Page 37

Mezerath

Rath pored over his usual sheafs of paperwork, Nadi at his side stamping one packet then another.

“I’m surprised you didn’t attend the garden party with your mate.” Nadi folded a few sheets of parchment carefully and slid them into a leather pouch before sealing the contents with wax.

“They’re boring, and we needed the time apart.

I cannot control myself around him as of yet.

We’d be canoodling in the stables while all manner of society wondered where we’d gotten off to.

” Rath rested his chin on his palm and flipped a sheet, narrowing his gaze at some judicial findings for an ongoing litigation between two merchants.

Fools, the both of them. The judge had been fair, though.

“I see the logic.” Nadi stuffed another envelope and moved a stack of papers. “I’ve become rather fond of the new laundry-maid. Lyss.”

“I’ve heard. Is she getting on well?” Rath scribbled a note and attached it to a document before handing it to Nadi for review.

“She seems to like it. I like her, and Asha is pleased to have her.” Nadi dripped wax onto another envelope for the king’s seal.

“Mmm.” Rath made a soft noise of acknowledgement and continued on, pausing as the light tap of footsteps drew him out of his stupor. “Pryd?”

There was no mistaking the quick, confident swagger, even if it was a little clipped. “I know you can hear me, Brother!”

Rath sighed and put his quill down as the door to his office swung open. He glanced over and Pryd slipped in, his face a mask of confusion.

“What’s troubling you?”

“Kensing has gone home. I’m taking a break from having a bedservant for a time, but that’s not what I’m here for.” Lapryda pulled up a chair and sat opposite of Nadi, taking a quill and parchment.

“You allowed yourself to get attached.” Rath sniffed, unimpressed, but understanding. Kensing was a good match for Pryd’s impulsive manners.

“Perhaps, but that’s not important.” Pryd scratched out what looked to be two names, watching the ink dry with a somber expression.

“What is that?” Rath leaned over and spied two names. Naxima of the House Sauria and Bessam of House Hyfell.

Pryd pushed the paper toward Rath. “Their death certificates need to be registered.”

A pit of sorrow curled in Rath’s belly. Naxima had been a great uncle of his he’d known well, gone to the catacombs only a few years ago.

Bessam had been a prince at one time of another kingdom, before Ressimir and Lyope had merged into one kingdom, Sauria.

He’d been a great warrior. “I’ll ready a memorial for them. ”

Pryd nodded sagely but didn’t move, his somber expression lost, as if waiting for Rath to gather some information from the names. He reached for the paper and hesitated. “This isn’t when we usually check…”

“It is not.” Pryd nodded once, and a sudden dawning realization struck Rath.

“Asha…” He stood so fast his chair tumbled, scales prickling on his arms and neck. There was no way he could contain himself as he bolted through the door toward his wing of the castle.

“He’s in the baths, Brother!” Pryd’s somber voice registered with Rath just in time for him to scramble over flagstones and slip, clamoring to his feet once more.

There was nothing that could keep him from his mate at that moment, so he ran. He ran until maidservants shouted in surprise at his passing and jumped at the slamming of doors. “Asha!”

“Oh, someone got the message.” A titter of laughter rang out from somewhere and whispers followed him until he made it to their chambers and into the baths.

Jeron sat at the edge of the bath, feet soaking in the water, while Asha sat slumped in place, relaxing with a placid expression.

“It’s been confirmed, then?” Rath stared at Asha as he gave a sheepish nod, lips twisted in a half grin. He had a hand rested over his abdomen, as if he had trouble envisioning it himself.

Rath stripped his fineries and clothes, tossing the pile onto a rack by the pool, eager to slide in by his mate.

Jeron, for his part, didn’t move, only continued his light brushing of Asha’s beautiful hair.

“Don’t rough him up too much, my lord. He is, indeed, delicate. Slath had Master Graylan confirm.”

Rath wouldn’t be gainsaid, though. He waded through the waters and snatched Asha into his arms to hold him tight. “How do you feel, my mate? Must I feed you or touch you in pleasing ways? May I fawn over you or—”

Rath choked as Asha grabbed his horns and pulled him in for a fierce kiss. Jeron quieted and slid his feet free before standing. “I’ll excuse myself and bring some repast.”

