Dragon Knight-Commander (A Cullen Rutherford Shapeshifter Romance)

Epilogue

'Do you like it? I would be honoured if you wore it.' Cullen held up a black box containing a gold and green ring.

I sucked in a quick breath and took a step back.

Cullen bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Its been in my family for generations. My mother wore it but she left it with me when they went away. For my future wife.'

He took it out of the box, placed the box to one side and gently lifted my hand.

I blinked, cautiously tapped the ring and pulled my hand back.

His eyes scanned my face as he pushed it onto the tip of my ring finger. He stopped, pulled back and closed his fist around it. 'Maker's breath, you dislike it.' He sighed. 'It's not very pretty, or sparkly, I admit.' His shoulders slumped. 'I will have another made. Perhaps you would like topaz stones to match your eyes?'

'What?' I looked up at Cullen and saw a pained expression on his face. I put my hand around his jaw and held it there. 'No. It's stunning. Only - I've seen it before. You surprised me. Of course I will wear it and treasure it. Always. But...'

'How have you seen it before? I keep it in my home.'

We had just arrived at his pretty castle - the one he'd shown me in the picture on his wall at Skyhold. He'd taken me straight upstairs to his bedroom, but instead of ravishing me, he'd walked directly to a drawer and produced the black box - containing a carbon copy of the ring that Elena wore.

'Elena has the same ring.' I said. 'She says it enhances her magic. Its the ring that the angel called Stefan said he made a hundred mellennia ago.'

'This ring was wrought by the fallen? Then I must destroy it at once. We will throw it into Eden's deepest volcano.'

'No, the ring could help me. If I learn how to do spells it could help me to do magic like Elena. We must find my sister, Cullen. Both my sisters. Let's fly west and search for them before we go back to Skyhold.'

Cullen clenched his jaw and put the ring back in his pocket. 'It's too dangerous for you to live at Skyhold. We need to live somewhere I can keep you safe.' He gathered me up in his arms and sat down on his bed, placing me across his lap. He stroked my hair and said softly, 'I rescued you from that mountain void just as the scourge of mankind was ripping your brain apart. Do you expect me to let you just go after that angel again? To go where a third fallen angel is looking for them? Looking for you? Do you think my heart could take that?'

'But we need my sisters to come to the wedding.'

'Kitten.' Cullen skimmed his fingertips along my jaw and took my lips with his.

My heart fluttered and my lady parts tingled but I stopped his kiss with my hand. 'I can use your venom now to help my magic. I'm indestructible.'

'Sweet maker. You have a fallen angel after you that knows you live at Skyhold.' He clutched his chest. He threw a hand through his curls. 'You just put a target on your back. You can control darkspawn. Whoever controls you controls all the demons in Thedas.'

'I won't let anyone control me.'

'Yes. I have noticed that, kitten.' He smiled and pushed me back onto the bed. He lay on top of me and splayed his legs apart. He pushed his groin into mine and placed his lips on my neck on top of my scar. He licked my pulse point there, lifted my top and stroked my stomach.

I brushed his back with my palms under his top, feeling his muscles flex under his skin as he moved on top of me. He rubbed his face over mine and let out a deep groan.

I skimmed my fingertips over his lips and said, 'Cullen, I want to live at Skyhold so you can continue to be the Commander of The Inquisition. I want you to be happy.'