Shifters Gone Alpha (26 page)

Placing her hand atop Cole’s arm once again, they continued down the path, talking and taking in the wondrous scenery. The sound of water reached her ears, piquing her interest almost as much as her excitement. A few more steps and they cleared the trees. Hannah found herself beside a small grotto. Water flowed over large polished rocks into a reflective pond naturally decorated with lily pads and cattails. The natural landscaping was flawless, but the man-made, well, ‘dragon-made’, decorations that surrounded the grotto were perfection. Maypoles decorated with hundreds of amethyst, silver, and white ribbons that flowed together with the flower garlands winding around their lengths dotted the perimeter. 

Her escorts led her to the far side of the grotto where a gazebo, decorated to match the maypoles and four incredibly ornate chairs resembling small thrones were positioned in a semi-circle inside, sat nestled in a group of blossoming Cherry trees. The chairs were empty one moment, and in the blink of the eye, the four Elders she’d met over the course of her stay with the dragons appeared. Rian, Stefan, Niall, and Marcas moved as fast if not faster than she’d seen the Guardsmen move. It somehow shocked her that even the old guys moved
fast
.

The Elders all nodded their greeting as Tomas and Cole left her standing next to a small decorated chair where her roses had been placed. A rustling to her left alerted her to the arrival of the other Guardsmen. Since they were not at his home clan, Rian and the other Blue Thunder Elders along with Carrick and Rayne from the Golden Fire Clan agreed to allow the Blue Dragon Force to witness their union. The six Guardsmen along with Jace and Royce were dressed in their finest, similar to her escorts but in colors that matched their specific dragons. Rory was at the head of the line, standing tall and proud in a surcoat of royal blue accented with swirls of deep green. Hannah expected him to look more like the Commander he was since this was a solemn ceremony, but true to form he wore a shit-eating grin and winked when she looked at him. Then came Kellan, the recluse of the group. As always, his long dark blond hair covered the left side of his face that had been badly scarred while he’d been serving in the Marines. His midnight blue surcoat so dark, Hannah really had to focus to make sure it was blue and not black.

Next was Declan, who everyone referred to as their techie. His surcoat was the brightest blue of them all and reminded Hannah of the noonday sky. Lennox, the ‘mad bomber’ as they all called him, wore a surcoat of an almost teal color, equal parts blue and green. Pearce, the one responsible for everything no one else wanted to do, had a dress uniform almost as dark as Kellan’s. Lastly for the Blue Dragons was Brannoc, the only one Hannah hadn’t met in person. He was dressed in such a lite color of blue that she wondered if he’d ever been mistaken for a white dragon.

Looking at her with fatherly pride was Royce, her mate’s mentor and the oldest of the MacLendon Force at Liam’s home clan. His beautiful royal blue surcoat with green accents truly fit the gentle giant who seemed to care for everyone while grumbling and complaining. Lastly was Jace, Liam’s best friend and
her
best friend’s mate. His glistening bronze surcoat exactly matched the dragon she’d seen on the day they’d been saved from the
Dorcha
. All the men smiled, filling her with the true acceptance of a family she had never expected to have. Add that to her sisters and the man she would love for the rest of her life and Hannah was overwhelmed by her blessings.

Liam came striding around the gazebo, looking better than any man had a right to look, essentially stealing the breath from her lungs. His deep purple surcoat with silver braids and embroidery accentuated the amazing body she knew lay beneath. His smile lit up the twilight as he looked nowhere but into her eyes. The electrical current she was quickly coming to associate with her mate snapped to life. She realized he’d felt it too when his pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. Her body reacted to everything when they were together, and she hoped she would make it through the mating ceremony without dragging him behind the gazebo and making love to him until neither could walk, much less think. She knew he heard her thoughts when his smile widened and he winked.

Great minds think alike.

He stopped ten feet from her, almost at attention. Hannah held her breath, waiting for what would come next. Rian cleared his throat and began speaking in his low commanding voice. 

“Long ago, when knights and dragons fought side by side for King and Country, it became apparent dragon kin was no longer safe from those that would expose and destroy them. They sought to join with the knights who for centuries had fought so valiantly as their allies. Thus, through magic and the will of both dragon and knight, the Blue Thunder Clan and Golden Fire Clan of the Dragon Shifters became a reality. It was through the joining of many different clans that we have all become the strong and powerful Force we are today.

“We are here, at the Grotto of Prayer, a place long blessed by our ancestors that went before us, to honor what the Universe put into place all those many years ago. To acknowledge and bless the mating of Liam Alexander Drennan to the one the Universe made for him, Hannah Marie McKennon. Will those seeking to witness this union please step forward?”

From their place next to the gazebo the eight Guardsmen stepped forward. She knew they had all trained him, fought with him, bled with him, and now shared the happiest moment of both their lives with
them
. They knelt as one and bowed their heads. Rory then stood and addressed the Elders, “We, the six of the Aherne Force and our brethren from the MacLendon Force, wish to witness and offer our blessing to the union of these two souls, two halves of the same whole. May they live long, fight hard, love harder, and produce many young to flourish in this world when their souls have gone to the Heavens.” He knelt next to his men and bowed his head once again.

Rian began again, “Your witness and blessing have been acknowledged and accepted Aherne and MacLendon Forces. Liam Drennan, you may go to your mate.”

Hannah didn’t even see him move before he was standing in front of her with a look in his glowing hazel eyes that made her feel loved, adored, and incredibly humble to have found real love. He took her hands in his, and she felt all the emotion and power he held for her just from his touch.