“Jeron is getting cake since I missed dessert at the garden party.” Asha wrapped his legs around Rath’s hips and nuzzled into his neck, nipping at the flesh of his neck.

“I take it you’re hungry for more than dessert?” Rath chuckled, but he wanted to talk, to discuss the names, to come, to see what Asha wanted—but obviously that would wait.

Asha waded and pushed at Rath’s chest until he seated on the pool’s inner ledge, lap barely submerged in water as Asha climbed into his lap, knees straddling either side of Rath’s toned thighs. “I don’t know. I crave touch, sweet things, comfort. I’ve been anxious for a few days, I suppose.”

Rath could attest to that. Asha had been particularly voracious, his appetite in bed surpassing even that of Rath’s. A lifetime of repressed sexuality hadn’t done any good for Asha—but it certainly provided Rath with a challenge.

Asha lifted his hips and reached between them, frustrated for the mere moment it took to stroke Rath to full hardness.

“Asha, please. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Rath hummed with pleasure and hissed between his teeth as Asha guided Rath’s stiffening cock to his entrance. He’d gotten good at taking Rath with ease, sheathing him in his searing heat.

“A little pain is nice. It hurts worse to wait, sometimes.” Asha exhaled a shaking breath, sinking down onto Rath with absolute pleasure.

There, he waited only a moment before rolling his hips and working himself into a gratuitous pace, his bottom splashing in the water as he came down on Rath’s lap.

Nothing intimate lay in the action, no love or closeness, just desire, lust, and the heated need for something Asha couldn’t probably define. Rath knew, though.

Asha hadn’t been raised as a dragon or educated in the bond, so his need for orgasm, craving for pleasure and carnal desire didn’t tell him what it told Rath.

He needs us. The strong sensation he’d feel upon peak of orgasm would echo between them and fill an emptiness in their bond.

What would also fill it, though? Rath wrapped his arms around Asha’s chest and clawed at the markings on his back to draw forth his wings.

“My—my love.” Rath choked the words out and swallowed a moan in his throat with a creak.

“I won’t be long. Please.” Asha yelped as Rath adjusted his hips, clawing again until Asha flared his wings free from his back with a sharp spray of water when they flicked the surface.

“You won’t, but you need something else.” Rath shook his head to loosen Asha’s grip and growled. The noise halted Asha mid-pump of his hips. “This isn’t how you quell this feeling.”

Asha panted heavily, struggling to decide what he wanted, eyes darting about before Rath captured his mouth in a searing kiss.

Seeing to Asha’s pleasure, Rath reached between them to stroke his stiff cock, pumping with gentle ease as he built a steady pace—all while keeping Asha’s mouth focused.

Rath reached for the back of Asha’s head and laced his fingers in his mate’s hair before gripping tight.

Asha bleated with pain and pleasure, his inner walls tightening with threat. “Rath, please. I need to come off.”

“We both need to be brought off.” Rath panted against Asha’s lips and rolled his hips. “Because if I only get you off without myself, you won’t get what you’re after?”

“Cake?”

“ Us. ” Rath couldn’t explain the concept, but he could show Asha with a quick bite to his lip and another feverish kiss.

Asha panted through the kiss and surrendered to Rath’s clawing grip and urgency. The lull in his tenseness lasted only a moment before Rath drew a hand down Asha’s side, circled his hip, and drew back, slapping the meat of Asha’s full ass right beside his tail base with a satisfying crack.

Asha screamed.

The rough edge of his voice echoed off the chamber walls, sending ripples through the bathing pool that made Rath’s knot fill with a satisfying pulse that trapped them together with frightening strength.

Lodged there, Asha threw his head back, voice cracking and petering out to the tune of his own moan as sweet relief blessed them both.

