radiant glow made Rania keenly aware of the strength in Hadrian’s grip upon her hand. She thought of the combination of power and tenderness when he’d touched her and couldn’t wait to feel his hands upon her again. Would that desire fade with the firestorm’s light? She had a feeling it wouldn’t. “As shown by the light of the firestorm, Rania is the one who can bear my son and the woman I would honor above all others.” He shook his head and his tone turned teasing. “Even if I only know her first name.”
Edred turned on Rania and pecked in her direction, his disapproval obvious.
“It’s Rania Hingston,” she admitted.
Hadrian smiled at her. “One day, I’ll know all your secrets,” he joked, those eyes glinting with mischief. Rania’s heart skipped as he turned to Edred again and sobered. “I want you to understand that I’m one of the Pyr who believes in making a permanent commitment to his mate. Satisfying the firestorm isn’t just about physical union. I will defend your sister to my dying day.”
There was a rustle of feathers among the company of swans. “They like the idea of that,” she told Hadrian. “They want us to formalize the agreement.”
“How?” He was clearly puzzled.
“You’ll see.” She shifted shape before Hadrian could ask for more detail and her brothers surrounded her, trumpeting and making that houp-houp sound. Their feathers shone in the light of the firestorm, gleaming with the luster of pearls. Edred made a loud trumpeting call, like a herald announcing the arrival of a king. Rania felt celebratory herself. The swans formed a wall of lustrous white feathers, then backed away, letting Rania approach Hadrian while they formed a circle around the couple.
Edred trumpeted again, and Rania raised her wings. She’d never done this dance before but she knew the steps, right in the essence of her being. She felt as if this was a moment she’d awaited all of her life. She reached high, knowing this would be the only time she would perform the courtship dance and wanting to do it right. She followed her instincts, trusting them, knowing the choice was right. She stretched her neck skyward and gave the same trumpeting call as Edred, then bent toward Hadrian, as if she was bowing to him. She spun in place then, fluttering her wings.
The moves reminded her of formal dances in Regency courts and she wondered whether humans had been inspired by swans.
She repeated the sequence three times, then she waited, heart fluttering, as she faced Hadrian.
Hadrian grinned crookedly and she knew he understood. He shifted shape in a brilliant shimmer of blue, obviously proud of his dragon form. There was no reason why he shouldn’t be. He was magnificent, his scales emerald and silver, his body filled with raw power. Her brothers had to move back to give him space and her heart thundered that he would be her mate, forever.
Despite his size, Hadrian danced gracefully and lightly, an athlete in command of his body and one who knew it well. He spread his wings high and wide, casting a shadow over the island, then flapped them so that they stirred a wind. He stretched his neck high and bared his teeth in a dragon smile as the sunlight glinted on his scales. Rania knew her brothers had to see that Hadrian was sufficiently powerful to defend his mate. She could defend herself, but she respected this ancient masculine tradition. Instead of Edred’s trumpeting call, Hadrian blew a plume of dragonfire into the air, then spun in place and bowed toward her.
He performed the sequence three times, and then he waited.
The fourth time, they danced together in perfect unison. The sun was rising higher and becoming warmer but its light was no competition for the silvery glow of the firestorm. The firestorm glistened and gleamed between them, shooting sparks as they approached each other, filling Rania with a simmering need to satisfy its promise. They finished the sequence by circling around each other, in a promenade, their wingtips touching as they watched each other.
Then Rania stretched out toward Hadrian and bent her beak downward. Her neck made the shape of half of a heart. Hadrian mirrored her pose, touching his brow to hers, to complete the heart and she felt a wondrous sense of completion. Despite the differences in size between them, she felt the ripple of approval through the flock of her brothers. Edred gave a trumpeting call again and her other