Chapter 5
With each moment he spent with Rogan, Brooks felt more at ease. It was almost as if threads of connection stitched themselves between the dragon shifter and Brooks over time. Unable to be far away from each other, Rogan was a genius in coming up with activities for them to do together.
Today, they walked around his mountain exploring. It helped burn off pent up energy and tension. Brooks loved Rogan, but being with anyone this much was a challenge. He was used to being alone.
“How long does the mate bond last?” Brooks asked as he thought about it.
“The mate bond will last until one of us passes. Why?” Rogan looked at him in concern.
“Just wondering. It’s new to me, of course. I figured I could learn more about it.”
“You can ask me any question you have, Brooks. Are you uncomfortable here with me?”
Hearing the worry in his mate’s voice, Brooks rushed to explain. “No. Not really. I mean… It’s a big change for me. I’m used to being out in the world—going different places.”
“Have you always enjoyed being away from home?” Rogan asked, as he extended a hand to help Brooks climb over a fence into the livestock field.
“I liked being at home as a kid with my parents. I guess that’s normal. But when I got out of school, I explored outside of Wyvern.”
“Didn’t your parents worry about you?”
“Oh, they were gone by then.”
“Gone?” Rogan echoed.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I thought I’d told you. My folks were killed in a car accident when I was fifteen.”
“That’s awful. I didn’t realize that happened when you were so young. You went to live with your grandmother after they died?”
“Yes. She was awesome. I’m sure having a teenager eat her out of house and home wasn’t what she would have chosen.” Brooks laughed. It sounded hollow even to his ears.
“I’m sure losing your parents was quite a blow. I don’t know Elenore well, but she’s a very strong woman who seems to value family.”
“Yes. It was tough on her. I tried to make it easier for both of us. You know, find lots to keep myself busy, so I wasn’t moping around, cluttering her space.”
“I noticed you look a lot like your father.”
“Grandma calls us twins. I knew I reminded her of him as a kid. I caught her staring at me sometimes with a sad expression. She shook it off when she saw me notice. It was easier on her if I was out of the house.”
Brooks noticed the sheep shied away from them—Rogan especially—as they walked through the field. They weren’t dumb. Animals could sense a predator close to them.
“Maybe having you in her life made the pain more bearable. She hadn’t really lost all of her son with you around,” Rogan suggested.
“Maybe.” Brooks hadn’t thought of it like that.
“So, starting after the death of your folks, you always stayed away from home?”
“Don’t make it sound like something psychological. I always enjoyed exploring new areas. My folks loved visiting new places and finding spots off the beaten path,” Brooks said defensively.
“Of course, it’s nothing weird. We all have things we like and dislike. It sounds like being an adventurer is hard-wired into your DNA.”
“Yeah. That’s true. Look.” Brooks pointed to a small opening in the mountainside. “Is that a cave? Have you ever been inside?”
“You’ve got a good eye. It’s a passage that leads to an underground pool. Icy cold water straight from the mountaintop.”
“Can we go check it out? Get out of the sun for a while?”
“Of course. It’s dark in there, but I can give us some light if you don’t mind my eyes glowing red.”
“That’s handy. I don’t need a flashlight when I’m with you,” Brooks suggested.
“Come on then. Let’s go spelunking. Stay close. I’ll guide you through.”
Brooks loved how easily they worked together. Of course, Rogan’s brute strength meant every physical challenge was much easier, but somehow his mate anticipated any problem he might have. “Have you been in here with others?” He didn’t ask about another mate specifically, but that’s what Brooks wondered.
“Good lord, no. Most of my female mates weren’t into spiders or other creepy crawlers that might exist in here,” Rogan told him with a chuckle.
Peering through the darkness, Brooks hoped he was kidding. “There are insects in here?”
“Not too many since the bats moved in.”
“Bats?” Brooks hunkered down a bit more away from the high ceiling.
“Don’t worry. They know I’m like a bat on steroids. They’re definitely not venturing down here.”
“That makes sense.” Still, Brooks was going to keep an eye up for a while.
