Being careful not to spook her, he held out his hand. The creature nuzzled against him, the sparks tickling his skin.
"I think she likes you," Dakota whispered, getting to her feet and coming to stand over the two of them.
He looked up at her. "Does this mean I have a chance to make things right."
The pause before her answer actually hurt. He hadn't thought it was possible to feel so much apprehension about what she was going to say. But feel it, he did, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Yes." The word was so quiet he almost didn't hear it.
"Yes?" he repeated, trying to stop the wide smile from spreading across his face in case she changed her mind.
"Yes."
"Thank you." He closed his eyes, letting the amazingness of the moment sink in.
Warm breath fanned against his skin as Dakota leaned closer. He didn't open his eyes, scared that doing so would scare her away. Soft lips brushed against his, tentative and careful as they searched for an answer.
He kissed back gently, not wanting to scare her with anything more. They might have already slept together, but somehow, this felt like more of a beginning, and he didn't want to scare her away.
"You haven't opened the box," he whispered once they broke apart.
"It isn't empty?"
He shook his head. "Did you think it would be?"
"I thought it was a symbolic box."
"And yet you were still going to take me back? Wow." He leaned back in the chair, only for Rhi to nuzzle into him again. A couple of scratches behind her ears, and she was chittering happily. "You know, I like being scratched there too," he told the familiar.
Dakota giggled. "I look forward to finding out. I do get to see your dragon form, right?"
"You'll get one of your own too. That's how mating works. I gain some of your powers, you gain some of mine."
Her mouth fell open. "I get to be a dragon?"
A deep chuckle escaped him. "Yes. But we can't fly on this side of the portal. I'll have to take you to the dragon side to do that."
"That's so cool."
"But please, open the box." He nodded towards it. More than anything, he wanted to see her face when she saw what was inside. In more ways than one, his heart-treasure was perfect for this moment.
Dakota frowned, but picked it up, carefully easing the lid open.
"Oh my." Her gasp said it all.
"You're not disappointed by how small it is?" It was one of the things he'd always worried about, but like other dragons, he never had a choice about what his heart-treasure was. In some ways, they worked in a similar way to mates. Dragons knew which ones were theirs and cherished it for the rest of their lives.
"It's beautiful. Can I wear it?"
"It's yours to do as you wish," he pointed out, while secretly hoping she really did want to keep it so close to her skin.
"Please put it on me." She handed him the silver necklace then turned her back to him, holding her hair off the nape of her neck.
Carefully, he undid the clasp and looped it around her neck.
"There you go," he whispered, letting his fingers linger a little longer than he should.
"Thank you." She twisted around to look at him, her fingers touching the small aquamarine stone circled by a silver dragon.
It may be small, but now knowing what her magic looked like, it was even more perfect than he'd first imagined.
"Are you sure you don't mind me having it?" Wide eyes betrayed her worry that he really wasn't ready to part with his treasure.
"No, it's yours."
Besides, she was his heart-treasure now.
Epilogue
Dakota
Nerves fluttered in her stomach as they approached the old woman she'd soon be meeting. As if meeting the woman Achilles cared for and respected deeply wasn't enough, she was also a centuries-old dragon. Nothing to be worried about at all.
She reached up and touched Achilles' heart-treasure, using it to reassure herself that she was meant to be at his side, and would be no matter what happened next.
A warm hand at the small of her back reassured her. She wasn't meeting the woman alone, she'd have her mate beside her the whole time.
The woman waved at the two of them, a smile spreading over her face.
"You've got nothing to be nervous about, she's going to love you."
Dakota nodded, not convinced, but knowing there wasn't anything else she could do about the situation.
"Achilles, I didn't expect to see you so soon," she said as soon as they were seated next to her.
"Even if I took your advice, Granny?" he joked.
"I did expect it to take some time, you're not exactly the smartest when it comes to this kind of thing."
Dakota snorted, unable to help herself.
Unfortunately, it brought the older woman's attention onto herself.
"You must be Dakota. I must say, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"You know about me?" That was a bit of a surprise. She'd have thought that a woman who spent all her time in a nursing home would be clueless about the women her grandson dated.
"Your mate is the talkative kind when he's struggling with something." She winked, taking Dakota by surprise.
"Oh."
"Don't worry, we're not all as dense as my grandson."
"Granny!" Achilles seemed genuinely mortified.
She slipped a hand into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze, causing him to finally relax a bit.
"There's something I didn't tell you about what the precog said," the old woman told Achilles.
Panic crossed his face and he squeezed Dakota's fingers harder than he should.
"What is it?" She could hear the nerves in his voice, and hated it.
"Nothing bad, you should learn to trust me more. She just said that you'd live a long and happy life. Somehow, I think she was right."
Dakota nodded to herself. Just from spending the few days since his declaration with Achilles, she knew that his grandmother was correct. They would be happy together.
