2. A Matter Of Faith
A MATTER OF FAITH
“ I think I could get used to this,” Caden purred as Valerius washed his back.
“As could I,” Valerius murmured.
Caden leaned his forearms against the still cool stone wall even as hot water and silky suds sluiced down his back, ass and legs. The back washing had really become a back rub. Caden really wanted it to change to another lovemaking session, but already they were cutting time short on Valerius getting onto his conference call with the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada. They wanted an update on the White Dragon situation, all the other Dragon situations, and, of course, the bombing.
“You cannot put this off, Valerius,” Chione’s voice had risen up from the tablet that Valerius had blearily squinted at. She hadn’t exactly woken them. The sunlight had slowly lifted the veil of sleep, but he and Valerius had remained cuddling in bed.
“Oh, yes, I can,” Valerius grunted.
Chione actually laughed, before firming her tone, “All right then, you shouldn’t put this off. How about that?”
“Why not? I am comfortable.” Valerius leaned over and kissed Caden’s bare left shoulder just out of Chione’s vision, but she must have heard the sound. Her cheeks were suspiciously pink and a smile was playing around her lips when Caden looked over at the screen--though she couldn’t see him.
“I see that.” That suspicious smile was growing as were the pink patches on her skin. “But I am sure that the comfort you feel now is but the beginning of many comfortable times ahead.”
“I think she wants me to be a good influence on you and tell you to talk to the world leaders,” Caden said even as he snuggled his head on Valerius’ chest.
“That’s exactly what I’m hoping,” Chione raised her voice a little so she was certain that Caden had heard her.
Caden sighed. Valerius sighed. Chione rolled her eyes.
“It is very difficult being king,” Valerius groused.
“I’m certain that Illarion or Mei or one of the others would be happy to relieve you of that burden, my king,” Chione reminded him.
Valerius growled. Raziel--who Caden could still see in his mind’s eye and who was still asleep--also growled and its legs twitched as if dreaming of hunting Illarion down and ripping off his wings. Iolaire just let out a soft whistle-snore.
“Arrange a call in…” Valerius pursed his lips. “An hour.”
“Thirty minutes. You have a breakfast scheduled with the other Dragon Shifters in an hour,” Chione countered.
“At least I’ll have a reason to get off of the phone quickly.” And Valerius had cut off the connection with Chione.
That was what had led them to the glorious open-air shower. With many kisses and fumbles they had somehow left the sanctuary of the rumpled bed, down the stairs and under the spray of a gigantic rain shower waterhead. There were sixteen jets that sent hot pulsing sprays on their fronts and sides. Caden felt like he was being embraced by hot water. Valerius’ hands lingered on his ass.
“You have five minutes before you need to be on that call,” Caden reminded him even as his cock quivered in front of him. All of this hot water and suds and touching was utterly maddening, but he was determined to be a good influence on Valerius. Too much was going on in the world for Valerius to be distracted .
“Hmmm,” Valerius grunted, but he did slowly remove his hands from Caden after he finished washing Caden’s back and ass.
Caden wilted at the loss of his touch. He turned around in the spray. He found himself touching Valerius, putting his hands on Valerius’ chest. “How Werewolf-movie-corny is it to say I miss you already?”
Valerius tilted his head to the side with an amused smile on his lips. “If I tell you that I feel the same way perhaps it knocks out the corniness?”
Caden grinned, got onto his tiptoes, and kissed Valerius on the lips. Valerius turned off the sprays and they toweled each other off with thick, soft, fluffy towels before going to the racks and racks of Valerius’ clothing. Since it was all black or white, Valerius did not even have to seemingly think as he randomly grabbed leather pants, thigh-high leather boots and one of his many armor pieces that covered his right arm, but left just as much skin exposed as covered.
A servant had gone to Caden’s home to get a bag of his clothes that Tilly had put together for him. He was pleased to note that his sister had packed his favorite jeans with rips on the knees and a soft t-shirt with the name of a band that had long faded away with many washings. She’d even managed to pack the pull-on gray sneakers he loved.
