Page 20 of Alpha Dragon’s Mating Contract (Babies For Broken Dads #3)
STEALING HEARTS AND BABIES
The fireball hit Raptor’s face and guttered out harmlessly.
Time froze. Everything stood still.
Behind Walren, Raptor sucked in a huge breath.
“Sweetheart?” the alpha whispered, his eyes growing round. “Is that a wee lil dragonet? He is, isn’t he? Look at his lil face! He’s so fuc—fudging adorable!”
Raptor wriggled his human fingers at Zebbie and turned his eyes red. Zebbie kicked excitedly in Walren’s arms, shifting into a full dragonet.
Raptor made a choked sound.
“Such a perfect little baby,” he whispered reverently, just inches away from Walren’s ear.
Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods. Walren couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe, either. “Are you going to steal my baby?”
“What?” Raptor drew back, tearing his eyes away from Zebbie to look at Walren. “Steal your baby?”
“Yes!”
“ No, I’m not stealing him,” Raptor growled. “I broke you out of a trafficking ring that wanted your baby. Why would I steal him for myself?”
But he paused, glancing to the side in thought. Walren held his breath.
“That said,” Raptor said quietly, “I wouldn’t mind having both of you in my hoard.”
Walren blinked hard. “You mean like that kidnap-vacation we talked about?”
“The consensual kidnapping, yes. You’ve already signed the mating contract, so you’re getting good food and lodging anyway. But I’ll throw in massages, mani-pedis, all the TV subscriptions, and an extra monthly allowance if you agree to be mine. Permanently.”
Walren bit his lip. The mating contract was already extremely generous.
It was just... Walren had always imagined romance to be something beyond promised gifts. Something that was intangible, freely given, instead of gifts laid out like a lure.
Raptor caught on to his hesitation. “You don’t have to decide immediately, of course,” the alpha hurriedly added. “I just wanted you to be aware that being mine comes with perks.”
Was this Raptor’s idea of courtship?
The alpha turned and frowned at the mansion. “I’m trying to be nice, ” he hissed. “Shut up!”
A smile twitched at Walren’s mouth. “Is Hassel giving you tips?”
“I don’t need tips,” Raptor growled. “Apparently some butlers don’t understand that.”
Walren leaned into him without thinking, wanting to comfort him. Raptor rumbled and tightened his arms around Walren.
For a moment, with Zebbie in his arms and Raptor around them... It felt as though they were a family.
That’s not possible. It’s too soon, Walren told himself.
But he couldn’t deny the feeling of belonging, right there in Raptor’s arms.
“Mine,” Raptor whispered.
“N-not yet,” Walren blurted.
Raptor’s gaze sharpened. “Oh? But that means you might be mine in the future?”
Heat surged through Walren’s cheeks. “I, uh. That was a slip of the tongue!”
“I could give you a tongue slipping,” Raptor whispered in his ear, his breath hot on Walren’s skin.
Before Walren could do much more than shiver, Raptor turned back to Zebbie. Raptor’s gaze turned wide and adoring; he snorted a tiny ribbon of fire onto Zebbie’s snout. Zebbie kicked his hind legs and flapped his little wings, craning his neck in an attempt to get closer.
It was extremely adorable. And it also made Walren envious.
“Why does he like you so much?” Walren whined. “You’ve only been friends for a few hours! Is it because you’re both dragons?”
“Kids just like me. I don’t know why.” The alpha frowned. Then he fixed Walren with a sharp look. “Is this why you were holding Zeb’s mouth shut? Why you burned your hand?”
Walren hunched his shoulders. “What if I said yes?”
Raptor growled.
So much for grabbing Zebbie’s flaming mouth, when Raptor had found out about him anyway.
“Sweetheart,” Raptor said, interrupting Walren’s terrible thoughts. “Let me kiss it better.”
He shuffled them around so he was holding both Walren and Zebbie in one arm. Then he caught Walren’s hand and brought it to his lips.
Raptor’s mouth was soft and warm on Walren’s tender skin. He kissed all the pink splotches first. Then he trailed his kisses away from the tender parts, his breath warm, his caresses light and slow.
Walren’s heart stuttered. “No alpha has done this for me before.”
Raptor glanced at him sideways, nuzzling his hand. “That’s because they’re crap alphas. Good alphas take care of their omegas.”
Something flashed through his eyes, something dark and dangerous.
It was gone the next second, so quickly that Walren wondered if he had imagined it.
Raptor continued to press kisses to Walren’s skin, so many of them that Walren lost count. Then he kissed Walren’s wrist, stealing his breath.
It was so intimate.
Through it all, Raptor watched his face, taking in all of Walren’s reactions to his kisses.
“Is this, um, courtship?” Walren blurted. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be! It can just be... friendly kisses. Bossly kisses. Employerly kisses?”
Raptor snorted, his lips twitching into a grin. “No, Walry-babe. These are courtship kisses. Or would you like me to kiss all my employees, too?”
Walren tried to imagine Raptor going to work and planting kisses on everyone there. “No! Well, for one, they’d probably report you to HR.”
“Again, I’m HR.”
Walren groaned. “You’re so bad.”
“Just the way you like it.” Raptor wriggled his eyebrows.
Walren blushed harder.
More quietly, Raptor murmured, “I just want you to feel better.”
“I’m feeling better,” Walren admitted. “Thank you.”
Raptor lit up, the years falling away from his face. He rubbed Walren’s side and offered a finger to Zebbie. Zebbie batted at Raptor’s finger with his little paws; the alpha crowed with delight.
“You’re so amazing, kiddo,” Raptor gushed over Walren’s shoulder, craning his neck closer. He seemed so excited that it made Walren ache. “You’ll get a new sibling soon!”
Ah, crap.
Raptor turned slightly. “When’s your heat, sweetheart?”
The burn in Walren’s face intensified. “Maybe in a few days?”
Raptor’s voice deepened. “Oh? I’ll have Uriel get those spells ready.”
Something hot and cold twisted down Walren’s spine.
Oh, gods. He was not ready for this. What had Uriel said in his text, anyway? Walren couldn’t check right now, with Raptor peeking over his shoulder. Had Uriel mentioned Walren’s contraceptive spells to Raptor?
Would he sell Raptor fertility spells that would neutralize Walren’s?
“Here, I’ll let you both down so I can wrap up the rest of the planning.” Raptor brought Walren and Zebbie back to the trees with the building supplies.
The moment he set them on the grass and walked away, Walren pulled out his phone.
Uriel had sent him two messages.
Uriel
Walren, FYI, Raptor wants me to write him some fertility spells
I can tweak his spells to render them ineffective, but I need your confirmation on this.
Walren breathed a sigh of relief.
Walren
Oh thank gods Uriel. Thank you. Yes, please tweak them. I don’t think I’m ready for a pregnancy
Uriel
Ok. Thanks for the input
Walren
Sorry for putting you through all this trouble
Uriel
Better me than someone else. At least I know my spells will work together seamlessly.
Walren
If there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know
Uriel
Will do. Granted, you and Raptor are both paying me for these spells, so don’t feel like you owe me more.
Walren
You’re double dipping so hard
Uriel
The very best sort of dipping
Walren
You might be wrong
Uriel
What’s a better kind of dipping?
Walren
The meat sausage kind of dipping
Uriel
Snort
Walren deleted the messages just in case. Now all he needed was to keep refreshing his spell every twelve hours, and... things would be okay.
Right?