As they got away from the opening, it grew darker. A red glow filled the inside of the cavern. Brooks looked at Rogan in wonder and saw his eyes glowing like something out of a horror movie. “Okay. That’s a bit frightening.”
“Do we need to go back?” Rogan asked immediately.
“No. It’s okay. I know you.”
“We’re almost there, Adventurer. I’d hate for you to miss this now. Try keeping your eyes down toward your feet instead of at me,” Rogan suggested.
“You said the ladies were afraid of the spiders. Your first mate, the guy, he didn’t come in here?”
“Ian? No, he didn’t come in here. The pool has existed for hundreds of years, but the entrance only appeared about two hundred years ago. It wasn’t here for him to forge through. Although he would have taken an axe or a sledgehammer to the cliff face if he’d known it was there.”
“You miss him.” Brooks glanced up at Rogan and slid when his foot hit a slick spot.
“Careful, Mate.” The dragon shifter lifted him easily and set him on a safer patch of ground before answering. “I miss all my mates. Ian was a character. When he passed, he was ready. Even if I’d been able to extend his life longer, I wouldn’t have.”
“Because he was suffering?” Brooks asked as a shiver ran down his spine. Living longer sounded great, but he definitely didn’t want to stick around when he was falling apart.
“No. He was healthy until the end. He was just ready. His siblings’ grandchildren had lived and passed. People didn’t survive until their eighties or older back then. He didn’t want to see another generation buried. Ian was 154 on his last birthday. To see so many leave this world wore on him.”
“I can understand that.”
“One more corner to turn. Get ready.”
The air gushed out of Brooks’ lungs at the sight of the gorgeous pool. Small bits of light glowed from the cave walls, giving the area an ethereal glow. “Wow, this is amazing.”
“It really is. We can take a dip in the pool. It’s refreshing and crystal clear.” Rogan whipped his shirt over his head and tossed it to a flat stone next to the pool.
“I can see that.” Brooks allowed himself to be drawn toward Rogan, who pulled his mate’s shirt off as well and added it to the pile. He bucked backward when Rogan unfastened the button at the top of his jeans.
“You can’t swim?” Rogan asked.
“Like a fish,” Brooks corrected him. “Sorry. It’s weird to have someone undress me.”
“You’ll need to get used to that, unless there’s some trauma in your past I should know about?” Rogan probed.
“No. Nothing like that,” Brooks rushed to assure him.
“I’m glad.” Rogan tugged him into his arms to give him a hug and a light kiss. “It’s okay, Brooks, to let yourself be cared for. You’ve been out there in the world, taking care of yourself. What would happen if I help?”
Brooks shook his head and shrugged. “Nothing bad. I trust you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll tell you what. How about if you undress me this time?”
He hadn’t expected that. Brooks liked that idea. “Can I touch you?”
“The dragon will only allow me to be submissive to a certain point. Then, he will take over,” Rogan warned before adding. “We’d both love to feel your hands on us.” He glided a few inches back from Brooks.
Grinning at the opportunity, Brooks ran his fingers along Rogan’s waistband, loving the contraction of Rogan’s chiseled abs under his hand. Rogan was sheer male beauty and strength. He popped open the button and Rogan’s heavy shaft twitched against his fly. He loved that his mate responded to him eagerly. Brooks carefully pulled the zipper down, releasing his growing erection. Wrapping his fingers around Rogan’s thickness, he guided his cock outside the confining fabric.
“Are you taking off my clothes or getting acquainted?” Rogan asked in a gruff tone that teased as it revealed his arousal.
“Both?” Brooks asked with a shrug.
“Clothes first, Mate.”
“Okay.” He drew out that answer, hoping Rogan would get the hint. He might want more after that.
“Clothes, Brooks.”
Brooks nodded and pushed Rogan’s jeans over his hips. His mate never wore anything under the form-fitting heavy material. He had to admit Rogan looked especially good coming and leaving. Brooks rolled his eyes at that last thought. Rogan looked much better than good when he came.
