and pulls out a long gold necklace. Dragon warriors do love their gold, I think with amusement.
“A gift for me?”
“Indeed it is, my queen.”
When I hold out my hand and he lowers it into my palm, I realize immediately it’s an old fashioned Earth-style locket with a big round smooth cabochon gemstone embedded into the front with our clan markings scribbled around the rim. “It’s a locket. How sweet.”
I quickly pry it open, and rather than pictures there is a small piece of what appears to be shell. It looks similar to the ones covering our young, but it’s a deeper, darker color. It floors me when I realize what this is. Running one finger over the thick shell, I being to tear up. “This is from when you were born, right?”
“Yes. Draconian families often keep pieces of the shell from their little spawn as remembrances. I have mounted mine on one side and left two sets of prongs on the other side to grasp a shell fragment from each of our young. Do you like it?”
Holding it to my chest, I nod. “I absolutely love it. Out of all the nice jewelry you’ve given me, this is the nicest. It is something I will treasure forever.”
“Some old blood warriors and their queens scar their bodies or get ink shoved into their skin to solidify their bond. You and I exchange sturdy gold heirloom objects which hold great meaning, because although the ancient ways are to be respected, they do not hold so much sway over our lives that we must become copies of one another.”
I’m vaguely aware that even now our huge common room is filling up with visitors who are intent on celebrating our sons coming out of their shell. I don’t pay them any mind because my attention is on my achingly sweet mate. “You’re absolutely right about that. We don’t have to do what everyone else does out of a misguided obligation to honor tradition. I’m the luckiest woman in the world to have you in my life. If our sons are even half as smart as their philosophical father, they’ll be able to become anything they want in life.”
Borak has a very expressive face when he’s not intentionally wearing the expression face of a warrior. These days he’s been saving that for special occasions. Right now his expression and body language radiate all the love he has in his heart for me, and I’m picking up on it loud and clear.
I pull him down for a kiss and he comes willingly, wrapping his wing around us for privacy and warmth. Come to find out, there is no place I’d rather be than under his wing. Eventually, we have to let our special moment slip away because people are calling our names. “Go. Mix and mingle. I’ll stand guard over our young.”
Borak lifts his wings proudly and gives me one final kiss before strolling out to greet his guests like a proper host. I drape the locket around my neck, and my heart fills with happiness as I watch him move from one cluster of warriors to another. They are all so thrilled for him that they slap him on the shoulder and make jokes about his meteoric rise in status among their people.
Penelope and I teamed up to have a word with Queen Cassandra about Borak’s punishment, and by the time we were finished I think she understood how badly our favorite clade leader had been wronged. She reinstated his rank in their database and issued a proclamation that warriors are no longer to be scourged unless the punishment is approved by the entire council of queens. Truth be told, I think she was a little shocked and overwhelmed that they were still scourging warriors and her own mate had been the one to do it. After having my say, I’m happy to leave them to sorting out their apparent miscommunication on that issue.
As the night wears on, women come to speak with me individually. Borak’s friends are all really nice folks, and even their human wives are sweet as can be. Even Kryos finally accepted our mating. He brought us a nice gift a few weeks ago and had a look at the eggs. Something about actually seeing our young finally allowed him to let go of the situation. Since Kryos and I never held hands, kissed or had anything other than a professional relationship, I think his stubbornness was related more his personality