“What do you think about me telling Esme who I am while you are on that call?” Caden asked Valerius.
Valerius turned to face him, still slotting a buckle with a thoughtful expression. “She would be a good person to begin with.”
“It would also show that you don’t suspect her of being behind the bomb business. I mean I’m sure she knows that, but it would probably make her feel better.” Caden shrugged.
His stomach felt a little lurchy about telling Esme who he was, but he was also excited about it too. He thought of talking to her, really talking to her, about the powers they had and loads of other things.
Valerius nodded as he cinched the buckle tight. “I think that is a good idea. She will likely have some ideas of how you might reveal yourself to the world with less interruption for everyone around you.”
“Less destruction, you mean.” Caden gave him a faint smile.
In the cold light of day, he’d realized his “plan” or rather lack thereof to just tell the world his secret was insane. He was, once again, reacting instead of planning, which likely just showed how wrong he was to be the ninth Dragon Shifter. One thing he realized was that this didn’t just affect him. His family. His friends. There were actually way more people than just him that would be affected by him coming out, so to speak. He had to do it right.
Valerius cupped his face. “Caden, you are not destructive. You could never be. I said that last night and I meant it. I mean it now.”
Caden nodded, but he thought, How sure would you be of that if you knew I was picked by chance?
He looked at the sleeping Iolaire. Part of him wanted to wake Iolaire and ask why it had made such a poor choice. Another part of him thought he would never ask. What was done was done. And he was afraid of what answer the White Dragon Spirit would give. He just couldn’t imagine the answer being complimentary.
Valerius was frowning again as he looked carefully at Caden. “What are you thinking?”
“Just… feeling a little…” unworthy , but he said out loud, “hungry and nervous,” Caden said.
“Well, I happen to know that Esme always has a huge breakfast with eggs, rashers of bacon, a variety of pastries and more,” Valerius told him, the frown retreating slightly.
Caden brightened at the thought of pastries though he guessed he should be more interested in the eggs and bacon rather than what was the equivalent of dessert for breakfast. But still, the thought of chocolate-filled, buttery croissants and raspberry streusel and blueberry muffins with fresh-squeezed orange juice sounded brilliant about now.
“Esme’s room is in the north tower,” Valerius explained. He frowned again. “I wish I could take you.”
“There’s like one minute before your call.” Caden tapped his wrist where a watch would have been if he had worn one. He got up and kissed Valerius again. “Don’t worry. I’ll find her!”
Caden gave Valerius a final wave as the Black Dragon King prepared to answer the video call with two of the world’s leaders. He sort of knew where Esme was. Or at least he thought he did. Ten stairways later, several dozen turns, and finally a lucky break where he simply wandered down a final hallway and caught sight of the two guards dressed in blue silk and silver framing a set of double doors did he realize he’d finally found the right place.
Caden lifted up a hand and smiled to show he was friendly even as the guards stiffened. He realized as one of them--a stern-faced woman with frost at her temples--stepped up in front of him that he had no way of proving who he was or why he should be allowed to see Dragon Queen Esme.
“Halt!” she shouted though he was only a foot away and could hear her quite well. He did halt though, more out of shock than anything else. “Who are you? And what business do you have with Queen Esme?”
“I… ah… we’re friends?” He made that sound more like a question than an answer. Considering Serai had been a long standing friend, he doubted that these guards would let him pass just for that in any case.
The stern-faced woman looked sterner. “Who are you?” She repeated with more emphasis. One of her hands had dropped down to the sword--yes, that was a sword!--on her hip.
“I’m--I’m Caden and--and--”
“Skye, who is it at the door?” Esme’s voice floated out of the opening set of doors.
Without taking her eyes off of him, Skye stated, “A stranger who claims to be your friend. But I’ve never seen him.”
The doors opened wider and Esme stood there in a pair of white culottes and a blue pirate-like top. She appeared tired but looked at him curiously as, obviously, she had never seen him in this form either.
“Young man,” she began, “today is not the day to look for autographs.”