In Rath’s mind, over the sensation of orgasm, light, color, and sound blossomed like flowers, letting their magic mingle in a satisfying array. Caught in the gripping moment, Asha’s head lulled back, body jerking to the tune of his release, sharp streaks splattering the water. “Rath…”

Rath captured Asha’s mouth for a soft kiss, bringing him down slowly as their bond purred with delight. “You don’t crave sex, my love. You don’t always need to be fucked. Know this, my mate, you need our magic to touch, to peak, and to be close. This is the only way you know to achieve this.”

“I need you, so bad.” Asha’s shuddering chest rose and fell with harsh panting breaths.

“And you can have me, but you need magic. You need us to touch the pools of our power.” Rath reached about and captured Asha’s hand, lacing their fingers before drawing it to his mouth for a long kiss. The scent of their lust faded too quickly in the scented waters.

Coming down should have been a blissfully calm thing, but with Asha’s body shaking atop him, their lust cooling as his mind reeled, Rath could do little else but lift his trembling mate and offer him placating kisses.

“This is all I know how, and my thoughts are in chaos.” Asha surrendered himself to Rath’s hold, his wet, naked body holding Rath’s cock firm.

A few minutes of holding one another with light kisses had Rath’s cock subsiding, the knot lasting far shorter of a time than it had during their full moon tryst. Nothing else mattered but their togetherness, and when Rath pulled them from the bath and carried Asha to bed, it was the happiest Rath had been since meeting Asha, an assurance of a future.

Wrapped in blankets amid Rath’s tidy nest, Asha curled happily, his tail making sweeping gestures of contentment.

Without a batted eye, Jeron brought their dessert into the room on a cart and bowed his way out, a half smile plastered to his face.

From bedservant to valet, his transition of place in the castle had gone well.

Asha hadn’t seemed to mind Jeron’s former spot, as it was clear that there were no feelings.

He didn’t even react territorially when Jeron approached their nest. Rath sighed happily.

Life was good.

Asha sprawled out languidly, his bare skin on full display as he lay on his front in bed and ate cake, bare ass plump and exposed. “Better take advantage of laying on my front while I can. I don’t want to hurt the eggs.”

“It’s less that you’ll harm the eggs and more that it will be increasingly uncomfortable.

But the gestation of eggs is thankfully short.

” Rath reached over to trace his nails down Asha’s back, tickling the muscles down his spine to get his wings to withdraw.

Lower, he trailed his fingers to scrape the scales at his lower back.

Asha rolled over onto his back and stretched languidly.

The shape of his taut belly hadn’t quite changed, but when Rath studied the sculpt of his belly, his muscles had definitely lost some definition.

If he were human, Rath would have only assumed he’d become more sedentary.

Though, dragons tended to maintain a level of fit shape regardless of what they did.

For the most part. Galatan was predisposed to being of a fuller build, but even he was fit beneath the softness.

“I recall Mother when she bore Lapryda’s egg. She grew so fast and by the time I realized there was an egg in her—there his egg was.” Rath traced the line of Asha’s belly and felt his face twist into an unfamiliar smile.

“I like that.” Asha folded his arms behind his head and glanced over at Rath, his face a mask of peace.

“I’ll keep doing it, then.” Rath continued, tracing his fingertips.

“No, not that. It feels good, but your smile. It’s beautiful.” Asha grinned and reached down to hold Rath’s hand.

“You give me so many reasons to smile.”

“And I’m giving you two more.” Asha rubbed his belly once and closed his eyes. “You better be a good father.”

“I’ll be the best one I know how, but if I fail, there’s several uncles in this castle who’ll beat some sense into me and raise them well.”

Asha snorted and pulled Rath onto him for a sweet kiss. “Come here. Let’s get another round in while we can. There’s only so much time we have before I’m too big for anything limber.”

“Limber or not, I’ll fill you any time you ask, my mate.” Rath sighed and snuggled in with his mate, palm cupped to his belly. “I’m eager to see you fill out.”

Asha laughed, his chuckle sweet and sultry. “I’m curious, too.”

When sleep took them, bare and curled against one another, Rath pondered the two souls that had passed, and what their two children would make of their new lives.