Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
LORD
T here was a time a few hundred years ago when Arson pissed off a powerful mage and she locked all five of us in a cage made of steel bars that were reinforced to be fireproof and unbreakable even by dragons. For fifty years the five of us shared a hundred square feet of space and shat in a shared bucket until I managed to convince the mage that my idiot brother had learned his lesson and none of us would cause her any trouble again.
Dinner with Alrick’s family feels longer than those fifty years. Not because they aren’t perfectly nice now, but because I’m dying to get my mate alone.
Xanthis’s cleansing seems to have worked perfectly, and they were extremely relieved when we all put clothes on before dinner. Lake distracted them while Montrose lifted their swords off of them, including Alrick’s, and I had the pleasure of using my fire to melt the offending weapons into a harmless pile of scrap metal, much to my mate’s delight.
Throughout the meal I can feel waves of emotion coming through my bond with Alrick. Shock, guilt, sadness for the life they could have lived if their father hadn’t been poisoned before any of them were even born. And, as the meal wears on, there are surges of peace, contentment, and hope for the future they still have ahead of them, even if it means Alrick and Viggo will have to keep some secrets.
Lake has entirely too much fun feeding them a backstory about their lives as a family of barley farmers and Njord’s enthusiastic acceptance of his three gay sons while we eat the hodgepodge of food we threw together on short notice.
“What’s going to happen when they try to go home to this fictional barley farm in Trondheim?” Alrick asks me under his breath as I eye the dwindling food on everyone’s plates, silently urging them to eat faster so I can whisk my mate up to my hoard room and enjoy a proper honeymoon now everything is settled.
“They can stay in the safe house at the back of the compound for a few days while I purchase a farm for them. Actually, Lake can have the honor of doing the legwork and filling out the paperwork since he’s the one running his mouth.” I smile and put my hand on his leg under the table, squeezing his thigh and leaning close to nuzzle his ear. “I’ll be too busy to sort out all the details.”
I twirl a strand of Alrick’s silky hair around my index finger, ignoring the muffled snickers and knowing looks from my brothers. I swear Arson is eating his peas one at a damn time just to drag dinner out.
“Busy doing what?” my mate whispers breathlessly.
I nip at his earlobe. “Help me get everyone out of here and I’ll show you.”
Heat surges through our bond. Alrick pushes his chair back from the table, scraping it noisily against the marble floor, and stands up in a flash.
“Wow, what a long day. I’m sure everyone here is exhausted and wants to get some rest.” His cheeks are slightly flushed and it’s all I can do to stay in my seat.
His father frowns and looks at his watch. “It’s six o’clock.”
“That late already?” He starts stacking half-empty serving dishes. “Lord says there’s a guest house on the property. I’m sure one of his brothers would be happy to show you and help you get settled in.”
“Sure, we’d love to,” Arson says sagely. “But why the rush? Draydon and I were talking about making ice cream sundaes and watching The Dark Knight . Wouldn’t that be fun to all do together?”
Draydon’s face twitches as he fights back a shit-eating grin that looks more and more like his mate’s every damn day. “Excellent movie. Two hours and forty-five minutes isn’t nearly long enough. You know what? Why stop there? We should hunker down and watch the whole trilogy.”
I narrow my eyes and glare. Centuries of practice controlling the flames that tickle the back of my throat is the only thing that keeps me from outing us to Alrick’s family all over again.
“Out,” I growl. Njord and Digby look a little startled, so I give them an apologetic smile.
Lake finally takes mercy on us, standing up with an air of authority that’s downright impressive considering his petite stature.
“Come on, you heathens. Let’s leave Alrick and Lord to get some sleep . Movie night at our house.”
He herds everyone out of the dining room, and I make a mental note to buy him something shiny to thank him. And then my mate and I are blessedly alone.
No secrets hanging between us, no imminent threat of death or separation, just me and my Viking and the rest of forever ahead of us.
