Page 61 of The Dragon Maiden
I made a face. There had been enough ceremonies lately and I was not sure I wanted another one. Only a couple months ago, I had become his official Dragon Maiden.
“We could always do something small,” he said.
“But you’re the High Dragon Lord,” I said. “Isn’t it expected that we invite everybody?”
“That usually is how things are done, yes,” he said. “But nothing about the two of us is normal. Having a ceremony with just the Lords would be sufficient for witnesses. What would you think of that?”
“And the Dragon Maidens too?” I asked. “And Ronan?”
Ronan had taken up residence in the caves now. He helped Lord Lorka oversee the crops, glad to finally have a chance to slow down and work with his hands again. In the past few years, he had not had that chance, ever since he had left home.
“They would be more than welcome,” Dracul said, nodding.
I leaned over and kissed him, savoring the taste of his lips. That was something I did not think I would ever get used to—every time gave me butterflies. I pulled back, glad to see a smile on Dracul’s face. My cheeks flushed as I felt a warmth spread through me.
“What was that for?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Just because,” I said, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. “Are there different duties I would have to take over as yourdragaria?”
Dracul sat up, facing me. “That is something I wanted to talk to you about,” he said. “Because therewillbe different duties. I was wondering what your thoughts would be on scaling back on your Dragon Maiden duties. You would still bear the title, but less of the manual labor.”
“Who would do that instead?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I had the other Maidens do it before you came along,” he said. “Or we could have one of the servants clean up around here if you want.”
“I don’t mind the cleaning,” I said.
“But you’ll have yourdragariaduties on top of that,” Dracul pointed out. “You’ll be accompanying me on tours to the different clans, attending the council meetings with me, and you’ll be given tasks to deal with the administration of the cave.”
“Doesn’t Lord Verhorn do that administrative piece now?” I asked.
Dracul chuckled. “He does, but he shouldn’t be,” he said. “It’s one of the tasks that got assigned to him since I did not have adragariawhen I was appointed High Dragon Lord. There were a few things over the course of my reign that have been unusual.”
“I see,” I said. “Then why don’t we see how things go with me doing both sets of tasks for a while? If it becomes too much then we can go with your plan of having someone else do the manual labor.”
Dracul kissed me, making me lightheaded. He pulled back and I had to gasp for breath. “That sounds like an excellent plan,” he said. “Now that we’ve decided on a small ceremony, when would you like to hold it?”
“How about late summer?” I asked. “It’s a few months away and gives us time to get everything ready.”
“That sounds perfect, Lora,” he said before lunging at me.
I shrieked in surprise, which turned into giggles as we began to kiss each other, running our hands over each other’s bodies. The heat within me flared up and I could not wait for us to be officially tied together.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Valora
The next few months passed in a blur, excitement filling the caves. The Dragon Maidens once more worked on my dress for the ceremony—my wedding dress this time. After taking my measurements, they refused to let me see them working on it, wanting the dress to be a surprise for the day of the ceremony. They had done such a wonderful job with my dress for the Dragon Maiden ceremony that it was easy to let them take the lead with my wedding dress. Ronan had agreed to walk me down the aisle and the Dragon Maidens had volunteered to make him a custom suit as well.
Each of the Dragon Lords had a role to play in the ceremony. Lord Hiram would be officiating the ceremony since he was Dracul’s closest advisor. Due to Dracul wanting to incorporate a few human wedding traditions into the ceremony, Lord Noxus created our rings, taking prized gems out of Dracul’s hoard for the bands. Lord Verhorn was tasked with documenting the ceremony for historical records. For food, Lord Lorka was in charge—he had everything harvested directly from the clan’s crops, as well as flowers. And lastly, Lord Firenze was tasked with music. Surprisingly, he was a gifted lutist.
As the day drew near, palpable excitement filled the caves. Everyone was thrilled that the High Dragon Lord had found hisdragariaand we would officially be joined together. Every time I saw Dracul after being away from his side, no matter how short that time apart had been, I felt giddy. Officially, I had moved into his quarters and being able to fall asleep next to him every night was a dream.
The morning of the ceremony, when I awoke, Dracul was already gone. There was a note on his side of the bed wishing me a good morning and that he could not wait to see me at the ceremony. He wanted to keep to the human tradition of not seeing his bride on our wedding day so he had snuck out last night after I had fallen asleep. His sweetness made my heart melt and put a smile on my face.
Shortly after breakfast, the Dragon Maidens bustled into our quarters, dress in hand. Lord Firenze had found a new Dragon Maiden by now, a sweet blonde girl named Chutney Sweeten, and she was with the group as they dressed me.
Taking a look at myself in the mirror, I gasped. They had outdone themselves. The dress had a curved neckline with long sleeves, intricate navy embroidery, and diamonds covering the bodice. The skirt billowed out from my waist in swaths of fabric, diamonds continuing to drip down to the hem. A long, scalloped train flowed behind me. My necklace from Dracul rested in the hollow of my throat.