Rian began again, “The Purple Dragons are warriors that represent devotion and royalty. It is the purple dragons that first took the throne of power from those that would’ve seen us destroyed, even before man walked the Earth. The Universe shows favor on her purple-scaled warriors as they delivered her chosen ones from certain death. They symbolize extreme passion from the red side of their nature, which is balanced by the reason from their blue-scaled ancestors. They use those characteristics to protect all they hold dear and dole out justice fairly and with unwavering commitment. Their love never tires, but instead seems to grow stronger with each passing year. To mate a Purple Dragon means to accept all that they are and honor the power shared between mates.

“Now is the time of the marking. May the Universe continue to bless you and yours all of your days here and in the Heavens.” She knew the Elders were leaving by the boot strikes on the wood of the gazebo, but she couldn’t look away from her mate and just assumed the other Guardsmen had followed.

She had no idea how long they stood ensnared in one another’s gaze before Liam pulled her the last few inches to him. He lowered his head and stopped right before his lips touched hers. His breath tingled on her lips as he whispered, “
Ta’ mo chroi istigh ionat
,” before closing the scant distance between them. The first brush of his lips touched every cell of her body. A heat unlike any she’d known before consumed her from the inside out, laying her open, heart and soul, to her mate.

One perfect moment in all of time, just for us.

A sharp pain on the left side of her neck caused her to flinch and try to pull away. Liam left her lips, taking a moment to look into her eyes before trailing kisses across the sensitive skin of her neck until he reached the tender spot. He licked and sucked until all thoughts of anything but their bodies loving one another were banished from her mind. Her fingers wound through his hair, pulling him closer as he continued to lavish her neck and shoulders until spontaneous combustion was imminent. Pulling his mouth to hers, Liam pulled back just as her lips would’ve met his and winked, denying her what she desperately wanted.

“Are you trying to kill me?”
She asked, using their mindspeak for the first time.

Liam threw back his head. Hannah saw a mark on his neck she knew hadn’t been there before as he laughed his marvelous booming laugh that made her tingle all over. She reached up, touching the brand that resembled a flame with a scale in the center. As she ran the tip of her index finger over the mark, Liam growled low in his throat. His fingers then found the spot on her neck where she’d felt pain just a few minutes before. Intense arousal flooded her body, Hannah was sure she would lose consciousness from just his fingertips on her mating mark. As she looked into his eyes, he nodded, “Yes,
mo chroi’
, they match, and if we don’t stop touching them, there
will be
no stopping us.” He waggled his eyebrows as she removed her hand from his neck.

“Now you stand right there. I have something I want to show you.”

He winked as he backed away, leaving Hannah to imagine what he was up to. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long before the feel of magic, like a million butterfly kisses, touched every exposed inch of her skin. She watched as the man that held her heart turned into an amazing purple dragon right before her eyes.

“Come on over. I won’t bite…much.”
Liam teased.

“You better not breathe fire or anything else that might mess up my dress.” She chuckled and then laughed out loud when she realized the weird almost hacking noise she heard was Liam laughing in his dragon form.

The front of his snout and nostrils were black and led to numerous peaks and valleys showcasing every imaginable hue of purple scales running from his nostrils to his eyes. Hannah marveled at all the different patterns his scales made. She’d only made it as far as his face and already she was absolutely mesmerized.

The scales around his eyes were much lighter, almost translucent with a violet hue, and smaller than any other she could see. They were layered in a protective manner that also accentuated the large gold-flecked hazel orb looking down at her.

A row of imposing spikes started at the base of his head, growing in length and width as they ran down the entire the length of his spine and ending just before his tail. Glancing back to his head, she saw he also had two very lethal looking horns growing from his brow ridge and curling back over his cranium for at least six feet.

She walked closer, placing her hand on the side of his muzzle, massaging as she moved towards his wings. They were gigantic, even folded into his sides, she imagined they would cover the better part of the grotto. The thin cartilage resembling veins ran throughout his wings, accentuating the deep purple of his scales. The skin between those ‘spines’ felt like a heavy raw silk to the touch.

Making her way back to the front of the beast, she likened his scales to hand blown glass, but the longer she touched them, the more she could feel their incredible strength. Placing one hand next to the other, she massaged under his jaw, feeling how much softer and thinner the scales were there.

Hannah walked all the way around his head, making her way to his hindquarter and back paw. She laughed aloud when faced with the huge appendage before teasing,
“I’m glad dragons don’t need manicures.”

“Very funny,
mo ghra
’. Remember there are lots more witch jokes than dragon ones and paybacks are a bitch.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, tough guy.” 

As she rounded his rear end and came to his tail, Hannah was immediately reminded that these creatures were warriors. The tip of his extremely long tail sported a huge triangular shaped spade, what she’d heard the others call
tail-spikes
covering the entire surface. One swipe and she knew everything in its path would be devastated.

Walking back to his head, she kissed what she guessed was his cheek, and stepped back. Magic filled the air, and once again Liam stood before her, beaming like he’d hit his first home run and sexier than a man has a right to be.

He guided her to a blanket expertly spread on the grass to the side of the grotto. Once they were seated, he produced a small purple velvet box. “What’s this? Presents? But I don’t have anything for you. You’ve done too much, Liam.” She smiled while looking at the beautiful decorations and thinking of the magnificent ceremony he’d just given her.

“
No way
! You are my soul, Hannah Marie. The best part of me. I’ll
never
stop showing you how important you are to me. If I could wrap up the entire world and present it to you on a silver platter, I would, just to have you always look at me just as you are right now.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “
You
are all that matters,” he whispered, and the depth of his emotions brought tears to her eyes.

Unable to speak, she nodded and then gasped as she opened the box. There lying against the purple velvet were the most beautiful earrings she’d ever seen. Two delicate bells fashioned from purple dragon scales hung from petite golden chains which flowed from emerald cut diamonds that shimmered and shined.  “They are absolutely stunning.” She laid her hand on his cheek and sweetly kissed his lips.