Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Sloan landed with a thud outside their house, his body tired but his brain running too fast.
He’d been down at the seaside village with Brayden. Mari had called them down to help while their new guardian had been doing his first solo work, the old guardian disappearing out to sea.
But today, Aleana had told him to go home. “Tyr will be done with the harvest, Sloan. With winterizing the bees. Go home.”
He’d wanted to defend himself. Remind her that he was there because Tyr had told him that his help was lovely, but that he was more in the way than not. He grinned. His mate could be fussy about his bees…
He shifted, because he didn’t see Tyr out back working. The bees greeted him with a kind of tired joy, and Sloan stood still, feeling them brush against him, but many of them didn’t come out to greet him.
Which was understandable. There was a crisp chill to the morning air that had not been present down at the sea.
He strode into the house, pausing to grab a shirt and pants, then following his nose to the kitchen, where he found Tyr chopping vegetables and stirring them into a large stockpot.
“Hello, love. What are you doing?”
Tyr turned, smiling hugely and waving a wooden stirrer. A spurtle? “I am making soup. You’re home!”
“I am. Your sister told me to go away.” He winked, because he knew he would learn the rhythm of their life soon. The summer season had just been a bit grinding for Tyr.
“Did she? Mean old dragon. I thought it was the perfect weather for soup…”
“Mmm. It smells lovely.” It really did. The veg had to be from their garden. That he had helped with, weeding and encouraging bugs and small animals away from eating their crop.
“Thank you. The bread is done. I made a lovely enriched bread, so it should be soft and perfect for honey. And possibly I’ll make a cake. Maybe I’ll just start a fire and get a book.”
Sloan arched an eyebrow. That didn’t sound like fun. Making a cake or reading a book seemed boring when there were things that they could do that were way more entertaining.
“Do you need any help? I can chop; I know how.”
Tyr beamed at him. “Sure, chop away.”
Some of the vegetables that he dealt with were incredibly familiar even if they were strange colors. Green carrots. Some bright orange potatoes. Onions that were almost black, they were such a deep purple. They were fascinating.
Some were totally different than what he’d seen before.
And for the most part, Sloan had discovered that he liked the food here.
It was funny because there was less of, well, obviously there was no commercial food.
No Doritos, no Sweeties or Snickers or Little Debbie snack cakes.
Ohh. Little Debbie snack cakes. He might have to ask Corbin to procure him some of those.
He loved Nutty Buddies and Oatmeal Cream Pies.
Of course, it had been a month at least since he’d seen anyone from up in the Rocky Mountain clutch.
Life was busy, and Sloan had been down at the ocean.
Guarding and flying and possibly playing in the waves with his brother a little bit, even though he wasn’t going to admit that because Tyr had been up here working his ass off, and Sloan had been goofing off and playing with Fredda.
“Do you have cherries here?”
“Cherries…”
Oh, Sloan loved this game. “Red fruits that grow on trees. The trees have pink flowers, and the fruit is sweet. They have stones in the middle of them. They make amazing pies.”
“Ah, those grow in the city. We do trade for them. They are not a fall food, though, so they have long since gone. I like gona fruit for pies; they’re sweet and tart. Would you like one of those?”
“Sure, if it’s not too much trouble, and we have some.”
“I can trade for them. I have very many sun seeds; Jack likes them very much. He grinds them to make an oil and powder. I will trade him for his gona fruit. It’ll be perfect.” Tyr was just mixing and chopping and stirring.
“Maybe tomorrow. I think today is perfect with the soup and bread.” Soup and bread and his mate snuggled up in bed.
Sloan could think of something much more entertaining than reading to be doing, in fact.
He set his knife down and scooted over to where Tyr was working at the pot on the stove, slowly stirring the vegetables inside.
Tyr cuddled back into him, wiggling a little. Rubbing his ass against Sloan’s cock. “You’re warm.”
“And you smell good,” Sloan told him.