Happy, and mated forever. All thanks to one spur of the moment swipe.
THE END
Thank you for reading Reluctant Dragon Mate. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to see more matches from the MatchMater app, let me know in my Reader Group (https://facebook.com/groups/theparanormalcouncil) and for more paranormal romance from the Paranormal Council Universe, you can pick up the entire Paranormal Council shifter romance series here: http://books2read.com/theparanormalcouncil, or read on for an excerpt from The Dryad’s Pawprint.
Excerpt: The Dryad’s Pawprint
Read on for an excerpt from The Dryad’s Pawprint, book one in a completed shifter romance series!
Get your copy here: http://books2read.com/thedryadspawprint
Kem’s memories focused on a beautiful blonde with hair down the small of her back. He’d met her about a year ago, when he’d been dragged out to a new club by his co-workers. Kem had watched from the side-lines, amused as they’d done any thing they could think of to disprove the stereotype that accountants were boring. But, from the moment he’d seen her in the middle of the dance floor, he’d felt different, and he’d known that no matter what happened; he had to have her. And he had. The mere memory of their one night of passion had his blood heating and his attention lagging from the work he should be focusing on. No matter what he did, his mind always seemed to focus on the need to find her again, but all he knew was her first name and what she looked like, both pretty much useless in a large city like he lived in. They hadn’t done much talking that night though, so he wasn’t even sure that she lived here too.
Giving up on any pretence of working, he unfolded the letter that had been burning a hole in his pocket ever since it had arrived three days ago. It was a summons before the Shifter Council and he still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, it was an honour that the Council even knew who he was, on the other, he didn’t reall
y want to be the focus of their attention. While his brother was an Alpha, Kem had managed nearly thirty years without being involved in paranormal politics, and that was the way he liked it; from what he knew, backstabbing and feuding was a way of life among the paranormal elite, and they didn’t give any thought for the lives of ordinary shifters like him.
Kem stretched, cracking his neck out as he did and considering that it might be time for a shift. While living in the city allowed him to have a somewhat normal life, it didn’t allow for late night runs in his panther form, or at least, it didn’t if he didn’t want to create crazy rumours like his cousin had on Dartmouth Moor. They still teased him about that whenever the family got together.
Sighing, he pushed to his feet and shrugged on his suit jacket. He figured he was presentable enough for the Council. The rules about appearing before them were strict, almost as if they were still stuck in the past. He realised that it probably wasn’t down to the current Council members, but it was another good reason to stay out of paranormal politics.
“Night, Kem!” Tony called from his desk, looking a little worse for wear. He was about Kem’s age, though just human as far as Kem knew, but still partied like he was in his early twenties. It showed in his bloodshot eyes and frequent hangovers, but if someone could see past that then they’d find a classically handsome face and a protective nature surrounding a kind heart. His own nature, plus the fact that he was a self-confessed romantic, meant that Kem was always trying to see the best in people, even those that tried to hide it.
“Night, Tony,” he replied with a wave, walking from the office and onto the street outside. The moment the cold night air hit him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had nothing against being inside, but there was something about the open air that called to the panther within him. Despite living in a large city, the constant calls from the government to keep pollution down helped to keep the air fresh and clean, for which he was constantly grateful. Kem glanced at his watch, relieved to find that he still had an hour before his summons from the Council, enough time for him to walk across the city and enjoy the crisp night air rather than having to catch a cab. It wasn’t a shifted run, but it was as close as he was going to get, though he could tell that he’d need to press some weights in his home gym later just to use up some of his pent-up energy.
As he walked, Kem relaxed, taking in his surroundings without being conscious of it. A movement in corner of his eye caught his attention as a slight woman with pale blonde hair walked by. His pulse sky rocketed and the pounding of his heart could surely be heard from a mile away, at least it would be by if there was a vampire or another shifter about.
“Lia!” He couldn’t stop himself from calling out to her, even if he’d wanted to. It was almost as if something deeper within him was pushing him to do it. He just needed to talk to her. Even if it meant discovering that he was the only one fixating on their night together. To his disappointment, the woman didn’t turn around and the only thing stopping him from running after her was the logical part of his brain that told him it probably wasn’t actually her, and he’d be accosting some other woman. That, or she didn’t recognise his voice and didn’t want to acknowledge a stranger; he didn’t blame her. It was sensible not to put herself in a vulnerable position.
Kem continued walking, a slight sense of dejection flowing through him and the night air no longer refreshed him like it should. His thoughts were now solely focused on Lia, not that that was really any different from normal. He’d thought a lot about what that meant too, but didn’t want to get his hopes up, especially if he was building her up in his head to be something that she wasn’t.
