Page 14 of The Dragon’s Stone Hearted Mate (Mori’s Mementos #1)

Rho

It was difficult to kiss Morvan and not lose track of what I was doing.

His dragon was damn near enraged at the thought of his brother locked away but at the same time wasn’t sure if he wanted to see him again.

Confusion burnt like a fire through his mind and I had to find a way to ground him.

He might’ve lived a few life cycles without me, but I knew him well enough to know he needed to say his peace.

Not to me or Mori but to Torvan himself and maybe the would-be fratricider.

“You can’t kiss me forever,” Morvan said, his words all smushed up against my lips. “I mean, we can try. I don’t mind but sooner or later….”

“Sooner or later, you have to admit, I’m right.”

“You don’t know that. We just met,” Morvan countered.

“But I’m already under your skin,” I whispered back to him and kissed him again.

I might’ve sunk to my knees and kissed him a lot lower if we weren’t standing outside of Sherry’s cabin.

I didn’t think her walking out on me sucking on my dragon would ease her injured perception of reality.

So, instead, I led Morvan away from the main camp and down toward the showers.

All the cabins now had bathrooms inside complete with showers but that hadn’t always been the case.

When the camp first opened and lacked funding, all the campers had to use these gym-style shower stalls.

When I first heard the campers call them that I was unsure of what they meant but now after crawling inside my dragon’s head I understood exactly what they meant.

I wasn’t sure if the showers still worked but we didn’t need the water. We needed the privacy.

It wasn’t a long walk to the showers but every few steps Morvan would stop to kiss me again and I lacked the self-control to stop him.

Why would I ever not want his glorious, teasing tongue inside my mouth?

Eventually, I took his hand and ran, tugging him along behind me laughing.

We’d never have made it there otherwise.

The whole set of showers smelled wet and were surprisingly clean for a place that didn’t see much action these days but lucky for us they were on the same spot as they were on the old camp map we passed by back at the main part of the camp.

Morvan pushed me up against the outside wall and captured my mouth in another long, slow kiss.

I gave in to his warm, demanding mouth as his tongue slipped against mine again.

It would be so easy to forget about his brother and the visiting wolf.

It would be too easy to say forget it all but eventually the newness of our reunion would wear off and I didn’t want my dragon to regret not at least trying to tell his brother goodbye.

“This is how we’re going to do this,” I said, pushing on his chest until he stopped kissing me and immediately missing his lips moving over mine.

“Am I doing this wrong?” he arched a brow.

“No, no,” I shook my head. “This – us – this kissing – this is perfect,” I reassured him. “I meant this is the plan.”

“I’m not going anywhere. We don’t need a plan,” Morvan growled and kissed me again.

For a moment, I gave in to him as his hand slid over my hip and down to wrap his long fingers around my hard cock.

My mind reeled with what we could do if I dropped the whole argument.

Only, I couldn’t let him down like that.

Grief wasn’t just a knife in the back. It was also a blindfold and once you missed your chance, it was gone forever.

“Mate,” I said softly. “I love this. I love you but that’s why we need a plan.

You and I have forever but your brother doesn’t.

One way or another he will have to return to where spirits belong.

Once he does it might be too late for you to say goodbye.

So, we’ll have our time. We’ll exchange our claiming vows and complete our reunion.

Then you will go back to wherever they have him locked up at.

I need you to stay for as long as you need to.

I must wait here but I’ll borrow someone’s phone or something and we’ll have heart talk or whatever you call it--- Oh!

Mating link! We’ll have our mating link wide open.

I wish I could go with you but I am of this soil and the rock and thus must remain here. ”

“I don’t want to leave you. I want a fresh start---”

“Can’t can’t start fresh if you leave behind a mess,” I countered.

“It’s not my mess. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t hire a hitman or---” Morvan started but I shook my head.

“This isn’t for Torvan. Forget what that wolf said.

This isn’t so he doesn’t get a boo-boo from banishment.

This is for you. Say goodbye or tell him you hope he rots in a pit that only has cacti for chairs.

I don’t care what you say. I only care that you have the chance to say what you need to say. ”

“You know it doesn’t change anything, right?” he sighed, stepping back from me.

Instantly, I missed his warmth leaning against me.

“It can change everything. Will he still be dead? Yes. But for now, he is still your brother as you know him. Get some closure.”

“He still died alone like we all will.”

“I will not perish alone for if that day comes even if you are not with me in this physical world you will be in my heart as you have always been.”

He almost told me to stop my sentimental bullshit but deep down Morvan didn’t think it was bullshit any more than I did.

If that’s how my dragon really felt he wouldn’t be so caught up in how the cycle of life and death robs souls again and again of ‘everything they know.’ He wouldn’t care about the uncertainty.

If you have nothing to lose you don’t care if it’s all gone.

“This is so messed up,” Morvan started to pace. “I bet Cutter would give anything to talk to his dead mate again or Sherry or anyone here.”

“And if you could trade Torvan for one of them, I’d consider it sweet to give them the opportunity, but that’s not the case,” I said gently.

“This is unfair to you,” Morvan said.

“Because I can’t go?”

“No,” he shook his head. “This. All of this. You stood there for a literal eternity waiting on me and this is what you get.”

“Mate, dragon of mine, I am not disappointed. Is this ideal? You and I? Yes. That your brother won’t take a hint even from beyond the grave? No, but you did nothing to cause that.”

“You want to know what’s really messed up?” he paused his pacing to ask me.

“What’s that?” I asked, more than happy to be his sounding board.

“That I want to call Teal and say ‘you’ll never guess what this asshole is doing now.’ Only I can’t because we’re not talking. I can’t call him to say how asinine this is because I quit talking to him because I thought Torvan was worth dying for!” He balled his hands into fists at his side.

“You’re allowed to change your mind, mate,” I said, taking a step toward him and placing my hands on his shoulders.

“But what does that say about me?”

“That you’ve grown? Everyone changes and it’s easy to miss someone in theory but now he’s back and he’s still dead.

Which means he’s showing his truest colors.

I’d much rather have you here with me than have you die to save someone who thought an abundance of resources were more important than you. ”

“Do you promise you’ll be here when I get back?”

“I do. Nothing will stop me from waiting on you. I already waited this long what’s a few more days or weeks?” I smiled softly at him. “Take care of business when the time comes. Being my dragon doesn’t mean you’re stuck here every second of your life. Just come home to me when the day is done.”

“Maybe I want to spend all my days with you too. I want to know what makes you tick and everything about you. For once, I want Torvan to stop overshadowing every aspect of my life,” he groaned.

“I need you before I go. I need our true-mate response solidified. Not touching you hurts. I can’t imagine being in a different realm than you. It seems blasphemous somehow.”

“I will be with you. I have always been with you. From the moment we chose each other we were inseparable,” I whispered and leaned in to kiss Morvan.

His big, strong hands found my hips and I wrapped my arms around him too.

Our tongues danced between our mouths, and I allowed myself to get lost in him again.

Saying goodbye would be hard for him but he’d fought harder battles and came home whole.