Page 6 of The Dragon’s Stormwoven Bond (Dragon Flight Academy #2)

Valen

I didn’t intend to hide my relationship with Pep from Eryx. He was not only a long-time friend but had been a trusted part of my life for so long. But it wasn’t only up for me to decide, and when it came to his family, I planned to let Pep lead the way.

Reluctantly, I agreed to the scent blocking because this was all happening fast. If my mate needed more time to think and work up the nerve to talk to his parents about it, I would support that. It wasn’t a long-term solution. Heck, it wasn’t a solution at all. It was a delay tactic at best.

I drank my scent-blocking tea, my beast not pleased. He longed for me to announce to the world that Pep was mine. He pushed for me to fly through the air and use our fire to write it in the air for all to see. My beast was ridiculous, but also… I kind of wanted that too.

Eventually, there was no more delaying it.

It was time to leave. I gave my mate a long kiss goodbye, before heading toward his home…

only when I got there, it wasn’t going to be my mate’s home, it was going to be my long-time friend’s home.

I needed to bear that in mind so I didn’t make things more difficult for Pep than they already were.

Eryx had given me the address, but it was Pep who gave me the directions. He gave his parents some excuse about moving into his new place and getting settled, which wasn’t exactly a lie. We were settling into the cabin.

Once we got ourselves out of bed, we picked up the key and went to see the cabin for the first time. The place was small, but cozy with just enough room for the two of us. We’d outgrow it quickly, especially since we likely had a clutch on the way. But for now, it was all that we needed.

Even mere hours after our mating, it was very likely that my seed had taken hold and my young dragon mate would be carrying my eggs.

It was the way with true mates. Twenty-four hours ago, the very thought of having a clutch in my near future would’ve terrified me.

Now, after meeting my mate and spending time with him, I couldn’t wait to see what our next adventure would be.

It had been years since I’d felt this alive.

We needed to figure out how to tell my oldest friend… the man who’d been hatched around the same time as me, who I went to grade school with back when it was just a one-room schoolhouse in a country that didn’t even exist anymore, the man who was one of the only constants in my life.

I pulled into the drive and was slightly taken aback to see a man identical to my mate standing on the front porch. When he said they needed blockers to fool their parents, I had known they looked similar, but he was the spitting image.

“You must be Rhythe,” I said as I got out.

His eyes narrowed. His nostrils flared.

Fuck. Was the tea not working? Could he scent my mate on me? My dragon’s anxiety kicked up a notch. He hadn’t a care in the world most of the time, but the idea that my mate would be upset if we were found out threw him into a fit.

“I am,” he said. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” I said.

“Lucky guess or something else…” He made a motion like he was drinking. Crap. He’d been in the bar. Did he know I was his brother’s mate, or worse, did he think his brother was just a notch on my belt?

There was no chance to finish the discussion, because the door opened and my friend came out. I had to trust that my mate’s twin had Pep’s back.

Eryx leapt off the porch and pulled me into a hug. I tensed for a moment, worrying that the tea wouldn’t work. Being deceptive wasn’t something I was ever comfortable with, but now that I was in it, I had to go to the finish line.

“Valen! It’s good to see you. It’s been way too long.”

“Nearly a century,” I said.

“Come in, come in. You’ve got to see Katrina.”

Her words about me still stung. There was no lie to them, or at least in the past they were an accurate description.

But that was it… the past. My future wouldn’t ever see a glimpse of that me.

Ever. My world was now intertwined with Pep’s, and I would never so much as look at another.

How could I when I had perfection by my side.

Eryx’s excitement to see me caught me off guard. Would he be this happy to see me once he found out what exactly I had been doing for the past twelve hours? Probably not.

Rhythe kept his eye on me as we walked in. I pasted on a smile.

“This is my son, Rhythe. Pep couldn’t make it. He’s settling into his dorm.”

“Dorm? Don’t you mean the faculty housing?” I snapped my mouth closed. I was going to give away too much if I kept speaking so freely.

Eryx waved a hand in the air. “Right, of course, he’s not in school anymore. He’s part of the staff. They’ll always be babies to me.”

My stomach twisted. I could understand the sentiment since he was Pep’s father, but Pep was a grown man.

