Page 10

Teddy

Everything inside me wanted to claim Othoni that first day we met. My dragon spun in circles whipping up the wind inside his inner sanctum. Still, I wanted to take my time and get to know him. There was something achingly romantic about putting off our claiming vows to talk and soothe each other.

Even after the storm blew out its fury Othoni was on edge. He kept sniffing my tattoo where I’d been shot as if the residual scent of gun powdered lingered there. For a long time, we lounged in the bed of my B&B room and didn’t say much at all. It was surreal. He was here in the flesh. He was only here because Dern shot me and demanded Mori’s attention.

“I know there’s a million things we should talk about – where to live, kids or no kids, and everything else but I feel like I have to tell you this before any of that stuff,”

Othoni said about an hour after Mori had left. I braced myself unsure of what he had to say and how it might shape our future. “Dern keeps bringing up your carrier and saying she’s part of the story.”

“I know,”

I nodded and kissed the top of his head. My gaze got stuck on his lips for a long moment then but I shook my head and continued to speak. “I don’t think he’s lying. My mum met a lot of people in her lifetime. Everyone loved her. Well, everyone I’ve ever talked to anyway. She did so much charity and rescue work and she worked with the Grim Howlers. Not to mention she was a Cromwell and a force to be reckoned with in her own right. I don’t know what his mate promised her but she’s dead now. I feel like I should just send Ormund a letter through Mori saying that she’d forgive him for not fulfilling the promise before she died. I was there when she went. She didn’t carry any grudges into the next life.”

Othoni was quiet for a long moment, and I braced myself for him to say that I had to talk to Dern and soon. What he said next caught me off guard.

“I’ve seen spirits here and there. Mostly ancestors but I haven’t known anyone well before they died. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to walk around with a hole in your world where a person used to be. Hell, it’s nowhere near the same but I have gotten over my childhood dog running through his door. Sometimes I round a corner and still expect to see him there.”

“She’s been reincarnated,”

I shrugged.

“That must be even more difficult,”

Othoni frowned at me. “I’m not trying to ‘mystic’ you or anything. I just can’t imagine how hard that must be. She’s here and not here.”

“That’s why I’m on Earthside,”

I said rolling over onto my side to face him directly. “Nelum is a great guy. He’s awesome and my sire adores him but he’s not my mum. So, I’m here until I can deal with that. Hail in the pit. Maybe I’m here for good now.”

“Would that be bad?”

Othoni asked, sitting up. “Being back on Earthside for good?”

“No,”

I shook my head. “And now my family will stop badgering me about moving back over there. I have you here. Your family is here. You have to lead your pard some day and that means you have to be here.”

“Ugh!”

he flopped back down on his back like the cat he was. “Don’t remind me. There’s still so much of the world I need to see before I go home and let the spirits chain me to the pard.”

“Is that really how it works?”

I asked, raising a hand to rub his belly but stopped short. Where had that instinct even come from? I had furry friends. I knew better than to pet someone’s belly as if they were a house pet. Othoni grabbed my hand and put it on his belly. He had abs under his shirt and no body hair I could feel through the fabric but I petted his belly anyway. I pet him until he purred and finally answered my question.

“Not literally but it’s a full-time job. My carrier hardly ever gets to travel and there are still so many rules about who is allowed in the territory. Even more so after what Sergei pulled. You’ll be allowed there of course. We’re allowed to bring our non-feline mates home now. Mori has visited a few times too but my carrier locked up all his magic stuff beforehand. He doesn’t trust anyone anymore and I can’t say that I blame him.”

“You can change those things when you lead,”

I said, still rubbing his belly.

“No,”

he shook his head. “Mostly developers want to come and visit and that’s a big no. If our plants or minerals are important they can stay right where they are because they’re important to our ecosystems too. My ancestors didn’t send centuries eating enemies – human enemies at that – to keep our space protected just to let some Hemlock or Moonscale investor wipe it all out.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen,”

I said before I thought about it. “Shit! Sorry! Look at me already trying to step on your toes.”

“I like it. Well, this time,”

Othoni laughed. “Seriously, one day we’ll probably need all the help we can get. That’s why I won’t runaway from leading when it’s my turn. Someone has to keep it all safe and healthy.”

“Do you have a bucket list?”

I asked him. “I mean, a bucket list for before you become leader?”

