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Liekki strode past him to take his position and punched him in the shoulder. My head in my dragon’s ass...good one. My dragon should find himself so lucky.

A single corner of his brother’s mouth curled a fraction, offering a glimpse of the jovial guy beneath the cloaked surface his brother had buried himself beneath right now. Then Liekki winced, and his step faltered for a second.

Aodh chuckled, figuring Liekki’s dragon probably disliked the comment.

He glanced left and then right. He could only see his brother and Keahl but could sense the others in place on the other sides of the house.

Taking a deep breath, Aodh prepared himself to give the Wise One his final flight. “Drahks, take your form.”

Centering himself, he felt the heat of his dragon spread through his body as the beast sent fire into his blood, causing his veins to sizzle and spark with excitement and filling him with the power of immortality even though he knew just like Drago, one day centuries from now he would take his final flight.

In a breath, Aodh settled into the core of the massive, burnt-orange beast whose enormous head reached high beyond the top of the house.

The Mckenna huffed and met the gaze of the four other dragons surrounding the single-level home before it peered down into the open roof and saw the prepared form of the white dragon.

Besides the ropes fastened and knotted around Drago’s huge still form, the hoard room appeared desolate and barren without a fire or a pearl, proof that all life had been vanquished.

The Mckenna felt the grief of its people, even the ones waiting at the ceremonial ground, vibrating through its core. Not wanting to delay any longer, the orange dragon coordinated the sections and positions of the group.

Following orders in silence, each dragon bowed its head and carefully nudged at the thick ropes the Drahks who prepared the dragon had cinched around Drago’s massive form in a Shibari fashion, which would allow them to carry the deadweight of the dragon with ease and not harm its scales.

Rhys and Liekki each claimed straps for the wings, and Keahl and Edjer carefully locked their jaws around the ropes for the back section of the body.

Once each dragon's jaws held the leads, the Mckenna called out his next order, Let’s fly!

With that, the burnt-orange beast was the first to launch itself into the air, shaking the ground in its wake.

The movement of its vast wings caused heavy wind currents, which made every tree in the vicinity bow as if respecting the dragon being lifted and beginning the journey to its final resting place.

Up and down, the Mckenna flapped its wings as it flew higher and higher into the sky.

The quartet mirrored their leader's movements and synced their wing strokes with Aodh’s burnt-orange dragon’s.

After they reached the required altitude, they began their journey toward the ceremonial ground as Drago’s body glided in and out of the scattered clouds chased by the coming night.

The Mckenna had seen the final flight many times throughout its lifespan.

He knew that with their position so high from the ground, it appeared like Drago was flying steadily in formation with the other dragons.

The evening sky would allow the ropes to be incognito, making the moment fitting and honorable.

Every dragon had the right to spend its last day on earth soaring toward heaven.

An hour later, they began their descent. The Mckenna widened and curved its wings downward to cup the air and use it to slow its speed, and the dragon guided the formation toward the wood altar set up in the clearing.

The Mckenna's keen vision allowed it to see its Thunder all dressed in white against the backdrop of the increasing darkness.

However, even as the massive beast aimed the group toward the stack, it fixed its golden-slit eyes on one person, feeling its heart expand as its mate stood among the gathering with her gaze locked on him.

You are magnificent, Mckenna, a worthy leader .

Shivers raced along the dragon’s spine and caused its scales along its back and down the length of its tail to raise a fraction at Kai’s praise.

As the crowd gave them a broad berth to land, the Mckenna brought all four legs to the ground with ease, only causing a slight rumble.

The massive beast watched the considerate way Liekki, Rhys, Keahl, and Edjer hovered above the big pile of wood and lowered Drago slowly onto his final resting place.

Still, the Mckenna took a moment before yielding its shared form back to the human.

He opened the audible receptors wide and pushed away all sounds but one—its offspring.

