Epilogue
EPILOGUE
“Are you actually going to write a book about us?” Isaac wondered aloud.
“Only if you’re okay with it,” Avery replied. They’d taken to hanging out on the days their mates met up with their friends for drinks. Neither wanted to intrude on their friend time, and Isaac was happy to make a friend with the adorable author. Maeve joined in too, though not tonight, because she had a study session for an upcoming exam. Isaac studied with Maverick already for his exams and he felt pretty confident he’d do well. He wasn’t too worried about it.
“I’m okay with it, but is it really worth writing a book about? I mean, it was a little dramatic at first, sure, but book worthy?”
Avery chuckled from his spot draped across the couch. They’d both been a little heavy-handed with their drinks tonight, and while Isaac sprawled out on the floor, Avery at least stayed on the couch after he’d toppled over.
“It’s a great story! People will love it!” Avery insisted. “And if they don’t, then they can suck it.”
Isaac’s snort turned into a cackle, which turned into him laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. Avery wasn’t any better, and he looked precariously close to falling off the couch and onto Isaac. Thankfully, Maverick and Ozen showed up just in time to rescue him.
“What in the world?” Ozen asked, his voice tinged with amusement. “Firefly, how drunk are you?”
Avery raised his hand and pinched his fingers together. “Lil’ bit. I’m alright. Goddess, you’re pretty. Can I keep you and have all your babies?” he asked his mate dreamily, wiggling his fingers in a gimme motion at his mate.
Isaac tipped his head back, frowning at his own mate. “I don’t have the right parts for that. Can we just adopt?”
Maverick’s chuckle still warmed him to his toes. He made a happy sound as the dragon came closer, doing his own version of the gimme hands for Maverick to pick him up. He was too heavy to get up by himself. Pulling him to his feet, Maverick dipped low enough to catch his thighs. Isaac wrapped himself around the sexy dragon like an octopus, burying his face against his neck.
“You smell good,” he murmured.
“And you smell like alcohol, my heart. How much did you have?”
He shrugged, accidentally knocking Maverick’s chin in the process. “Whoops. Sorry. But I mean, you kind of deserved that for trying to make me do math while I’m drunk. Why are you so mean to me sometimes?”
“He’s mean to you?” Avery gasped. He was still laying on the couch, batting away Ozen’s hands whenever he tried to pick him up. “Wait, wait. I want to hear this. Isaac! Do I need to kick his ass?”
“Yes!” Isaac wailed dramatically. “He torments me! He pins me down and rubs against me and doesn’t let me come until I beg! It’s so mean!”
Maverick made a choked sound, and what sounded suspiciously like laughter came from Ozen.
“Ah, I, uh… guess you’ve got some groveling to do,” Ozen snickered.
“Apparently. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“But wait! I’m supposed to kick your ass!” Avery called, even though they were already walking away. Isaac might have heard Ozen promise he could revisit the topic come Monday morning. He’d better. He and Avery already decided they were going to be besties. Ride or die. And if Maverick was going to keep torturing him, he was going to get back up.
“You realize I can hear you, right?” Maverick said, amused.
“Stop reading my mind, evil dragon. I’m mad at you.”
He made that rumbling sound that Isaac loved so damn much, kissing the side of his head before asking, “How can I make it up to you?”
He thought about it, but it was hard to think when his head was all swimmy. How was he so drunk? Did he skip tipsy on accident?
Maverick sat him on a bench, resting his hands on Isaac’s shoulders. “I’m going to shift so I can take you home. Don’t fall off.”
Isaac pushed his hand away and scoffed. “Psh. I’m file. I’m fiber. I’m… a little drunk, I think.”
That gorgeous now familiar smile stretched across Maverick’s face, making Isaac sigh happily.
“You’re pretty.”
“You’re prettier, my heart. Wait here just a moment. Think about how I can make things right.”
His brow furrowed. “Make what right?”
Maverick chuckled again. “Just wait here, please.”
He did because the sexy dragon asked so nicely. He sighed, tipping his head back to look up at the sky. The light pollution made it hard to see the stars in the city. He wished he could go somewhere where he could see them all. Not even his family home allowed him that. Too much magic in the air and too many trees. It was disappointing.
“Alright, my heart. Time to go home.”
Mm. Rumbly, dragon voice. Yummy.
He fell asleep before he even realized Maverick was scooping him up with gentle claws.
Gentle kisses peppering his face woke him up. He groaned.
“Nooooo….”
“Just drink this, and I’ll let you go back to sleep,” Maverick coaxed.
Ugh. Fine. He sat up with Maverick’s help, swallowing the potion down. He smacked his lips a few times as he laid back down.
“Could use more sugar,” he commented before drifting off again.
He woke up a little while later, less hungover and more aware of the gods awful taste in his mouth. He slithered out of bed and onto the floor, taking a few moments to force himself upright. After he’d summoned the will to stand, he trudged into the massive en suite bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth. He got in the shower next, because he felt like the alcohol was escaping his pours somehow and was scrubbing down when his sexy mate decided to join him. Thickly muscled arms wrapped around him, pulling him against Maverick’s chest.
