“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said with a small smile. “Was it Ulrik who kidnapped me and sent Sloan to Dreagan?”
Banan shook his head and met Con’s gaze over her shoulder. “Nay. Con has him watched constantly. Ulrik had nothing to do with this.”
“Then who was it?”
“A verra good question, and one I had hoped we’d discover tonight.”
“He knows you,” Jane said. “He told me there were Dragon Kings. He said he wanted to be here to see my face when I learned what you are, and that he wanted to see your face as well.”
Banan felt the rage rise in him again. “He thought you’d run from me.”
“You are a fearsome sight.”
Banan’s chest constricted at the note of anxiety he heard in her voice. “You’re afraid of me.”
“No. No,” she said again, and gave him a quick, hard kiss. “I admit, at first, yes. I wouldn’t have come to you or touched you if I had been that afraid. I always knew there was something different about you.” She ran her hand over his tat. “The dragon tattoo makes sense now. I just wish you’d told me.”
Banan rejoiced at her words, but he couldn’t hold back anymore. He covered her mouth in a kiss. Her sweet taste enflamed him, the desire licking at his blood.
He wanted to lay her down on the floor and claim her body again, not just as a man, but also as a Dragon King. She hadn’t run from him, hadn’t left him.
His hands skimmed down her back to cup her round bottom in his hands and bring her against his aching cock. Her soft moan was music to his ears. And just when he was about to start stripping her clothes off, rain pelted them.
Jane tore her lips from him as she laughed. Banan looked for Con and Rhys only to discover them gone, and he hurried to get Jane out of the rain.
She was running toward the door left open by Rhys or Con, but Banan pulled her to a stop.
“I need to know something.”
She wiped the water from her face and smoothed back her hair, a smile dancing in her eyes. “What is that?”
“You’ve seen and heard a lot this night. Is it too much for you to be with me?”
She grew very still. “Be with you?”
Banan swallowed. He’d never been nervous before. He’d never been a lot of things before Jane, but he wanted to experience them all with her.
“Because of the human female’s betrayal, Con used his magic so that none of the Dragon Kings would ever fall in love with humans.”
“Oh,” Jane said, her gaze lowering to the floor.
“All that changed over five months ago. Hal fell in love with Cassie. Then Guy fell in love with Elena. Something has changed, Jane. I used to no’ fully believe it. Then I held you in my arms.”
Her eyes snapped to his. “What are you saying?”
“I’m say—” He paused because he didn’t want to mess it up. “—I’m saying I’m in love with you, Jane Holden. I want you as mine. Always. Will you come back with me to Dreagan? Will you stand by me in all that my now-uncertain future holds?”
For long minutes she didn’t reply, and Banan was trying to think of what else to say to convince her, when a lone tear fell down her face.
He stopped the tear with his thumb before it reached her chin. “Jane,” he whispered.
“I’ve waited for you all my life,” she said. “I’d go anywhere with you, Banan.”
A laugh exploded from him as he crushed her against him. “I love you.”
“And I love you,” she said between the kisses she placed on his neck.
Epilogue
Jane got out of the Jaguar and closed the door, her gaze locked on the same tavern she’d visited months before.
“You can do this,” Banan said as he came up beside her.
She smiled as he took her hand. “Yes, as long as you’re with me.”
“I’ll always be with you.”
“You didn’t answer me yesterday, by the way.”
He looked away from her as he asked, “What are you talking about?”
Jane shook her head. “You’re lying. Why are you afraid to tell me how this will work? Is it because I’m right, and you just don’t want to admit that I’ll grow old and die while you live on?”
“Jane,” he said, and suddenly had her pinned to the car. “I doona have any answers. I wish I did, but all this is new. For the little time when humans and dragons coexisted together, there were humans who mated with Kings. None of their offspring survived. Hell, half of the women never carried the babies to term. And all the women eventually did die.”
She cupped his face and looked deep into his gray eyes. “I’m not really keen on you seeing me all wrinkled and hunched over, but I want whatever time we have, Banan. I understand that you’ll grow tired of me one day.”
“Nay,” he said, and gave her a gentle shake. “You doona understand. I’ve never, no’ once in all my life as a dragon or a Dragon King, felt for anyone what I do for you. You, Jane, are different. I was going to wait until we reached Dreagan to tell you, but you willna relent.”
She laughed and raised an auburn brow as she waited.
“A human can be bound to a King. You’ll live, staying as you are now, for as long as I live. Only if I die will you die.”
“Oh.”
“Is it too much?” he asked, knowing she’d taken in a lot over the past few days.
Jane rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “No. Is it something you want to do?”
“Aye. Most definitely, but I was going to give you some time.”
She rolled her coffee brown eyes. “Apparently, I haven’t let you know just how much I don’t want to be without you.”
“We’ll start making plans for the ceremony once we reach Dreagan.” He stared at her a moment before he chuckled. “Now, have you wasted enough time? Are you ready to meet Sammi?”
“No, and I don’t know. I’m scared, Banan,” she admitted.
He pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be all right.”
Jane took a steadying breath, and then they walked into the tavern. Sammi was behind the counter, drying some glasses and laughing at something a customer said to her.