrones.
Melanie then watched as the six men she knew were Guardsmen of the Force from Jace’s clan appeared. They were all in the same dress uniforms as her escorts but with surcoats depicting what Jace had told her were the colors of their dragons. Rayne stood at the head of the line in flaming red. Royce was next, and had changed into his beautiful royal blue surcoat with green accents truly befitting the gentle giant that gave her mate as much trouble as he could. Next was Aaron, Charlie’s mate, and one of the men she’d yet to get to know. He was dressed in silvery gray as was the man that stood next to him. She recognized him from the pictures in Jace’s mind. This was the man that had been a traitor to his kin but now worked daily to redeem himself. Andrew was also Emma’s mate and if anyone could turn someone around, it was the gentle jewelry artisan Melanie was proud to call friend.
The next in line was Lance, whose dress uniform was gold and black, he grinned and winked, letting her know the jokester had come prepared. Last in line was Devon, who had changed into his opalescent white surcoat.
From what Jace and Kyra had explained, she thought that was the end of the guest list for her mating ceremony, but the crunch of boots alerted her that there were more attendees on the way. From behind the dunes came Rory, Kellan, Declan, Lennox, Pearce, Brannoc, and Liam all dressed in their finery, as well. As she looked at the men her Jace held in high esteem, each man winked their approval and she grinned in response.
My family just keeps growing. Ain’t love grand?
Looking around for the man she wanted to spend forever with, Melanie almost panicked until a glimpse of bronze fabric and the shine of black patented leather boots caught her eye. Turning in her seat, she could do little more than stare. Her pulse raced as she took in the man of her dreams. His short blond hair was blowing in the breeze and his brilliant blue eyes danced with mischief and so much love, she was humbled at the amazing mate the Universe had given to her.
Carrick’s voice carried across the beach. “Long ago, when knights and dragons fought side by side for King and Country, it became apparent that dragon kin was no longer safe from those that would expose and destroy them. They sought to join with the knights that had fought so valiantly by their sides. Thus, through magic and the will of both dragon and knight, the Golden Fire Clan of the Dragon Shifters became a reality. It was through the joining of many different clans that we have become the strong and powerful Force we are today.
“We are here, in the place of importance to the couple, long blessed by our ancestors that have gone before us, to honor what the Universe put into place all those many years ago. To acknowledge and bless the mating of Jace Aaron MacQuaid to the one the Universe made for him, Melanie Rose Whelan. Will those seeking to witness this union please step forward.”
All the Guardsmen from Jace’s clan including Liam and Andrew stepped forward, then knelt in front of the Elders, and bowed their heads. Rayne stood, addressing the Elders, “We, the five of the MacLendon Force and those that will one day join our ranks, wish to witness and offer our blessing to the union of these two souls, two halves of the same whole. May they live long, fight hard, love harder, and produce many young to flourish when their souls have gone to the Heavens.” He returned to his brethren, knelt, and again bowed his head.
Carrick began again, “Your witness and blessing have been acknowledged and accepted, MacLendon Force. Aherne Force, what say you?”
The six men of the Blue Thunder, all dressed in surcoats of varying shades of azure, stepped forward, knelt in front of the Elders, and bowed their heads. It was Rory that stood and addressed the Elders. “We, the six of the Aherne Force wish to offer our blessing to our brethren and his mate. May the Universe bless you. May you see your children’s children. And may you know nothing but happiness from this moment forward.” Rory returned to his brethren, knelt, and bowed his head.
“Your blessing is most welcome, Aherne Force,” Carrick acknowledged. All the Guardsmen stood in unison and returned to their places next to the platform.
“Jace MacQuiad, you may go to your mate and escort her to the center of the Blessed Circle.” No sooner had the words been spoken than Jace was standing in front of Melanie.
He took her roses in one hand and pulled her to standing with the other. Reaching around, he placed the roses on the chair she’d just vacated, kissed her cheek, and then led her to the center of the circle drawn with tiny white roses.
“The bronze dragons were forged from the hard core of the Earth. They are powerful, solid dragons that possess especially hard scales and because of this, are often referred to as the ‘Warrior Dragons’. Carrick spoke with authority.
“They are protective to a fault and will fight to the death to defend those they hold dear. They seek justice at all turns. They have meticulous and ambitious attitudes and use a combination of their minds and hearts to make all decisions. They love hard, strong, and endlessly. They never lose faith in whom or what they believe in. To mate a bronze dragon is to accept all that they are and honor the power shared between mates.
“Now is the time of the marking. May the Universe continue to bless you and yours all the days of your lives together.”
The Elders left the beach as the Guardsmen positioned bamboo panels around the couple, giving them privacy where before there had been none. In a flash the dragons were gone.