The enormous beast listened for every chortle, whine, hiss, and click his little one made inside Kai’s womb, drawing the sounds in and holding them close to his heart. The Mckenna allowed the tiny timbre to soothe and bolster his spirit.

After the ropes were released, the four dragons located spaces to land and shift as the Mckenna felt the warmth of Kai’s presence, closing the space between them.

She placed both her hands on the center of its snout and stroked up toward the eyes holding hers, stealing a moment to connect with the immense beast.

Finding comfort in her touch but knowing she needed Aodh at her side for what was to come, the Mckenna inhaled deeply and let go of its hold on the body.

“I am here, little flame. Always beside you.” Aodh slid his arms around Kai’s waist and drew her to him as her hands settled on his shoulders.

“I’m glad because I need you.”

For a moment, they stood alone in the clearing; everyone else was blocked out.

Aodh felt the small tremors running through her body.

He took in the loveliness of her medium-brown cherub features, magnified by the dense, shoulder-length, natural coils that surrounded her round face.

The depths and honesty in her brown eyes captivated him and drew him in.

Even in the time they had been together and the intimate, salacious things they had done, there was still an innocence about Kai that made him want to protect and corrupt her every moment of the day.

Carrying his child only made her more attractive.

His heart pounded and swelled in his chest with pride and love for her.

He could never lose her; Kai was a part of him, and her loss would instantly cause his death in so many ways.

Even if the bond had not taken Jaseena after Draig's death, Aodh was sure she would have chosen to follow her mate anyway. Aodh would do the same.

Tonight, he would show her how much he loved her, that she was an eternal part of him and everything he held dear.

As Kai stood among all his people dressed similarly in white, he could only see her beauty, see how devastating she looked in her dress.

The long, lace-capped sleeves hung off her shoulders, leaving her skin bare to the swells of her ample breasts.

Breasts he’d held licked and suckled just that morning before history changed for them both.

When he’d radioed Anala from the Comm building and asked her to select a special dress for Kai tonight, he never anticipated the textile leader had such a creation as this.

The lace and satin conformed to his mate's lush curves, making him desire to use his fingers and trace every line of her body encased in the material from breasts to her feet.

Everything was hidden from him but still revealed in a way that drove his lust higher.

If any of their outside guests weren’t aware of his mate’s pregnancy, the dress and Kai’s protruding belly left no question, making her more stunning.

It took all his strength to draw his gaze from her and begin the ceremony. Aodh kissed her temple before he stepped away.

A ring of stone spread out around the wooden altar where Drago lay, and Aodh stopped before them.

He glided his gaze across the masses, seeing the many faces of dragon-shifters of all ages gathered there that night.

The only ones not present were those in the air on patrol monitoring their borders.

However, those on patrol were still dressed in white, settled within their dragons, and remained in their beasts’ forms throughout the ceremony, allowing them to stay connected and participate.

“Drahk, we have come this night to connect, remember, and honor the life of a dragon who was the oldest of our people. One who held not only the memories of a significant part of our history but who had lived it as well. Drago lived in service of our people in many ways until his last breath.”

Drahks all around nodded.

“Before our Und-Heil leads us all in releasing Drago’s soul back to the Great Spirit, our Creator, a few will come forth and share stories of his life.

Those who sat on the Wise Ones’ Council with him.

” Aodh met Keahl and his father’s gaze. “After they are finished, I would invite everyone to come forward to create the never-ending circle around Drago. Then his niece, the last of his lineage within our people...” Aodh glanced through the crowd of his people and spotted Chanin and Morlie within the trees at the edge of the borderline that separated the Lupine from the Drahk, and even though he didn’t hesitate in his words, he chose them carefully not wanting to offend his mate's sister. However, Morlie did not carry their gene and was not linked to them by the past promise and Mage seal. Yet, the Alpha’s mate was an essential family member to his mate.

Aodh continued, “Our Mistress of Fire, Aguya Kai, will bless Drago and usher him on.”