She smiled, her white hair plastered to her sweat-covered forehead. “Only if we let it.”

He grinned and turned over, lying on his stomach. “All right, then, Princess. Your turn.”

She stared at him in confusion. “My turn what?”

“To Claim me. I’d like you to avoid the face, though. I think I have enough scars there, don’t you?”

She stared at him in surprise. It wasn’t that females didn’t mark their mates, but it rarely happened in the beginning. Most males needed to show their dominance and did it with the Claiming. Years later, after all had settled down, did the females finally mark them.

“Are . . . are you sure?” She couldn’t seem to get that look of shock off her face. It made him smile. She usually hid her surprise so well.

“Am I sure that I want everyone to know I belong to you as you belong to me? Oh, yes, love. I’m very sure. Now,” he settled down, his head resting on his crossed arms, “what was it you said to me? Oh, yes . . . No more words, Princess. Don’t waste my time. Just do what you intend or let me go.”

Before he could say another word, Rhiannon straddled his ass and he just knew this was going to hurt.

“My Lord.”

Bercelak forced his eyes open to find the centaur standing beside him. She leaned in and whispered. “I’m sorry to awaken you, my lord. But your kin have asked to speak with you.”

He glanced around, his eyes still trying to focus. “Is it morning?”

The centaur smiled, most likely remembering her promise from the night before. “Yes, my lord. Late morning.”

“Tell them I’ll be right there.”

Without another word, she bowed and left.

Rhiannon, still human as was he, was pushed up tight against his side, her head nearly buried in his armpit. She slept deep and looked beautiful doing it.

He smiled as he remembered their Claiming from the night before. With all that screaming and roaring and snarling, the whole court must have thought they were killing each other. He kissed her forehead and dragged himself out of bed.

Without even thinking about it, as human he went to the Queen’s Hall. He had every intention of getting right back into bed and enjoying Rhiannon—his Rhiannon—even more before first meal. Then he’d spend the rest of the day and eve taking her as dragon.

Several of his brothers and Ghleanna, all those who went to track down Rhiannon’s kin, waited for him.

One of his younger brothers whistled. “Gods, Bercelak. What did that female do to you?”

“What is it?” he barked, his arms crossed over his chest and his feet braced apart. He was in no mood for his siblings’ antics when he had the woman of his dreams waiting for him back in their bedchamber.

Ghleanna answered, “By the time we arrived, her three brothers and that viper sister of hers were long gone. Word is that two of her brothers went into the Northlands.”

“Northlands?” he scoffed. “The lightning dragons will eat them alive. What else?”

“While the sister and the other brother went to the desert lands of Alsandair. Those dragons might help them.”

Addolgar stepped forward. “There’s no guarantee the lightning dragons won’t help them either. They may be barbarians, but they are greedy ones. They’d love to have this territory.”

“And they’ll never get it.”

At the sound of Rhiannon’s voice, they all turned except Bercelak. When around others he would never turn away from those who may harm her. Now that she was queen, even with her mother dead, Rhiannon was in more danger than she had been before. So, instead, he gave a quick glance at her over his shoulder. She stood before them as human, completely naked, the marks of her Claiming pitch black against her skin and the collar and chain still around her neck.

Bercelak had never loved her more.

“Gods, Bercelak!” his sister exclaimed. “What the hell did you do?”

He knew what she meant. He’d branded a dragon the entire length of Rhiannon’s body, the tail starting at the very tip of her foot and reaching up one leg, across her stomach, around her back and across her ass, then back around and up her ribcage, across her breast, then upper chest and collarbone, until it rested across her neck and stopped at the right side of her jaw.

But even though he knew what his sister meant, he didn’t answer her. Their Claiming was their Claiming and no one, even his nosy kin, had any say in it whatsoever.

He spoke to Rhiannon without turning around, “What do you want us to do? Do we follow them?”

“No. I’ll not send out troops to bring back four dragons,” she stated with confidence. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t be prepared for them. If they come back here, with or without dragons from other regions, we’ll rip the scales from their body and tear their flesh apart.”

Bercelak bit back his smile as the entire hall fell silent at Rhiannon’s casually dropped words. He knew she meant it, but it was the coldness that frightened the rest of them. It didn’t frighten him, though. He knew she’d make a wonderful queen. He never had a doubt.

“We have things to right here first,” she continued. “My kin can wait until they do something stupid.”

She grew silent and he could feel her eyes boring into his back, examining her own mark. A dragon burned into his human flesh covered his entire back and, to his amusement, his ass as well. His body grew tight while his c**k grew hard at the thought that his female wanted him as much as he wanted her. And he didn’t bother to hide his reaction. Let them see. Let them see it all.