As they walked into Lindy’s small apartment, greeted by an overly excited Perky, Magnus realized he was really going to miss this place.

It was small and nowhere near as elegant as the castle, but to him, it was home.

Because he’d been with his mate there.

“Do you think Perky will be safe in the castle?” Lindy asked, picking up the hyper dog and letting it lick her face.

Magnus reached out to give Perky a pet. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, then let out a little yip and struggled to get down. “I think she’ll run the place,” he said.

“Hey, Perky, can you give us a minute? We’re gonna need some privacy.”

The little Pekinese cocked her head, and then, almost as if she understood him, trotted over to her little bed and curled up, tucking her head over her paws, a tiny ball of fluff with a scrunched face.

“I’m guessing you want to make this mate thing official,” she said. “Which I’m assuming includes mating?”

He shook his head, then nodded. When she laughed, he clarified. “I mean, yes, I want to make love to you. But that’s not what mating is.” He reached for the chain around his neck and removed an iron ring she’d never seen that was hanging on it.

He took her hand and slid it on her finger. It morphed slightly until it was a perfect fit.

It was ornate-looking and old, with dark engraving, and when Magnus reached over and twisted it, it opened to reveal a row of sparkling diamonds running down the center.

“I’ve always wanted to show that to the person who was my mate,” he said, smiling. Then he twisted it and locked it back up, showing her how. “Something for your eyes only.”

She stared down at it and felt tears well in her eyes.

Magnus looked stricken.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, panicking.

“No, no,” she said, waving a hand. “It’s just that I’m happy, and it’s been a long time since I was happy, and it hurt somehow. Like a muscle I’m not used to using.”

“So I just have to keep making you happy until you’re used to it, then,” he said.

She nodded, blinking away tears. “Something like that. You already make me so happy I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Then why did you run?” he asked, gathering her against him. “I mean, you told me somewhat when you were up in the crane, but I didn’t understand all of it.”

“When you lose someone, you lose a part of you. Depending on how much you love them. I didn’t want to love you because I knew I would lose too big a part. When you told me how you felt about your ship sinking, I was devastated for you. Your pain was my pain, and I realized I loved you and it scared me more than anything.”

“Oh,” he said, as if he’d never thought of that. “I thought you were angry with me. Or disgusted.”

“Never,” she said. “I was trying to keep myself from being destroyed. Instead, I almost got myself destroyed. I’m realizing life can hurt you, but it can also be wonderful. And you can’t run from it. You have to just let yourself experience everything it has to offer. And hope that eventually, if you endure, the right things or the right people come along to help.”

He nodded against her head, still holding her, stroking her back. “I’m glad I could come along, because when you came along, it changed everything. You were the light in my darkness. I want to be yours.”

She let tears stream over his shoulder. Happy ones this time, because she was allowed to feel her feelings and she wasn’t alone. Then she wiped her eyes and pulled back.

“I still want to mate you,” she said.

“Yeah? But you’re crying,” he said.

“I’m done,” she said. “I’m sure there will be crying in the future. But happy times, too. I’m ready for a happy time now.”

“Me, too,” he said, sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom.

When he laid her on her bed, she arched back, enjoying the feel of the covers and displaying the curves of her body, loving the way his eyes lit with heat, making her feel far sexier than she ever had in her life.

As he crawled onto the bed with her, he took her lips in a firm, claiming kiss that lit her down to her toes, pushing her onto her back so he was over her.

She leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Can you pin me again?”

He grinned and nodded, taking both of her wrists in his and pinning them over her, straddling her with his muscular thighs, looking every bit the Viking warrior with his beautiful, mussed hair and intense green gaze.

Not to mention that hulking body.

“Are you sure?” he asked, watching her. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you.”

“It feels good to give up control,” she said, flushing. “Because I trust you.”

That made his grin spread wider, and he used his free hand to lift her shirt over her head, struggling for a second with his hold. “One second,” he said, releasing her and focusing on removing her clothing. Her shirt and bra were gone seconds later, followed by pants and underwear.

Then she found herself pinned again. “That’s better,” he said.

She smiled and wriggled, somehow totally comfortable with him even when totally naked. Knowing what he was about to do to her made it impossible to be anything but excited.

