Chapter 28 #2
Chris said all the right things, and Alex needed the support. He would be there for Dorian, but he would be grateful that Chris would be there for him. “What do we do tomorrow?”
“You, Jack and I will open a portal. And you will take him to Handor. He’ll be met by a representative of the Firestarter family, who, I believe, is one of Dorian’s ancestors.
Don’t expect to be allowed into the citadel just yet, but you will be able to say your goodbyes, and they mentioned a way to communicate in order to arrange future visits.
” Chris unexpectedly pulled him into a hug.
“I’m really sorry, Alex. I wanted to give you your happy ending. ”
He allowed himself the comfort of Chris’s hug, but he was not going to cry. He’d gone through worse, and Dorian was not dead, unlike Kagin. “Thank you for trying.”
“You deserve to be happy. This sucks.”
At least he had friends to support him and wasn’t facing an unknown future, unlike Dorian.
“I’ll survive. I’m going to speak to Dorian about not holding on to a dream of magically finding a way to fix his shifter mechanism at some point, and that it would be better for both of us if we didn’t hold on to what could have been.”
Chris snorted. “You gonna tell him to find a nice dragon and settle down in Handor, are you?”
“I’m going to suggest that if someone with whom he is compatible with crosses his path, he should explore all the opportunities.”
“Will you be doing the same?”
“Eventually.” He smiled at the look of complete disbelief on Chris’s face. “It may take me a while. But at least Dorian showed me that it’s possible for me to finally move on after Kagin.”
Alex could honestly say he had an affection for Dorian that felt a lot like love.
If they’d had more time, he was sure it would have blossomed into something beautiful.
There had been several years when he didn’t think he would ever feel a real connection to another again, but Dorian had shown him otherwise.
Chris spent a few minutes explaining what to do with the portal and advising Alex to empty the room as much as possible. He then excused himself, saying he would explain everything to Ben, and Alex waited for Dorian to return.
Alex stood in the doorway of the open French window and watched Dorian as he soared overhead.
He’d loved the flight he’d taken with him, and the glorious sight as he flew.
If he hadn’t been convinced by Dorian’s choice, he would’ve been now as Dorian gracefully landed on the lawn, and with less grace trotted towards him, his tail waving.
“Did you enjoy your flight?”
“The air is so clean. Nothing like LA. I think, when I return, I would like to settle back in the UK. Perhaps buy a similar property not far from here.”
“Dorian, I want you to return as much as anybody, but I want you to promise me something.”
“Oh no, you’re getting all noble and stupid, aren’t you?”
Alex laughed. “I wouldn’t exactly describe myself in that fashion, but I do want you to be happy. Live a full life, make friends, enjoy everything there is about being a dragon as magnificent as you are.”
Dorian rested his chin on the top of Alex’s head and blew a large cloud of smoke. “I will if you will.”
Alex wafted away the smoke. “Our situations are a little different. You’re starting a new life in a new place. I’m just returning to what I normally do.”
“Come inside for a cuddle. We can both pretend we had the answer we wanted.”
Alex followed Dorian back to his nest and took his place under his wing, somewhere he’d begun to think of as his safe space. “Do you need some help with your messages?”
“They just need to be sent once I’m gone. I don’t really fancy reading the replies with people trying to convince me I was doing the wrong thing.”
“Have you been in touch with Robin to say goodbye?”
Dorian shook his head. “He has one of the messages, but I didn’t want to speak to him. He’ll have wanted me to remain human; he might have even offered to turn me to prolong my life expectancy.”
Alex thought Dorian was right. “He’s not good at seeing things from other people’s perspectives.”
“And if he wanted to see me, he knew where I was. Simon came, but not Robin, and I think that says everything there is to say.”
Alex listened to the beat of Dorian’s heart, slow and deep, and Alex wanted to remember it forever. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Oh, my Alex, I wish we had met before.”
“I doubt we would have got to know each other in the same way.” Dorian would have been inhabiting his movie star persona, and Alex wouldn’t have got to see the Dorian he had grown to love. “And that would’ve been a shame. I love you, Dorian.”
“I want you to be my nestmate, Alex. I love you like no other. And I know you said not to wait, but I will because we are both long-lived creatures, and one day I believe, we will get our happy ever after.”
Alex let out a choked sob. He’d told himself he wouldn’t cry, but he had lost so much, and now he was losing his new chance of happiness. “You must live well, Dorian.”
“I will, but that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for a way to come home to you.”
Dorian moved so he enclosed them both in his wings. Alex would never forget this; the warmth and protection from Dorian’s wings would always be his place of solace. Tonight, he would sleep cocooned in Dorian’s embrace and relish every moment they had together.