Chapter 9 #2
“I do. And you will be carrying it for a time while we fly. But for now, please allow me to be the gentleman that I am and tote it for you.”
Konrad had no argument, and we left the room, being as quiet as we could to ensure we did not wake the others.
When we made it downstairs, I was not overly surprised to be met by the coven master and his second.
Konrad had been placed in the room beside the second, who by fate’s blessing turned out to be Lukas’s mate.
When Konrad roused, most likely it alerted him to our movement.
“You will be leaving us, then?” Master Klaus asked.
“Yes. My mate has brought up a good point. If we are airborne before the sun rises, we can easily be above what any human can see. It will not get us there much faster, but I feel the sooner, the better for us.” I looked lovingly at Konrad.
“My mate has been through a great ordeal for the past several months. I want nothing more than to whisk him away and start a new life with him.”
Konrad’s cheeks darkened, causing me to smile.
I hoped Master Klaus understood my reasoning. I needed to get my mate across the ocean, to a place that was close enough if he should go into heat before I claimed him. It was a possibility with as much time as we had spent together.
“I understand. If you should ever be back in Munich, you are welcome here. I wish you both safe travels.”
“Thank you,” I told him.
“Second Tobias?”
“Yes, young Konrad.”
“I have left a letter to Lukas. Could you please make sure he sees it?”
“Of course. I believe that on some level, this is better for all. You both have experienced such tragedy recently, and the departure would have been difficult on not only you but him as well. I wish to let you know that I will treasure your friend for all of eternity.”
“Thank you. It’s a relief to know he’s found his fated mate. He lost so many.”
“Come to the kitchen. I have packed some foodstuff for your journey. I know you will have the ability to hunt in your dragon forms, but there will be times you will be as you are and will want some things.”
“I appreciate it, Master Klaus,” I said. We followed the pair of vampires to the kitchen, and after both of our satchels were filled to capacity, we thanked them again and walked into the small garden, where we both removed our clothing and packed it in our satchels.
“There is not enough room for the both of us to shift at the same time. I will go first to ensure you are safe,” I told Konrad.
“All right. I will hurry so as not to make you wait.”
“There is no need to rush, my mate. Your dragon will come when he is ready.” I kissed Konrad’s forehead once more, then walked to the middle of the small garden.
It would be a tight squeeze, but I could not remain in my shifted form for long while on the ground because of the lanterns that were lit along the street.
I called for my dragon, and in moments, I was wearing the midnight-blue scales of my dragon. After making sure I had a good grip on the satchel, I jumped and opened my wings.
I tried to be as quiet as possible, but families of dragons were called a thunder for a reason: we made a lot of noise when taking off.
I circled around, as low as I dared, waiting for Konrad’s purple dragon to take to the skies. My own dragon wanted to bellow out when we heard his wings flapping, and then I spotted my mate. I moved close, letting him know I was here and would guide him.
I flew upward, taking us out of any light that could reach. I knew the direction we needed to go and had our first stop planned.
We flew for a couple of hours before the sky started to lighten.
When the sun moved above the horizon behind us, my dragon looked over at our mate and called out in greeting.
A response was given in kind. We could not communicate to one another yet, and although it would be beneficial in times like these, Konrad knew how to get my attention.
My mate made me so proud as we flew on, intent on reaching our destination for the evening.
When I noticed Konrad start to fall behind, I glided down toward the ground.
We had already flown over the smaller, narrow water, and I knew it was only another hour at most until we made it to where we needed to be for the night.
But my mate came first, and when I spotted an area that appeared to be uninhabited, I landed in an open field.
Konrad was right behind me, and as I shifted, he sat down in his shifted form, panting.
“Konrad, shift for me, mate. We will rest here for a time. It is only an hour more before we will be at our destination for the evening.”
Konrad shifted, then fell over onto the grass. I rushed to him, worried.
“I am okay. Just tired. I have never flown this far before. Is it always going to be like this?”
That worried me. “It will be more difficult. I am sorry, mate. It is a rough time across the ocean. I am heading toward the larger spots of land we will encounter along the way. It will help break it up. Tomorrow will be the most difficult though.”
Konrad sat up and grinned at me. “I can do it. I will. I wish to make you proud. To be the mate you deserve.”
“Oh, my treasure. You already are. Do you wish to recover here for a time, and we can return to Munich? I am sure we could find somewhere suitable that would allow you to be near your friend.”
Konrad shook his head. “No. But some water would be nice. Just a bit though.”
I chuckled as he started digging through his bag.
“Where I am hoping to stay for the night is a nice big cave. It will have plenty of water nearby and fish for us to eat in our scales.”
“Will it really take us weeks to get to where we are going?”
I thought back to the time it took me to come back to my birthland and again at how long it took for us to initially cross the ocean. The winds were behind me when flying toward the rising sun, but we were flying into the winds, which slowed us down.
“Possibly. It will depend on where we fly. The winds will be less forceful the lower we fly. We cannot fly that low until we are over the open water though. Then we will have to be careful we are going in the right direction always, or we could miss the land. It is easier to see from higher up. No matter what, we have to watch for the water. It has creatures in it that are larger than us, and every so often, there are high waves that could hit us if we fly too low.”
Konrad sighed as he repacked his satchel.
“That all makes sense. My dragon is pushing at me to get back to it. Perhaps if I fly a bit closer to you, I might not tire as quickly.”
“My dragon will not complain about that. Fly as close as you need.” I helped Konrad to his feet, pulling him into my arms before he could walk away.
“I am so very proud of you already, Konrad. You honor me with your acceptance of me as your alpha and mate. I know we are fated, but you did not have to accept me. I am relieved you have.”
Konrad smiled, and this time, it reached his eyes.
“That means a lot to me, Aleric. I will always wish to please you and make you proud.”
“I cannot see you as doing anything but. Shall we set out to find our cave?”
Konrad nodded, then stepped away. As he shifted, I got a good look at his gorgeous scales.
“You are truly magnificent.”
When his head lowered to me, I ran my hand down the center before kissing his snout. I walked back to my satchel and called for my dragon. He pushed forth, and after my satchel was once again secure in my claws, I jumped and opened my wings.
I heard flapping behind me and knew Konrad was with me, so I climbed back to the height we needed to be. In general, most humans did not look too high in the sky. But I was not taking any chances with my mate, and we flew upward until the land was a miniature version of what it was.
I continued flying with the sun to our left. The days were getting shorter now, and although it was still ideal to fly at night, it made it much more difficult to find the land we would be seeking.
When the ocean started glistening on the horizon, I flew lower, knowing the coast would be coming soon and I would find our cave somewhere nearby.
After circling around only twice, I located it and landed in the grass that surrounded the rocky cave. Needing the ability to talk to my mate, I shifted, knowing we would spend the night in our dragon forms inside the cave as it was safer.
“It is beautiful here. I can smell the ocean,” Konrad said behind me.
“It is. There did not appear to be anyone living nearby all those years ago when I was through here with my fathers. I have not seen any signs of that having changed. Shall we go see what the state of our accommodations is for the night?”
Konrad laughed, stopping my movement. I looked back at my mate.
He looked tired still, but he also looked happier than I had ever seen him.
I knew the tiredness would turn to exhaustion before we reached our final destination, but I hoped to be able to one day erase almost all sadness from his expression.
I knew he would always mourn his family, but hopefully, starting one with me would fill that hole that I was sure he had in his heart.
“Come,” I said, holding out my hand. Konrad placed his in mine, and I slowly walked up to the mouth of the cave. I was looking forward to simply spending the evening alone with my mate and not having to worry about being surrounded by others. It was just us, and we could finally just be.