“You’re ambitious, little sister, to take on the Dark Queen,” Edred said. “But we agree with you. Sometimes, the hard choice is the only one that’s right. We’ll help you however we can.” He stepped back and trumpeted a cry, flapping his wings as the barrier between Rania and Hadrian was removed. She thought of him striking down his father over his mother’s murder and knew he understood about hard choices for justice.
“Is that a yes?” Hadrian asked, looking as dangerous as a dragon shifter should.
Rania nodded, then Cnut whispered to her. “You are a swan, little sister. Although we’re only cursed to live as swans, we all know how they formalize their bonds.”
“Swans mate for life,” Edred said. “Their bond is as permanent as human marriage should be. It’s a commitment and one that should be celebrated here and now, with your family as witness.”
“Dance for us,” Cnut admitted and Rania knew they expected the courtship dance that swans performed before mating.
She shifted shape and went to take Hadrian’s hand. First he had to meet her brothers. “This is Edred, my oldest brother.”
“And the one who struck the fatal blow,” Hadrian said, then his tone turned resolute. “I like that he exacted justice for your mother’s death.” He nodded at Edred and the pair seemed to understand each other.
Rania gestured to the birds on either side of Edred, first the left one, then the right. “That’s Cnut and Oswy, the second and third sons.”
Each swan bowed his head as he was named and Hadrian bowed in return. Rania felt like they were at a formal party, or a ball, where each attendee was announced and honored.
“Betlic, Athelstan, Sherard, Willan, and Gimm,” Rania said, gesturing to each swan in turn. “It’s Modig, Isen, Deman, and Trymman who were captured by Maeve.”
Hadrian nodded understanding after he had bowed to each swan.
“But I only saw three,” she whispered, seeing the concern appear in his gaze as she confided in him. “I’m hoping Trymman is there. He was injured in the attack and is missing.” Hadrian’s lips thinned. “They said he vanishes sometimes but always returns.”
Hadrian squeezed her hand. “Then we’ll hope for the best until we know otherwise.”
Rania held tightly to his hand as she turned back to Edred and raised her voice slightly. “My brothers, this is Hadrian, the Pyr dragon shifter who says he’s my destined mate.”
“I am your destined mate and you’re mine,” Hadrian said. He lifted their linked hands, showing the white light that burned between the two of them. Its radiant glow made Rania keenly aware of the strength in Hadrian’s grip upon her hand. She thought of the combination of power and tenderness when he’d touched her and couldn’t wait to feel his hands upon her again. Would that desire fade with the firestorm’s light? She had a feeling it wouldn’t. “As shown by the light of the firestorm, Rania is the one who can bear my son and the woman I would honor above all others.” He shook his head and his tone turned teasing. “Even if I only know her first name.”
Edred turned on Rania and pecked in her direction, his disapproval obvious.
“It’s Rania Hingston,” she admitted.
Hadrian smiled at her. “One day, I’ll know all your secrets,” he joked, those eyes glinting with mischief. Rania’s heart skipped as he turned to Edred again and sobered. “I want you to understand that I’m one of the Pyr who believes in making a permanent commitment to his mate. Satisfying the firestorm isn’t just about physical union. I will defend your sister to my dying day.”
There was a rustle of feathers among the company of swans. “They like the idea of that,” she told Hadrian. “They want us to formalize the agreement.”
“How?” He was clearly puzzled.
“You’ll see.” She shifted shape before Hadrian could ask for more detail and her brothers surrounded her, trumpeting and making that houp-houp sound. Their feathers shone in the light of the firestorm, gleaming with the luster of pearls. Edred made a loud trumpeting call, like a herald announcing the arrival of a king. Rania felt celebratory herself. The swans formed a wall of lustrous white feathers, then backed away, letting Rania approach Hadrian while they formed a circle around the couple.
Edred trumpeted again, and Rania raised her wings. She’d never done this dance before but she knew the steps, right in the essence of her being. She felt as if this was a moment she’d awaited all of her life. She reached high, knowing this would be the only time she would perform the courtship dance and wanting to do it right. She followed her instincts, trusting them, knowing the choice was right. She stretched her neck skyward and gave the same trumpeting call as Edred, then bent toward Hadrian, as if she was bowing to him. She spun in place then, fluttering her wings.
The moves reminded her of formal dances in Regency courts and she wondered whether humans had been inspired by swans.
She repeated the sequence three times, then she waited, heart fluttering, as she faced Hadrian.
Hadrian grinned crookedly and she knew he understood. He shifted shape in a brilliant shimmer of blue, obviously proud of his dragon form. There was no reason why he shouldn’t be. He was magnificent, his scales emerald and silver, his body filled with raw power. Her brothers had to move back to give him space and her heart thundered that he would be her mate, forever.
Despite his size, Hadrian danced gracefully and lightly, an athlete in command of his body and one who knew it well. He spread his wings high and wide, casting a shadow over the island, then flapped them so that they stirred a wind. He stretched his neck high and bared his teeth in a dragon smile as the sunlight glinted on his scales. Rania knew her brothers had to see that Hadrian was sufficiently powerful to defend his mate. She could defend herself, but she respected this ancient masculine tradition. Instead of Edred’s trumpeting call, Hadrian blew a plume of dragonfire into the air, then spun in place and bowed toward her.
He performed the sequence three times, and then he waited.
The fourth time, they danced together in perfect unison. The sun was rising higher and becoming warmer but its light was no competition for the silvery glow of the firestorm. The firestorm glistened and gleamed between them, shooting sparks as they approached each other, filling Rania with a simmering need to satisfy its promise. They finished the sequence by circling around each other, in a promenade, their wingtips touching as they watched each other.
Then Rania stretched out toward Hadrian and bent her beak downward. Her neck made the shape of half of a heart. Hadrian mirrored her pose, touching his brow to hers, to complete the heart and she felt a wondrous sense of completion. Despite the differences in size between them, she felt the ripple of approval through the flock of her brothers. Edred gave a trumpeting call again and her other brothers joined him this time, a sound as merry as the pealing of church bells after a wedding service.
Rania shifted shape along with Hadrian and stood facing him as their gazes locked. She reached out to touch his shoulder, making the firestorm spark white-hot, and they caught their breath as one when Hadrian caught her close. “Two halves of a heart unified into one,” he said. “I like that.”
“It feels right.”