He kept one hand on her wrists as he leaned forward to kiss her, his other hand slipping between them to play at her entrance, dipping into her wet heat and coming out to circle gently on her clit. She writhed beneath him as the tension built steadily inside her, his kisses becoming more intense as he increased the rhythm of his fingers.

She arched as the first orgasm came, washing over her with warm pleasure, making her entire body tense. He stopped to watch her, his eyes taking in every second as if he were trying to memorize it.

The minute she relaxed, he started again, dipping more than one finger in, teasing her G-spot as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, muffling her moans as she pushed her hips up against him.

They felt one at this moment, working together, moving together, feeling each other’s heartbeats and breaths and moans.

Her dragon.

The vision of him, so huge, so scaled, so gorgeous, was in the back of her mind as his fingers dipped into her, teasing her, pushing her, making her want so much more right this moment.

She moaned as she wriggled against him, wanting everything to speed up, and his kiss became more voracious, more intense, more possessive as his fingers worked her into a frenzy.

Her second orgasm was explosive, making her cry out and break free of his kiss so she could scream out her pleasure.

His hand trailed down between her breasts as she climaxed, teasing and distracting her and putting her totally on edge.

When she had calmed, he released her wrists and grabbed her legs, putting them over his shoulders. “I don’t want to pin you for this part,” he said. “Not that it’s not sexy when you writhe around, but for this, I want us both in control.”

She nodded.

“It should be easier this time, since it’s not the first, but if you ever want me to stop or back off, just tell me,” he said.

As usual, he was concerned about her only. She nodded.

He positioned himself at her entrance, which was wet and aching, and slowly pushed in.

She inhaled sharply at the warm, sharp pleasure of it as he stretched her, going inside. When he was fully seated against her, her thighs pressed against him, her legs relaxed and draped over him, she stared into his gorgeous, creamy-jade eyes.

Remembering all the times she’d looked into them, from the night he’d stopped on the side of the road to the day she’d seen him at the mansion to the day he’d shown up at the shop, how he was the first man to win over Perky.

“I love you,” she said, feeling so close to him, so connected, not only her body, but also her heart. “I love you so much, iron dragon.”

His eyes widened slightly, stunned. “I love you, too.”

“I love you, Magnus. Just wanted to say both, so you know I fully accept you.”

He looked between them, where their bodies were joined. “Yeah, I think I get that.”

She laughed and slapped his arm. “You know what I mean.”

He closed his eyes and then looked at her, and she could see him struggling with some unspoken feeling. “I do. It’s just hard,” he said. “Feeling accepted, accepting myself because you love me, it’s going to take me some time to get used to. Like it’s going to take you some time to get used to being happy.”

She grinned, pushing against him slightly, urging him on. “I think I’m getting acclimated quickly.”

He withdrew slightly and pushed back in, hitting her spot perfectly, making her bite her lip. “Me, too. Me and the dragon inside me.”

She smiled as he began to move, harder and longer strokes, as she pushed her body up to meet him as much as she could. But kneeling in front of her, once again he was in control, setting the rhythm and pressure in a way that was deliciously sweet.

At one point, she pulled back, let her legs down, and wrapped them around his waist, wanting to hold him even closer, loving the feel of his hard muscles as his hips moved against her. She locked her ankles, wanting to keep him safe and near.

As much as she understood he was a huge dragon and didn’t need her for safety, she also knew his heart was very human and needed love and acceptance as much as anyone else.

Luckily for him, it was easy to love him.

She felt his body getting tense, his arms and chest tightening, a taut expression on his handsome features as he focused on staying with her. She felt the pressure in her own body building, threatening to explode, even if she wanted this moment to last forever.

Then, with one more look into his beautiful eyes and one hard thrust that utterly pleasured her center, she came, breaking into a thousand shimmering pieces and losing all hold on time and space.

She felt him go with her, jerking, increasing the pleasure of the sensations rocking through her as her body released, and she pulled him down and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight, calling his name as the world slowly knit itself back together.

She hadn’t known such pleasure was possible. She wanted to chase it again and again with him.

His dark, silky red hair was hanging over his face, and she tucked it back, loving the way he always reacted to her touch.

As he took her hand and kissed it, she realized he was just like the ring he’d given her. Hard and strong on the outside but if you were patient and earned his trust, full of sparkling wonder inside.

Something that only she could see. Something she would always treasure.

Through good times and bad, she’d treasure her ring and her dragon.