He leaned over to slide the material down to the ground and found himself very close to Rogan’s erection. Unable to control his urge, Brooks licked it. He loved the salty taste of his mate’s skin.
“Pants, Brooks,” Rogan reminded him.
Quickly, he squatted to the ground and helped Rogan step out of his jeans and shoes. Brooks rubbed his cheek against Rogan’s shaft repeatedly, as if it were an accident.
“Eep!” A squeak escaped from his lips as Rogan slid his powerful hands under Brooks’ arms and hauled him to his feet.
“You dare much, Mate.” Rogan growled as he lifted him and tossed Brooks into the pond.
Brooks sputtered to the surface, brushing his hair out of his eyes. His teeth chattered from the icy water. “This isn’t refreshing. It’s like swimming in the North Pole!”
“When a dragon goes in first, he can warm it with his body heat.”
Rogan waded inside and swam to Brooks’s side. Wrapping his arms around him, he shared his heat. “Better?”
“Yes. Thank you. I’m glad I still have my pants and shoes on. I might have lost a toe to frostbite,” Brooks exaggerated wildly.
Rogan laughed. “Teasing dragons has consequences.”
“I’ll never do it again,” Brooks promised.
“Yes, you will, and I’ll enjoy it.” Rogan wrapped his hand around the back of Brooks’s head and pulled him forward. His kiss warmed every part of Brooks. When he lifted his head, Rogan’s eyes twinkled. “Want me to throw you one more time?”
“Yes. Then chase me. I think I’ll like that part.”
“Your pants come off when I catch you,” Rogan warned.
“You have to grab me first,” Brooks challenged. “I’m a fish in the water.”
“Indeed? Let’s test your theory about how survival of the fittest works. Hold your breath.”
Rogan gathered him into his chest and tossed Brooks high into the air toward the other side of the pool. Immediately, the dragon shifter cut a path through the water without an ounce of effort. Rogan stood a foot away from Brooks’s landing spot when he splashed down.
Before Brooks could stop his descent and swim for the surface, Rogan’s powerful arms scooped him back up to throw him over his shoulder. As Brooks refilled his lungs, Rogan stripped his shoes, jeans, and boxer briefs off. They landed with wet splooshes on the stones where they had stood earlier.
“How did you move so fast?” Brooks asked, panting, as he tried to push himself off Rogan’s shoulder.
“Flying through water is very close to air, Mate.” Rogan stretched his wings out behind him, fluttering them slightly before tucking them back into wherever all his dragon parts disappeared when he was in human form. He smacked Brooks on his now bare bottom. “Never bet a dragon. It won’t turn out well for you.”
“Ouch! And I’ll remember not to challenge you to a race.”
“Smart.” Rogan delivered another stinging slap to his butt before tossing him back through the air.
Brooks surfaced, sputtering and laughing at the same time. He launched a vicious splash attack at the dragon shifter, moving so much water he couldn’t see past it himself. When Rogan didn’t respond, he paused to check out the effect. His mate had disappeared.
A hand wrapped around his ankle and gave a warning tug. Brooks inhaled quickly before Rogan pulled him under the water. The dragon shifter wrapped his arms around Brooks and pushed off the bottom, launching them explosively out of the water and splashing back down into it.
The antics continued until Brooks was exhausted. Rogan didn’t even breathe heavily, to Brooks’s dismay. “Don’t you ever get tired?”
“Rarely.” He winked at Brooks. “Endurance is one of a dragon’s best features.”
Brooks cursed his reaction as his cheeks heated with embarrassment. He definitely couldn’t deny that Rogan’s thorough lovemaking certainly exceeded Brooks’s expectations. “You’re bad,” he whispered.
“And you’re adorable,” Rogan whispered. “I am a very lucky dragon. Want to go home and rest?”
“Why do I think rest is the last thing on your mind?” Brooks muttered.
“Probably because your thoughts are as equally as erotic as mine.” This time, when Rogan’s hand struck Brooks’s bottom, it returned to squeeze his cheek suggestively. “Then a nap for you. We need to keep your strength up.”
Brooks nodded eagerly.