Chapter 27
Klynn
Why did he always look like he was being a sneaky little even when he was acting in a grown-up capacity?
Was it an odd date behavior I didn’t understand?
Most of my books had not addressed the concept of a double date even if my mate thought it was a perfectly reasonable part of their culture. I wasn’t sure if it was a trope Lorne didn’t like reading about or just a concept that was not popular in fiction, but it was confusing.
“Yes?” I thought acknowledging the way Wren was studying me was polite but his sigh said I might’ve been incorrect.
“What else should I have said?”
Reaching through the bond for my mate was becoming second nature to me but he always went still and had to think first. It frustrated him but I thought it was cute…which also frustrated him because for some reason he thought a Daddy shouldn’t be cute when being a mate.
“I think he’s worried about something or overthinking it. The way he’s moving and his micro-expressions are sending mixed signals.”
That was good to know but not as helpful as I was hoping for.
“Thank you.”
Hmm.
While he had to think about using it, I forgot to stop and his mental snort said I might’ve been leaking thoughts through the bond again.
“Yes, you are. But I like it because I never realized how sarcastic your thoughts are.”
Really?
“Brat.”
Possibly.
“I can’t take it anymore. I don’t know if I can say congratulations or if I’m supposed to ignore it or if I can worry and ask if Agent Muphy is treating you right.
” Wren’s outburst would’ve been socially frustrating if each table in the small restaurant hadn’t been provided with a small sound dampening spell.
No one looked around at all.
“I told you the spell would keep our conversations private.”
My mate laughed through the bond.
“I’m glad you were right but I think we’re making him even more insane.”
Yes.
He was changing colors.
“I didn’t realize books were being literal when they described humans changing colors.”
My mate snorted through the bond again, but his face stayed a beautiful neutral instead of the normal human animation. In most cases I liked his expressions, but Wren’s were giving me an overload of them and it was remarkably stressful.
“It’s not usually that strong of a change. It’s generally due to blood pressure rising.”
Ah.
We didn’t do that.
“From what I understand your people have a remarkably low blood pressure, but I’m sure adding the people of Earth to the mix here will fix that right up.”
I was not the only one who was sarcastic.
“He is actually being much more restrained than you would think based on his behavior.” Toman’s dry tone said he wasn’t pleased with the situation but whatever he was getting through their bond seemed to justify Wren’s emotional outburst. “He is worried about you and your relationship. You have been very private about it…even more than I would have expected based on our social norms.”
Well, possibly.
“That’s my fault.” My mate took the lead, making me worry slightly.
He did not have to explain himself to anyone, but a smile aimed in my direction had me barely holding back my thoughts on the matter.
“I needed some time to understand the mate bond and to get to know Klynn before we talked about it in public.”
When that explanation had Wren going back to a more normal color, my mate shrugged.
“It’s not like dating back home or any other type of human relationship…
and just because I understood there were other types of relationships in the magical community didn’t mean I was expecting to find myself in one. ”
“I think you have adapted to a new situation very well, my mate.”
Pleasure washed through the bond even though only a faint smile showed on his face.
“Thank you, baby.”
“I’d thought about that, but I guess I hadn’t given it enough weight because I thought bond and then jumped right to being excited.” Wren’s tone said he might’ve been leaving out details, but I thought it was probably from trying to use manners.
He just didn’t seem to have had enough practice at it.
“I am thoroughly enjoying being mated, but like I said, being human means I needed to get to know Klynn before I could really accept it.” Glancing over at me, my mate smiled again. “And I needed a date first.”
Humans were silly in the strangest places.
“Oh, a date.” Wren sat up, doing a full body wiggle like he was an overly excited pup. “Where did you go?”
How had his mood changed that quickly?
Turning back to me, my mate raised one eyebrow.
“You okay with me sharing a few appropriate details? No books or naked time stuff, though.”
His inner voice was filled with mischief like the idea of keeping those parts secret made him feel silly and Daddy-like.
“Yes.”
“The other day Klynn took me to some ancient ruins. Like actually ancient. They seem to be thousands of years old.” My mate let out his animation again and the way his face lit up was adorable.
“He flew around the area and I walked because I wanted a chance to see the castle up close. It’s actually got a welcome center but that was closed because we went so late in the day. ”
He described the scene accurately while changing the tone completely.
It was actually amazing to witness and made me wonder if it was related to his government work.
Based on the people in my books, I thought my assessment was correct, but I told myself I would bring it up later when we had privacy.
“A castle?” Wren blinked like the words weren’t correct in some way. “Thousands?”
My mate nodded, looking pleased with himself for some reason. “Thousands.”
“Like pyramids thousands?” Wren’s question didn’t make sense until my mate gave me additional information through the bond.
Ah…pyramids.
The seers never made things pretty enough.
“I’m going to come back to that thought, baby. You’re going to have to explain the seers.”
Oh.
“Like Ancient Aliens thousands.” My mate smiled as Wren’s mouth opened and nothing came out. “And Klynn keeps mentioning something about seers. He’s always distracted when he says it, though. So I’m going to need answers about that.”