Staring at the man she loved more than her own life, Melanie felt his love deep in her soul. He smiled that smile that made her weak in the knees and let her know he’d heard her thoughts and that he felt exactly the same way. The longer they stared at one another, the more brilliant his eyes became until she realized they were glowing.
Jace lowered his mouth to hers, stopping just as their lips touched, and whispered, “Tá tú mo ghrá eternal. Ta’ mo chroi istigh ionat,” before capturing her lips with his.
Melanie could feel Jace and his dragon everywhere. She was consumed with a heat that laid her open…body, heart, and soul to her mate.
A sting on the left side of her neck caused her try to pull back. Jace held her close, left her lips, and trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck, reaching the tender spot that had stung only a moment before. He licked and sucked the offending area until all thoughts of anything but their naked bodies loving one another were banished from her mind.
She placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled his mouth to hers, kissing him until they were both again breathless. Jace pulled back and it was then that she saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. Grinning a sneaky grin of her own, she asked, “What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours, Mr. MacQuaid?”
“So many, many things, Mrs. MacQuaid.”
She loved the sound of her new name on his lips and leaned in to give him a kiss, but he pulled back. �
�I want nothing more than to kiss you everywhere for every moment of the rest of our lives, but we have a reception to go to and I have a surprise for you.” Jace waggled his eyebrows. Melanie laughed out loud.
Picking her up while she still giggled, Jace wound around the bamboo panels and using his enhanced speed, took her up the stairs and across a tiny meadow to a blanket spread out under a large oak tree with a picnic basket sitting in the center. Kissing her behind the ear, he gently sat her on the blanket before opening the basket and joining her.
In the blink of an eye, Jace’s hand removed a small velvet box from the bin and set it in her hands. Melanie looked from him to the box and back again. “But I didn’t get you anything.”
“Oh, but you did, Mrs. MacQuaid. You gave me your heart and there’s nothing more in all the world I could ever want.”
Taking a deep breath to keep from crying and ruining her makeup, she opened the small hinged box and stared at its contents, completely dumbfounded. There, highlighted by the soft bronze velvet, was a thick platinum band with a tiny bronze bell hanging from an intricate Claddagh setting.
Jace lifted the ring from its velvet pillow and the bell tinkled like the wings of the fairies she played with as a child. Melanie placed her hand in her mate’s outstretched palm. As soon as their skin touched, the jolt of electricity she’d come to associate with Jace zipped through her body and landed deep in her womb, making her wish they could skip the reception.
Having heard her thoughts, Jace barked out a laugh and agreed. His expression switched to thoughtful in the blink of an eye and with his smooth baritone voice he spoke directly into her mind. “With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as symbol of our love and commitment. May this ring be blessed so that he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace and continue to love beyond life’s end.” Then he slipped the ring onto her finger.
The tears she had been fighting to hold back all day began to fall. “Hey there. No tears. Today’s a happy day.” Jace pulled her onto his lap and placed butterfly kisses on her cheeks and forehead, drying her tears as he went.
“And these are happy tears, Jace. You make me so very, very happy.”
9
He had been officially mated to Melanie for exactly three hours and they had yet to be alone. Both the man and his dragon were at the end of their proverbial rope. It was time to carry her back to Rory’s house and consummate their mating before Jace spontaneously combusted.
She’d met his mother and brothers, who loved her at first sight, just like he knew they would. They’d cut the cake, danced all the dances, and accepted congratulations from people he wasn’t even sure he knew. It was time to get the hell outta dodge and he was going to make it happen.
Making his way across the makeshift dance floor, he finally found his wayward mate chatting with the other ladies. “Oh no, he’s got that look.” Kyra teased.
“Yep, he sure does.” Kyndel winked. “Guess we better say goodnight.” She laughed, closely followed by everyone at the table.
Jace knew he should be more discreet but that course of action had flown out the window about two and half hours ago. He wanted Melanie so bad, he’d suffer embarrassment and harassment for years to come just to be alone with her. “Guess the gig is up,” he confessed while lifting Melanie into his arms.
“Jace! Put me down!”
“Oh, I plan to, in about ninety seconds.” The words were barely out of his mouth before they were speeding away, stopping only when they were on the porch of Rory’s house. The older Guardsman had graciously moved out of his home and taken his other houseguests for the duration of their stay, a gift Jace would make sure was repaid.
“I hear there’s a human custom where the man carries his mate over the threshold,” Jace commented, holding onto his composure by the thinnest thread.
“Yes…there is.”
Slowly and deliberately, Jace lowered his lips towards hers, stopping right before they touched. “Then we’re going to do this right.” He growled just as their lips met.
He kissed her with all that he was, pouring his undying love into her so that she would never doubt how truly special she was to him. He stepped over the threshold, slammed the door shut, and tore through the house like a man possessed.
Reaching the bedroom, he gently laid her on the soft down of the white eyelet comforter he’d placed on the bed earlier in the day. Unable to be even a few inches from his mate, Jace settled on top of Melanie, holding his weight on his forearms positioned beside her head.
