As the two brothers smiled at each other, Lavinia decided right then and there that she wanted to invite Antony around as much as possible. He may hide it well, but she'd noticed his loneliness earlier, right after Max had asked her to be his mate.
Maybe she could even find him a dragon of his own.
Her beast spoke up.Maybe. Although if there was ever a lone wolf, he'd be it.
As everyone made the final agreements and divided up the tasks concerning Lavinia and Max's mating, she never let go of Max's hand.
They were in this together.
Chapter Thirteen
After the longest two weeks of Max's life spent dealing with grumpy dragon-shifters and loads of DDA paperwork, he adjusted his traditional dragon-shifter outfit one last time. In a matter of minutes, he and Lavinia would be tied together forever.
Antony had fulfilled his promise, and the DDA was going to allow Lavinia to stay in the UK as Max's wife. However, they still hadn't received word about whether they could go look for Dragon's Court or not.
Even with that uncertainty looming over his head, Max couldn't stop smiling.
When Antony finally knocked and entered the small back room—one inside Skyhunter's great hall—he rushed toward the door. He asked his brother, "She's ready for me?"
Antony shook his head. "And to think, the two of you were at each other's throats not that long ago. But now, you'll have a child with Lavinia and will be her mate. Are you absolutely certain you want this life?"
With anyone else, the words would irritate Max. However, Antony had been brother and parent to him early in his life, and sometimes that protectiveness still came out.
He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed. "Yes. It took me a lot longer than it should've to realize it, but she and I fit, Antony. She'll be a true partner to me, both in our private and professional life. And I love her."
After searching his gaze for a beat, Antony nodded. "Right, then you'd better head out. She's waiting for you."
He didn't break his gaze with his brother. "Thanks for being here. I know you always have someone to save, so it means a lot to me."
Antony cleared his throat. "Of course."
And with that, his brother left, clearly uncomfortable with discussing feelings.
He only hoped one day Antony found someone who could force those feelings out often and make his brother somewhat human again.
However, today wasn't about Antony but Lavinia.
Max strode out of the room, down the hall, and through the door leading to the dais in the great hall. He waited in the wing for his cue. Even if a dragon-shifter mating ceremony was between two people, they'd all agreed that Asher and Honoria should say a few words first. After all, it'd been so long since Skyhunter had welcomed a human into their clan, and it was definitely worth noting and celebrating.
Asher and Honoria walked from the back of the room, up the small set of stairs, and turned on the dais to face the room. They, like everyone else in the room, wore traditional dragon-shifter clothing. Namely, the females wore a flowing, almost toga-like gown tied over one shoulder, and the males had something resembling an old Scottish plaid wrapped around their waistsbefore being tossed over one shoulder. They were all in different shades of dark purple, the official color of Skyhunter.
If he were merely a guest, Max would've been taking notes and committing every detail to memory.
However, all he could think about was Lavinia waiting nearby and how she'd soon be officially his.
Honoria spoke first. "Thanks to all of you for helping to decorate the hall and attending! As everyone is aware, it's been a long time since Skyhunter welcomed a human into the clan, especially a male one. But tonight, Lavinia Walker will mate Max Holbrook, and their joining will help the clan heal even further. It brings us one step closer to what we all want—a safe, happy place that is welcoming to all."
Asher jumped in. "While Ria and I have tried to talk to as many of you as we could since this mating was announced, if you have any concerns, any at all, please seek us out. Every voice is worth listening to, and I hope transparency will further lead us toward mending rifts and becoming stronger."
Honoria nodded. "So, with all of that out of the way, let's get to the ceremony and celebration!"
Some cheers went up, but Max barely noticed. Because as soon as the Skyhunter leaders descended the stairs, Lavinia walked from the opposite side of the dais, and Max stopped breathing.
She wore the same dark purple traditional dress as everyone else, but had added a long shell necklace, wrapped several times around her neck, that her grandmother had also worn at her mating ceremony all those years ago.
The material was flowing, but to Max, who knew every curve and valley of her body, it revealed far too much for his liking. Which made him walk out to the stage quickly, determined to mate her as soon as possible and keep her away from other men.
They met in the middle, and Lavinia beamed at him before taking a silver arm cuff out of the box behind them. Even if he'd learned the ceremony was slightly different in Australia—necklaces were used instead of cuffs—they'd all agreed it was best to follow Skyhunter's traditions to fit into the clan better. Besides, they would exchange necklaces later in private.