It was not my fault he only asked questions when I was tired or flying.
My mate laughed through the bond.
“You only talk about that stuff when you’re little.”
He was being ridiculous.
“That’s more of a casual nickname but the term is accurate based on the English language.
” Toman liked to talk, so I let him answer.
“There are documents that prove they existed in our past but either their bloodlines died out or something else happened because we don’t seem to have them in our society any longer. ”
Wren seemed to find his thoughts but they weren’t helpful. “You lost your seers?”
He made them sound like a small child that had wandered off.
“We don’t know what happened to them.” Toman shrugged but the familiar human movement did not help his mate to relax. “They were always a small group, and at some point, stopped being tracked as a separate…species may be the right word. They were very quiet compared to the mages and dragons.”
Mages and dragons were only quiet when they were plotting.
“You lost a whole group of people?” Wren seemed stuck on that. “And you didn’t think to mention there was possibly a-whole-nother group of people here?”
Had he not heard his mate?
We didn’t know, so the assumption was that they were gone.
It was Toman’s turn to blink at his mate. “There are many different types of creatures that are here in small numbers. Some may have crossed the portal long ago, but our primary goal was to find you.”
This is where the English word duh would come in handy, but I was polite and would not say it.
“More questionable behavior?”
My mates tsking sound made me wonder if behavior like sarcasm would earn a funishment.
“We’ll have to see.”
Ah.
That was a phrase that Daddies sometimes used to say no without using the word but his tone said he was indicating yes without saying yes.
Teasing.
Yes…he laughed.
“People aren’t creatures.” Wren’s tone was indicating anger and shock, but I didn’t understand the question.
Weren’t people a type of creature?
“I’ve got another curveball to throw at you.” My mate looked calm but he was very pleased with how our date with the strange couple was going. “Klynn seemed to think the seers built the pyramids.”
I didn’t seem to…I knew it.
But I was polite and didn’t argue with my mate out loud.
I would do that through the bond.
****
“I’m going to call that a win as long as I ignore your questionable behavior.” My mate trapped me in his arms as soon as the door to our rooms was closed and privacy was guaranteed. “Every thought in your head was sarcastic or naughty.”
And?
“It was not my fault he kept asking inappropriate or ridiculous questions.” There was only so long aliens and pyramids would keep Wren’s attention. “I was outwardly polite.”
“Just because you weren’t rude out loud doesn’t mean we don’t need to address your bad behavior.” My mate’s tone was firm but I could feel his hardness against me and desire was coming through the bond.
He managed to keep his actual thoughts in check, but there was no way to miss how aroused he was.
“Does my Daddy think I’m naughty or is my mate disappointed in me?” I’d read enough to be able to play both games, but I needed practice before I could do them smoothly.
Still, I knew body language and voice were both important in playacting scenes, so I curled my head against his shoulder and aimed to lighten my tone without actually becoming little. “I had fun on our date, Daddy, even if it was different.”
Double dating was odd, but I knew I had been successful at it.
Oh.
I was successful at this too.
Daddy groaned.
“I’m glad you had fun, baby.” His voice softened but he didn’t relax his hold on me. “But I think helping you remember that you want to be a sweet boy is a good idea.”
Playacting was fun sometimes, but I was glad his inner thoughts were worse than mine most of the time.
“How are you going to help me?” The part of me that loved attention and blocks and having my Daddy take control was teasing at the back of my mind, but I stayed firmly adult. It wasn’t necessary, but I wanted to enjoy my time as his mate, not his little.
Still, my books said that I could use the term Daddy when I was being cute and manipulative, not just when I was feeling little.
“Yes, it’s part of my job as your Daddy to help you remember things like manners.” Daddy kept his arms around me but started walking us to the bedroom. “A tender bottom and a bit of embarrassment should fix that.”
I didn’t have Wren’s incredible visual mind, so I sent feelings through the bond, sharing with him how good my hot bottom had felt and how hard he’d made me.
I knew I’d done it right when his legs seemed to wobble and he let out a low moan.
“That’s…that’s right, baby. I’m going to spank your bottom to help you be a good boy. ”
Wondering what else I could show him, as we got to the bed, I hid my face against him and let him feel how empty I was and how I ached for my mate to claim me. “I want to be a good boy, Daddy.”
The best grown-up games in books were always the ones where the sub got to be cute and naughty, so I was glad to see it was just as much fun in real life. “After my spanking, will you cuddle me? I’m going to be a good boy, Daddy.”
Imagining him wrapped around me, naked and rocking his cock against my ass was easier and the image through the bond must’ve been clearer because he reached down and gave my bottom a firm tap. “Naughty boy.”
It depended on the definition.
“You’re my Daddy. I can’t help thinking about you.” Rubbing my face against his neck, I made a whining sound I thought he would enjoy. “Even when you think I’ve been naughty, I want to snuggle you and make you happy.”
Daddy’s arms tightened around me and I could feel his desire spike.
I was very good at this game.
“Will spanking me make you happy, Daddy?”
Oh yes, my research had prepared me well for having a Daddy as a mate.