“Thank you, Nina. We’ll head into the cavern now.” Lyrica smiled up at him. “I know how much you like to stay on schedule.”
“The only thing on my schedule is how many times I can make you scream my name,” he teased as he took her hand and led her back toward the cavern.
“Behave until we finish the ceremony, then you can carry me back up to our bedchamber and see if we can beat our last record.”
“Game on, my naughty little keeper.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
“Only about a million times,” she said with a laugh. “And have I told you how handsome you look?”
“I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”
Laughing, she did just that.
While Gabriel wore a sleeveless green tunic that showed off his muscular arms and black leather pants and boots, Lyrica was wearing a shimmering gold gown that had a thin, sheer layer of green fabric over it. The formfitting dress hugged every inch of her curvy body. It was much sexier than what she normally wore, but it had been a gift from Alden, Harris, and Nina, so she’d had to find the courage to wear it.
As they made their way toward the cavern entrance where Alden and Harris waited for them, she could see a bright green light emanating from around the corner, but she couldn’t see inside yet. Before they reached Alden and Harris, she took hold of her twin’s hand.
“Lynx, I know this won’t be the same as the bonding ceremony on Xenthian, but would you—”
Lynx leaned in and kissed her cheek. “It would be my honor.”
“Thank you, brother.”
By the casual way Alden and Harris greeted Lynx, it was clear that they had already known about his arrival. As the males engaged in some friendly banter, Lyrica was struck by the sight of her favorite people standing there together. Happy tears spilled from her eyes, and she tried not to be obvious when she wiped them away.
“Uh oh. She’s already getting emotional. We better get started soon before she floods the hallway,” Alden warned playfully.
Her twin nodded. “Good call. I’ll be waiting inside when you are ready.”
After he disappeared around the corner, Gabriel stepped over to have a private word with Harris while Alden and Lyrica spoke softly.
“So, are you ready?”
“Absolutely,” she said with a laugh. “Are you?”
Alden shot a quick look over at his mate and smiled. “Most definitely. You and Gabriel first, then Harris and I will say our vows.”
Harris walked over and kissed her cheek. “We’ll head in and let you and the big guy make an entrance.”
Alden reached for Harris’ hand, and the two males disappeared around the corner.
“What did he mean? How can we get to the cavern without using the entrance?”
“He meant he wants us to be the center of attention when we go in.”
“Human sayings are strange.”
“So they are,” he said with a chuckle as he led her around the corner and into the cavern.
They had been banned from the large cavern while their friends had decorated for the ceremony, and now, the dark space had been transformed into a magical wonderland. Golden starlight hovered near the ceiling, illuminating the room as it reflected off of the green crystal walls. A series of pools created a natural, multilevel fountain in the back of the room, and some underwater light source made it look like the pink water was glowing.
“It’s all so beautiful,” Lyrica said, looking around. “I sense strong Xenon and Dragon Warrior magic in here.”
“Harris, Alden, and Nina arrange everything in here with a little help from Roman and Amari.”
“Our Dragon Warrior friends have certainly been very generous.”
“They have. I think they’re softening us up to babysit for them.”
“Which we would gladly do.”
Their friends and family were seated on carved benches that had been placed there for the event, and Lyrica beamed a smile at everyone, silently thanking them for being there and sharing in their joy. Lynx was standing on a stone platform near the base of the multilevel pools, and when they joined him, the room went silent. Lyrica removed her necklace and handed it over to her brother. He studied the magical stone curiously, then nodded.
If they were on Xenthian, they would have exchanged vows while holding the Adderstone of the Southern Isle. Since they were improvising for this ceremony, they had decided to use her necklace since it was the only magical stone they had on Earth.
“Let the bonding ceremony for my beloved sister, Lyrica Titan Snowden, Vesera of the Southern Isle, and Gabriel Titan Snowden, winged giant, commence,” Lynx called out, making everyone in the room laugh.
Gabriel glared as he held out his hand, and Lynx grinned back at him as he placed the pendant in the center of his palm. Lyrica placed her palm facedown over his, trapping the stone between their hands. Lynx stepped away, leaving them standing alone on the stone platform. For a moment, they simply stared at one another.
“My hands are shaking. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“Just breathe, princess. Just breathe and hold onto me.”
“Hey, are you two doing the vow exchange telepathically?” Vaughn shouted, making everyone in attendance laugh again.
Gabriel frowned at his younger brother, then he gave in and shook his head with a small chuckle. Leave it to Vaughn to know exactly how to lighten the mood. He was grateful when he felt Lyrica relax a