“You’re awake,” he commented, brushing kisses along Isaac’s neck.
“The verdict is still out on that one,” Isaac replied, tipping his head to give Maverick more room. “I don’t even remember getting home last night. How bad was it?”
Maverick chuckled against his neck, making him shiver. What? There was a sexy dragon and the most perfect dick on the planet pressed up against him, and he wasn’t dead. Ish. Hangover potions weren’t cure-alls.
“You may have told Avery that I like to torture you by grinding against you until you beg to come.”
His eyes flew open, and he stared straight ahead, horrified. “I did not.”
“You did. I’d be surprised if he remembers it this morning, though. He was just as drunk as you were.”
“Oh, goddess… I’m never drinking again.”
Maverick snickered. Obviously, he didn't believe him. Which, fair? Drinking with Avery was fun.
“What else?” Isaac urged, closing his eyes again as Maverick started scrubbing him clean.
“You mentioned I was mean and that I needed to make it up to you. I’ve got a plan on how once you’re clean and dressed.”
Could he just crawl into a hole and hide the rest of his life? Please and thank you? No? Ugh.
“You don’t have to do that. You didn’t do anything wrong. I happen to like when you do that.”
“I know,” Maverick grinned against his neck. “But I’m going to make it up to you anyway.”
He wouldn’t explain how, no matter how much Isaac pestered him. He distracted him in the shower with a soapy frot, and just smiled at him when he picked the topic back up when they were getting dressed. The only hint he got was to wear a jacket. Which, if he was bringing Isaac somewhere cold to make up for torturing him, he was going about it in the worst way possible.
It was snowing outside when they went into the yard. Isaac wrapped them up in a warming spell until Maverick shifted and then cuddled in against Maverick’s chest as they lifted into the air. He ran a little warmer after they mated, but he still hated being cold. Luckily, Maverick did too, so they didn’t go into the cold more than they had to. Which begged the question. Where the hell were they going?
They skipped past the city and the portal station, heading out into the middle of nowhere. They were high in the air too, to the point where it was almost too thin to breathe. Isaac was about to complain about torturing again when they passed through an accumulation of clouds and the air warmed to something more temperate. Isaac looked around with a frown.
“Did we just go through a portal?”
“Yes. How else were we supposed to get to a city only dragons can reach? A portal on the ground?”
His mouth fell open, and he scrambled forward, peering over the edge of Maverick’s claw to get a better look around. They were above the clouds and still the mountain range towered above them. It had openings on each peak, and Isaac could see dragons swooping in and out of them. So many dragons of all different colors and sizes. The saltoria mountains were gorgeous, stretching for miles, without a snow cap in sight. It wasn’t as warm as the forest, but it was pretty mild for how high they were off the ground.
A pair of dragons shot past them, making Isaac jump and scoot back, more safely ensconced in Maverick’s claw. He loved flying, but he wasn’t looking to repeat the falling incident any time soon.
“Younglings,” Maverick growled, annoyed. “They’re worse than teenagers. At least teenagers can’t fly.”
Isaac snickered, watching the smaller dragons race for an alcove, the smaller one landing a second before the bigger one. Racing, then. They flew past at a more leisurely pace, Maverick giving Isaac the scenic tour as they headed for one of the mountain peaks. He pointed out where most of the trade was done, where meetings of the dragon council were held, and even where he’d learned to fly. Isaac hung onto every word, staring wide eyed at the view. (He’d learned early on not to gape while flying with Maverick. That’s how you end up swallowing bugs.)
Maverick finally landed on a flat outcropping just in front of a massive cave. He set Isaac down first before shifting, and took his hand, leading him inside.
“Where are we?” Isaac asked in a hushed tone. He felt a little out of place. The cave was obviously big enough for dragons to stay in their dragon form and move around. Was he even allowed to be here?
“You’ll see. This way.”
Maverick tugged his hand, leading him down a long passage before stopping outside a set of massive stone doors. Maverick didn’t even knock, releasing Isaac’s hand long enough to push them open. Isaac’s mouth fell open at what was on the other side.
“Is that a waterfall?”
Maverick nudged him, an indulgent smile on his face. “Go see for yourself.”
Uh, yes, please? He hurried forward, looking around in awe. The cavern opened up into a city. An actual city built inside the mountain. It was huge, probably as long as the entire mountain range, and there were freaking waterfalls. They stopped beside one, looking down over the city itself.
“What do you think?” Maverick asked, wrapping Isaac in his arms again.
“I think I’m pissed at you for waiting so long to bring me here. This is gorgeous! You actually grew up here?”
Maverick hummed and pointed off to the right. “My family home is over there. We’ll head there in a little while. My mother has been demanding to meet you.”
Isaac nearly fell on his ass as he jerked around to look at Maverick incredulously. “I’m going to meet your family? Now? When I look like this?”
Maverick leaned to kiss the tip of his nose, making that purring sound he refused to admit was a purr. “You look perfect, as always, my heart. And they’re excited to meet you.”
Ugh! Stupid, adorable, sexy, perfect dragon!