He continues to stack dishes, apparently preparing to clear the table and possibly even go as far as cleaning the kitchen too. That won’t do. I’m out of my chair at lightning speed, as silent as a breeze. My mate may be larger and broader than I am, but that doesn’t mean much in the face of my dragon strength.
Alrick yelps in surprise as I sweep him off his feet and into my arms in a bridal carry. The dishes in his hands clatter to the floor, some of them shattering around my feet, others simply making a lot of noise as they fall.
“Lord.” He laughs, looping his arms around my neck and wiggling in my grip. “Someone’s going to have to clean up that mess later, you know.”
“Arson and Draydon can do it as penance for being such shits,” I say, and Alrick throws back his head with laughter. I’m mesmerized by the beautiful freedom of the sound, the way his throat bobs and his body vibrates in my arms. A feeling too large and wild to be contained inside of me swells in my chest until I feel like I might crack open with the force of it.
Alrick stops laughing and sobers quickly, stilling in my arms and looking at me with his expression full of wonder and softness. He puts one hand right on the center of my chest. His palm covers the warm, pulsing spot where I can feel our bond. It’s so easy to get lost in the depths of his gaze, the beating of his heart, and the staggering glow of all of the emotions flowing freely between us. I’ve spent countless centuries imagining what it would feel like to be connected to someone this way, to know their heart as plainly as I know my own, and now I can see my imagination was woefully inadequate.
I could stand here, lost in Alrick’s eyes all night, but my dragon nudges at me, anxious and impatient with the delay. I swallow hard and tighten my hold on my mate.
“I want to show you something.”
ALRICK
I never thought I would feel safe in the arms of a man sprinting up a winding staircase, but I never thought I’d be the mate of a dragon either, so here we are. I laugh and hang on tightly as Lord whisks me through the house, not slowing until we reach a locked room down the hallway from his bedroom.
“The key,” he says, tilting his head back to show the silver chain around his neck.
My curiosity is piqued and I’m about to ask why he keeps this particular room locked, but then it hits me. This is his hoard. My heart beats faster and my hands shake a little as I reach out to tug the key from under the collar of his shirt. A hint of guilt writhes in my stomach. Am I even worthy of whatever is on the other side of this door when my family’s legacy has been to rob dragons of their treasures?
“It’s water under the bridge, love,” Lord answers my unspoken thoughts. “The fates don’t hold you responsible and neither do I.” He nuzzles my ear. “I’ve spent a lifetime collecting the things on the other side of that door. For you . Let me show you?”
There’s a swell of nerves on his side of the bond, and strangely, that washes away my guilt. My fierce, unbreakable dragon is nervous about whether I’ll like his hoard. Is there anything more precious than that?
I nod and slip the chain from around his neck, twisting in his arms to unlock the door. It swings open and he steps inside, finally setting me down once we’re over the threshold.
I’m speechless. The room was clearly specially constructed to fit Lord in his full dragon form, the ceiling at least thirty feet high. Everywhere I look something sparkles. There are piles of priceless jewels and precious metals, renaissance paintings hanging on the walls, and gold coins scattered across the floor. I’ve never been a greedy man. I don’t crave wealth or expensive things, and I never have. But I can feel the pride swell in Lord’s chest and the anxious way he holds his breath, waiting for my approval.
One of the many reasons I was taught that dragons are evil, terrible beasts was their greed. Lord admitted back in Paris that he’s unapologetically drawn to priceless, shiny things. But as he moves to stand behind me, his heart beating out a rapid staccato, I understand it for what it really is. Not greed, but an offering for me, a desire to provide for his mate for the rest of our very long lives. A beautifully misguided way to woo me.
I smile and look over my shoulder at him, placing my palm on his stubbled cheek and leaning back so I can feel his body against mine.
“It’s perfect. You did so good, Balriss.”
His eyelids flutter at my praise and he lets out a low purr that rumbles through the room and echoes off the high ceiling.
“You really like it?” His voice is deep and rough, more dragon than human as he wraps his arms around me from behind. I can feel the heat pulsing from his skin and his cock already thickening against the curve of my ass.
