Page 25 of Dragon’s Revenge (Irresistible Dragons #7)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“H ow did it go with Duff?” Oliver asked when they were having dinner that evening. Delton had made lasagna, and the three of them were at the dinner table. Adar was still tired, despite a two-hour nap, and the chair was anything but comfortable for his bruised and battered body, but he didn’t want to miss spending time with his mates, so he’d suck it up.

“He seemed interested,” Delton said. “He asked a lot of questions, and I explained as best as I could.”

“You’re so good at that,” Adar said, his heart filling with admiration all over again.

Delton turned his head sharply, his eyes narrowing as if gauging whether Adar was telling the truth. “It’s true,” Adar said almost defensively. “You are really good at explaining things in a way people can understand.”

Delton opened his mouth, then closed it again. His shoulders hunched as he said, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure if… I’m not used to… Thank you? I mean, thank you. That’s sweet of you.”

Why was Delton so confused? Or more like shocked. It didn’t make sense. Unless… The realization filled Adar with a heady mix of shame and anger. Delton wasn’t used to compliments. At least, not from Adar. Had he never told Delton how much he admired him and his brain? Apparently, he hadn’t. That needed to change.

Fuck, they really had walked this whole fated mates thing in the wrong order, hadn’t they? No dates for Delton, no sweet compliments and flirting. No stolen glances and lingering touches. Adar might not be the most romantic man on the planet, but he’d watched other triads fall and be in love, and he’d witnessed those small acts of romance and passion. And he’d given Delton none of that. The man deserved more. Adar wasn’t good with words, but by the gods, he would try.

“I love watching you talk to people,” he said softly. “How you try to figure them out and then know what to say to make them trust and confide in you. It’s such a special skill.”

“It is,” Oliver said, sending a sweet look Delton’s way. “You even got me to talk and open up.”

Delton’s cheeks flushed. “It’s my job.”

“Yes, and you’re really good at it. It’s a very special skill you have. I could tell Duff was taking you seriously, that he was listening to you,” Adar added.

“Thank you. I hope it made a difference.”

Oliver leaned forward. “You said it yourself. It will take time to change his mind. The same way I’m still working on reprogramming my brain.”

Adar shifted in his seat again, his body protesting the prolonged contact with the hard chair. He had no idea how sitting could be this tiresome, but it was.

“Let’s move to the couch so you can rest better,” Delton said, as always completely tuned in to Adar’s body language.

With a grunt, Adar managed to get up, then hobbled over to the couch and stretched out. Gods, he was hurting again. And from what? Nothing. He’d done nothing except go for three ten-minute walks and sit the rest of the day. How long was this gonna last? Because he was already sick and tired of it.

He closed his eyes while Delton and Oliver cleared the table and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, reveling in how natural it felt. The three of them in the same house, the same room was magical in and of itself, but the simple domesticity filled Adar with an indescribable warmth. They were together , sharing a meal, a home. They were taking care of him, being there for him, and the gods knew he didn’t deserve either of them. It made him want to be a better man, to be worthy of the mates the gods had blessed him with.

The couch in Delton’s living room was incredibly comfortable, and he dozed off as he listened to his mates chat and laugh, his heart fuller than it had ever been.

When he woke up, he was still on the couch, but a soft fleece blanket now covered him. Delton and Oliver sat on the floor, playing a board game on the coffee table. “D4,” Oliver said, and Delton mimicked the sound of an explosion.

Oliver grinned. “I’m destroying you.”

“You’re destroying one ship,” Delton countered, but he was smiling too. “I have plenty more.”

“Oh, do you need me to refresh your memory? That was not one ship. I hit four already.”

“Hush now. Don’t be a braggart. Nobody likes a winner who rubs it in.”

Oliver’s laugh rang out, and the sound made Adar’s belly all warm and fuzzy. All he wanted was for his mates to be happy. He slowly turned on his side so he could see them without having to crane his neck into uncomfortable positions like some kind of contortionist.

