Claire stretched when she woke in the morning, finally feeling rested. Yesterday, they’d napped for two hours, then taken a long, hot bath together. She’d briefly dressed to check in on Dylan, who’d been too busy posting selfies of him and his crush to Instagram to even realize that Claire and Raul hadn’t made it out of the maze with the other parents.

For once, she was glad that Dylan assumed that she’d been working all day again. And so far, that hadn’t been wrong. She had been working an awful lot. To a teenager like Dylan, it probably looked like she did nothing but work or argue with him over the time he spent on his computer.

Well, that’s going to end now.

With the morning sun shining down onto her naked skin, she stretched again, a warm glow of anticipation filling her.

Things were going to change. She wouldn’t work quite as much anymore. And at the end of her workday, she’d get to curl up with someone.

No more lonely TV dinners. No more filling all of my days with work, work, work.

“Hey,” Raul said throatily, stirring next to her. He smiled as he turned to his side, one of his strong arms wrapping around her chest. “Sleep well?”

“For ten glorious hours,” she sighed, turning her head to press a kiss to where his biceps bulged. “I haven’t managed that in years.”

“You needed it,” he said. His hand trailed up her side, until he could bury his fingers in her hair and tug her up for a kiss.

She sighed at the touch of his hot lips, moaning when he slowly explored her mouth with his tongue. When they parted, she found her heart racing, her own hands combing through his hair. She stroked her thumb along his strong jawline, enjoying the sensation of stubble and the heat of his skin.

“You’re always so warm,” she said in appreciation.

“I can do more than just keep you warm now,” he murmured, and then he raised his hand. “Watch.”

At the tip of each finger, a tiny flame appeared, dancing there until Raul closed his hand. When he opened it again, a tiny ball of fire was turning over his palm, giving off so much heat that Claire could feel it against her bare skin.

“It doesn’t burn you?” she asked in awe.

Raul shook his head. “It feels like it’s a part of me. My dad used to do little tricks like this to entertain me when I was a child. I didn’t know how much I missed it...”

“I don’t know anything about dragons, and I loved you just as much when you couldn’t shift.” Claire gently touched his arm, feeling the warmth that rose from his skin. “But I’m glad you won your powers back. You looked incredible. And you saved me. If you hadn’t trapped Malcolm—”

“Oh shit,” Raul said, the fireball plopping out of existence. “I forgot all about him! He’s still trapped in a little prison of fire.”

Claire began to laugh as she imagined the uncomfortable night he must have had. “It’s hard to feel sorry for him. At least he won’t have been cold. But I guess he can’t stay there...”

“I’ll call the sheriff down in Christmas Valley. Malcolm’s human, so we can’t really put him into a shifter prison.”

“And he did try to steal money that belonged to Henrik’s uncle,” Claire pointed out. “In fact, we should probably hire another accountant or two and look into what exactly he’s been up to. If Alistair originally hired him, I wouldn’t be surprised if Malcolm’s involved in some shady things connected to Alistair’s money.”

“Which would be enough for a human judge. It’s not like they’d believe any stories about dragons.” Raul laughed softly, then tightened his hold on her waist to pull her against him.

His lips found her breasts, kissing her until she was breathless in his arms, her nipples tight and aching for his touch.

“My dragon wants to mate you,” he said, his voice dark with desire as he looked up at her.

His tousled hair fell into his eyes, and she swallowed as she reached up to brush it out of the way. “And you?”

“Oh, I want it too. More than anything. I want us to be mated. I want to claim you. And I want to spend the rest of my life by your side—whether you want to go to Dubai or Iceland.”

His words caused her to laugh softly, even as her body was throbbing with hunger for him. She’d never even told him about that failed Dubai interview.

“You’d go live in Iceland for me?” she asked. She smoothed her hand along his hard pecs, enjoying the way his heart was beating in a powerful, quick rhythm against her skin. “That’s probably the sweetest thing a fire dragon ever said. But I don’t want a glitzy Dubai hotel. That was never the sort of career I wanted. I wanted a place just like this. Where I can plan events for kids and adults that make a real difference. Where I know everyone by name. Where people like Micah tell me that they wish they could come back in the summer.”

