Chapter Thirty-Seven
Valora
Announcing that I was Dracul’s dragaria went more smoothly than I expected. The Maidens were shocked—rightfully so—before congratulating me, and most of the dragons from the Shadowvale and Twisturn clans were already aware. What remained of the Starfire clan did not seem to care—they were too busy dealing with the aftermath of the attack and assimilating with the Twisturn clan. Notices were sent to the Lords of the Hysta and Grathal clans, who swiftly replied with their congratulations. To my continued surprise, there was no vocal opposition to me being Dracul’s dragaria .
“Now that everyone knows, what happens next?” I asked Dracul shortly after the announcement was made. We were on the couch together, each reading different books. Dracul’s head was in my lap and once in a while, I would play with his hair.
He set his book down on his chest, looking up at me. “Typically, there’s a ceremony, similar to a human wedding,” he said tentatively.
I made a face. There had been enough ceremonies lately and I was not sure I wanted another one. Only a couple months ago, I had become his official Dragon Maiden.
“We could always do something small,” he said.
“But you’re the High Dragon Lord,” I said. “Isn’t it expected that we invite everybody?”
“That usually is how things are done, yes,” he said. “But nothing about the two of us is normal. Having a ceremony with just the Lords would be sufficient for witnesses. What would you think of that?”
“And the Dragon Maidens too?” I asked. “And Ronan?”
Ronan had taken up residence in the caves now. He helped Lord Lorka oversee the crops, glad to finally have a chance to slow down and work with his hands again. In the past few years, he had not had that chance, ever since he had left home.
“They would be more than welcome,” Dracul said, nodding.
I leaned over and kissed him, savoring the taste of his lips. That was something I did not think I would ever get used to—every time gave me butterflies. I pulled back, glad to see a smile on Dracul’s face. My cheeks flushed as I felt a warmth spread through me.
“What was that for?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Just because,” I said, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. “Are there different duties I would have to take over as your dragaria ?”
Dracul sat up, facing me. “That is something I wanted to talk to you about,” he said. “Because there will be different duties. I was wondering what your thoughts would be on scaling back on your Dragon Maiden duties. You would still bear the title, but less of the manual labor.”
“Who would do that instead?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I had the other Maidens do it before you came along,” he said. “Or we could have one of the servants clean up around here if you want.”
“I don’t mind the cleaning,” I said.
“But you’ll have your dragaria duties on top of that,” Dracul pointed out. “You’ll be accompanying me on tours to the different clans, attending the council meetings with me, and you’ll be given tasks to deal with the administration of the cave.”
“Doesn’t Lord Verhorn do that administrative piece now?” I asked.
Dracul chuckled. “He does, but he shouldn’t be,” he said. “It’s one of the tasks that got assigned to him since I did not have a dragaria when I was appointed High Dragon Lord. There were a few things over the course of my reign that have been unusual.”
“I see,” I said. “Then why don’t we see how things go with me doing both sets of tasks for a while? If it becomes too much then we can go with your plan of having someone else do the manual labor.”
Dracul kissed me, making me lightheaded. He pulled back and I had to gasp for breath. “That sounds like an excellent plan,” he said. “Now that we’ve decided on a small ceremony, when would you like to hold it?”
“How about late summer?” I asked. “It’s a few months away and gives us time to get everything ready.”
“That sounds perfect, Lora,” he said before lunging at me.
I shrieked in surprise, which turned into giggles as we began to kiss each other, running our hands over each other’s bodies. The heat within me flared up and I could not wait for us to be officially tied together.