“Queen Esme, we do know one another. But you probably don’t recognize me because I’m not wearing all white ,” Caden emphasized the White Dragon’s coloring.
Esme froze a moment, thinking, then her expression cleared and she let out a delighted laugh as she realized what he was saying. “Oh, my goodness, forgive me for not recognizing you right away! Come in! Come in!”
He smiled and edged past Skye, who still looked at him with a furrowed brow and uncertain glances. Caden wasn’t sure about her either and only breathed a sigh of relief when the doors were shut behind them.
The room they entered was breezy. Tons of sunlight splashed inside through the thrown open balcony folding doors. The opening to the balcony was over twenty-feet long and gentle breezes tinged with the scent of flowers flowed inside. There was a long dining room table on which were arranged computers, tablets and loose paper. Some photographs, countless documents and more in small neat piles were set before every space.
“Your war room?” Caden gestured to the table even as Esme just stared at him with open interest.
She half turned. “Oh, yes, that’s all of the information I have on Serai. All of the ingoing and outgoing communications she made. Of course, she wasn’t foolish enough to communicate directly with whoever she was working for on these. She undoubtedly had burner phones and other means of communication. But there will be clues here. I will sense something out of place. Eventually.”
“If anyone can figure this out, it’s you. Valerius says that you are the most intelligent of the Dragon Shifters,” Caden said.
A mirthful glint entered her blue eyes. She took his hands in hers. They were soft and cool and there were several rings on them. A square-cut diamond, a round ruby and a rectangular emerald. They were all incredibly beautiful.
“How can Valerius know that unless he has plumbed all your depths?” Esme asked, and Caden’s cheeks flooded with color at the use of the word “plumbed” though he didn’t think Esme meant it sexually. “You are the White Dragon Shifter, yes? ”
He nodded. “I’m Caden. Caden Bryce. You met Iolaire already.”
She returned the nod and let out another delighted laugh. “My goodness, you are so young . And adorable! Such a handsome young man. I am going to take the grandmother’s prerogative and pinch your cheeks.”
She did just that which had him laughing and blushing for some reason. His grandparents had died when he was still in his early teens. So it felt nice having someone who would treat him like a grandson.
“Please sit down. Would you like something to eat or drink?” she asked.
His head was already bobbing. “Valerius said you like breakfast. I like breakfast. I mean I really like food of all kinds right now.”
She laughed again. “Oh, yes, you must be starving. Well, you are in luck. I was about to have something out on the balcony. There is nothing more healing than morning light.”
He followed her outside onto the balcony. He blinked as that golden light hit him. There were two tables on the balcony. One was a round table near the railing so that the diners could look out easily. Then was a larger table that was laden with food off to the side.
Baskets of pastries, platters of eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes and, yes, beans , were set out. Caden vaguely remembered that English people sometimes ate baked beans for breakfast. There were piles of plates and cutlery.
One of Esme’s people was there filling up a plate for herself. It was Molly. Serai’s friend. Her eyes widened upon seeing him. Her eyes grew even wider as she saw Esme pat his cheeks.
“Fill up a plate and we’ll sit down over there and talk. I am quite honored that you came to me like this,” Esme told him.
“I wanted to from the beginning, but I was afraid. I’m still afraid. Not of you, but… everything. All of this,” Caden admitted.
She nodded as if this made a great deal of sense. “Considering how things started, I don’t blame you. But food first. Food and sunlight make things clearer.”
Caden did as she suggested and loaded up a plate high with food and then balanced two croissants on the top, one chocolate, one almond dusted with powdered sugar. Molly lingered, too, picking out her own food, her eyes darting to him, and then back to the dishes. She was clearly wondering who he was. She probably guessed who he must be, but neither he nor Esme enlightened her.
“Molly, would you mind eating elsewhere today? Caden and I need some private time,” Esme said gently.
“Of course, my queen.” Molly curtseyed and took her plate into the tower.