“Hmm,” Raul murmured, his brow furrowing for a moment as he looked up at her. “A place like this, but geared more towards summer tourism... Sounds like it would make a fine home for a fire dragon.”

“Yeah?” she asked softly, allowing some of her hope to shine through. “I don’t know if such a place exists, but I wouldn’t mind taking some time off after this gig to look for a job like that.”

Raul hesitated for a moment. “There is someone I’d like you to meet,” he finally said. “It’s been a long, long time since I saw them—and by now, the place might have been torn down—anyway. I will look into it. And perhaps, after Henrik and Dara return and you’ve got some time off, we can visit and see if that’s the sort of job you’d like.”

“I’d love that,” she said quietly. “I’d love traveling with you. And I’d love to spend time with you—not like here, where people are constantly interrupting.”

“It’s a deal then” Raul’s smile widened.

In the bright light of the morning sun, his hair gleamed like gold. His green eyes were dark and warm, filled with the light of his inner fire. There was something different about him now. It was as if she could feel his power shine through him.

But the way he looked at her was still exactly the same. The heat in his eyes was that of desire, and when he slid his hand gently down her side, she felt herself shiver with need at the heat of his touch.

“So, about the mating,” she said breathlessly, feeling wetness slick between her thighs already. “How exactly does it work?”

“Traditionally,” Raul murmured, rolling them around so that she came to rest below him. “It would happen on a pile of gold. But after yesterday, I feel that we deserve a bed.”

“Definitely.” Claire gasped when he lowered his head to wickedly lick a small, hot circle around her aching nipple.

“Fortunately,” he then continued, “my dragon thought ahead, and I found this in my pockets last night.”

He reached out for the drawer of the nightstand. Claire’s eyes widened when he drew out strings of gleaming pearls, chains of gold, bracelets encrusted with rubies and sapphires—and there, among all the bright jewelry, the uncut gem that was his dragon’s heart.

Raul pressed a kiss to her chest, right to the place between her breasts. Then he placed his dragon’s heart there.

Next, he took hold of her hands. In awe, Claire watched as he slipped the bracelets onto her, every single one worth more than she’d earned in her entire life. He placed more necklaces around her neck, adding to the simple chain of gold that had already heated up against her skin.

And then he took hold of a single, long chain of gold, the links heavy and wide.

His hand clasped hers. Instinctively, she entwined her fingers with his. His eyes shone with the inner power of his dragon as he wound the chain around their clasped hands, chaining them together. The metal was warm against her skin, and it felt strangely alive.

“Now,” he murmured, looking at her with eyes so full of desire and love that she trembled beneath the weight of it, “now I claim you as my mate. Our bond will be eternal. Our hearts and souls will be one.”

“Yes,” she breathed, raising her free hand to clutch his strong shoulder, pulling him closer. “Claim me, my dragon.”

When he pushed inside her, she gasped at the incredible sensation. He was so hot against her skin that she couldn’t even feel the heat of the metal anymore. All she could think of was Raul.

He took her with shallow thrusts at first, every motion making her moan as he rocked into her, her inner walls clutching at him. He filled her so perfectly that she clenched her thighs around his hips, aching to feel him even deeper.

A first wave of pleasure began to gather inside her. The heat of her need filled her—and at the same time, Raul’s gold grew hotter as well.

It didn’t burn her, even though it felt as if it should. Instead, the heat was strangely pleasant. It pulsed against her, and her body pulsed in answer.

With every thrust of Raul’s hips, her clit throbbed, a pulse of desire running through her entire body. Her nerves were aflame with need—and then, it felt like the jewelry on her skin burst into flame.

Claire cried out as orgasm hit her. It rushed through her, filling her with ecstasy that sizzled along every nerve until she arched against Raul.

Simultaneously, the golden chain that tied their hands together seemed to turn into liquid fire.

When she opened her eyes, breathless and still shuddering with the force of her climax, it looked for a moment as if living flames engulfed their hands. But it didn’t hurt. As she watched, the metal seemed to melt and shift.

And then Raul thrust into her again, and she felt another wave of pleasure build, this one even stronger.

He lowered his head, his lips nuzzling against her breast. Between them, she could feel his heart stone pulse, filled with the same heat that swept through her at his touch.

