Chapter Seventeen
Roman
Mother of Scales, Oakley was beautiful.
They were always gorgeous, no matter what. But right now, they were covered in a fine sheen of sweat that made them glisten under the flashing lights. And the way they were moving their body…
Sure, there was a beautiful fae boy dancing beside them, and sure, Ker was a great dancer, but not even he could compare to how absolutely stunning Oakley was right now.
They were wearing a vest that had come open so they were practically shirtless, showing off their pierced belly button and lithe muscles, and all I could do was wish I could bury my face right there and breathe them in.
Rub their scent all over me. Cover them in my scent so no one else would ever touch them.
“Soooooo…” Jed’s voice broke into my thoughts, and I glanced at him for only a split second before going back to my Oakley TV.
“Hm?”
“When are you finally gonna ask that gorgeous dragon out, huh?”
I turned sharply to him. “Excuse me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, Roman. Anyone with eyes can see you pining over Oakley over here. I’ve seen you check out their ass, I’ve seen you keeping your eyes on them at all times when they’re in the same room as you, and I’ve seen you walking around with heart eyes whenever they give you even the slightest hint of attention.
And now you’re over here, staring at them, looking like you want to eat them up. ”
My mouth hung open, so I snapped it shut and grunted at him, turning back to Oakley. I’d obviously been caught staring, so it wasn’t like it’d matter if I continued to stare. So…
“That’s all I’m gonna get? Just a grunt?”
I didn’t respond.
“Oak’s your viramore, aren’t they?”
That got my attention, and I stared at him with wide eyes.
He stared back for a moment before a slow smile formed on his face. “Holy shit, I’m right. They’re your viramore.” He grabbed my shoulder, giving it a little shake. “Gods above and below, this is amazing. I’m so happy for you, my friend.”
“I… I… Jed, I…”
His smile softened. “You haven’t talked to them about it yet, have you?”
I shook my head.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. Promise.”
I sucked in a breath and gave him a nod. I’d known Jedediah for a long time, although we were never close. At least not until recently. So I knew Jed was a good man and that he kept his word.
“Thank you, Jed.”
“No problem.” He gave my shoulder another shake. “I’m so happy for you.”
That made me smile. “I… can’t believe I finally found them. I didn’t think… I didn’t think I ever would.”
He sent me a sad smile. “I know the feeling. This gives me hope.”
Jed was even older than I was, and I knew he desperately wanted to meet his viramore. A part of me felt guilty that I had and he hadn’t. But I knew he was sincerely happy for me. Hopefully, one day soon, he’d meet his viramore too.
“Thanks, Jed.” I offered another smile and clasped his hand, giving it a quick squeeze before we both let go of each other and turned to watch the dance floor again.
Well, he probably watched the dance floor. My eyes went straight to Oakley.
Who was still dancing so beautifully. I really wanted to go out there with them.
I wanted to pull them close, feel their body moving against mine.
I wanted to bury my nose in the side of their pretty neck and suck their skin between my teeth.
I wanted to hold them, and care for them, and love them, and make love to them.
I wanted everything with them.
But they weren’t ready.
“What are you waiting for?” Jed asked, making me startle.
“What?”
“What are you waiting for? Why haven’t you talked to them about it?”
“They’re not ready.”
He paused. “What makes you say that?”
“What do you mean? They… they haven’t said or done anything… they… don’t feel it yet.”
When I glanced at him, he was staring at me with a strange expression. One that said are you a dumbass but also said what the hell do you mean?
After several seconds, he slowly said, “Of course they’re ready.”
That made me jerk back and scrunch up my nose. “What? No, they’re not.”
He sighed, sounding put-upon. “You know that neither party feels the pull until both—or all, in the case of multiple viramores—are ready, right? That’s why you didn’t feel the pull when they were first brought back to Garrick, right? You didn’t realize they’re your viramore until recently?”
I nodded. “It’s been a few months, but yes. I didn’t feel it before.”
“Because they weren’t ready yet. They were either too young or maybe too traumatized to deal with it, so the magic didn’t reveal itself yet. You might’ve felt something there, but it wasn’t the full viramore pull. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“But you feel it now?”
I gave a nod. “Yes.”
“Then they’re ready, and they’re feeling it too. Maybe they don’t understand it or know what it is, but they feel it. They have to if you are. They’re ready, Roman.”
I stared at him for several beats before turning back to Oakley, seeing them crack up laughing with their best friend, both of them shaking their butts to the music.
Was Jed right? Did Oakley feel it too?
I thought about all the winks they’d been sending me lately, all the leaning against me, the cuddling on the couch, the small touches.
Were they… had they… had they been giving me little signs this whole time and I was too stupid to realize it?
Jed was right that the viramore magic didn’t reveal itself until all parties were ready. It never revealed itself until everyone was old enough, mature enough, and emotionally ready.
So that meant… that meant Jed was right.
Oakley had to be feeling the pull the same way I was.
I stared across the bar at my viramore, and almost on cue, they turned their head to make eye contact with me, and they winked.
My heart skipped a beat.
Holy shit.
Ho-ly. Shit.
They could feel it too.
