Page 2 of The Dragon’s Stormwoven Bond (Dragon Flight Academy #2)

Valen

In hindsight, going to a bar on my first night in town was probably not the best choice. One, this bar was way too close to the academy headquarters, and there were way too many young dragons around. Not that I was opposed to young dragons.

The last thing I needed to do was hook up with someone who went to the school or was in some way affiliated with it.

It wasn’t even like I was looking to hook up, but still, sometimes you meet someone and connect.

I doubted that was in the cards, though.

Lately, my dragon had been reluctant to even look at omegas, yet he was the one who insisted we go out this evening. Sometimes the beast made no sense.

I was staying in a hotel for the evening.

I’d arrived in town late in the afternoon and hadn’t gotten a chance to pick up the key to my cabin.

And if I were being honest with myself, I was dragging my feet a little when it came to get checked in to my new job.

I supposed I was just as bad as the students in that way.

It was still too early for me to call it a night, though, so instead of looking for a hookup, I simply people watched—or in this case, shifter watched.

There were plenty of young dragons here tonight, men and women alike.

Some of them flirting, some of them not.

A few of them really needed to get a room if they were going to sit at a table in front of everyone and just make out the whole time.

There were also friends teasing each other, siblings arguing, and one omega who was sitting in a booth and reading a book about plants.

There was enough going on around me to keep me entertained, that was for sure.

But the truth was, the longer I sat here, the more I realized I was getting old. Not getting… I was old. But age is just a number, right? That was what I’d been telling myself for years, but it was time to admit defeat. I was old.

I might look only forty-five, but I was actually pushing five hundred.

I never let my age stop me from having fun, but these days, it was harder and harder to find things that I found to be fun.

A bar like this one with good music and a lot of single omegas had always my kind of place. Tonight, it just felt… lonely.

And it wasn’t just tonight. Moving to a whole new continent, closer to a friend of mine, and getting a new type of a job was supposed to add some excitement back to my life… to push back this empty feeling. So far, that was not what was happening.

“You’re just going to let him sit there and behave like that?” A voice floated into my ears.

Two young dragons came up to the bar next to me. Normally, I wouldn’t pay attention, but the one who looked sad piqued my interest. And my dragon? He was pushing at me to put a smile on the omega’s face.

“What am I supposed to do, Drayden? He’s here with his new boyfriend. This is why I told you I didn’t want to go out tonight. I am over him. I couldn’t care less what he does with his time.”

No wonder he was sad. The poor guy got dragged here to hang out near an ex, one that from the looks of things had hurt him.

“Yeah, I get that. You don’t want him back. He’s a dick. You shouldn’t have dated him in the first place, but I don’t know, maybe just rub it in his face that he’s missing out on something great.”

The advice of youth often surprised me with its wisdom.

That was not the case with this guy. He was asking his friend to cause drama in a place where the drinks were flowing.

It was all I could do not to interrupt, but who wants an old guy who was eavesdropping on you interjecting their opinion? Absolutely no one.

The sad dragon snorted. “If he thought I was great, he wouldn’t have cheated on me. Also, he’s the one sitting at a table with his tongue down someone’s throat, and I’m here alone, so what’s he really missing out on?”

I bristled at that. Who would have ever cheated on this delicious morsel of a dragon?

He was clearly young—way younger than me—which meant he should’ve been totally off-limits.

Not that ages worked the same for dragons as they did for humans or even other shifters. Still, he now had all of my attention.

His description told me exactly who his ex was.

He’d dodged a bullet with that one. Disrespecting an omega by making a sexual spectacle of them was a window into your future.

It was one thing to be in a dim club, making out in the shadows…

this alpha was wanting everyone to see but was also not giving off voyeuristic vibes.

The dragon turned to the bar, but his gaze kept sliding toward the couple that was making out at the table.

The couple broke apart, and the alpha’s gaze caught the omega at the bar. He stood up then, and I realized I was going to be in for a show… and not the kind I wanted.

The omega at the bar stiffened, but he didn’t look away. Didn’t run.

“Pep,” the alpha said. “I hope you’re not here to cause a scene. We’re not together anymore.”

Pep’s face twisted in disgust. “Get over yourself, Craig. I’m here with friends.”

The alpha snorted. “Yeah, right, like you’d ever leave your library to go out and actually have fun.”

His tone rubbed me the wrong way. Everything about him rubbed me the wrong way, including the fact that he was so close to the gorgeous omega. The way the omega’s eyes turned sad and also flared with anger as he looked at him drew out my dragon.

My feet were moving before I could even think twice about what I was doing, my arm going around the little omega’s shoulders. He might not have asked for my help or wanted it, but he was getting it. Let this asshole Craig get a taste of his own medicine.

“Hey, sweetheart, sorry I’m late.”

His eyes grew large when he saw me. His scent hit me like a ton of bricks.

“Is this guy bothering you?” I looked over at the alpha.

I towered over him by at least five inches. My shoulders were wider. My stature more muscular. Good. He should feel small next to me. Tiny, even.

Thankfully, the omega played along, his arm going around my waist, his other one touching the front of me so that he was plastered to my side. It could’ve gone either way, and I was glad he felt comfortable enough to slide into the role of good boyfriend.

“I just got here. You’re right on time.” He smiled at me. The sadness left his eyes, replaced with glee and mischievousness. He was loving this.

“Perfect.” I looked at the alpha. “And you are?”

“Who are you?” the alpha said. “And how do you know Pep?”

“Oh, I know Pep,” I said. “He’s my date.”

The alpha wrinkled his nose. He looked between us like he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. “Whatever,” he said. “Good luck. Pep’s about as boring as they come.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” I said.

Eventually, he went away, which was good because I was ready to thoroughly embarrass him if need be. But this was better. This gave me time to learn more about Pep.

Pep smiled up at me once he was out of earshot. “Thank you for that.”

I shook my head. “No problem. Can I buy you a drink?”

“Or maybe I can buy you one. After all, you helped me save face there. I didn’t even really want to come out tonight.”

And as much as it pissed me off that he felt pressured into being here, I couldn’t be too mad about it. That was what led me to be here, by his side, surrounded by his scent.

“I’m so very glad you did.”

“I think I am too. What are you drinking?”

We could argue about who was paying later, an argument I’d win. But for now, I gave him my drink order and led him to a table where we’d be able to chat with a little privacy. I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about Pep.

I also wanted to strip him bare, taste every inch of his body, and make him come so hard he’d forget his own name. Pep officially had me under his spell, and I still didn’t even know his last name.