Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (28 page)

Once the crowd was quiet again Dragon
continued, "Tonight we celebrate the end of a curse and the
beginning of a new era. I can't think of a better way to usher in
that new era than with a wedding. Serafina Leroux is my mate, and
on this night she will be my wife. Please join me in welcoming her
into our clans and share with us the sacred ritual of
matrimony."

Dragon held his hand out towards where I was
waiting. I'm not usually prone to stage fright, but I'll admit to
having more than a few butterflies in my stomach at that moment.
Claire wrapped her arm around my shoulders and squeezed, then she
looked me in the eyes and said, "Join your mate and take your place
as Dragon Queen by his side." She gave me the strength I needed to
take that first step.

When I first walked out from behind the
curtain I had a deer in the headlights moment as hundreds of eyes
zeroed in on me. I could practically feel my skin burning from
their scrutiny as they focused on the mating mark glowing on my
arms. I looked towards Dragon and his mouth curled into that sinful
grin that always melted my heart and tightened my loins. I felt his
love and desire for me along with his pride. My spine straightened
and I strode out to stand by his side. The crowd was buzzing with
whispered voices as I walked across the stage. When I reached
Dragon he took my hand in his and they stood to welcome me with
enthusiastic applause. I was overwhelmed by their immediate
acceptance of me and the strength of their welcome.

After a few moments everyone took their seats
and the theater slowly transformed into the moonlit meadow from my
dreams. The night was still, with not a breath of wind, and I could
smell the spring flowers all around us. Off to our right Solomon
strolled out of the woods dressed in the medieval robes he'd worn
for the play. Instead of wearing the echo of his father's face he
maintained his youthful appearance. As he approached, a stone altar
appeared beside us. Sitting on the altar were three garnet colored
candles in a candelabra, two taper and one pillar. Next to the
altar was a burning torch. Solomon stopped at the altar and greeted
us by fisting his hand over his heart and bowing first to Dragon,
"My Liege," and then to me, "My Lady." He then faced the crowd and
addressed the audience. "At this time I would like to invite the
mothers of Donovan and Serafina to join us at the altar and ask the
heads of the clans to form a circle around our gathering." The
women walked out together and came to stand with my mother by my
side and Claire beside Dragon. About twenty-five men and women
materialized from the crowd and took their places in a circle
surrounding us and the altar.

Solomon came to stand before us and began the
ceremony with, "There is nothing more sacred in this realm or any
other than the bond between mates. The absence of such bonds has
weighed heavily on all our hearts, but on none more than that of
our beloved sovereign. That the fates have allowed Donovan and
Serafina to find one another is a blessing all of us can rejoice
in. With their union hope is renewed, faith is restored, and love
is revived. Tonight we shall bear witness as these two souls bound
as mates pledge themselves to be husband and wife."

Solomon asked us to join hands and look into
each other's eyes. He then turned to Dragon and asked solemnly, “Do
you, Donovan Drake, King of the Dragons and The United Clans,
accept Serafina Leroux as your wife and pledge to her yourself and
your kingdom?"

"I do. I pledge myself and my love to you for
all time and promise to honor our eternal bond as mates. From this
day forward I will be faithful to you and we shall be known as
husband and wife. I vow to protect you, to be honest with you, and
to respect you throughout the ages. With this union I bestow upon
you the title of Queen of the Dragons and The United Clans with all
its rights, privileges, and responsibilities." Dragon made his vows
with love in his heart and sincerity in his voice.

I had tears in my eyes when Solomon turned to
me and asked, "Do you, Serafina Leroux, accept Donovan Drake as
your husband and pledge yourself to him and his kingdom?

"I do. I pledge myself and my love to you for
all time and promise to honor our eternal bond as mates. From this
day forward I will be faithful to you and we shall be known as
husband and wife. I vow to stand by your side, to be honest with
you, and to respect you throughout the ages. With this union I
accept the title of Queen of the Dragons and The United Clans with
all its rights, privileges, and responsibilities." I poured my
heart into my vows and knew that I would treasure the memory of
this night forever.

