He inclined his head in acquiescence. "I will not say anything to a mentor that could be interpreted as being anything but wholly behind your plans."

"Oh," I said—less than brilliant, I admit, but to be honest, I was overwhelmed. Fd never thought Drake would come around, never thought he'd be willing to compromise. He was such an inflexible man, I couldn't help but grin at him as I slid my other hand up his arm, tangling my fingers in his hair. "See? Giving me what I want didn't hurt very much, now did it?"

His eyes burned bright, and his hands were hard on my bottom as he rubbed against me. "You have yet to ask what it is I want from this agreement, mate."

"I think I can guess," I answered, sucking his earlobe into my mouth, nipping it just hard enough to get his attention. "You want someone to attend the peace summit with you. You want someone to pour when you have other wyverns over for tea. You want to make steamy, sensual, passionate love to me three times each and every night."

Both of his eyebrows went up. "Three times?"

I kissed the tip of his nose. "You're immortal. You can't die of a heart attack. Three is good."

"There is more to being a mate than pouring tea, Aisling." His voice rumbled around and through me as I kissed a line along his jaw. "To be a wyvern's mate is to be bound for all time to the sept. You must take an oath to never turn your back on the green dragons. If you are called on for help, you cannot refuse. To do so would mean death. This is not something to be taken lightly."

I nipped his chin, smiling into his so serious face. That seems a fair trade. "I get to have you at my beck and call, and now and again I watch the kids when you're busy."

"Aisling—" he said, his voice filled with reproach.

I stopped the words by sliding my fingers across his lips. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be flip. It's just that I'm happy. Can we do this oath now, or is there some sort of special oath at the clan ceremony?"

"We can do it now." His lips compressed for a moment before the corners of his mouth relaxed. "But you must be certain. The oath wilt be binding."

"OK." I cleared my throat and thought for a long moment about what I was going to do. It was a big step, a major step, one of those life-altering steps that always seem to come about without the least hint, but the time had come to stop running from what the fates kept throwing in my path. Drake was meant to be a part of my life. Either I could spend my lifetime fighting us both, or I could accept the compromise. "I, Aisling Grey, Guardian, swear upon my soul to fulfill my duties as your mate. I swear to uphold the well-being and happiness of the sept of the green dragons. I swear that whatever help is mine to give shall be given wholeheartedly, of my own free will."

My heart beat madly with the realization of what I was doing. I was binding myself to one man, for eternity, wyverns' mates being immortal. Somehow it seemed fitting that at this most important moment in my life I should be naked, held tight against the warm flesh of the man who filled my heart and soul with something so profound I couldn't bear to examine it closely.

"I, Drake Vireo, wyvern of the green dragons, accept and acknowledge your fealty. You will forever hence be known as my mate, and as such will receive all protection, honor, and respect due you."

His voice echoed in the empty room. I waited until the last of the bass echo faded away, then licked my lips. "That's it?"

He nodded.

"There's nothing else? Nothing else that we say or do?"

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know." I looked downward, although I was pressed so tightly to him, there was little beyond my breasts squashed into his chest to see. "I guess I thought that maybe there would be something like a bolt of lightning going through me or that I'd feel something, you know, big"

One eyebrow cocked. I giggled. "No, not that. I feel that. And I refuse to pander to your male ego by discussing size. I meant with the whole mate thing. Does it take a while to go into effect?"

He walked forward, toward the steps at the far end of the pool. "The oath was binding the moment it was completed. You are my mate, Aisling. Now and forever."

"Ah." He bent to scoop me up, carrying me up the marble steps. "So, what do we do now?"

He grinned then, his eyes filled with desire and heat and a need so intense it made my skin prickly. My body rubbed sinuously against the warm flesh of his torso as he headed into the shadows, where a bed magically appeared, and he set me down in the center of it with care.

"Now you wake up."

   Chapter 12

Jim lifted its heavy head and blinked sleepily at me as I leaped out of bed and ran for the door. "What burr got under your bustle?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. Just come with me!"

The demon slowly got to its feet, stretching with a loud groan. "I don't smell an incubus, so what's the big deal—ow! That's my ear you're pinching!"

"It's going to be your former ear if you don't get a move on." I dragged Jim toward the open door, snatching up the plastic key card before hurrying out of the room.

"I was sleeping! I can't go from flat-out sleep to racing around like a lunatic like some people I can name," Jim said grumpily as I all but dragged it down the hallway to the elevators. "Don't tell me, let me guess— you've had another nocturnal visit from the Studly Dragon?"

I slid Jim a curious glance. "How do you know about my dreams with Drake?"

Jim snorted. "How could I not know? I shared a room with you back in Paris, if you recall. For a couple of nights before you and he got it on, there was a whole lot of, 'Oh, yes, Drake, yes, yes!' and 'Take me, you dragon studmuffin, take me hard and fast!' going on. It was all I could do to get a couple of hours' sleep before you'd start with the moaning and thrashing."

"I never once said, 'Take me, you dragon studmuffin!' That's a lie, pure and simple. Hey! I thought you weren't supposed to be able to lie to me when I asked you a question." I punched the elevator button, struggling to keep from doing an impatient little dance. How long did it take elevators in this country to move?

Jim yawned. "It wasn't a lie, it was an exaggeration. Nothing in the Big Demon Book o' Rules says I can't exaggerate now and again."