“You’re awake,” Delton said, smiling. “Do you feel better after your nap?”

“Mmm. How long did I sleep?”

Delton checked his watch. “An hour and a half.”

“I’m still tired.”

“Enar said it would take time for you to recover, even after Erwan healed you.”

“I know.”

Delton’s mouth pulled into a grin. “But you thought he was wrong, that it wouldn’t apply to you.”

“I’ve always been a fast healer,” Adar grumbled.

“Aw,” Oliver said. “You’re cute when you pout.”

“I don’t pout. I was making an observation.”

Oliver and Delton shared a look, then laughed. “An observation,” Delton said. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”

How could Adar be even a little bit annoyed when his mates were teasing him? He was content to lie on the couch, watching them as they continued their game. Oliver was beating Delton with such ease that Adar wondered if Delton was letting him win, which would totally be like Delton.

When the game was finished, Adar pushed himself into a sitting position and patted the couch on either side of him. He wanted his mates next to him, even if it meant being a little less comfortable. Delton and Oliver immediately took him up on his invitation, though both were careful as they sat beside him. He put his right arm around Delton and his left around Oliver, biting down a grunt of pain as they snuggled up to him. He’d bear the discomfort if it meant getting to hold both his mates for the first time.

“Is this okay for you?” Delton checked.

“This is heaven,” Adar said, and not a word of it was a lie.

He pressed a kiss on top of Oliver’s head, then did the same to Delton. They smelled so differently. Oliver’s shampoo had coconut in it, or maybe his hair product did, whereas Delton always smelled citrusy. Funny how he already knew that about them.

Oliver rubbed his cheek against Adar’s shirt, breathing in deeply. Was he smelling him the same way Adar had sniffed his scent? He would’ve thought that was more of a wolf thing, as wolves were far more sensitive to scent than dragons. Oliver inhaled deeply again, and then his body relaxed, melting into Adar’s. When he looked down, Oliver’s eyes were closed and his mouth drifted open as he fell asleep.

Adar sat motionless, too scared to wake him. It had to be at least ten minutes later when he finally dared to whisper to Delton. “He’s deep asleep now, right?”

“He is. He was gone in minutes.”

Delton nudged Adar’s arm, and he let go of him, swallowing his disappointment that Delton was moving away. But he wasn’t. He was merely repositioning himself so he could see Adar’s face while still leaning against him.

“He’s still sleeping more than average,” Delton said softly.

“Is that still from the trauma he suffered?”

“That’s very possible. Or maybe he needs more sleep in general. It’s hard to say, but it doesn’t really matter, though it is something to take into account moving forward. We’ll need to make sure he goes to bed on time or has the opportunity to nap.”

Adar had to swallow before he could speak. “You’re saying that as if…”

Nope, he still couldn’t do it. He gently cleared his throat, but even then, the tightness in his throat was too much. Why was he so emotional all of a sudden? Why did the mere thought of them being together make him want to curl up in a corner and bawl with happiness?

Delton took his hand and pressed a kiss on it. “It’s very normal for your emotions to be all over the place after experiencing something like what you went through.”

“It wasn’t that traumatic,” Adar protested, finally able to speak again.

“Don’t minimize it. You almost died. You thought you wouldn’t make it. That leaves a mark on you, whether you want it to or not.”

He sighed. His mate would never let him get away with lying to himself, and he had to love him for it. “I don’t like it.”

“I know, but fighting it is a waste of your energy. It’s okay to feel like this, baby.”

Baby? Delton had called him baby. His eyes filled with tears all over again. Fucking hell. But Delton was right. Fighting this was useless, so he sighed deeply and let the tears fall. “I love it when you call me that…”

Delton’s smile was sweet as he wiped a tear from Adar’s cheek. “I’ll have to do it more often then.”