Solomon produced a pair of rings and held
them out to us in his hand. Both rings were thick gold bands
engraved with flames brought to life by inlaid red diamonds.
Dragon's ring was topped with an emerald cut red diamond surrounded
by smaller black diamonds. My ring had a large heart shaped
solitary red diamond set on prongs at its center. Claire had told
me before the ceremony that my ring is known as The Heart of the
Dragon and has been worn by Dragon Queens for millenniums. We each
took a ring and held it in our hand as Solomon continued speaking.
"A circle has no end, no beginning, and can hold within itself all
the love and devotion shared between mates. Let the rings you
exchange now guide you in your life together and show you the way
to everlasting love." He looked at Dragon. "Donovan, you may now
present Serafina with her ring."

"I give you this ring as a symbol of our
eternal bond. As I place it on your finger, I pledge my love and
loyalty and commit to you my body and soul. I ask that you wear
this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken on this
night."

Dragon slid the ring on my finger and when he
was finished speaking he brought my hand to his lips for a kiss.
The tears in my eyes finally spilled over, I couldn't contain the
love I felt any longer. Our eyes had remained locked on each
other's since the ceremony began. His were a melted chocolate brown
with just a hint of fiery red. In his eyes and through the bond I
saw and felt love so deep I would never find the end of it.

Solomon looked at me. "Serafina, you may now
present Donovan with his ring."

I placed the ring on his finger and watched
the red in his eyes flare as I spoke. "I give you this ring as a
symbol of our eternal bond. As I place it on your finger, I pledge
my love and loyalty and commit to you my body and soul. I ask that
you wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken on this
night."

Solomon addressed the circle of clan leaders.
"As the rings symbolize the eternal mating bond, the circle you
form represents the everlasting love and loyalty of friends and
family. Do the leaders of The United Clans gathered here tonight
support this union and affirm that Donovan and Serafina are indeed
mates who should be married?"

"We do," the circle of leaders confirmed.

Solomon asked the clan leaders to kneel
before their king and asked, "Do you accept Serafina as your queen
and swear fealty to her as you have vowed to your king?"

"We do," the clan heads responded with a
resounding affirmative. My heart was overflowing with joy.

Solomon spoke to the gathering. "We shall now
conclude the ceremony with the lighting of the unity candle.
Josephine, mother of Serafina, will you please light a candle and
pass it to your daughter. This flame represents the life you gave
her and the individual she has become." My mother did as she was
asked and returned to her place by my side. "Claire, mother of
Donovan, will you please light a candle and pass it to your son.
This flame represents the life you gave him and the individual he
has become." Claire did as she was asked and returned to her place
by Dragon's side. "Donovan and Serafina, will you please light the
unity candle to signify the joining of your lives." We did as he
asked using the smaller candles in unison to light the pillar then
placed the taper candles back into the candelabra. When we were
finished we took our places before Solomon again.

"Now that you have pledged your love and
devotion to one another before these witnesses it is my honor and
privilege to pronounce you husband and wife. May you find love and
happiness in each other's arms forevermore." Solomon declared us
married and then turned to Dragon with happiness sparkling in his
eyes. "You may now kiss the bride."

Dragon pulled me close and captured my lips
in a passionate kiss filled with love and desire. The circle
surrounding us and the people beyond cheered and howled until we
finally broke apart. Solomon grinned at us then asked that we turn
to face the audience. The circle parted and Solomon announced, "I
present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan Drake, King and Queen of the
Dragons and The United Clans!" There was more cheering and then we
were greeted and hugged by one person then the next until it was
time to sit down for dinner.

Solomon transformed the theater into the
great hall of the dragon castle. When everyone found their seats
Dragon stood and addressed the gathering once more.

