When she started to relax, she locked her legs around him, urging him to start moving again, this time at a faster tempo. The heat and urgency was building inside him this time, and he allowed himself to build toward a crescendo with her.
As he did, as her legs pulled against him, he could see his old country, beautiful and pristine and wild, but it blended into this new world, with Kate and Tank and this home. And visits to the other dragons. And flights in the sky. And Kate pregnant. The thought was enough to almost make him lose it in the moment. He didn’t know if he was seeing the future or just the culmination of all his hopes. He knew shifters sometimes felt or saw amazing things during mating, but he’d never known what until now.
“I’ll love you forever,” he said, feeling his whole body tighten as they grew close to the finish. He placed kisses over her shoulders before locking his lips over hers to seal his promise. She wriggled slightly under his lips, unbearably turned on, so he moved again, pulling back and looking into her eyes as they went over the edge together with one powerful thrust.
She screamed, rocking forward and clutching his back, digging her nails in as his body jerked and his seed released, gushing into her in hot waves.
Would this be the time they got pregnant? He couldn’t help thinking it, even if he knew he’d be happy until the end of time with Kate regardless. She thrust with him through the last of her orgasm, and he loved the sensation, going with her in his arms, going at the same time, both of them lost in a pleasure that was theirs alone to share.
Like they were in their own little universe.
When they were done and she was panting beneath him, having let go of his shoulders to collapse back on the bed, he grinned down at her. “I love you, Kate. I know I say that a lot, but—”
She reached up and pulled him down against her, letting his heavy weight rest on her small form. “I love you, too, you silly dragon. You can say it as much as you want.”
“Let’s live here,” he said. “We can travel, we can visit the castle, but I want to make this place beautiful for you. And since it’s the place where we fell in love, I want to always keep it.”
She nodded against him. “I can do that. As long as you’re here.”
“Besides,” he said. “I like the hot tub and the shower and—”
“Shh,” she said with a laugh, tracing lazy circles over the sensitive skin of his back. He shuddered slightly. “When are you ready for another round, dragon?”
“You can call me Liam, you know,” he said, feeling embarrassed.
“I loved seeing your dragon, though,” she said. “And saying it helps me remember who you are. Something special about you.”
“Are you saying my human form isn’t special?”
“Not at all,” she said, pulling back to look into his eyes. “The human you is what I fell in love with. But after seeing your dragon today, I’m a little bit in love with him, too.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. He’s pretty impressive, right?”
“Huge,” she said. “I can’t wait to fly with him.”
“We’ll have to get permission from Aegis,” he said, nonplussed about that part.
“It’s fine,” she said. “We can figure it out from here.”
“That’s true,” he said, moving off of her to cuddle at her side. He loved pushing up on one hand to look down at her. She was relaxed, lying on her back, totally naked and secure, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful smile on her face.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about how you always used to say, ‘I’ll see you at first light.’ Now I’m going to see you at first light for the rest of my life. I like the thought of it.”
Warmth moved through his entire body. “I like the thought of it, too. And the reality.”
He thought of the storm that had struck his ship, the icy, panicked sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Waking up with only his crew and feeling alone and having to adjust to the modern world.
Looking over at his mate’s hazel eyes, he knew he’d do it all again to be able to meet her in her time.
He lowered his lips to kiss her, and as she melted into his arms, he felt shaken to his core at the reality that she was his now.
First light, last light, darkness. No matter how the world turned, he’d never have to leave her.
He’d found the place where he belonged.
Epilogue
Liam watched Tank run across the huge lobby of the castle, his paws skittering and slipping as he fought to gain purchase, his tongue hanging out as he slid toward a column.
Aegis, who was walking nearby, deftly stepped in front of the column, making an “oof” noise as Tank slid into him.
“Watch your animal,” Aegis muttered to Liam, but there was a hint of a smile in his green eyes.
“Thanks,” Liam said, jogging over to Tank and crouching down to rub his ears. “Say thank you to Aegis, boy. He saved your butt.”
Tank looked up at Aegis and then bounced up on his back legs to put his paws up on Aegis, who, looking mildly horrified, stepped back, pushing the dog off of him.
Kate walked over to them, grinning, and called Tank to her. He came in front of her and sat obediently. A fluffy grey cat wandered down the main stairway and sat on the bottom step, cleaning its fur.
“Kate, have you met Cuddles?” Aegis asked drily.
“I haven’t,” Kate said. “Is she dog-friendly?”
“She’s equal opportunity,” Aegis said. “In that she’s usually either humping or keeping to herself.”
Tank eyed her with interest but didn’t go over to her.
“Since you two are going to be staying here, I guess we should have some ground rules with the pets. Tank is welcome to go anywhere as long as he is trained and safe.”
“He is,” Kate said. “Mostly thanks to Liam.”
Aegis raised an eyebrow at that and nodded. “And I’m sorry for calling you back here. I know that with your house newly worked on, you’d prefer to be there, but with rogue dragons out there that we don’t fully understand, we are safer together.”
Liam sighed. “I understand, but I don’t like it. I can keep Kate safe on my own.”
“Be that as it may, I don’t fully trust any of you,” Aegis said, folding his arms and leaning back against the column as Cuddles jumped off the steps and slunk over to him, rubbing herself against his leg with a loud purr. Aegis’s jaw twitched. “Here it goes.”
Opal came out of nowhere, scooping Cuddles up and cooing to her as Cuddles tried to get away. Opal held her nonetheless and the animal began to purr again as Opal stroked her cheek. “It’ll be fun having you here. I’m so happy to have another girl in the house.”
“Thank you for the rescue,” Aegis said to his mate. “Now, back to you, Liam. As I said, I can’t fully trust any of you because you didn’t tell me about Gold or the other dragons when you first knew they were running around.”
“I’m sorry,” Liam said. “But until I knew what was going on, I wasn’t sure what to say. And I didn’t want you to call me back. Not when I was winning Kate.”