Kiyana should care more about what it could be considering Lochguard was her home now. However, she merely kept tapping her hand against her side, impatient to get started with her mating ceremony.
Not that she was worried about Alistair having cold feet or some such thing. No, she wanted to make their connection official. Because once she did, she could share her new DDA assignment with him without violating any of the rules.
She had a feeling he wouldn't like Max being around Lochguard more often. However, Alistair would be eager to help her, considering it aligned with his previous dream of improving communications between the dragon clans.
Finn's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Aye, well, it's time to start."
After smiling at her, he left, and Kiyana tried to pay attention to what he said. However, his words didn't reach her brain, and she barely paid attention to the crowd. She could barely hear anything over her thumping heart.
Calm down, Kiyana. He'll do fine.
Alistair had wanted to come out without his cane, even though he should still be using it. While a more spiteful person would want him to fall on his face to learn his lesson, she didn't want that this time. If walking by himself made him feel more of a dragonman for their special day, then so be it.
Finn called her and Alistair's names, garnering her attention once more. Kiyana walked out onto the dais. She'd barely glimpsed the crowded hall before her eyes fell on Alistair's tall form, dressed in dark blue, his defined chest muscles making her mouth dry.
Even though she'd seen him naked more times than she could count, it still made her brain stop working for a few beats.
As if reading her thoughts, he winked. The action broke the spell, and she shook her head before walking out to join him in the center of the dais. From the corner of her eye, she watched to make sure he didn't stumble or trip, but while a tad slow, he made it just fine.
Finn descended the steps to sit in the front row, next to Arabella and the rest of the Boyds. A mating ceremony was always between two people and no one else.
Kiyana had always thought that lovely, but had never imagined she'd be experiencing it herself.
Alistair took one of her hands, and her eyes instantly found his once more. Since she'd never been to a dragon mating ceremony before, they'd agreed he should go first.
However, for a few seconds, they merely stared into one another's eyes, the rest of the world melting away.
Even in a crowded hall, he would always catch her eye.
His pupils flickered, reminding her there were three personalities involved in this relationship. And she was glad his dragon was here, too, even if he wouldn't be speaking.
Alistair's deep voice finally filled the room. "Dr. Kiyana Barnes, you are everything I admire in a female. Intelligent, devoted, determined, and always ready with a smile or a retort. Of course, you being the most beautiful female in the world is the greatest bonus." He took her hand and brought it to his lips before continuing, "You brought me back to not only life but to my family and the clan as well. After losing a female I loved three years ago, I never thought I'd be happy again. But you have made me not only happy but a better male than I ever would've been without you. I love you, Kiyana. Will you allow me to claim you as my mate?"
She nodded, trying her best not to cry. The tears would be of joy, but still. She wanted to be strong enough to fight them off.
Alistair reached behind them to retrieve a silver arm cuff, one engraved with his name in the old language. He kissed her bicep before sliding the cool material around her skin.
Even though it was all in her head, the metal seemed to be charged with something, making her heart even fuller of love for Alistair than a few seconds ago.
Once he finished, she took a deep breath. The last thing she needed was to let her voice crack or waver. She wanted her claim to be perfect.
Kiyana took Alistair's hand and mimicked him, kissing the back of it before raising her voice for all to hear. "Alistair Boyd, you are smart, loving, intelligent, and occasionally funny." A few people laughed before she added, "But you are also kind, and will risk everything to try to keep me safe. I've never met a man like you before, and I doubt I ever will. However, if you can try not to die in the next few months—or maybe even years—that would be even better." He smiled, and the rest of her words flowed forth. "I love you and can't wait to see what life holds for us and our child in the future. Will you allow me to claim you as my mate?"
"Aye, I do."
Reaching behind her to the small box, Kiyana took the bigger arm cuff out, the one engraved with her name in the old language. After placing it on his bicep—which wasn't as easy as one might think, given how much taller he was than her—she placed her hands on his chest. She tilted her head up, and he took her lips in a slow, gentle kiss, one of his hands covering her belly, too.
He ensured that even their unborn child was part of the ceremony, which made her love him all the more.
When he finally pulled away, she searched his gaze and watched his pupils flicker. Maybe they could find a way to sneak out of the hall sooner than expected so that Alistair's dragon could claim her as well.
However, Finn's whistle quieted the hall and garnered her attention. Alistair held her close, but they both kept their gazes on Finn.
/> Once Lochguard's leader was back up on the dais, he spoke up. "We'll be having our celebration for Alistair and Kiyana soon enough, but first there's something I wanted to share with you. Something that can't wait."
Finn gestured toward someone, and the door at the rear of the hall opened. A second later, a small group of tall, tattooed dragon-shifters Kiyana had never seen before entered.
Murmurs rose immediately, but Finn whistled again, and everyone listened. "Aye, those are lads and lassies from Clan Seahaven. While they haven't agreed to move back to Lochguard—which I can't blame them, given how they were shunned a few decades ago—their leader and I have decided to start reconnecting again. And so as a first step, they've come to celebrate with us. My greatest hope is that this is the first of many things to help our clan and theirs become better allies. After all, all dragon-shifters in the Highlands should be able to rely on one another."