Flight Risk

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tavian

I awoke to an empty bed, which was not what I was expecting, considering I was a newly mated dragon. The space beside me was still warm, and I didn’t sense that Kier was too far away. My dragon would have woken me way earlier if our mate had wandered too far.

I got up, splashed some water on my face, and rinsed off in the shower. I didn’t want to take too long, just in case my mate needed me. His heat was over, or else he wouldn’t have been able to leave my side. It had been several hours since I was buried inside him, and I missed him already.

The fact that his heat ended after just a few days meant that we likely had dragonets on the way. Whether or not Kier recognized that... I wasn’t sure.

Anxiety curdled in my gut. The prospect of fatherhood filled my mind with a tumult of emotions—joy, worry, fear, excitement. All of them jumbled together. The one that hit the highest was excitement. Kier and I were mates. It was official. We had claimed each other. He was mine and I was his, just as I had expected.

I followed the faint pull of our connection, trusting my dragon to lead the way to our mate.

Kier sat on the couch in the open living room, his arm resting on the back, and he stared out the window that faced the lake. His knees were curled up close to his chest.

“Hey,” I said.

He jumped when I spoke. “Sorry. I was lost in my own little world for a moment.”

I sat down next to him. He was fully dressed. He must have found his suitcase. I’d requested that it be delivered along with mine. I didn’t know who did it or when they’d arrived, but they were here.

Kier wore a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater that looked incredibly comfy. Meanwhile I’d grabbed a pair of too-small pajama bottoms that probably belonged to my younger brother.

“Is everything all right?” I asked.

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, just... where are we, and how did we get here?”

My heart thundered in my chest. Our trip here had been a whirlwind. I had focused solely on getting Kier as far away from other alphas as possible. He had asked me to share his heat with him. Had I made the wrong choice? Should I have waited for him to be of sounder mind? I forced my breathing to slow and swallowed the lump that clogged my throat. “Kier, do you... Is everything...? Are you...?” I took a deep breath, forcing all my racing thoughts aside. “Do you know what happened the past few days?”

His faced turned red. “Yes, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Yes. I remember going into heat. I asked you to help me through it. You’re my mate. I know that. I just don’t remember getting here. I don’t remember my heat that well. I mean... parts of it.”

I leaned closer, grinning at the way his cheeks turning a deep crimson. “Parts of it?”

Kier glanced away. His gaze drifted back to the lake that shimmered outside. “You were very... thorough.”

“Kier. I didn’t mean to take—”

Kier put a finger to my lips. “You didn’t take, Tav. I gave. Freely. Everything was amazing.”

I relaxed at his words. “Thank my lucky scales. I... I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if—”

“Shush. Enough of that. How did we get here?”

“I flew us.”

His eyes widened. “I flew with a dragon, and I don’t remember?”

I laughed. “I will take you on many more flights, mate, and soon, you’ll take your own flight.”

He cocked his head to the side.

“You know that when you mate with a dragon, you get wings, right? You’ll keep your human form. The wings grow from your shoulder blades.”

His eyes got comically large. “I mean, I guess I knew that. I just wasn’t sure if it would work since I’m a wolf shifter.”

“Of course. You’re not the first non-dragon shifter to be mated to a dragon. All dragon mates get wings.”

“What if they are already birds? Like an eagle shifter or raven?”

My mate. Always asking the tough questions, gathering all the details. “Even then.”

He bit his lip and lowered his gaze.

I hooked my finger under his chin and lifted it back up, using my thumb to gently pull his lip from between his teeth.

“What has you worried, mate?”

“You. Us.” Kier sighed. “I have always felt somewhat out of place with the clan. I’m an outsider. Not a dragon at all.”

“Has anyone been rude to you? Just say the word, and I will—”

He put a finger to my lips. “No one has done or said anything, not directly. I’ve heard whispers, but they’re no big deal.”

“There should be no whispers about you among the clan. You are part of us. Whether you are my mate or not, you belong with us. No one should treat you any differently.”

“In theory, yes. But dragons are a proud species. Their legacies are deep-rooted. Having a wolf around or humans isn’t as accepted by some.”

“Give me their names and I’ll have them dealt with post haste. Our bond transcends their small minds. You are my mate. You are a valuable member of the clan.” I growled

Kier pinched his lips together to keep from smiling, and his eyes filled with laughter. “Smoke comes out of your ears when you’re angry. Did you know that?”

“I had suspected as much. It’s not the first time it’s happened, though it has been years. You are my mate, and as the next in line to be Lord of this clan, you will be treated with respect. Actually, you should be treated with respect simply because you are, not because of who you’re mated to.”

Kier kissed my cheek. His lips lingered over my skin for a long moment. His breath whispered against my skin. “Thank you, Tav.”

“We’ll face whatever concerns anyone has together, all right?”

“Your father probably—”

“My father will love that I am mated and that we likely have dragonets on the way.”

Kier’s hand flew to his stomach. “So soon?”

“That is the nature of things, mate. You have a heat, then there are dragonets.”

Kier blinked in surprise. “Oh, fuck. I didn’t realize it would be so soon.”

My jaw clenched. Yet another thing I wished we’d been able to discuss prior to him going into heat. I couldn’t bring myself to regret the situation; after all, it was a magical time that we had together. If only I had approached him sooner and courted him correctly.

“I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be sorry, Tav. I want children. Your children. It’s just... a lot. And I worry. I want to be worthy of you. You’re important to the clan, and I’m just a wolf—”

“You are not just anything. You are magnificent. I do not even deserve a mate as perfect as you.”

Kier rolled his eyes. “Okay, big guy. Easy there.”

“It is true, Kier. “

Instead of arguing anymore, Kier climbed into my lap and rested his head against my chest. “Did you know you’re the only one who says my name correctly?”

“I have noticed that many people say your name so quickly it sounds like one syllable rather than two.”

“I like that you say it right. This is all so exciting. And to think, I thought the most exciting thing to happen to me in a while was being able to go to the Dragon Flight Games.”

“Well, that was fun too, even if you did spend the whole week avoiding me.”

Kier rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t avoiding you. I was simply behaving in a way that matched my station.”

I clicked my tongue. “That simply won’t do, mate. Certainly not now. I know this all happened rather suddenly, and I wish I could have spent months courting you in the way you deserved.”

“Oh, you still can. We might be mated, but the romance isn’t dead, Tav. I still deserve the best.”

I leaned over and kissed him. “You’re absolutely right, mate. You do indeed deserve the best.”

Kier let out a contended sigh, and in that moment, the weight of our worries lifted, albeit briefly.

We’d return to the real world soon. We’d find out if we were indeed having children.

Right now, though, it was just us enjoying the cabin and basking in our newly mated glow.

“So you can’t recall much about the last few days?” I asked.

“Bits and pieces. I’m sure more will come to me.”

“Would you like me to jog your memory?”

Kier pushed against my chest so he was sitting upright and facing me. “Tavian. What did you have in mine? “