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After a long while, her head lolled to the side and backwards with her ear pressing against his shoulder.

“We have had quite the day and night on the black moon. How are you feeling?”

A night had passed while she was resting, and he wanted to know how she was coping. It took her quite a few days to break down after she’d been put on the stake.

He reached forward to turn her face towards him softly and her body twisted slightly to the side, making it easier for him to look at her.

Much had happened, both terrible and good. For him, he’d killed the man he’d been hunting for years and claimed this female as his mate, the in between was pointless to him now.

“Tired and light-headed mostly.”

He snuffed his want to roll his eyes. He’d already known that.

“That is not what I meant.”

“Oh.” Her brows knotted as she gave him pout. “I am not really sure. I feel upset that it happened, but I am also relieved that it is over.”

Accepting her answer, he let her rest against him while he trailed his fingertips over her. He even occasionally massaged her shoulders to get the last of the tension out. She looked tired, but also like she was deep in thought.

Her fingertips came up to brush over her neck.

She is thinking about my claim.

Just when her eyes began to droop, and he was about to get them out so that she could rest again, he heard a noise.

Rurik brought his arm forward so he could wrap it around her breasts to cover them with his arm. This woke her a little from her trance.

He pressed his lips to the back of her neck with his head turned so he could see the entrance, and spoke softly when he said, “You do not need to move.”

She didn’t get the chance to ask him why before a green scaled paw came into their line of sight.

She tensed against him, and her arms came up to cross over her waist. She even brought her knees up higher to hide her body.

“Witch,” Glov casually greeted, poking his head in before continuing down the tunnel.

Then he suddenly took a step back and shot his head inside the alcove. His eyes widened, and he reared his head back far enough that it smacked against the entryway that was lower than the ceiling.

He shot forward to cover his head with a paw.

“Rurik?!” he exclaimed with surprise while rubbing his scaled head. “What... What are you doing?”

“Ha! Knew that would be hilarious,” Rurik chuckled. “Obviously, I am having a bath.”

“Yes, but you are having a bathwithher.”

His spiked brows drew together at the sight of them.

Amalia turned her head to him to whisper, “I thought you did not want anyone to know.”

Instead of answering either one of them, he lifted one hand and pressed it to the side of her jaw. He tilted her head up, keeping his eyes on Glov until he unveiled to him what he needed to.

He revealed her neck like a display.

“You claimed her as your mate?!” Rurik could see the confusion in Glov’s expression and the obvious aversion he had to discovering this.

He lowered his head to Amalia’s ear to speak to her, knowing Glov would overhear.

“Although we usually mark the body, I marked your neck so that all my kind would see it even when you are clothed. It means they will all know you are mated to a Dragon and should not attack you if I am not around.” Then he spoke out loud. “It would appear so, yes.”