She slipped the band around his upper bicep, her name engraved in the old dragon language, and said, "Maximilian Holbrook, when I first came to England, all I knew about you was that you were my rival, as dedicated and passionate as I when it came to Queen Alviva and her related history. We both kept trying to outsmart the other, to be the first, and it became like a game. But as much as I liked having a rival or how much I enjoyed besting you at times, a random kiss set off a chain of events I never could've imagined. The mate-claim frenzy was the first step in me seeing you as a male, one who was more than his work or the rival to beat. And the more I learned about you and saw the real you, the more I wanted to be near you always. And when we finally went to find a clue together and kissed afterward to celebrate? I knew I wanted that sort of mixture of love, laughter, and work in our lives. I love you, Max Holbrook, and want to spend the rest of my life creating an adventure together. Will you accept my mate claim?"
He nodded, somewhat speechless for once, and she removed her hand from the cool metal around his arm.
Since he knew it was his turn—and the sooner he finished this bloody ceremony, the sooner he could strip his dragon lady to have a private celebration of their own—he picked up the slightly smaller silver cuff and slid it onto Lavinia's bicep. Seeing his name in the old dragon language made him stand a little taller. "Lavinia Walker, it's hard to believe where we started and where we ended up. I mean, few people would forgive someone for rendering them unconscious at one point. However, as yousaid, one kiss changed everything between us. And when it was just you, me, and your dragon, things became clearer and clearer until I couldn't imagine not having you in my life. You're a true partner, and I'm lucky to have a woman who's sexy, clever, and as passionate about history as me. Together, we can unearth and rewrite history, both in our own lives and for Britain as a whole. Today is only the first step, but an important one. I love you, Lavinia, and want you as my mate. Will you accept my claim?"
Her eyes looked suspiciously wet as she replied, "Yes."
He released her arm, pulled her close, and kissed her.
Ignoring the cheers from the crowd, he simply reveled in his new wife's taste, and heat, and scent, until she finally pulled away and whispered, "Later, Max. We need to accept the clan's congratulations and comments first." She leaned against him, wriggling her hips ever so slightly, which rubbed against his hard cock. Max sucked in a breath. "So you'd better get that under control."
He nipped her bottom lip. "You'll pay for that later."
She grinned. "You say that as if it's a threat."
Fuck, he wanted her. And soon.
But she was right—if they didn't stay for some of the celebration, it might hinder easing into life on Skyhunter.
So Max did his best to list the Roman emperors inside his head until he was presentable again. He kissed her quickly and said, "All right, Dr. Holbrook, let's get this over with so I can have you all to myself."
She smiled at her new surname. She'd decided to take Max's rather than keep her father's. In a way, it was amusing to be Dr. Holbrook and Dr. Holbrook, the adventurous archaeological duo. "For once, I won't argue, Dr. Holbrook."
They grinned at each other before descending to the main floor and receiving congratulatory remarks.
Max only stayed the bare minimum—two hours, including one dance—and as soon as the Skyhunter leaders said it was okay to leave, he whisked his new wife off to their cottage.
And he spent all night showing her how much he loved every inch of her.
Chapter Fourteen
It took nearly two months for Max's brother to find out who had turned in the video of Lavinia, to try to get her deported. It had indeed been one of the archaeologists previously working on the villa site.
Although why the human male hadn't simply talked with her or Max, Lavinia had no idea. They could've come up with a compromise instead of him trying to kick her out of the country. Now, she'd never work with Dr. Green, ever.
But that was all in the past and couldn't be changed. And she wouldn't dwell on it and ruin her and Max's big day.
Because today they would start digging their first site, where they suspected Dragon's Court rested. And as Max parked the car near where all the equipment and staff should be waiting, butterflies danced in her stomach. A decades-long dream was about to come true.
Her dragon yawned.Wake me up when you're done.
Come on, dragon, show some excitement!
Why? If it's here, that just means years and years of digging in the dirt instead of flying.
I'll try to fly more in the future, I promise.
Good. Now, let me sleep.
Max turned off the ignition and looked at her. "Ready, love?"
She nodded. Since in recent weeks she'd started feeling queasy first thing in the morning, they'd timed their arrival for after the usual window of morning sickness. "Yes." She placed a hand on her lower belly. "The baby's behaving, at least for the moment. And it's not currently raining, so we'd better hurry before our luck changes."
He kissed her, gently touched her stomach, and exited the car. Lavinia followed suit, and holding hands, they made their way to the designated dig site.
An earlier radar detection team had come, scanned the ground, and confirmed some kind of building was here. After scouring the layout for days, they'd finally picked the spot they'd excavate first—a corner section of what should be an outer wall.
A digger had already taken off the top layer, and a shallow pit waited.