“I do.” I crane my neck to brush my lips softly against his and smile. “Show me more. Show me your favorite thing in your hoard.”
His cheeks turn a light shade of pink and I laugh with surprise. He’s shy? He’s embarrassed about something he’s hoarded.
“Tell me.” I grin, wriggling out of his grasp so I can go in search of his secret on my own.
“It’s nothing,” he huffs, reaching for me.
I dance out of range and look around the room. It’s well organized, I’ll give him that. There’s a heaping pile of jewelry, coins and precious gems piled on a bed with satin sheets, more art… nothing that would be considered embarrassing.
“Are you ashamed that you only have one sword with a diamond encrusted handle?” I tease.
Lord growls and lunges to grab me again. I laugh and dart around a massive throne, bumping into a sturdy old chest of drawers on the other side.
“What do we have here? Is this where you keep your secret hoard of shameful sex toys?” I ask, pulling open one of the drawers.
I’m expecting to find more of the same inside—rubies, diamonds, gold—but I cock my head curiously at the strange items hidden inside. Pieces of cheap aluminum, stainless steel, and plastic, all in odd shapes fill the drawer. Lord is behind me again as I reach inside and pull out a few of them to get a better look.
“Are they…?”
“Cookie cutters.” He finishes for me, sounding just as shy as he looked when I asked about his favorite item in his hoard. “I don’t know why.” He gives a cute little huff that ruffles my hair. “My dragon can’t get enough of them.” To prove his point, he yanks open a few more of the drawers. All of them are just as full as the first one, packed to the brim with cookie cutters.
I laugh again, but this time it comes out sounding breathless, emotion welling up in my chest and sticking in my throat.
“What is it, treasure?” Lord asks.
I shake my head and smile, putting the cookie cutters back and turning to face him. “I just… It’s such a silly thing, but when I was little, I always had this fantasy where my mom hadn’t passed away, and instead of moving around and constantly training for battle, we lived in a little house in the countryside. I used to imagine baking cookies with her.”
I bite my lip, and Lord pulls me close again. Instead of looking embarrassed, he’s smiling now too.
“My dragon was hoarding them for you.”
“Before you even met me?”
He cups my chin and bumps his nose against mine. “You were always my destiny.”
His words find a home deep inside me and every cell in my body knows it’s true. Not that I didn’t believe him before, but the cookie cutters feel like proof that we really and truly were brought together by fate. Lord was always meant to be mine and I was always meant to be his.
Forever.
I close the fraction of space between our mouths, claiming his lips in a hungry kiss. He groans and opens to welcome me in. Our tongues duel, but deep down neither of us cares who wins. It’s enough to enjoy the playful power struggle of sharp nips and tangled tongues. Lord drags me blindly through the room, swallowing my muffled laughter as I trip over random piles of priceless artifacts, too busy fumbling with his clothes to worry about anything else.
His love and desperation flood our bond, meeting mine and flowing into both of us. Our connection was barely a thread the first time we kissed, but it’s strong and sturdy now, wide open between us. I can feel the needy pulse of his cock the same way I can feel my own, the shivery pleasure of my fingers stroking over his hot skin. I can even taste the burn of fire simmering in the back of his throat.
We scatter our clothes carelessly, greedy for every new inch of skin we uncover. I want to spend at least a decade memorizing every part of him with my lips. Knowing that’s actually possible is enough to make me dizzy and giddy, completely drunk on the love and lust coursing between us.
I tumble onto the bed, coins and gems scattering noisily onto the floor. Lord climbs on top of me, breaking the kiss to scoop up a handful of emeralds resting on the pillow. No one should look as beautiful as he does, naked and hard, straddling me with a playful, wicked glint in his dragon-orange eyes. He opens his hand over my chest, raining the emeralds down over me. They skitter and bounce, the chill of them against my hot skin making me gasp and laugh.
“All of this for you, my mate,” he rumbles, grabbing a handful of gold coins this time and repeating the action.
I grin and wiggle underneath him, the cool treasure I fell on top of warming to match the temperature of my skin. Our hard cocks bump and a generous amount of precum leaks from his slit to drool over my shaft.