“Do I? I feel fairly good. We’ve done all of my work for today. We’ve got soup going. I’ve pulled the blankets out for the bed.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, I decided we needed a cushier nest. So I built this one. Also, I think I was missing you in the bed. You were gone a long time.”
“I was.” He had been. And maybe he shouldn’t have stayed gone quite so long, especially knowing now that Tyr was busy. Maybe his feelings had been hurt just the tiniest bit by being asked to go. “I can’t wait to see.”
“Well, it’s already up there…”
“But I’d rather be down here with you than anywhere else.” That warmed his Tyr up, he could tell. It got him a little shiver and a wiggle and a cuddle.
Tyr added the rest of the vegetables, a hunk of venison-type meat that would take a long time to braise.
And then poured clean water over the top.
A sprinkle of sea salt and some dried herbs from the little bags of seasonings that his mate kept in the kitchen, and then a lid was plopped on the huge, hand-forged iron pot.
“This is going to have to cook for a few hours.”
That absolutely sounded like an offer.
Absolutely sounded like an offer Sloan fully intended to take, in fact.
“Can I tempt you into showing me our new nest?”
“I suppose you can.” Tyr grinned at him. Winked, scales rattling the slightest bit. Then Tyr grabbed his hand and started pulling him. Leading him on a merry chase through the warren of a house until they were at the top of the dome-shaped space at the door of their bedroom.
This Sloan understood, and he thought the whole scenario was incredibly timely. He needed Tyr. They needed to touch each other and show each other how they felt. It had been too long.
So Sloan took charge, grabbing Tyr and lifting him, which was no easy task.
Tyr was not small like many omegas; he was solid and muscled from all of his daily hard work.
Sloan wrestled Tyr into the bedroom and then they kissed, the pressure and heat of it perfect and wonderful.
Kissing Tyr made him think of all of the good things in life, like honey in tea and hot coffee that almost scalded his lips but didn’t quite, followed by a rush of sugar because he put too much in the cup.
He put one hand behind Tyr’s head, the braids falling over his fingers, and slid his other hand down Tyr’s back to his ass, holding them together so he could rock and rub, his cock rising in a heartbeat.
Tyr wrapped both arms around his neck, making this noise that told Sloan he was not alone in this.
Sloan squeezed, and Tyr arched up against him, kissing him with a sort of desperation that he didn’t ever remember having before.
The heat and need of it made him feel ten feet tall and bulletproof, and he carried Tyr to the bed.
He was simply unable to be gentle; he just plopped Tyr down and came down on top of him, wanting madly to get more of that honeyed scent that Tyr had rising from his skin.
Sloan always loved the way Tyr smelled, but today, there was something that caught him, something that pulled at him deep down in his gut and in his dick.
They rocked together, Tyr’s legs opening to cradle him, and he pressed against Tyr’s cock, rocking and rolling and panting because he was already so ready, and they weren’t even naked yet.
Tyr moaned, plucking at his tunic as if he’d read Sloan’s mind. “I need you, Sloan.”
Sloan nodded and rose up to his knees, tugging off his tunic and working at the fastening of his pants.
As soon as his cock was free, Tyr’s hands closed around it, rubbing up and down.
Sloan could barely breathe with how good that felt.
In fact, in no time he was shaking on the edge of his knot engaging, so he had to pull away, his hand on Tyr’s wrist.
“You now. I need you naked, baby.” Sloan rolled off of Tyr, kicking out of his pants before ripping at Tyr’s clothing. He didn’t tear it, but he did peel it away with a violence that kind of surprised him.
Tyr planted his heels on the mattress and rose up with his hips. “I’m ready.” Those honey-colored eyes glowed for him, and he realized that Tyr was just as heated, and Tyr spread his legs wide.
Sloan pushed two fingers against Tyr’s hole, and he was wet—definitely wet and hot and perfect, but he was still too tight for Sloan’s knot to fit so Sloan opened him up gently, but gentle was not working for Tyr, who grabbed Sloan’s wrist and shoved.
“More!” he demanded.