“Sort of. Mostly, I want to see the world. I want to meet people and see what works and what doesn’t. I want to see how other people do things and maybe tell them how we do things. The little non-security things, anyway,”

Othoni said, pulling his shirt up so that my hand ran over his bare belly. “What about you? What do you want to do?”

“To be honest, I don’t know,”

I admitted for the first time in a long time. “It’s not like I need to do anything to make money. I know how bad that sounds, but I support a lot of mutual aid. I support some things I won’t even admit to yet. I’m someone’s ace up their sleeve for when and if Clarence Moonscale discovers some things. Before I found you buried in my bed, my plan was to conk out for a few decades after I got this Dern crap settled.”

“But not now, right?”

Othoni asked, his eyes going saucer big with worry.

“Not now,”

I said. “Not for a long time, if ever,”

I reassured him. “I used to feel useful helping with my little siblings or Sunny’s kids. Sunny is my best friend. I think he’s still my best friend anyway. Now, it’s all changed. It feels like everyone has these great lives that are plumb full without me.”

“You want to help people too,”

Othoni said. “No wonder you and Mori get along so well.”

“Do we?”

I teased him. “I mean I heard some of what you said earlier.”

Othoni blushed and bit his lip.

Yep.

This feline was going to be the death of me. His plump bottom lip gave way under his teeth and a wave of longing wrapped straight around my dick. I hardened against Othoni’s side but if he minded, he didn’t speak up.

“I should’ve been more careful about that,”

he said a second later.

“Barry doesn’t like me. I know that,”

I chuckled. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with me and everything to do with how much I remind him of my sire. Dad is a force to be reckoned with. He led the GGB before it was the GGB. He has a vivid past. Mine isn’t half as interesting. I’ve never shot anyone in the head. Not that I haven’t been in my fair share of fights and I have had some one-night stands. None that made a kid. I always follow up with omegas later but usually…”

“Usually what?”

Othoni blinked, leaning in close.

“I don’t know whether you want to hear this or not. Whether you’re leaning in because you’re curious or turned on or if you’re planning on biting me the minute I say something you don’t like,”

I chuckled.

“The first two. Mostly the first one but probably the second too.”

“You sure?”

I arched a brow.

“Tell me your secrets, oh mysterious dragon,”

he laughed.

“I’ve mostly hooked up with other alphas,”

I said. “It’s not much of a secret for those who know me well.”

“That’s hot. Wait! Are you verse? How much do you know about jaguar claiming vows? We don’t have to do everything my way but ---”

Othoni said and tripped over his words before he could finish his sentence.

“Not much to be honest. I haven’t met many jaguars and I’ve never asked any of them how they exchanged the claiming vows with their mates,”

I admitted.

“I---”

Othoni started again and sat up with a hand on his chest.

“Are you having a panic attack, mate?”

I sat up and scooted over next to him so that I could rest a hand on his back.

“I don’t think so, but my heart is going to pound right out of my chest thinking about our claiming vows. How does anyone survive this?”

he said, managing a laugh that didn’t reach his scent. “How does anyone do this without losing their minds at the very least? Is that what a panic attack is? When your heart tries to pound out of your chest?”

“No,”

I said. “Not all of it anyway. It’s where you feel like you’re going to die even though you’re physically fine and safe.”

“This isn’t it but my heart won’t slow down,”

he said, leaning forward until his belly nearly rested on his thighs. I rubbed small circles on his back half-ready to call the Appalachian Wolf Help Line. Maybe something was wrong with him. Maybe he needed to see a healer. I could call Jacob but he’d never let me hear the end of not talking to Dern.

“Keep doing that, please,”

Othoni whispered. “It makes it easier to think.”

“Do you want to stretch back out? I’ll keep a hold of you,”

I offered, unsure of what else to do for him.

“Not yet. I’m---”

“You’re what, mate?”

I asked, taking a deep breath.

The stir-crazy panic was gone from his scent, replaced by the aroma of his sweet arousal.

“Oh,”

I said, answering my own question. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,”

he shook his head. “I swear I didn’t plan this. I didn’t plan to just get hard and slick and---”

“Dicks have a mind of their own. Even more so when it comes to the true-mate response,”

I said trying to reassure him. “I’m hard too. I’m sure you felt me all pressed up on your hip.”

