Chapter 31
Dorian stared around the hunting grounds, watching as two dragons worked together to bring down their prey. He was a long way off from being able to provide for himself, but he was getting better.
“No need to look so worried, Dorian. You are making progress day by day,” Jani said. She was very kind and patient and answered every question with good grace and empathy.
“I almost got a busu yesterday,” he said, trying to sound upbeat, despite the turkey-sized bird having eluded him.
“You’ve never had to hunt before. For someone who is learning his life skills from scratch, you are doing remarkably well. You’ve only been here three months; you need to be more forgiving of yourself.”
Some days it felt as if he’d been here barely any time, others it was an eternity, especially when he was waiting for Alex to visit.
He learnt a lot about the history of Handor.
There was a cool library with audio records, which had been great because he was first to admit that, apart from scripts, he’d never been much of a reader.
“Alex said the same.”
Jani had spoken to Circet about Alex, and between them, they’d managed to get permission for him to be able to talk to Alex every few days through the communicator.
“He’s not wrong. I imagine you’ll be heading to meet him soon.”
For the last two visits, Alex had been expected to spend some of their precious time together meeting the dragons in Dorian’s family, but today they would be alone in Dorian’s tower as he had a new dragon game to share, and that had been culturally educational enough to let Alex and him be alone.
“Yes, he’s had a busy few days, so I think he’s also looking forward to some downtime.”
She butted his head gently with her own. He was slowly getting used to the tactile nature of familial relationships and how quick his kin were to bestow gentle touches and reassuring nudges. “I’m sure the two of you have earned it. Off you go.”
He set off for the meadowland where Alex would arrive. Several dragons called out greetings as he flew past. He was grateful for their acceptance, and he was trying his best to be as social as possible, but knew he needed to protect his peace even from those who only had his best interests in mind.
Dorian landed, but there was no sign of Alex yet. He needn’t have worried because a portal opened and Alex arrived, and he wasn’t in a suit. He’d not seen Alex in casual clothing, although the trousers and shirt were still tailored, they were practically sportswear by Alex’s standards.
He bounded up to him and pulled Alex into a hug. “I didn’t realise you owned clothes that weren’t a suit,” he said, rubbing his cheek against Alex’s hair and enjoying the smell of his shampoo.
“Since I’ve only you to impress, I thought I could leave the tie and jacket at home.”
Dorian sniggered. “Let’s get back to my tower.”
“Can you carry me? I’m pretty tired.”
He released Alex so he could get a good look at him. “Are you all right?”
“Nothing a decent night’s sleep won’t solve. I miscalculated the effort needed to support Karl in a couple of maintenance charms, and coupled with the portal to here, I’m knackered.”
Dorian scooped him into his arms. “You need nest time.”
“Sounds lovely.”
He wanted to be the one to take care of Alex, and he flew back to his tower as quickly as he dared and deposited Alex amongst his blankets, then curled around him. “Snuggle up.”
Alex did so with a happy sigh. “Tell me how your day’s been?”
“I had another practise hunt, well, more observing than doing, but it was good.” He got a lot out of watching other dragons for tips.
“How was the party you went to last night?” Alex asked. “I know you were a bit worried.”
There’d been a bonfire and dancing to celebrate the moon goddess, and Dorian had got to meet dragons from outside his family.
He’d been a bit overwhelmed until Telip had come to his rescue.
“I met a new friend. He’s on the small side like me, although that’s because he never grew any bigger.
He was really nice and good to talk to.”
Alex gave him an encouraging smile. “See, you find others that you’ll connect with.”
“I hope you’re not implying anything,” he said, a few wisps of smoke escaping from his nostrils.
“Only that you’re not alone here.” Alex stroked his snout. “You don’t need to be lonely.”
“I’m not. I don’t want you thinking more into this than you should. I’ve no interest in more than friendship with Telip, and I wouldn’t know what to do if I did want anything more.”
Alex’s brow wrinkled. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve never had sex as a dragon.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, as a shifter, it made more sense to fuck as a human. My dragon form is impressive but cumbersome, and as a human, I wasn’t gonna hurt a partner.”
“Even with other dragon shifters?” Alex seemed surprised.
“Yeah.”
“But what about now? You wouldn’t have that option?”
“I don’t need the option, my nestmate is an elf.” He blew a ring of smoke around Alex’s head, like a dark halo. It suited him. “Besides, all my fun bits are in my pouch. The gymnastics involved to get to a position with another male dragon would need a lot of practise.”
“I know enough about male dragon physiology to understand you keep your sexual organs out of the way to avoid issues when flying, but I never thought dragon sex would be too complicated.”
Dorian nuzzled Alex with his head. “I’m not interested in working out the logistics, so it’s not something you need to be thinking about either.”
He didn’t want Alex to get the wrong idea. As far as Dorian was concerned, he could live in Handor and make friends and integrate, but the goal would always be to return home. Alex was his, and he would wait.
“How about you show me this new game?” Alex said, and Dorian wasn’t daft to recognise Alex changing the topic, but he wouldn’t call him out. Not this time.
“It’s cool, you work together to build a city. But we can play in a little while. I’m not done with my cuddle yet.”
Alex chuckled and snuggled closer. Dorian lived for these moments, would cherish each one and would make sure Alex knew how much he meant to him. There was nothing better than curling up with his nestmate, especially one as wonderful as his Alex.