Kiril rose and walked behind his chair, leaning his hands upon the back. “The same could be said of the dozens of relationships the Kings have had with humans. Please doona use that as a guide. I love you. I let you down in Balladyn’s fortress by no’ believing you. I’m prepared to spend eternity making that up to you.”
“You’re serious,” she said softly, her silver eyes hopeful.
“I doona ask this of you lightly. No King does. I’m no’ whole without you. I didna realize what was missing until I found you, and then the awareness became so obvious it was difficult to get through each day.”
Her gaze dropped from his to the table. She stared at her food.
Apprehension turned his blood to ice. He had worried it would be asking too much of her, but he couldn’t not ask her. If it took forever before she consented he would remain with her and keep asking.
He swallowed past the lump of emotion in his throat. “If that’s too much, I understand. You’ve been under your family’s rule. You probably need some time to yourself. Just promise you’ll return to me as often as you can.”
His heart was in his throat as he waited for some kind of response. Finally her eyes lifted to his. She set aside her napkin and stood. Kiril straightened, his hands fisted at his sides so he wouldn’t pull her against him.
“You want me?” she asked in such a soft voice he had to strain to hear her.
“More than anything in all the universe.”
She dropped her face into her hands. Kiril glanced around, unsure of what to do. He had no idea what to do or if he should do anything. Was she happy? Distraught? Angry? Did she want his touch? Should he leave?
Every question ran through his mind in rapid succession without a single answer to help him. He decided to remain where he was. Kiril couldn’t imagine her turning away from him, but he didn’t want to chance it. It would destroy him as nothing else could.
When her head lifted, her cheeks were streaked with tears. “I didn’t dare hope for such words.”
Kiril’s shoulders sagged with relief as he closed the distance between them and pulled her against him. Her face was in his neck as fresh tears soaked his shirt.
“Is that a yes?” he asked hopefully.
At her nod, he held her tighter. He didn’t know how he had gotten such a woman to be his, but Kiril was determined to ensure that she was always happy. No matter what he had to do, she was his priority.
EPILOGUE
Three weeks later …
Rhys stood back with a glass of whisky in hand as he watched Kiril and Shara leave the cavern after their mating ceremony.
Kiril’s smile was a mile wide as he gazed adoringly down at Shara who only had eyes for him. She was beautiful in a deep-orange floor-length strapless gown. Her long black hair was down with the silver strip pulled back with a clip. Around her wrist was a bracelet of emerald-cut rare padparadscha sapphires from Sri Lanka—a gift from Con as a welcoming to their world.
On Shara’s left upper arm was the new dragon eye tattoo that signaled her as a mate of a Dragon King. In the few weeks Shara had been at Dreagan, she had imparted things about the Dark Fae.
Henry, the Kings’ human friend in MI5, was keeping track of Dark Fae movements around the world. In the short time they had been watching, it was clear the Dark were up to something.
Rhys’s gaze shifted to Con who was the last to leave the cavern. He had been quietly watching Ulrik for days through the video feed from Perth, waiting for him to make a wrong move, but so far Ulrik had done nothing. Rhys wondered how much longer Con would wait before he went after Ulrik.
“Another mated,” Con said as he stopped beside him.
Rhys lifted his glass in salute when Kiril looked at him. With a smile on his face directed at Kiril, Rhys told Con, “It’s unstoppable now. We went through thousands of millennia without mating. Perhaps it’s time.”
“Are you next then?”
His smile disappeared as he jerked his gaze to Con. “Doona even jest. It’s no’ for me.”
“Nor me,” Con agreed. “Yet the others seem happy.”
“Let’s hope they remain that way.” Rhys downed the whisky in one swallow. He glared at Con when he found him staring. “The pain is minimal tonight.”
“We willna be able to keep it from everyone for much longer.”
“We have to,” Rhys said urgently. “I doona want anyone to find out. At least no’ until we know what’s going on.”
Con’s lips flattened into a line. “I’m working on it, though it would be easier if I could have others looking into it as well.”
“It’s bad enough you mentioned it to Phelan.”
Con faced the festivities as music began to blare. Kiril and Shara were in each other’s arms dancing in slow circles beneath the moonlight. “He willna say a word to anyone. He’s trustworthy.”
“I’m finding it hard to trust anyone,” Rhys admitted. “A King did this to me, Con. I want to know who.”
Con grimly watched him disappear into the night. “I do too, my friend.”
*