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“B ut we’re already mates .” She reached up to the big man holding her and cupped his cheek. “You don’t need to do this.”

Aodh turned his face into her palm and kissed it but never took his flaming gaze off her. “This is what I want.”

Kai didn’t move for a moment as she assessed every muscle and feature of Aodh’s, trying to ensure he wasn’t only doing this because he thought she needed it to have faith in what they shared.

Since living among the Drahk and having Aodh as her mate, she didn’t dream about a wedding as she had when she was younger.

Hell, all the people inside the Wall she knew who decided to make their relationship legal only went to the Dispatch magistrate and signed a paper, no ceremony, no vows, just ink on paper. Done.

Now, it wasn’t necessary to her. Because she didn’t feel as if their relationship lacked anything to prove they were committed to each other for eternity.

Are you sure, mate?

Let me do this for you. For us, little flame.

The for us caused a sizzling in her core that spun up and around her heart. This man made her burn in so many ways.

“Alright.” Joy bubbled up inside of her and out. “Yes!”

Aodh chuckled and pulled her in closer. She inhaled his roasted-cinnamon scent, which always brought her comfort and made her clit pulsate. Kai pressed closer as she slid her hand up to the opening of his shirt and danced her fingers lightly along the hot markings along his collarbone.

Little flame, if you want this wedding to happen. I suggest you check your desire until the ceremony is over.

Heat filled her face. Kai bit her lip and took a step back. “Sorry.”

He shook his head as he banked the blue flames in his gaze. “Go with Tana and the other ladies. I’ll be the man with Liekki and Apophis in white.”

Kai laughed because everyone was dressed in white, including the spiritual leader and Liekki. Still, she turned. She was shocked to find Tana and Eilidh standing with Morlie behind her.

“Let’s get you ready for this wedding.” Tana smiled before leading their small group out of the large crowd.

Behind them, Aodh was speaking in Drahk. He thanked the Thunder for sticking around for the proceedings and helping him pull it together for his mate.

“Aguya Kai!” they all chanted collectively.

Kai’s breath caught in her throat at the dragon-shifters' acceptance and support. It amazed her that even if they believed human weddings were trivial compared to the bond of claimed mates, they still not only kept a secret from her what Aodh was planning but also helped.

The Mckenna had been busy today. His ability to communicate all this without her hearing even a whisper of it in her mind was proof of his extraordinary mental fortitude and strength.

She wasn’t offended that he could block her from his thoughts.

The man was centuries old and had a lot of time and genetics on his side.

However, she liked not only having Aodh in her head but there was a peaceful sense of belonging she felt when she could identify and communicate with Drahks in their dragon form.

Again, she wondered if once she had the babe that seemed to be growing at an exponentially fast rate, she would lose that link to the Thunder.

No one truly knew the answer. Her great-great-great-grandparents were the last Drahk-human mating pair, and neither lived long enough to provide historical data.

As she and the other ladies passed them to stand on the fringe of all the activity, Kai could see Drahks doing things to transform the space from a final flight ceremony to a lovely wedding venue.

They were not doing anything elaborate but simple things that would make the moment memorable for her and Aodh to cherish.

Idalia, the leader of the growers and gardens, directed some of her workers as they carried in small, filled sacks and handed them out.

Kai’s head was spinning.

Tana stepped before her, blocking her view. “Anala made this veil out of dragon flowers and the same lace she put on your dress.”

Kai’s eyes misted over, but she blinked the dew away, knowing that she would never stop if she began to cry now.

At the textile building, she’d assumed that the dress Aodh asked Anala to give her was only extra nice compared to everyone else because she would speak for her great-great-great-uncle; however, now that everything was coming together, Kai could see the dress had a dual purpose.

Kai lowered her head to allow Tana, slightly taller than she, to affix the ring of flowers and lace to her head.

Morlie stepped up and helped Tana by shifting around Kai’s thick curls so that the veil's crown was secure and sat perfectly on her head.

Once her sister and the older woman were done, the lace flowed down Kai’s back and curtained her shoulders as the hem of the veil blended with the dress's skirt. They moved back, and Eilidh came forward.

“I’ve never been to a wedding before, but Tana assured me that it is important for a bride to carry flowers when they walk their mate down the aisle.