They… they were ready.
Viramore magic couldn’t lie. It couldn’t be messed with. It was the strongest magic in existence.
The strongest and most valuable.
And it was pulling me toward Oakley.
Which meant it was pulling Oak toward me.
My viramore was ready.
And so was I.
Giddiness made my chest flutter and a grin form on my face as I continued watching my beautiful mate on the dance floor.
I had to talk to them. I had to see where their head was at. I had to make sure they really could feel the pull.
I had to woo them.
I needed to ask them out on a date.
Now.
Except…
I grimaced. It wasn’t as simple as all that. Oakley wasn’t just a random dragon I met on the street. They were the royal child of the King of Sedoba.
Oak was royalty.
And they were the kid of Garrick.
Who was not only my king but my best friend.
I needed to talk to him before I started dating Oakley.
If Garrick found out I went behind his back, he’d kill me. But if I talked to him in a calm way, if I explained that Oak was my viramore, he’d be more understanding.
Maybe.
Rubbing my hand over my face, I hid a grimace.
Who was I kidding? No matter what I did, Garrick was going to murder me. But he was my best friend, and he deserved to know.
Now I just had to scour up the courage to talk to him.
And then, if I lived through that, I needed to talk to Oakley.
Fuck me.
“Roooooomaaaaann,” Oakley sang at the top of their lungs as we rode the elevator up to their floor in the tower.
They were drunk off their ass—Keryth hadn’t been any better, and it’d been a pill to get the two of them apart. Luckily, Anton had used the promise of sex to finally get his viramore to leave the bar.
Once Ker and the rest of the crew were gone, Oak had flung themself on top of me and had been clinging to me like a barnacle ever since.
I definitely wasn’t complaining.
I loved having them in my arms—although driving had been very difficult with them constantly grabbing onto me—and they were honestly being super cute.
“Yes, Oakley?”
“Are you taking me home?”
“I sure am.” The elevator dinged, and the doors began to open. “See? We’re on your floor already.”
They frowned at me as I ushered them off the elevator. “But… I thought we were going to your home. Not mine. Whhhhyyy? Why are we here? Oh, look, there’s my door. What’s my door doing on your floor?”
I snickered and reached into their pants pocket to try to find their keys.
“Ooh. Copping a feel, eh?”
I snorted.
“Don’t worry, big guy, I like it.”
“Oh, Mother of Scales, help me.”
I finally managed to pull out the key and opened the door.
They grabbed onto me, and I wrapped my arm around their waist to pull them inside, chuckling at the way they threw themself at me. I managed to get them over to the couch and sitting down, and I stood in front of them, looking at the cute pout on their face.
“Do you want me to help you to the bedroom?”
“Depends. Are you gonna stay in there with me?”
“Uh… no. Not tonight.”
Their pout came back. “Why not?”
“Honey, you’re drunk. I’m not taking you to bed when you’re drunk. Not like this, okay?”
They let out a long sigh.
“I’ll come by in the morning with breakfast, okay?”
Their eyes went wide and sort of looked a little panicked, and before I realized what was happening, they were standing in front of me and grabbing onto my arms. “Please don’t leave me. I… I don’t wanna be alone… not tonight.” They swallowed thickly. “I… please?”
They tugged me until I plopped down on the couch beside them. I went with ease because they looked so sad and scared, and I’d do anything to make them feel better.
“Hey, what’s wrong, babydoll?”
They glanced at me, then away, and shook their head.
“You can talk to me.”
After a few seconds, they cleared their throat and grabbed the remote. “Watch TV with me?” They turned it on, finding one of their favorite shows, Faela Fashion, quickly before I’d even answered.
“Oak? What’s wrong?”
They shook their head. “Nothing. Just… don’t go.”
I stared at them for a long moment, even though they were looking straight ahead at the television. I couldn’t tell what was wrong or what was going on inside their head, but if they were afraid to be alone right now, I sure as hell wasn’t going to leave them.
Unfortunately, I didn’t really know what to do to make them feel better, and Oak being drunk wasn’t helping the situation either.
After a minute, I opened my arms and quietly said, “Come here, darling.”
They glanced at me, then slid down the couch and straight into my arms. “I don’t want to be alone,” they murmured as they buried their face in my chest.
“Shh. I’ve got you. I won’t leave.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, sweetheart. I promise.”
I grabbed the throw blanket off the back of the couch and tugged it over our bodies as I twisted us so I could lift my legs onto the couch—definitely more cozy. Oak snuggled in further, and I let out a comforting sigh as I breathed them in and held them tight.
Oakley held onto me like they were afraid I’d leave, so I hugged them tight and whispered, “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
They sighed and snuggled in as I played with their short hair, running my fingers over it. I kissed the top of their head and left my nose there, breathing them in and closing my eyes, feeling truly at peace for the first time in weeks.
It wasn’t long before they fell asleep, but I stayed there, lying awake and thinking about how much I wanted this every single night, how much I needed this… how much it seemed that Oakley needed it too.
Jed was right. They really were ready, weren’t they?
I needed to have a conversation with them.
But first… Garrick.
Shitballs.