Esme and Caden sat at the round table. Looking over the side of the railing, Caden could see a huge swath of sky, but also the botanical gardens below that were in High Reach. That was where the delicious scent of flowers was coming from.
“Since Reach is not near the sea, Valerius always tries to make me feel at home by surrounding me with flowers. I have quite extensive gardens in all of my homes,” Esme explained as she lightly buttered a slice of toast.
“He’s thoughtful. You wouldn’t think it because he’s so gruff and glowering a lot of the time, but he really does care for the people who are close to him,” Caden said as he went to studying his own plate and trying to figure out how to attack the mound of food he had piled on it.
Esme smiled. “If you already know that about him, you must be close indeed.”
“Yeah, but there’s so much more to know,” Caden said, even as he smiled uncontrollably.
Just speaking of Valerius reminded him of their night together. He had never slept so well. In fact, he’d always had problems sleeping in the same bed as his boyfriend. He didn’t like to be held. Too hot. Too confining. He couldn’t breathe properly. But with Valerius that hadn’t been a problem.
He’d tucked against the much larger body and somehow it had just been right . He’d fallen asleep in moments and hadn’t woken up a sodden mess. Instead, coolness had seemed to flow all around them the entire night. He wondered if it was because of Iolaire’s ice somehow.
“So what brings you here to me in this form? Why did you choose to reveal yourself to me… or am I the last to know?” Esme looked a little bleak when she said the last.
“You’re the first Dragon Shifter to know, Queen Esme,” he assured her, reaching over to cover one of her hands on the table with his own.
“Esme, please! I would not have any formality between us. When we first met, I felt I knew you well already. Perhaps it is because our gifts are similar. Water and ice,” she explained.
“I felt the same way,” Caden said. “And I hope that you might be willing to teach me how to use my powers better because of it.” His forehead furrowed. “Not that I have anything to offer you in return--”
“Your friendship is enough!” She waved his concern away. Her confidence was seemingly restored. “Besides, you stopped Serai from harming so many people when I did not.”
“Any ideas as to why she did it?” Caden asked. He had a feeling that Esme had not slept last night, but had ceaselessly gone through Serai’s digital life.
Esme shook her head. “The only thing about Serai that was perhaps different was that she kept her Faith.”
“She was a member of the Faith?” Caden asked. “Sorry, it’s just that every congregation I’ve heard of has no Shifters. Which, if I think about it, is weird.”
“It’s not encouraged,” Esme explained. “There is already too much inequality between humans and Shifters. Humans believe that the Spirits are divine beings and, therefore, Shifters are divine… Well, none of us thought it was a good idea if Shifters agreed with them. But Serai still attended services.”
Caden chewed on his chocolate croissant which was just the perfect mixture of salty, sweet and buttery. “I guess I see what you mean.”
“Serai did not believe she, herself, was divine or anything like that, but she did have a deep reverence for the Spirits themselves,” Esme continued.
“But surely the Faith has nothing to do with the bombings!” Caden couldn’t think of the people his mother brought to the house once in a while, or who sang and danced in white robes, as anything but harmless. They were sort of a joke in his mind.
Esme turned her incisive gaze upon him. “I am glad you think that, though not because it is true.”
Caden blinked at her. “So you think the Faith has something to do with all the unrest?”
“There have been incidents .” She looked grim. “We have kept them out of the news because there are fears that the incidents would spread. Though there is already an unofficial whisper of them over the internet, of course. It is impossible to block something completely nowadays. But we’ve made those people seem fringe.”
Caden frowned. “What incidents?”
“As you, yourself, know Spirits often bond with their humans during a crisis. The bigger the crisis, the better the chance a Spirit will bond with someone. Like yourself when the bomb was set,” Esme explained. “There have been members of the Faith who have tried to cause these crises in order to cause more Spirits to enter this world. They’ve done so with extreme violence.”
A sinking feeling filled Caden. “Are you saying that Serai set that bomb because she wanted a Spirit to bond with someone to stop it?”
Esme gave him a dry smile. “Yes, Caden, that is one of the very things I fear.”