She turned and took an arm cuff out of a box on the table. It was silver and engraved with markings he knew were from the old dragon language, but he couldn't read them.
Noticing his focus on the cuff, Cat explained, "It's my name in the old language. After I say my bit—like marriage vows for humans—I'll put it on your arm. You'll do the same for me, except the cuff has your name instead."
It seemed almost medieval, the literal claiming of Cat with his name. And yet, he rather liked the idea that they'd belong to each other.
While it may not be technically true that a mating ceremony was between two people—the DDA was involved for any human-dragon pairings after all—the exchange of cuffs was indeed for them and them alone.
Cat smiled at him and waited for everyone to quiet down. Once there was silence, she said, "Lachlan MacKintosh, when we first met, I felt a strange pull toward you. It made no sense since you were so reserved and me the complete opposite. But in those differences, I think we discovered more of ourselves, encouraged more of who we wanted to be. Even though I know our journey has barely begun, I'm better for knowing you, Lachlan. I love you and can't wait to start our family when our bairn gets here. Do you accept my mate claim?"
He nodded, and Cat slid the cool metal around his arm as her pupils flashed. She'd said the ceremony was only between two people, but in reality, it was three with her dragon.
She looked up at him again before darting her eyes toward the other cuff and back, telling him it was his turn.
Clearing his throat, he picked up the silver cuff and said, "I felt the same pull you mentioned, Cat MacAllister. However, more than intriguing me, it quite frankly terrified me. My life consisted of tasks, deadlines, and schedules to keep me in line. I thought it was the only way I could live and avoiding falling back into the darkest depths of myself. However, it took a spirited dragonwoman to show me that the isolation hurt me more than anything. Love, friendship, and even a wee bit of fun helped me more than anything I'd done in nearly ten years to stay sober. I never thought I would ever be a father, but now I can't imagine not having a bairn with you. Aye, I'm still terrified, but for different reasons. I love you, Catherine MacAllister. Do you accept my mate claim?"
"I do."
He slipped the silver cuff around her upper arm, lingering a moment to trace where the metal met her skin, never taking his gaze from hers.
And for a few seconds, he forgot about everyone in the room except for Cat. She had become his guiding star, and he couldn't imagine his life without her any longer.
Needing to feel her in his arms, he tugged her against his body and kissed her again, his lips sliding between her lips as she met his tongue stroke for stroke. She groaned, and he barely resisted lifting her up onto the small table and taking her right then and there.
However, her brothers started catcalling, and he broke the kiss with a sigh. Laying his forehead against hers, he murmured, "I wish we could take a proper honeymoon."
She smiled as she touched his cheek. "Maybe someday. But this is the first time I've ever heard you even think about shirking responsibility for something else, what with the artists arriving soon."
Not to mention dealing with his sister, which, while unsaid, filled the silence for a beat.
Cat stood upright, moved to lean against his side, and faced them toward the crowd. His new bride asked, "Before I take an hour to ravish my mate, where's the paperwork we need to sign, Finn?"
Her sister, Emma, laughed and said, "Now who's being the brash one, Cat?"
Cat replied, "I can embarrass him, but not you. So don't even start."
As he watched the sisters trade barbs, even as Finn laid out the paperwork for Lachlan and Cat to sign, he wondered if he could ever get this close to his own sister again.
All he could do was try. However, as Cat looked up at him with love in her eyes, he decided he could take one hour to celebrate and treasure his new mate, wife, whatever term they wanted to use. She'd already made so many compromises to help him, but he'd give her this at least.
So he carefully guided Cat toward the door and said, "Barring violence or retribution showing up at the clan gates, we don't exist for the next hour."
As Cat giggled, he held his woman close, loving her heat at his side and her scent filling his nose.
Aye, she meant the world to him now. And somehow, Lachlan only hoped he was up to the challenge of protecting and treasuring her as she deserved.
Chapter Twenty
Cat kept staring at the glinting band of silver on Lachlan's arm as he opened the door to their cottage, and both woman and beast were proud to see their name on his arm.
Aye, there'd already been a frenzy and declarations of love. But somehow, the metal bands stoked a more possessive need inside her.
Her dragon said, Maybe he should tattoo our name on his arm.
He probably would if we asked, but I don't need that. Lachlan is ours, and that's enough.
Maybe for you.
Lachlan rubbed her back, garnering her attention again. "Are you too tired? If so, just say the word. I can wait."
As much as she loved how he tried to take care of her—something that had been mostly foreign in her adult life—she growled in impatience. Bringing his head down to her mouth, she whispered, "The silky feel of this dress against my nipples the whole way home has made me wet for you, Lachlan. So take me upstairs and claim me for the first time as your mate, or I'll let my dragon out to do it."
She could hear his heart rate kick up before he murmured, "As if that would be a bad thing."
Her beast hummed. Then let me have him.
Not yet.
Wanting to drive him a wee bit mad, she moved a hand to the tie on her dress, plucked it, and let her dress fall, right there at the front door.
Nudity didn't bother her, but Lachlan's eyes flared. He yanked her inside and then pressed her up against the door. With his hands on either side of his head, his breath danced across her lips as he said, "What the fuck was that?"
She smiled. "What? I was hot."
"Like hell you were."
"Dragons don't care about nudity, remember?"
"I imagine they fucking do if their mate just told them how drenched their pussy was."
She looped her arms around her neck, hitched a leg around his thighs, and pressed against him. "Well then, you'd better do something about that, aye?"
He crushed his lips against hers, pressing her harder against the door as she rubbed against him. The friction of his trousers against her clit made her moan. In the next second, Lachlan broke the kiss, flipped her around, and placed her hands above her head on the door. He traced down her arm, lingering at the silver cuff around her bicep, and then took hold of her hips. He roughly moved them back before his hand move to her arse. He stroked her cheek a few beats, the warmth of his skin against her shooting even more heat between her thighs, before moving lower. As his fingers stroked through the lips of her pussy, Cat arched back with a cry.
He slowly teased her opening and she tried to wiggle back, wanting more than a finger.
He nipped her earlobe before saying, "Tell me what you want, lass, and I'll give it to you."
She looked over her shoulder, the heat in his gaze sending a rush of wetness to her center. "You. I just want you."