“If things had gone differently, If I hadn’t been dying when you met me…” I lick my lips, trying to find the right way to word this. “How does mating usually go?”
He chuckles, running his hands over my body in slow, teasing strokes, tracing the long line of my throat with his index finger all the way down to the dip between my muscled pecs.
“Considering the chaotic mess I watched each of my brothers go through, I’m not sure there’s a ‘usually,’ but if you mean the actual bonding…” He teases both of my nipples with the pads of his thumbs, and I gasp, arching up underneath him and then nodding a ‘yes’ for him to continue. “I would have given you my fire for the first time right here in our hoard, with my cock inside you and my name on your lips.”
My cock jerks and my hole clenches.
“Can we do it now? I know we’re already bonded but…”
His eyes flash with heat and his dragon rumbles happily from deep in his chest.
“You can have my fire as often as you want, mate,” he growls, bracing his hands on either side of my head and leaning close to press his body against mine. Chest to chest, cock to cock.
“Make me yours again, Balriss.” I tangle my fingers in his hair and when he parts his lips to make another dragony sound of possessive approval, I shove my tongue between them.
His cock is already slick with precum, and I’m too impatient to wait for him to be gentle with me. With our lips still locked, I wrestle my way out from underneath him. The only fight he puts up is clearly for the pleasure of feeling our muscles bulge and our skin get slick with sweat from the struggle. We tussle and thrust, our cocks dragging against each other, our grunts and moans muffled around our stroking tongues, more treasure falling from the bed and rattling along the floor.
I’m breathless and aching by the time I crawl on top of him, only breaking the kiss long enough to line his cock up with my needy, twitching hole. I throw my head back and groan as I sink down onto him, reveling in the burning stretch, the fullness of him claiming me so deeply that if I weren’t already his, I’d be ruined for any other man.
The base of his cock throbs against my rim, aching to swell into a knot and lock us together. I roll my hips and hook a hand behind his neck to pull him back into our kiss.
There are a million things to love about our bond: the fact that I can feel the tight, silky heat wrapped around my own cock like I’m fucking and being fucked at the same time; the way it amplifies every touch, every sound, every gasp between us; the beautiful security of knowing nothing can ever break us apart…
But I think my favorite part is that I can tell Lord I love him without needing to break our kiss again.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I chant the words in my head as I ride his cock hard and fast. He digs his fingers into my hips hard enough that I’m sure I’ll have bruises, at least for a little while, and I can feel him greedily hoarding all the love I’m pouring into him deep in his heart, right where it belongs.
His tongue scorches mine, the heat of the fire burning in his throat rising no matter how hard he tries to hold it back.
“It’s okay,” I murmur against his lips, fucking myself in earnest on his gloriously thick cock. “Give it to me. I don’t want to wait.”
Lord roars and devours my lips, tangling his fingers in my hair. Our bond lights up brighter than the sun, full of so many emotions that it’s almost too much to contain. And then his fire pours down my throat.
It’s nothing like I expected. It burns, but in the best way, like sinking into a hot bath. A hazy memory tugs at the back of my mind—blackness, pain… and then this . Being knitted back together, claimed, burned down from the inside out and rebuilt as the man I was always meant to be.
I cry out against Lord’s lips, gulping down his fire and grinding on his cock. His knot swells, catching on my rim with every thrust until it’s too big to pull out anymore. It pulses against my prostate, and I can feel it in my own cock, the throbbing, heat, and pleasure like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
Coming, coming, coming . There’s no start and seemingly no end, just dizzying waves of ecstasy as Lord’s fire finally flickers out and we moan into a smoky kiss again.
My cock is still twitching as I collapse on top of him, his knot tugging at my rim, my whole body quaking with aftershocks that leave me gasping. Lord wraps his arms around me and buries his face in my throat.
“I’ll give you the world, Alrick, I swear it. Anything you want for the rest of our lives.”
I run my fingers lazily through his sweaty hair and smile. “All I need is you.”