Summer of Frost (Forever Fae #3)(49)

I knew Drake wanted to ask me something, but was a little hesitant to ask. His jaw muscle clenched over and over, and I’d recognized that from before as being a nervous tick he got. The infamous dragon had a nervous streak that only I had ever seen.

Rubbing his jaw with my hand, I gazed into his smoky gray eyes and asked, “What’s wrong, Drake? Just ask me what you have on your mind. I know something’s troubling you.”

Not taking his eyes off mine, he finally revealed his distress. “I kept telling myself it wouldn’t matter, and it doesn’t now that Alston’s dead, but did he take advantage of you when you were with him? Did you two sleep together?”

“No!” I shrieked loudly. “We slept in the same bed one night, but never did anything more than that. Even though I didn’t remember you, I still didn’t want him like that. My heart was claimed before he took my memories.”

It never occurred to me that those thoughts would be eating away at his mind. I would’ve been livid if he was alone with a past lover with no recollection of who I was. Drake smiled wryly. “I thought you said you never wanted to be claimed. Does this mean you’re mine?”

“Yes, you knew that already.”

“Always?”

“Yes.”

“How can I get you to prove it?” he asked smoothly.

Lifting my hands, I ran them through his silky red strands. His gray eyes were filled with humor, waiting on a snarky comeback from me. For the first time, he wasn’t going to get one. I kissed him gently on the lips and took in a deep, calming breath of his Summer scent.

“I love you, Drake. I spent my whole life living in my mother’s shadow until you came along. You brought me a love so scorching yet tender that I was bound to be melted by it. I give you my heart freely. Take it, claim it, and hold it as your own. I will always and forever be yours, my love. Amin mela lle ilyamemie ar’ ten’ oio.”

After saying the words in the Old Fae language, I felt a sense of peace flow through my veins. I could feel my inner frost slowly melting inch by inch. Drake was speechless, frozen in place and stunned into silence. I knew he wasn’t expecting me to make the eternal bond at that moment, and it felt good catching him off guard.

“All of this time,” he began, “I’ve never heard you say anything like that, but I’m glad you did.”

I grinned. “I know, and I’ve regretted not saying anything like that before. I may not express my feelings a whole lot in words, but I do love you. I would just rather show you with actions instead of words.”

“I understand,” he whispered against my lips. “I may not be a man that can share my feelings too well with words either, but I will spend the rest of my life trying. I love you, Sorcha. You broke my hard exterior, opening my eyes and my heart. As I’ve claimed your heart and soul, you’ve claimed mine. I promise to keep yours safe for the rest of our lives, always and forever. Amin mela lle ilyamemie ar’ ten’ oio. Our bond is now sealed.”

He kissed me gently to seal the bond of our words, but we still needed to do one more thing to completely fulfill the marriage bond and complete our land. Drake broke away from the kiss, both of us breathless. “Damn, I want make love to you so bad, and not just in our dreams. I want to feel the real you beneath me.”

I licked my eager lips. “Then take me.”

His hungered words had me panting with need. I’d felt his lips on my body plenty of times in my dreams, but I knew it would be better once it was real. “Are you sure it’s not too soon. You’ve been through so much the past couple of days. I don’t want to rush you.”

Exasperated, I shook my head. “You’re not rushing me. If anything, I’m rushing you. We need this, I need this. Besides, we’ve already made love in our dreams. I know what I’m getting into.”

Drake smirked, and held me tighter against him while grazing his lips along my neck. “That was nothing compared to what it’ll be like now. I need you too much to go slow.”

I smiled. “I think you read my mind, but where?”

Drake’s grin was intoxicating. He nodded his head in the direction of the water and said, “I think right there in the water. Take a look.”

When I turned my head and saw what he was looking at, I gasped in wonder. “What did you do?”

Drake came up beside me and shrugged. “Well, I was thinking about how I could just take you out here in the open, not caring who came by or who saw us. However, I didn’t think that would work with you, so I asked the land to help.”

“And what exactly did you ask it?”

“I was thinking in my head how I wanted everything to be special, and how we needed a hidden place that was comfortable yet romantic. I guess the water is doing our bidding like it did in our dreams.”

My mind was in awe at the sight before me. The water had pulled back, making a path down the center. It led down into an opening, but I couldn’t see the bottom. I had no clue what awaited us in the watery depths. “This is strange,” I thought out loud.

Drake grabbed my hand and pulled me to the water. “Yes, it is, but at least we get to experience it together. It’s but one of our many adventures. Now we can do it for real instead of in our dreams.”

“Are you implying that you want to forego our dream realm adventures?” I asked.