His lips found her nipple. She moaned as his tongue rasped against it. Helplessly, she clenched around his erection, feeling him hot and large inside her. When she lifted her hips a little, he pushed even deeper—and now every thrust seemed to push right against the spot inside her that sent waves of exquisite heat through her.

She gasped, arching—and then his teeth closed around her nipple. As his tongue teased the sensitive, hard bud, another wave of orgasm came crashing over her.

This time, it didn’t stop. It went on and on, every wave of pleasure driving her even higher. In the end, there were tears in her eyes and she held on to Raul’s shoulders for dear life. With every pulse of ecstasy, she clenched around his shaft, her nails digging into his skin, needing more, needing him.

And then his own climax overwhelmed him at last.

This time, she could feel it—not only the incredible sensation of his length throbbing inside her, but his pleasure flooding her body and heart through the bond between them.

Her mind was completely open to him, and his to hers. It was as if the bright flames of the endless climax had burned straight through any and all barriers between them.

Now, they were truly bound together—heart to heart, body to body, soul to soul.

As Raul spilled himself inside her, his heat filling her as his strong body rocked against her, one final time a wave of pleasure rose up inside her. And when it broke over her, she offered no resistance.

She let herself be carried away by it, safe in her mate’s arms. Ecstasy filled every nerve, every thought, burned through her until even the deepest, loneliest corners of her heart were filled by Raul’s bright flame.

She couldn’t say how long it lasted, or how many minutes passed until her pulse finally calmed and she realized where she was.

She was still in Raul’s bed, held safely in Raul’s arms.

She was completely exhausted—and she’d never felt better in her entire life.

“That was incredible,” she said softly, raising her hand to press it against Raul’s chest. Then her eyes widened.

The chain that he’d wound around their joined hands was gone. Instead, there was a new, golden bracelet that wrapped tightly around her wrist. There was no opening mechanism that she could see, no seam or hinge. It looked as if it had simply melted into place.

Raul raised his own wrist, holding it next to hers. He wore the same bracelet.

“Now we’re truly mated,” he said. His voice sounded hoarse and a little tired—but completely and utterly happy.

She reached out to trace a finger along the gold encircling his wrist. “Did you do that?”

“My dragon likes the thought of my gold on you,” he said with a hint of that delicious possessiveness that made her shiver.

"Matched bracelets... Your dragon is a romantic," she murmured, and then she snuggled closer, smiling up at him. "I'm learning all these things about dragons I never knew."

"The fairy tales left out a lot." He settled into a more comfortable position, drawing her tightly against him. "What's your schedule like today? If you've got time, we can go back and explore that ice cave a little. My dragon wants to spend time with his hoard, now that it’s finally been returned to him."

"He must be pretty pleased about that," Claire said, watching how his eyes lit up a little with the gleam of flames.

"He's ecstatic." Raul chuckled. "As am I, but for different reasons. I've got you here with me, in my arms. My mate. We're both alive, and my power has been returned. From now on, I'll be able to keep you safe, no matter what."

Claire's smile widened. Even though she hoped his protection wouldn't be necessary in the future, after all they'd been through, it was reassuring to know that there was a huge, powerful fire dragon at her beck and call.

"I need to spend some time with Dylan—check up on how his schoolwork is going, before he vanishes to make sheep’s eyes at his crush again. Oh—and I'll need to call Dara, and see about finding us a new accountant now."

"Meanwhile, I'll deal with our former accountant." Raul kissed her one last time, then stood.

The sunlight shone onto his impressive muscles, and Claire watched as he dressed, enjoying the view of his flexing six pack, and the knowledge that this stunningly gorgeous, sexy man was all hers now.

Even without a ring on her finger, there was now a bracelet around her arm—and a connection between their hearts that throbbed with his adoration and desire for her.

"Oh, there'll be a ring too," he said throatily, pausing to give her another of his dark, promising looks that made everything inside her coil with need for him.

"Dragons love celebrations and reasons for gifts. And while we’re mated now, my dragon absolutely wants a huge human wedding. Anything to see you decorated in our jewelry."

Claire couldn't stop smiling. It was hard to believe that just a day ago, she'd thought that she'd have to watch Raul die in front of her.

"Let's deal with our work first," she said, stretching teasingly beneath the cover. "And then, this afternoon, you can show me your hoard..."