CHAPTER 8
Gunner hated having to rush this along, but damn, he had no idea that the heat would come on this fast and this strong. It was as if all that built-up time since meeting Gordy had multiplied, and damned if he ever heard of all three involved going through it. He needed time to woo his mate, damn it. They all needed time, but if this feeling was anything to go by, that time had run out.
“You want to bond? With me? But… but… My father is still out there wanting me dead.”
“Your father is a dead man, he just doesn’t know it yet. Gordy, I want nothing more than to bond with you, but I won’t if that’s not what you want too.” Gunner replied, brushing Gordy’s sweaty bangs back.
Biting his lower lip, Gordy said, “I don’t look anything like Gio or Jude or any of the others. I’m not GQ material, I’m dull and drab as well as fat, and maybe not exactly ugly, but I’m no beauty either. You deserve better than me.” Gordy cried, bending over and placing his hands on his knees, trying to draw in a cool breath.
“Gordy, I don’t know who the hell made you think you’re less than anyone else, but I swear by Heck himself that if I discover who, I’m going to find them and kill them with my bare hands. Because as much as I want to blame your father for everything, I don’t think he’s the only one that has brought on this high of insecurity that you feel inside. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect the way you are.” Gunner insisted, dragging them all out to the back yard and pushing Gordy into the shallow end of the pool.
Gordy sputtered, but looked grateful for the cool water, even if he was sputtering and coughing. Gunner wanted to growl when his sentience shook his head, saying, “You are so powerful, sexy and strong. I’m weak, average, fat, and a nobody with a target on his back.”
Gunner almost smiled when his maharishi did growl, then said, “Do you not think I don’t know what you’ve been through, Gordy? People look at me and see a large black dangerous creature that looks as if he would rather eat you than have a laugh with you. I spend most of my time attached to Gunner because of the fear the people in our town have of me, even though I’ve never given one of them a reason to feel that way. Hell, some of them I even saved their lives for fuck’s sake. Do they ever think about that? Do they look at me and see a dragon with a need for friendship or a smile? No! The few times I’ve walked side by side with him, the people have made a point to cross the street. If I am flying and land to rest or take a drink from the pond in the park, people turn away and those near where I land hurry away as if I’m going to eat them.”
The maharishi calmed and dipped his head. “It hurts. I don’t have the beauty like Taco and Spirit, or the humor of Azul, or even the majestic aura of Smoky. I can’t swim with the children and let them slide down my long body and into the water like some of the water dragons do. I’m not cute and tiny like Wiz’s maharishi is. My head holds the horns like a devil as do my facial features. My wings and body are not long and flowing like the other flyers, they are short and my body is like that of a wasp. My eyes are not a soft flickering brown or green, but instead they are red and flicker like the flames of a fire. I don’t have large hands like a human’s with claws, I have large hands with three fingers that have spikes coming out of them. Face it, Gordy, I am the monster your human mothers have warned you about. The monster you see in the worst of the worst horror movies. Yet, I’m not a monster. If people took the time to get to know me, they would find that I am up to date on current events. I like to play and joke around. The taste of beer isn’t something I enjoy, but I do love a nice icy-cold tea, and sitting outside looking at the stars. I enjoy cooking when I get the chance. I find it calming and it soothes me like a friend. I enjoy growing my own herbal garden for both the smells as well as to use in my cooking.”
“Me too!” Gordy gasped.
Smiling, his maharishi said, “It doesn’t surprise me. The fates brought us together because we share so much in common, and once we join, I hope you will shift and allow me to cuddle with your Yorkie form. I have longed for that for so long.”
Gordy opened his mouth to say something, but Gunner’s dragon quickly said, “I know that humans like to take time to get to know each other, but you are a shifter, Gordy. You must have scented Gunner as your mate. You had to know that means we are meant to be.”
Gordy’s eyes went wide. He turned to Gunner. “You mean that sweet potato pie I smell when you’re around means we’re mates? I didn’t know that. I mean, yes I’m a shifter and I’ve heard about mates, but no one ever explained them to me. I know that whenever I look at you or scent you, I get… uh… well, I get…”
Seeing his mate turn a brighter red, Gunner figured it must be from embarrassment added to the heat. Taking pity on the man, Gunner finished for him, “You get so hard, you feel like you could pound nails with your dick.”
“Uh, not exactly how I would have worded it, but yes.” Gordy muttered.
“I get that way too. Hell, I’ve been so hard since I got a good look at you that I haven’t even been able to look at another man, let alone fuck one. I jack off so often, I’m terrified it’s going to be pulled right off. This heat only proves what my dragon and I have already figured out. We are mates. You, Gordy, are our sentience,” Gunner stated firmly.
Gunner’s maharishi came closer to Gordy, “You said that when you smell a lie, it smells like mold and makes you back up… right?”
Gordy tilted his head slightly, his eyes scrunched in confusion. “Yes.”
“When Gunner or I say to you that you, Gordy, are our sentience. Do you smell that moldy smell? Do you feel the urge to back up?”
Gordy thought about it and realized he didn’t, and said so. The dragon smiled, “Does your animal feel antsy as if he wants to jump us when we are close? Does it feel like a thousand ants are crawling on your body when Gunner takes your hand, or runs his finger down your cheek?”
Nodding again, Gordy whispered, “Yes.”
“That, my lovely little pup, is because we are mates and the lack of that moldy scent proves what I am saying is true to us. Please, Gordy, I’m asking for you to take a leap of faith here. I know it’s hard and I know you’re scared, but I swear on my very soul we will love you. We will care for you and we will be the family you have yearned for your entire life. All we need is a chance.”
“The dragon is right, Gordy. You are ours as we are yours. All we need is your consent to make it official.” Gunner rasped.
“Jamil.” Gordy whispered, before dunking his head under water.
When Gordy came back up for air, Gunner asked, “Jamil?”
“It’s Arabic and it means beautiful, and it’s your… our maharishi’s name.” Gordy said, turning to the dragon he spoke of.
Gunner could have sworn his maharishi had tears in his eyes, when he said, “Why would you name me that?”
“Because you are. I find your form magnificent. Others might fear you, but I’ve never been afraid of you since I first saw you… more intrigued. The thing is, you’ve been nothing but kind and wonderful to me since we met. I may not know you well, but your heart is as big as your body, and that makes you absolutely beautiful in my eyes. I love what I see when I look at you.”
Gunner watched as Jamil wiped at his eyes, and it wasn’t because of the pool water. “Really? You really see that in me?”
Gordy was saying everything Gunner already knew, but didn’t know how to say without looking or sounding like a cream puff. Maybe Gunner should have reconsidered his way of thinking. It wasn’t only the fact that he saw the hurt in his dragon’s eyes when he spoke of the towns people’s reaction to him, but the feeling Gunner got deep inside as he said it. His maharishi didn’t deserve those hurtful feelings.