Sloan just laughed, the sound ringing off the walls and ceiling of their bedroom. He gave Tyr more, three fingers sliding into that wet hole, pushing and spreading and getting Tyr completely ready for him, because this wasn’t going to be slow and easy. This is going to be fast and hard and needy.
When Tyr was crying out for him with every breath, the sounds driving him faster and harder, Sloan muscled up between Tyr’s legs and put his cock where it really wanted to go. He slid home, and Tyr let out this high-pitched, almost whining cry, clutching at him and pulling him closer.
“Yes! Yes, just like that!” Tyr shouted. “I need it right there.”
Tyr’s skin felt so hot to the touch, his scales coming right out all over him, his soft belly pressing against Sloan. So he thrust home, his body knowing exactly what it needed to do even as his brain shut down a bit and went into primitive mode. This was mating.
Tyr held him, arms and legs wrapping around him as Tyr clung like a limpet.
Sloan started to thrust as much as he could, but his knot was already pretty engaged, which made it hard to move more than just a little bit.
Still, he managed to rock deeper and deeper and thrust just enough to give them the friction that he required.
Tyr made sensational sounds, deep, raw cries that seemed to echo through their bedroom.
Sloan understood exactly how he felt. Tyr was an inferno inside, his heat closing tight around Sloan’s cock, and all he could do was move as much as possible. Provide friction.
Tyr wrapped around him, and he sank in, caught in the warmth of his mate’s gaze. He could drown in those eyes; he would be happy to.
“Sloan…” That was it, just his name, and it made his cock jerk inside Tyr, made his hips flex, his ass clenching. He buried his nose against Tyr’s neck, his burnt honey scent utterly intoxicating.
The temptation to bite down was huge, so he did, and they both exhaled, huffing out a hard, harsh breath. Tyr squeezed around him, both inside and with arms and legs, smashing them together with sheer will.
He reveled in it.
Sloan thrust as hard as he could, but even then, his hips moved in tiny, sharp jerks.
“Cairi!” Tyr cried out. “My love!”
The word rang out, filling him up to the top, and he roared in response, his need too big to deny. So he knotted his mate completely, his body fused with Tyr’s, his seed spilling from him in a wave. He gave everything to Tyr.
Even as he soared, he kept his lover in mind, taking that long, sweet prick and stroking it, demanding his dragon’s pleasure.
Tyr arched as if he would snap in two, a wild roar echoing through the room, and he stroked until he had wrung every last drop of seed from Tyr.
Oh.
Oh, that was luscious, to be trapped and buried in his mate.
He flopped down, and as soon as the sweat of the heat of their lovemaking began to cool, he pulled some of the new blankets over them, cocooning them in warmth. “Mmmm. This is much better than a book.”
“Yes. Even a good book.” Tyr rubbed their noses together. “Stay with me? I’ve been missing you.”
“I missed you too, love. I think I got jealous of your bees, which is ridiculous. I’ll do better.” He kissed those bruised lips.
“No, I was short with you. I need to share my life, not just let myself be overtired and grumpy.”
“Then we will both do better.”
“Very well.” Tyr laughed, the sound joyful. “Then you can start by taking me to the harvest festival.”
“Today?”
“Goddess, no! In a few weeks. Right now is for loving and soup and getting ready for fall. Silly dragon.”
“Ah. I’m new here still.” He winked. He would have to ask about holidays and such, though Cosmo and his brothers had mentioned Lunastra was different that way.
“Yes, well, we’re entering into the best times—Harvest, the giving feast or friend’s feast, depending where you come from, Yuul, the celebration of the Star goddess in spring.” Tyr hummed, the sound blissful.
“You’ll have to fill me in on all of them.” Sloan yawned, his jaw popping. “Soon.”
“Mmhmm. Later, cairi. Much later.” Tyr cuddled in. “Rest now.”
“Yes.” He snuggled down as well, and he hummed along with the few bees who were buzzing around outside of the window, braving the chill to make sure Tyr was well.
Right now, this was the perfect thing to be doing.