Gold(54)

“Maybe I should go back and kill him after all,” he said angrily, trying to stand.

She pushed him back. “No. However it is, leave it. I trust you. And it’s over. He can’t touch me anymore.”

He nodded tightly, jaw muscles practically twitching. “Fine.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. It’s just, even though it’s nonsensical, I can’t help wishing I was there, even back then.” He pulled her in tight, wrapping his arms around her. “I wish I could have protected you.”

“You have,” she said. “Ever since you came into my life, and you’ve continued ever since. I feel safe with you.”

“That’s the best thing I can hear,” he said. “Well, second best.”

“What’s the best?”

“Dante, I love you. Please let me stay with you forever.”

She crinkled her nose. “Seriously?”

He thought about it. “No, there’s something even better.”

“What?”

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You coming.”

She flushed madly and pushed back on him, pretending to try and get off his lap. He laughed and held her in against him, and instead of being frightening, his strength was reassuring and warm.

She relaxed in his hold, listening to the pounding of her heart. She loved him. She knew that. She should tell him.

“I… love you, Dante.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I kind of got that when you sent me away to save my life.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Good thing I’m a ferocious dragon and there’s not a shifter alive who can take me. I didn’t even need to shift into dragon form.”

“I see,” she said. “When do I get to see it?”

“I’d show you right now,” he said. “But we’d have to go really out there where no one could see us, and that would take time. And there’s something else I would rather do.” His gaze was heated, and she knew exactly what he meant.

Just being with him, talking to him, holding him was starting up a fire inside her. She had too many memories now of what he could do with his hands.

“What’s that exactly?” she asked, teasing, expecting him to make some kind of off-color remark.

“Make it official,” he said, pulling something out of his pocket. It was the gold ring he usually wore, the one carved in the shape of a dragon’s head.

He took her hand and looked at her ring finger, then put his hand around the ring and focused for a moment, closing his eyes. When he opened it, it was changed completely. A delicate, tapered gold band with the shape of a slender dragon winding around the center of an open setting where a stone would go. There were little flower embellishments around the setting.

She gasped at the workmanship in it. “How did you do that?”

“Gold dragon,” he said quietly, taking her hand and bringing his ring toward it. “Ella, will you mate me? We can get married, but this is for much longer. When we mate, you’ll have my lifespan. Things will be complicated, but—”

She grabbed the ring from him, shoved it on her finger, and threw her arms around his neck, catching his lips in a kiss. When they pulled apart, she giggled and looked at the ring. “Of course I will. I’d be crazy to turn down a dragon. And now we have the rest of our lives to figure out the details.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Phew. Thank you.”

“What would you have done if I said no?” she asked.

“Died inside,” he joked, but his eyes were somewhat serious. “Luckily, I don’t have to think about it. When we get back, we’ll pick out a stone for your ring. I have some friends who can help us with that.”

She laughed. “Okay, then.”

“So there’s one other thing that is part of mating, and if you aren’t ready for it, I’ll wait,” he said. “I know we haven’t done it yet because I didn’t want to rush you, but…”

As he trailed off, flushing, she realized what he meant. She’d heard about something similar with mountain lion shifters. “Sex, right? Unprotected sex?”

“Yes,” he said. “After you’ve agreed to be my mate. But you can’t catch anything from me, and you won’t get pregnant, at least right now. And—”

“Sold,” she said, putting a finger up to his lips. “I say yes, Dante. I’m ready. With you, I’m not scared. I know you won’t hurt me.”

“Hurting you is absolutely the opposite of anything I want to do.”

“I know,” she said. “So show me. Show me everything. Make me your mate.” She felt so free inside, so ready to finally be open.