“Did I...” she asked, her voice shaking.
Before Gregory could answer, she touched the diamond again and looked up at the storm of petals all around them.
A moment later, the wind shifted. A colorful rain of petals came down over the crowd, which now erupted in whoops once more, children running back and forth with shrieks of delight as they tried to catch the petals.
“It’s a part of me,” Gregory said. “And I’m a part of you.”
“Forever,” Naomi said in wonder—and then, all ceremony forgotten, she wrapped her arms around him.
As he lifted her to twirl her around, she laughed and laughed, the mate bond filled with nothing but overflowing love and joy.
Epilogue: Naomi
The seasons had passed more quickly than Naomi’d believed possible.
In Mountain View, every day seemed filled with new excitement. She’d dreaded the passing of summer a little, but autumn brought stunning views as all the leaves turned to brilliant shades of orange and red.
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She’d begun to explore the forest-covered valleys of the mountains with Ginny as a faithful hiking companion. And now, for the first time in years, she woke up every morning with her mind overflowing with images of beauty, so that she could barely wait for the moment when she’d be able to grab her paints and her easel.
“Do you want to check out the curtains I’ve chosen?” Gregory murmured playfully against her hair. “Remember, you said you don’t care about curtains. I might’ve picked neon green polka dots...”
Naomi’s lips twitched. “Your dragon’s got better taste than that, even if you might not,” she retorted teasingly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gregory gave her a look of pretended outrage as he took her hand.
Still giggling, Naomi allowed herself to be led towards the newly restored tower. The workers had left a week ago, and since then, Naomi and Gregory had spent every free moment finishing the renovations. This morning, a large delivery had come—the curtains, or so Naomi supposed. They’d been all that was left to do, and then the tower would be as good as new.
No—it would be even better. It would be their tower. The first project they’d started and finished together.
Maybe she should be grateful that the fire dragon had allowed them to transform that part of the mansion—but Naomi still remembered the cloud of ash and her fear all too well.
Then she took a deep breath.
Stop, she told herself firmly. He isn’t our problem anymore. He won’t be a problem ever again.
She’d been there with Gregory when the council spoke its final judgment. Gregory didn’t have a vote in it, because of his personal involvement, but even so the verdict had been unanimous.
The fire dragon had been sentenced to dragon jail—at least that was how Gregory chose to describe it to her. Dragonsbane would keep him from shifting, and he’d serve his sentence in a cavern, deep inside the rocks of Sky Home.
It had been hard not to feel a little bit sorry for him, especially now that Naomi had tasted the wild exuberance of dragon flight herself. But then, he’d attacked her. And in his mad quest for revenge for a centuries-old grudge, the fire dragon might have killed innocents.
No, the sentence was earned. He’d chosen his own fate. Maybe he’d even use the time of his sentence as a chance to learn about this world and the humans who lived in it.
But no matter what the fire dragon had tried to destroy, in the end, Gregory and Naomi had come out even stronger, the mate bond strong as steel. No one would be able to part them ever again.
“I’m ready—even for your polka dots.” Naomi wrapped her arm around Gregory’s waist.
In return, his hand gently curved over the swell of her belly as he nuzzled her cheek.
“Won’t have much time to enjoy our new tower before this one is going to keep us awake all night,” he murmured tenderly.
Naomi’s smile widened. “I know. And I cannot wait.”
No matter how exhausting it would be, it would all be worth it. It was all worth it for this.
With a flourish, Gregory opened the door that led into the new tower’s largest room.