“He insists that he needs a job, even though he’s barely twenty-five. I wouldn’t mind him living at home for a while longer. Or even seeing the world a bit. He hasn’t really traveled much.”

“Everybody gets a job now, Dad. That’s the way of the world. Young dragons grow up a lot faster than you all did when you could fuck around until you were a century old,” Rhythe said.

“Tell that to Valen,” Eryx said. “He’s been fucking around his whole life.”

His words were like a punch in the gut.

Normally I’d agree and even laugh it off. He wasn’t wrong, but the comment rubbed me the wrong way today. I was settling down now. Not all of us had been lucky enough to find our mates when we were young dragons. Some of us had to wait nearly half a millennium.

“Now, it goes without saying that my clutch is off-limits to you, Valen.” Fuck. It was like he had a list of comments that would hurt the most and was ticking them off as they delivered them to me. “You’ve only been in town a day, so I doubt you’ve slept your way through all your options.”

Was he attempting to be funny? Had my friend changed that much? I doubted it. He was sincerely protecting his clutch from me… the one dragon who would do anything for his son.

“But just so you know, none of my children are on the options list.”

I clenched my jaw to keep from saying something I’d regret.

On any other visit I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

After all, I had been the playboy he said I was, the one who’d never settled down, the one that didn’t sleep with the same omega twice.

A lot had changed in the last twelve hours. I no longer resembled that alpha.

Now, I didn’t know what to say. The more Eryx talked, the more I realized that my mate was right. His father wasn’t ready to hear that his youngest was mated, least of all to me.

Would he ever be ready? Would this turn of events shatter a half-a-millennium-long friendship? If it did, it would be worth it. For Pep. I’d do anything. I loved Eryx, but when given a choice between Pep and anything or anyone, Pep would always be my pick. Always.

“I think we have a lot to catch up on, Eryx. Let’s not dwell in the past.”

He raised a brow. “The confirmed bachelor is ready to settle down?”

“Something like that,” I said.

“Yeah, Dad, give him a break. I’m sure once he finds his mate he’ll become a boring old family man like you,” Rhythe said.

It wasn’t a perfect endorsement, but I would take it. Maybe Rhythe knew more than he was letting on.

“Rhythe is right. Finding my mate would be an absolute gamechanger.” I watched Rhythe’s face for a hint of understanding. The omega gave nothing away.

Eryx looked like he was about to say something, but Katrina called his name from the kitchen.

“I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable.”

Once he was out of the room, Rhythe turned on me.

“How did you know I was Rhythe and not Pep? It seems a bit far-fetched that you could pick out one half of the set of twins that you saw once in passing. And why do you scent like my twin? What don’t I know?”

“You can scent Pep on me?” So much for the scent blocker.

“Please. He’s my twin. We shared an egg. Plus, I know all his tricks.” He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. “My father can’t scent him on you, which means you’ve likely had some scent-blocking tea, which only Pep and I have. Spill.”

I sighed. “I met Pep last night, which you probably saw.”

He nodded.

“He’s my mate.”

Rhythe’s eyes went wide, and he pulled out his phone. “And that little fucker didn’t call me to let me know that it was more than an ex-rescue and drinks?”

“We’ve been busy. We didn’t realize till this morning that I knew your dad.”

“So you guys went with a scent blocker? Good call. Dad would flip his fucking lid if he found out.”

I hated his confirmation. It meant I was reading the room right and that Pep had been right to worry. This was not how I expected my mating to begin.

“Where is Pep now?” Rhythe didn’t hide his protectiveness.

“At our home. At the academy.”

Rhythe nodded. “Do you mind if I go see him?”

“Of course not. You’re always welcome.” I would never keep my mate from his family or friends. I wasn’t that kind of alpha.

Rhythe winked. “Good answer.” With that, he left.

When Eryx came back into the room, he looked around for his son.

“Where did Rhythe run off to?”

I shrugged. “Said he had somewhere to be.”

He rolled his eyes. “Probably going to catch up with Pep. Those two are inseparable. Sit down. Tell me how you’ve been. You excited to start your new job?”

And our conversation was finally in safe territory. I could talk about work all day long, and I planned on it. Anything to keep the conversation from turning back to my love life.