Before he knew it, Kem stood outside the Council’s building. It had an old stone facade, one of those that had stood the test of time and still managed to claim attention, even amongst the taller, more modern, buildings that surrounded it. Most members of the public thought that it was just another government building, and he supposed that in a way, it was. And yet, no one from the human government would be able to tell them what went on inside; that was just for the Paranormal Councils to know. The entrance hall was just as grand, and he supposed that it had been originally built with the intention of making any visitors feel intimidated. Quite a feat considering the typical personalities of a lot of paranormals. Seeing nobody about, Kem began to pace up and down the wide corridor, trying to burn off some of the nervous energy that had built up within him.
“Kemnebi Davis,” a bored voice called from a room to the left. Kem stopped his pacing and entered through the grand double doors. He hated the ceremony that they seemed to insist on standing on; there wasn’t really any need for it. The room was dim, with the only windows almost as high up as the roof itself. The vaulted ceiling was covered in scalloped stone work, which gave the room a grand feel, fitting in with the rest of the building that Kem had seen. The five members of the Council were seated in a semi-circle on a dais that placed them well above him, dressed smartly but not in a uniform way. The dais left Kem unable to do anything but stand at ground level and look up at them. He gave each of the Council members a deferential nod; these were shifters after all, and if they wanted a true show of his respect then they would have to earn it. The two female Council members nodded back politely, their natures meaning that they were more aware of social niceties, whereas the male members of the Council did nothing; their alpha sides refusing to show Kem the respect he hadn’t yet earned. That didn’t mean the women were weaker, in fact, both of them would probably be able to best Kem in some way, they wouldn’t have gained a seat on the Council otherwise.
“Good evening,” the light lilting voice of the woman sat to the far left broke through the silence. She was small in stature, with dark auburn hair and a sly look in her eyes. If Kem had to guess, he’d say that she was most likely a fox shifter and he made a mental note not to get on her bad side, if there was one thing to remember about fox shifters, it was that they fought dirty. That, and they were generally exceedingly intelligent, especially when it came to tactical thinking.
“Good evening,” Kem responded evenly. He didn’t want to reveal just how nervous he was, but knew that at least one of them could probably smell it on him. It was impossible to know for him to know for sure though, it all depended on what kind of shifters they were.
“Do you know why we’ve summoned you?” the woman continued, almost as if he hadn’t spoken. The question confused Kem slightly, he wasn’t sure why they’d think he knew, their summons had been a single sheet of paper with the time and date on it.
“I’m afraid not.”
“We wish to form an alliance with the Nymph Council.” The man’s deep gravelly voice conveyed a sense of danger to Kem, and the way he looked did nothing to dispel the notion. Even seated, the man looked tall, with the wide shoulders and muscle-bound physique that came naturally to a lot of shifters, even if it was just because they exercised a lot of burn off all the pent-up energy they seemed to have. Kem wasn’t sure what kind of shifter he was, but the mere size of him suggested he was some kind of bear. Except that bears tended to be the solitary kind of shifter, much like their animal counterparts, and it seemed unlikely to Kem that one would sit on the Council.
“What does that have to do with me?” Kem nerves kicked up a notch, there were only a few ways in which Councils aligned themselves with one another; a takeover, a treaty or a marriage. And as archaic as it seemed, marriage was the most common. Which was what worried Kem, it wasn’t likely that he’d be needed for the first two.
“We wish to propose a marriage between yourself, and the Dryad leader’s daughter, Aella.”
“I’ve heard she’s extremely beautiful,” the other female Council member broke in.
“No.”
“This isn’t a request.” The larger man’s words sent a shiver down Kem’s spine, keeping him on the edge.
“Why me? Surely there’s a better choice?” he blurted before he could think about what he was saying.
“I won’t marry anyone that isn’t my true mate.” He rose to his full height, not taking his eyes off the large man who was trying to control his fate. He suspected that some of the effect was lost considering how much higher the man was sat, but he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try.
“We need this Kemnebi, without the alliance we risk being pushed out of the High Council’s decisions.” That shocked him. He knew that shifters were rare compared to the other races, mainly because finding their mates had seemed to become ever harder as the years passed, but he hadn’t realised that it was quite that bad.
“I will think about it.” The large man scowled, but the white-haired woman next to him held up her hand to stop him.
“That’s all we ask Kemnebi. She is not aware of the marriage pact yet, but she will be in attendance at the reception tomorrow evening. I suggest you introduce yourself to her.” The woman’s voice was smooth and calming, making Kem wonder if she had mixed heritage. He’d heard that there were some paranormal races who could influence emotions with just their voice.
He wanted to growl. To refute what they were saying and pretend that it wasn’t true, but he realised that there was very little he could actually do. Without his true mate, they could argue that this was his duty, and he knew that eventually he’d do it. But the image of a certain blonde was emblazoned at the forefront of his mind, and that was enough to keep him resisting.
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