Crown Of Hearts
Chapter 61: Already impressed

Chapter 61: Already impressed

Eamon was wearing a green kilt and Valerion doubted he could be able to keep himself from glaring at anyone that stared at his mate’s body.

Eamon’s build was lean and masculine in a way that was strong yet a bit delicate when compared to an average dragon male and Valerion wanted to keep his human mate from any ogling admirers.

He knew it was the possessiveness of his dragon talking and now that he was certain Eamon loved him, he had less insecurities.

If anyone was going to stare, he was going to take comfort knowing that Eamon could only be his at the end of the day and so with a soft sigh, he placed a brief kiss on Eamon’s forehead before holding his hand and leading him out of the house.

They arrived at the ceremony right on time and due to Valerion’s high social status, they sat in the tent that was reserved for the royals.

Tia and Eros had already arrived and Valerion let his mate greet his friends before they took their seats and waited for about ten minutes before an announcement that officially started the ceremony was made.

Valerion sneakily reached out and held Eamon’s hand, their fingers entiwing and with a warm glance at each other, they returned their attention to the stage that had several dancers taking their positions.

The music started shortly after and Eamon was hooked as he watched the dancers that were mostly young women twist their bodies in a way that was both alarming and entertaining. Their movements were smooth and some dance moves made Eamon wonder whether the dancers had bones in their bodies.

"That dance is one of the rites of passage into adulthood. Young dragons show their dancing skills in order to impress their mates. The best dancer at the end of the dance is offered a gift from the king." Valerion explained.

"Have ever taken part?" Eamon asked curiously and Valerion smiled.

"No, it’s optional to take part. Do you want me to dance in order to impress you, Eamon?" Valerion teased and Eamon’s chest burned with possessiveness as he imagined Valerion up on the stage, flunting his sexy body before an entire crowd.

"No, I am already impressed." He swallowed and Valerion’s heart was touched as he held up Eamon’s hand and placed a kiss on his knuckles.

"Just so you know, I could have danced if you wanted me to." Valerion’s voice held a seriousness that took Eamon’s breath away as their eyes meet.

He was speechless and the only thing he could do was smile and hope that Valerion could see his heart reflected through his eyes.

He loved the dragon more and more with each passing second they spent together.

"That’s the bride." Valerion gestured at the woman that was at the center of the dance group, dressed in a vibrant red dress Eamon’s eyes later landed on the groom that stood a short distance away from the stage, gazing at his mate lovingly.

He was dressed in red and gold and with him stood several other men and women who probably had their mates dancing on the stage as well.

Once the dance was concluded, a winner was announced and the bride got the second place.

She didn’t seem bothered by the position as she happily hugged and congratulated the winner.

The next activity of the evening involved the groom choosing an activity to impress his bride and Eamon watched with interest as the groom sat alone at the center of the stage with a music instrument that looked like a harp.

Once he stuck the first string, the crowd grew silent and listened as he played a soft tone that was later accompanied with a deep masculine voice.

He sang in a language that Eamon couldn’t understand but from the soft blush on the bride’s face, he could tell it was a love song.

"He is quite talented." Eamon admitted as he glanced at Valerion who was watching the performance with full concentration.

"Yes, he is." Valerion agreed and Eamon noticed the faint trace of sadness in his voice before he turned and offered him a smile.

Eamon’s probing gaze told Valerion to speak his mind and he sighed softly as he averted his gaze and looked at the young groom that was happily singing for his bride.

"During my mating ceremony, I played the same instrument." Valerion said and Eamon’s hand tightened around his in a comforting gesture.

He knew a thing or two about painful memories and his heart clenched at the thought of Valerion was hurting.

Eamon’s thumb drew small circles on Valerion’s hand, softly caressing his skin and the dragon exhaled softly as he pushed his memories aside and decided to focus on Eamon.

He was quite lucky he had found love twice and this time, he was going to make sure he did everything he could to keep his mate safe.

They sat together in a comforting silence until the performance ended and they clapped to show their appreciation for the groom’s talent.

"What’s next?" Eamon asked curiously as he watched several dried herbs being thrown into a large bonfire that was at the center of the crowd.

"A test where both the bride and groom wear blindfolds and have to identify each other based on touch only. The herbs being burnt produce smoke that temporarily reduces visibility and also inhibits every dragon’s sense of smell. This makes it extremely difficult to scent each other and it makes the game more interesting. The only places you can touch for identification are the face and forearms." Valerion explained as they watched five men and six women that had very similar body types with the bride and groom being selected from the crowd.

The groom was blind folded first and the seven women, including the bride were placed in a straight line.

Eamon watched in anticipation as the groom touched the first woman’s face, carefully moving his hands around before he shook his head and moved on to the next woman in line.

The bride was fifth in line and her eyes were hopeful as she watched her mate reject the first three women and move on to the fourth.

The tension from the crowd was palpable as everyone noticed how the groom was quite hesitant to move on to the next woman once he reached the fourth.

He touched her face twice, the furrow in his brows evident as he moved lower to her forearms. It was quite clear that he was indecisive and after a few minutes, he eventually moved on to the next woman and Eamon released a breath he had not realized he was holding.

"What happens when you choose the wrong person?" Eamon asked his mate, his mind racing from imagining various scenarios.