"Before the drinking begins I thought you
should all know that I have issued a challenge to Malachi and he
has accepted. Last night he took over the mind of our queen with
unspeakable plans that Rook witnessed for himself. I will face
Malachi in The Pit later tonight and he will wish he'd never met my
beautiful mate."

There were gasps all around then someone
shouted, "Leave it to a dragon to celebrate his wedding night with
a fight to the death." Everyone laughed Dragon included.

"Oh, I plan to celebrate my wedding night
properly before leaving for The Pit, then again when I return."
Dragon replied with a rakish grin and I felt my entire face flare
with heat. He leaned down and kissed me briefly while all the men
whistled and shouted comments about his sexual prowess. When the
kiss ended he said, "The first match begins at midnight but my
fight with Malachi will be last as the main event. Until then,
let's eat and be merry, and rejoice in our freedom."

Serrano had put together a wonderful feast
with a seemingly endless supply of food. Several of the clan
leaders proposed a toast to the bride and groom and then we cut
into the most beautiful wedding cake I have ever seen. When the
music started Dragon and I shared our first dance as husband and
wife before we parted to dance and socialize with our guests.

Everyone seemed very interested in getting to
know me and my mother and I worried that Claire might have to alter
too many of her memories. When I took a break from dancing to get
something to drink I found my mother talking with Claire and the
man Rook had addressed as Doyle last night when we left
Mystique.

As I approached the small group my mother
gushed, "This is the most spectacular fantasy wedding I could ever
imagine. I'm so glad I was able to be here. It really was the
perfect wedding for you with the way you've always loved everything
supernatural."

I hugged her close. "Thank you Mom, I'm happy
you could be here too. It wouldn't have been perfect without
you."

When I stepped back we both had tears in our
eyes and I asked, "Are you going to be alright by yourself when I
leave with Dragon in a little while?"

"Don't worry about Josephine, she's got a
line of men waiting to dance with her and a date lined up for every
night this week," Doyle said cheerfully. "All of us are looking out
for her; we'll keep her well entertained and out of trouble."

I glanced at Claire and she nodded, "Your
mother is in good hands."

"Of course I am. I've never met a better
bunch of people before. Serafina, you really did hit the jackpot
when you opened that invitation to come here."

I looked around at everyone celebrating at my
wedding then locked eyes with Dragon across the room. Dragon looked
back at me with that sinful grin and warmth spread through my body.
With a slow smile curving my own lips I said, "Yes I did."

Doyle chuckled, "I don't think it'll be long
now before the bride and groom take off for the climatic part of
the evening."

All us ladies laughed and Claire smacked
Doyle's arm lightly and said with motherly exasperation in her
tone, "Doyle, do try to behave yourself."

"It's fine Claire, I have a feeling I better
get used to having red cheeks around Doyle," I said smiling at him.
He grinned back and I thought it would be easy to see him as the
older brother I never had.

We talked a bit longer then I went back out
onto the dance floor. A few songs later I was dancing with Solomon,
who had changed into his usual gothic attire, when Dragon came up
behind me and swept me off my feet. This was met with much laughter
and masculine sounds of approval and I was only a little sad to
have the enchanted evening end as I waved goodbye to my new
friends.

Dragon carried me to the exit we had used
after watching Solomon's show last weekend. When he stepped outside
he set me down on my feet and we strolled hand in hand along the
path to the beaches. The storm had passed and the moonlit sky was
almost completely clear. We walked in silence enjoying the night
air until we reached the edge of the sand.

"There's something I'd like to show you but
we'll have to walk in the sand," Dragon said with a seductive curve
to his lips.

Curious and eager to see what he had planned,
I slipped my heels off and Dragon removed his socks and shoes. He
led me to a secluded section of the beach where a blanket
surrounded by torches and a large treasure chest awaited us. Dragon
reached inside the chest and soft jazz music started playing from
within its depths.