Adar leaned his head against Delton’s for a moment. “I was so scared this day would never come, that I fucked things up too badly for the three of us to ever be together again.”

“I keep thinking about what Oliver said, how we needed this to grow to where we were ready for each other. He’s not wrong. I don’t think we would’ve made it if we’d found each other sooner.”

Adar pondered that statement. He couldn’t deny he’d changed because of what they’d been through. If not for Oliver’s scheming, Adar might’ve never seen the real Oliver instead of his idealized dream version of the dragon omega. And he certainly would’ve never seen how sweet Delton was, how smart and kind, and he wouldn’t have fallen as hard for him as he had. But Delton had been the one who’d suffered, who’d been hurt and rejected. That made it so hard for Adar to say it had been necessary because wouldn’t that imply he was okay with what they’d done to Delton?

“Because of Oliver and me and the growing we had to do. And you were the one who paid the price for that.”

Delton shook his head. “I don’t see it like that. I had my own journey to walk, like learning to see you for who you were rather than this perfect mate.”

Adar snorted. “I’m about as far from perfect as you can get.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t see that…like you didn’t see Oliver for who he was.”

“I hate that you got hurt…”

Delton wiped away another of Adar’s tears. “You’ve apologized enough, and I’ve accepted. You’re forgiven, baby. It’s done now, okay? We need to move on, move past it, or we’ll be stuck here forever. And I don’t want that. I want a future with you. With both of you.”

“I want nothing more than that.”

“Then let’s look ahead and focus on that.”

A future with his mates. Now there was a prospect Adar could get behind. What would their future look like in a year? In three or even ten years? Would they have kids, like Duff had so rudely suggested? They’d be hatchlings. Baby dragons. Funny enough, the idea didn’t scare Adar at all.

And if Oliver didn’t want to become pregnant—and Adar could sure think of plenty of reasons why he wouldn’t—they could look into adoption, maybe, or even surrogacy. Something like what Yitro had done for Rhene, and if the rumors were correct, what Finlay had offered to do for Erwan. He’d never gotten the chance, of course, what with Rhene being kidnapped, but maybe now that their pack alpha was back, they could proceed?

Adar was fine with whatever. Kids, no kids. Hatchlings, puppies, both. All good with him. As long as he was with his mates and they were happy, nothing else mattered.

They sat for a while, Delton playing with Adar’s fingers as he was lost in thought. Something so simple and innocent, yet Adar was filled with contentment beyond anything he’d ever experienced.

“What would you want our future to look like?” he finally asked. He could make all the plans he wanted, but it might be smarter to get his mates’ input. “Would you want kids?”

“Only if we all agreed we wanted them, and I’m not sure Oliver will. At least, not carrying eggs himself.” He frowned. “Is that the correct term, carrying eggs? I don’t even know what to call it.”

“Me neither, but we can ask him later. And I was thinking the same thing. There may be too much trauma associated with it. We could also adopt or use a surrogate if he doesn’t want to carry them.”

Delton nodded slowly. “I would be perfectly fine with that. I can’t remember who mentioned it, but someone said the city is desperate for foster families and adoptive families because the civil war resulted in a lot of orphaned kids.”

The idea immediately appealed to Adar. What could be better than offering some lost kids a home? Not right away, of course, but down the line? Hell, yes. “I’d like that.”

“It would mean no alpha heir for you.”

The thought hadn’t even occurred to Adar, but now that it did, it was an easy one to deal with. “I don’t need one. I mean it. It’s fine. As long as I have you two, I’m the happiest man on the planet.”

Delton shot him a goofy smile, then snuggled close to him again. “For a man who keeps saying he doesn’t have the words, you sure know how to say the right things.”

Oh, that praise spread through him like a slow-burning drug, making his arms and legs tingle. “I’m just saying what’s on my heart.”

Delton raised his head and pressed a soft kiss on Adar’s cheek. “That makes it even better.”

Could life get any more perfect than this?

Nah.