When her legs went around his waist bathing his throbbing erection in her delicious heat, he thanked the Heavens for the strategically placed slits on both sides of her gown.
Jace rolled his hips, holding her body captive, loving the look of complete abandon on her face. His hands felt their way across her hips, up her ribs, and rested lightly at the sides of her breasts, enjoying their fullness. His thumbs teased the area close to her nipples through her dress. He smirked as Melanie arched her back, trying to force his touch. He hadn’t meant to torture her but had to admit watching his mate loving his touch had just become his new favorite pastime.
Unable to stand his own torment a moment longer, he reached around her body, quickly locating the ribbon that held her bodice to her chest. Lifting her into a sitting position, he kissed and tasted along her collarbone, making short work of the satin cord that was keeping her dress in place. One pull and the bodice fell. His mouth watered as her voluptuous breasts and berry-colored nipples were revealed. Licking across first one and then the other of her hardened peaks, he was rewarded with an “Oh my God, Jace…please…please never stop,” moaned from low in her throat.
Needing to leave no part of his mate untouched, Jace took the nipple between his lips, teasing it with his teeth and tongue until Melanie bowed her back, pushing more of her breast into his mouth, and begging him to never stop.
The scent of dianthus in the summer sun filled the room as he drove Melanie’s arousal higher and higher. His dragon pushed and roared in his head, demanding to taste their mate’s nectar. Assuring the beast they would soon taste all of her, he continued his seduction. Releasing her nipple, Jace latched onto the other, working her dress down her body and over her beautifully rounded hips. His fingers slowed as the lace of her underwear teased his fingertips.
He left her nipple, kissing the valley between her breasts, tasting and marking every inch he could reach of her erotically curvy body. He reached the silk of her panties with his lips and inhaled long and deep. Melanie’s wonderfully unique scent left him unable to resist any longer. He knelt between her thighs, dragging the gown from her body and throwing the offending garment over his shoulder as soon as her feet slipped free. Ripping the tiny silk strings of her panties, they followed her dress, and finally his Melanie was gloriously naked and open to do with as he pleased.
She was absolutely stunning. Truly the most magnificent creature he’s ever laid eyes on. As slowly as his need to be inside her would allow, he took in every inch of her glorious body. Jace started with the deep wine polish that covered her toes, up her shapely legs that would soon be wrapped around his body in ways most people only imagined, to her soft thighs he’d dreamt of having under his head from the first time he’d watched her walk away from him. Her rounded stomach, along with all her curves, begged to be loved over and over again.
“Jace?” His name on her lips drew his gaze.
“Yes, mo ghra’?” He crooned, massaging her thighs, making sure to brush the outer lips of her pussy every chance he could get. The way her hips jumped at every touch made his cock jump in his pants.
“Jace…I want…No, I need….” She panted.
“What is it you need, mo chroi’?” He teased, running his index finger up and down her slit, already wet with the proof of her arousal.
Her breathing grew more ragged and her head thrashed from side to side as she begged for him to continue. Jace marveled at the vision of Melanie in the throes of pass
ion, her head thrown back, her eyes closed tight, her mouth open as she called his name like a prayer to the Heavens.
“I…Jace…Oh my…Jace…yes!” She wailed as he pushed through her folds and teased her opening, the juices of her arousal wetting his hand. Her pussy contracted around the tip of his finger, attempting to pull his digit farther into her warm wet passage. Adding another finger, he began gliding them in and out, her honey providing the perfect lubrication. His thumb drew lazy circles around her swollen clit while his fingers drove her higher. Every few swipes he bent his fingers so the tips would gently brush the very special bundle of nerves that made Melanie wild with pleasure.
Needing to taste her more than he needed his next breath, he pulled out his fingers and answered her whine at the loss by driving his tongue into her pussy as far as he could reach. Her taste exploded on his tongue, flashes of light bursting before his eyes. He devoured Melanie like a starving man, swallowing every drop of nectar that flowed from her. The more his tongue moved within her, the more of her he drank in until he felt drunk. Her legs came over his shoulders, closing around his head, making breathing almost impossible, and still he consumed all she had to give.
He felt her tense just a second before her orgasm overtook her. Screaming his name, she came on his tongue, filling his mouth until her juices ran down his chin. He continued to lick and massage as she came back to earth.
Looking up, he found her smiling a lazy smile and gazing at him through passion-filled eyes. His only thought was to keep that exact look on her face for the rest of their lives together.
His cock pulsed against his zipper and it was then that he realized he was still completely dressed. Not wanting to leave his place between her thighs but needing to feel her skin against his, Jace stood in one fluid motion, threw off his surcoat, tore the black long-sleeved T-shirt over his head, and had his pants kicked in the corner as quickly as possible.