So, I went to the greenhouse and made this for you.

” Eilidh handed over the bunch of long dragon flowers in shades of raspberry, pink, and orange so dark they reminded Kai of the scales of Aodh’s dragon, just not as rustic.

The short stems were held with a white satin ribbon tied in a bow.

“They are beautiful, Eilidh.” Kai briefly buried her nose in the colorful bunch of dragon flowers, inhaling deeply. “And they smell wonderful, like sweet vanilla. Thank you all so much.” A tear slipped out of the corner of one of her eyes. Kai wiped it away. “I feel like a bride.”

She giggled even as she tried to blink the tears away.

The young girl from her past who watched her parents dance around their small dwelling under the earth, who didn’t care that they didn’t have much, material things meaning nothing, as long as they had each other, felt the world brighten and open up anew.

The others laughed along with Kai, feeling the overwhelming joy of the moment.

“You look like one.” Morlie lifted her hand and brushed away another errant tear, beginning to follow the first. “Mom and Dad would be so proud of you, Sissy. Getting me beyond the Wall, committing to the man you love, and having their first grandchild.” Morlie pressed a hand to Kai’s stomach.

Whenever you are ready, little flame.

Kai heard Aodh’s rough, deep voice fill her mind.

She was more than ready, but there was one thing left she needed to do. Kai smiled and covered her sister’s hand as she saw Morlie’s eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Even though they are not here, I have you. Will you walk with me down the aisle?”

Morlie’s damp eyes stretched wide, and she swallowed several times. She took hold of Kai’s hand before she spoke. “Absolutely. I’d be honored, Sissy.”

Kai held her sister’s hand tight as she faced Tana and Eilidh. “I suggest we get going before my mate comes and gets me.”

And I will, too, Aodh rumbled . I want you as my wife, and I want you beneath me. I don’t care which comes first, but if I have to come for you, little flame, you can be sure the wedding will happen last.

Aodh groaned, causing an electric current to set off along her spine and head south, igniting her core.

I will have you. However, I can get you.

The growl he emitted was low and erotic. Kai could practically feel the flame along his tongue as he licked along her skin and tasted its fiery honey on her tongue.

If he came for her, she would come for him without hesitation or regard for anyone else around—as Drahks were known to do.

Kai sighed, pressed her lips tight, and bit into her tongue to stave off the swelling lust.

“We’ll find our places,” Tana declared.

“Before Aodh causes Kai to combust.” Eilidh rolled her eyes but grinned.

Kai knew the two Drahkelles couldn’t hear her and Aodh’s conversation, but Drahks were intuitive.

Besides, they communicated just as much through their dragon-link as verbally.

So, it wasn’t a stretch for them to figure out Aodh was talking to her.

She was sure her reaction clued them in that it was naughty things.

Tana led Eilidh toward the mass, waiting for the bride.

Kai voiced her thanks again as she clutched her flowers to her chest, held her sister’s hand, and took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then.” Morlie turned so that she was standing beside her instead of before Kai, blocking Kai’s view of everyone.

Kai’s breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the small transformations of the space.

All the Drahk present were divided into two separate sections and seated on makeshift chairs made of tree stumps, thick fallen branches, and boulders.

Even seated, their forms were still massive and could easily meet her and her sister in the eye.

There was an assortment of flower petals everywhere on the ground, but heavily layered along the center between the Drahks—a designated aisle.

“Wow. These Drahks are good and fast when they plan together.”

“It’s their dragons’ bond. They can’t help but move as one to do what needs to be done to care for each other.”

“And you, Aguya Kai .” Morlie smiled and teased, squeezing her hand.

“And me.” Kai’s heart swelled as her gaze landed on the man at the end of the floral lane. He was taller and broader than anyone else around.

Aodh dwarfed the spiritual leader and even took up more space than Liekki, who wasn’t slight in form by any standard.

Her mate never ceased to take her breath away when she laid eyes on him.

Still, this night, standing in the glow of the multiple torch lights bracketing the clearing, wearing a dress shirt and slacks, with cornflower-blue heat radiating beneath the white material, made her heart stop and then begin to pound rapidly in her chest.

She wanted to run to him. Instead, Kai worked to calm the urgency in her blood and took her first step toward her destiny.