“ i’m glad you like it.” Cinead responded to her complement of his couch, somewhat reassured. He had never actually had anyone over before, so it was nice to see that his choice in furniture was acceptable. As Anna then appeared to be surprised by his admission of coming through the balcony door, he couldn’t help but crinkle his eyes with amusement. “ I climbed the tree and jumped.” He offered with a chuckle, walking past the couch towards a hallway that obviously led to the bedrooms. Before she could respond, he had slipped out of sight and gone into the back most room, closing the door behind him.

Stepping over to the door of the bathroom, Cinead couldn’t help but release a soft sigh of weariness, exhaustion finally starting to hit home. He flipped The light switch, retrieved a washcloth, and began cleaning off the soles of his feet. When he was finally satisfied, the dragon shifter then took the time to study his reflection in the mirror, cleaning off small smudges of dirt and checking himself over for any lingering injury, doing his best to ignore the shadows that were starting to develop beneath his eyes.

It was only when he had removed his makeshift loincloth and had retrieved some fresh clothing from his closet that Cinead finally remembered to take the time to look for his own mate‘s flame. He should, after all, have one. Returning to the bathroom, he gazed at his reflection once more, twisting this way and that, trying to discover any hint of the marking. and just when he was about to give up, twisting around to try and see his back, he finally found it. At the top of the space between his shoulder blades, a burst of color formed a flame that licked over his skin, frozen in a twisting formation that left the very top of the fire arcing a thin tongue onto the nape of his neck. He stared at it for several seconds before a sudden fierce joy swept through him, Hot and somewhat possessive. He really had claimed Anna for himself. Eager to reveal his mark to his mate, Cinead hastily pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and jeans, The plain black T-shirt that he had pulled off the hanger held in a fist, and he hurried back out to the living room, his eyes glowing gold.

Without a word, Cinead leaned down, kissing Anna’s mouth fiercely. Mine, that kiss said silently. While their lips were still connected, he slowly sank onto the seat next to her, pulling her close with one arm before finally breaking away, taking her hand as he turned his back towards her, placing her fingers onto his neck. “Look.” He barely managed to get out, his voice choked with strong emotion.