“I thought I’d be able to talk to you first at least.”

“We don’t have to do anything. Our dicks aren’t the boss of us,”

I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t know about all that,”

he said, almost laughing.

“Hey,”

I leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Want me to help you? Then we’ll go right back to talking. No claiming vows until we talk about them, okay? I don’t know what you were trying to ask before, but I want you to have them the way you want them. I’m not sure I’m up for a huge wedding. I’ll have one if you really want one but the claiming vows can absolutely be jaguar style.”

“You don’t even know what that is,”

he laughed, managing to sit up and meet my gaze. “Are you sure you want to promise before you find out?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve been around enough blocks to be okay with just about anything.”

“Alphas here are weird about sex. I’m not so sure about that.”

“Weird how, mate?”

I arched a brow. “They can’t be too weird. I’ve topped my fair share of alphas.”

“But have you bottomed?”

he asked as if the question would catch me off guard.

“For sex or BDSM?”

I shot the question back at him.

“BDSM?”

he whispered and for a second, I thought I’d have to explain what it was. “For that you’re a total dom. I know that just by smelling you. So, for sex of course.”

“I have when the mood has struck me and the guy looked like he might know what he was doing with his damn dick,”

I smirked. “See, I’m not that easy to shock.”

“We trade bites for the claiming vows. The topper bites,” he said.

“Okay. That’s simple. You thought that would scare me away? What sort of guy did Mori tell you I was?”

I laughed and glanced down at Othoni’s lap. He was rubbing the heel of his hand over his crotch absentmindedly. He turned crimson when he realized what he was doing.

“Sorry,”

he stopped and held his hands up.

“Don’t stop on my account. Unless, of course, you want some help,”

I grinned, leaning in closer.

“Just help. No vows yet. I’m such a sucker,”

he flopped onto his back. “I thought we could do this grand courtship thing but here I am – hard and slick and playing with myself through my clothes!”

he covered his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“Mate, it’s sort of hot. Okay, it is hot. No sorta to it. I want you driven crazy by me. Hell, I want you to have the urge to touch yourself any time I cross your mind.”

Othoni’s blush deepened, and I stretched out next to him. I wasn’t sure how much of his upbringing was sexually conservative and how much of this was just sheer frustration brought about by our true-mate response.

“I--- I usually have more control than this,”

Othoni said.

“Do you want me to give you a break? I could go for a walk or something,”

I offered.

“No!”

He answered quick and grabbed my hand, moving it back onto his stomach. I rubbed his belly again, hoping it would soothe out whatever rough edges poked at his anxiety.

“Okay. Then I’ll stay.”

“It’s your room anyway,”

he managed a laugh.

“That doesn’t matter. If you need time alone, I’ll go.”

“That’s the last thing I need,”

Othoni said, turning onto his side to face me. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you. I thought at some point when my parents started showing signs of being older, I’d have to use the potion to find you. Until then I was going to live as hard as I could because it meant going back and being leader.”

“Uh…. Do you want me to sleep for a few decades then?”

I teased him. “That way you can still live hard and all that.”

“No,”

he shook his head fast and hard. “I never thought I’d get to meet you and live a whole life with you before everyone was looking to me for answers.”

“And now I keep asking questions.”

“I don’t mind. Talking helps. My heart. My brain. Me to feel like crazy in general. I knocked Mori over,”

he laughed.

“You have a good pounce on you. I’m going to remember that if we ever argue,”

I chuckled. “You’ll just knock me right over.”

“I’d never do that to you!”

“I’m a dragon. My siblings have done worse,”

I said, cupping his chin and leaning in for another kiss.

I couldn’t resist Othoni’s soft lips. We were both hard and ready. I’d give him courtship if that’s what he wanted. We just had to figure out how that would look for us. Abstinence didn’t seem to be on the table.

“How about I help you and then we can go for a walk and see if anyone needs help?”

“For what?”

Othoni blinked and I laughed.

“No, mate. We’re not going to go offer random people hand jobs. I meant with storm clean up.”

“Oh,”

he said still crimson faced. “That. I’d almost forgotten about the storm.”

“Yeah, yeah. I knew it! It was just an excuse to hide in my bed!”

“I didn’t know you’d come home and get naked and rub all over me.”

“I’ll make a habit of it too,”

I said and stole another kiss.

“Please, do.”