Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“ I want to go flying.”
“What?” Des looked at him as if he’d lost his mind completely, his silvery gray eyes wide. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No.” He flapped a hand at Des, frustration boiling up in him. “I may not get another chance for ages. I’m almost too big, and then there will be the babies. I want to go flying today.”
“Love,” Des began, but Alistair cut him off.
“No. If you won’t take me, I’ll get Laurence to.” Laurence was one of his bodyguards, and a really well-conditioned flyer.
“You will not. I mean, yes, if we fly, he can come with us to keep an eye on our tails, but?—”
“If?” He advanced on Des, who sat at the kitchen pass through, finger ready to poke. “I am sick of being cooped up here. I want to fly. I want to do something. Anything that’s not making cookies and cleaning this bloody apartment. Again!” The last came out as a roar, his dragon coming right to the surface.
“Okay, love,” Des said in a soothing tone. He’d adapted that more and more as Alistair got bigger and more snappish. “We’ll go tonight. I’ll arrange it with Laurence and Hamish.”
“Thank you.” He didn’t want to be a little asshole, but he needed to be able to get out of the house and spread his wings. It would do wonders for his mood.”
Des just didn’t understand. He got to come and go as he pleased, though he was spending most of his time at home with Alistair.
“Maybe we should go to the country house when the babies are born,” Alistair murmured.
“You keep saying babies. I thought we were having a boy.”
He put his hand on his belly. “I think— I think we’re having twins. One of each. That’s why I’m so big.”
“Oh, love.” Des grabbed him and spun him around. “You make me so proud.”
“Such an alpha,” Starry said, sighing, but he lifted his face for a kiss. “I can’t wait, mate. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He would give Starry this flight, because he was right. Very soon he would be grounded. Des kind of wanted to order him not to go now.
After dark fell that evening, Des met up with his security folks. Hamish. Laurence. And two other guys that Starry didn’t need to know about.
“Here’s our basic flight plan.” He handed Hamish a list of coordinates.
“Good deal, Boss. We’ll be on your tail.”
“You’d better be. And leave someone here on detail with Reed.”
“I will. Trust me.” Hamish’s eyes flashed gold for a moment, his dragon right there at the fore.
“Good.” If his friend had found his mate, then Des was happy for him.
But he needed Hamish to be on his game. Flying in the city could be a dangerous prospect.
Hamish grinned. “Go on, Boss. Go get your mate.”
He nodded, then bounded up the stairs rather than taking the elevator. He popped out on their main living floor. “Starry? Are you ready?”
“I am.” Starry came to him, offering his mouth for a kiss.
Des took it, lifting his mate up against him. God, he loved his omega.
They walked up to the rooftop terrace hand in hand, and Starry dropped his robe while Des stripped down. They shared a grin, and then Starry stepped up to the edge of the roof, shifting as he leaped into the night sky.
Des followed, swooping down under Starry to make sure he caught air under and over his wings, making him rise. Pregnancy could make a dragon clumsy.
But Starry soared.
He flapped his wings a couple of times, gaining altitude, and Des followed, vaguely aware of the bodyguards following at a discreet distance. But his main focus was on his magical mate.
Starry was spectacular.
They touched wings, and then Starry was off, leaving him chasing. In dragon form, Starry was golden, so even against the night sky, he glowed. Des was a dark, gunmetal gray in his dragon form, all the better to sneak up on someone. Alphas and omegas had such different purposes.
He flew with his mate until Starry’s glow began to wane, his scales becoming dull.
That was when he turned his mate home, wanting to land before Starry wore out.
Starry, back home, please. You’re losing your glow.
I am tired of a sudden, Starry said, his form wavering a bit.
Des eased up under him, supporting him for the last quarter mile or so to their rooftop, where he eased Starry down, coming in for a soft landing.
Like a flock of giant birds, his second in command and their guards landed as well. They all shook off their dragon forms and shrank back to human, and Des grabbed his mate, wrapping him in a robe. He lifted Starry in his arms, carrying him inside, and Starry clung to him, breathing hard.
“Thank you, love. I can tell I won’t be doing that again until after these monster babies of yours come out.”
Des had to laugh at that, bending to take a kiss. He carried Starry to their bedroom, placing him gently on the bed. “Let me go get us some snacks and drinks, hmm?”
“And check in with your guards,” Starry said with a knowing smirk.
“That too. Be right back.”
“Hurry.”
“I will.” He wanted a shower, actually. With Starry. Maybe they needed to move out to the country house for the rest of the pregnancy. The city air was so filthy.
But he did check in with the guards, and then helped to lock up for the evening. The cook made him up a tray of all of Starry’s favorite foods, and he headed back upstairs to have a nosh and a lazy night with his mate.
Starry gave him a soft smile when he came back into the room, and Des knew then and there that he would never push his mate away again.
This, them together, was too important.