Sexual Tensions
Roarke
Ifelt my mate relax in my embrace. It felt so good to hold him. He was perfect. I could not have asked fate for a better match. He was shorter than my six foot five, only by a few inches. He fit perfectly against my broad chest. He had short brown hair with blond highlights and the most gorgeous pair of golden-brown eyes. It was his smile, though, that was his best feature. When he smiled, the room lit up; it changed him instantly from beautiful to stunning. I loved his smiles; they were rare. He was always so severe, which worked out well because I was more laid-back. Although, that might change now that I was a duke.
Nearly five weeks ago, I had almost died. I’d protected the king's consort and unborn child from a crazy witch and had been stabbed in the gut with a dragon-killer spear. If it hadn’t been for the king using his powers, giving me three of his scales and his blood, I would have been gone from this world. The king's actions weren't without repercussions. Now I was consideredpart of his lineage and adopted as his brother. I had even received the title of Duke of Ashara. I sighed inwardly at my thoughts. I had to move forward. It was hard, though. I had nightmares of the stabbing, and I still felt the wound. Yes, the outer part was healed, but deep down, underneath my flesh, the injury was still there.
My attention moved back to Devin. Many things had changed over the past months. Right from the moment I’d walked into the infirmary and had come face to face with my mate. He stood next to his master with a stoic expression. I had wondered at the time if he realized who I was to him. If not for a subtle flare of his nostrils and widening of his vivid eyes, I would have guessed he didn’t.
It wasn't just his physical attributes I was attracted to. It was his forceful personality. His presence held power. He was serious, stubborn, opinionated, and bossy—all things I longed for. I dreamed of being protected and dominated by my mate. That made me different from other dragons. The dragon was supposed to be the dominant one in the mating, but that wasn’t what I wanted. When the bonding came, I'd need to top him, but I longed for him to take me, to feel him slide within me.
Lost in my naughty thoughts, I jumped a little as Callum let loose a tiny squeal. I smiled at the young dragon prince. He was adorable with his full head of curly blond hair and his little chubby cheeks. His tiny hands waved in excitement as he fed from his bottle.
I released my hug and moved toward the coffeepot. I needed some caffeine this morning. After another restless sleep, I definitely needed a pick me up. The nightmares weren't the onlythings to keep me awake; having Devin spoon around my back and feeling his length put me in a constant state of horniness.
"Kris and I are going to visit Master Stephen at the coven house. I think if we don't bring Callum to visit his grandpa, we may have an international incident," Ben said with a chuckle, tickling Callum’s stomach.
"We should be ready to go in about thirty," I replied. Even though I was now brother to Krispin, the king, I still took on the role of guardian to Ben and Callum.
"That won't be necessary. You and Devin will remain here and work on your bond," Krispin decreed with a pointed look. I flinched, his decree reminding me of my father.
"You can't just tell people to work on their bond, big guy," Ben replied with a swipe to his mate's shoulder.
"And why can't I? They have been dancing around each other for the past five months. Devin is still drinking from that stupid glass, and Roarke has bags under his eyes. Not to mention, the sexual tension is driving me crazy. They both need to figure out their bond," Krispin said with finality and an air of superiority.
I was stunned by Krispin's rant. Devin, on the other hand, looked ready to blow any second his face was so red with growing anger, and I was right.
"You may be the Dragon King, but you don’t get to tell me when and where I should bond. Roarke's and my mating is betweenRoarke and me. No one else," he said hotly. "If the sexual tension is too much for you, I'll go back to the coven."
That statement brought me out of my stupor. I quickly walked over to Devin and wrapped him in my arms. I couldn't let him leave to go back to the coven. I needed him here.
"Easy, my Cardia, easy. The king isn’t forcing any bonding. In his own way, he's trying to give us alone time to talk about bonding. I would never force a bonding, my mate," I whispered softly.
I knew his father forced his mother and tied them together. Devin’s growing up had not been happy, and his parents always fought. This had driven his sister to bond with the first man she came across just so she could get away from it all. That man turned out to be an abusive asshole, and Devin’s sister had paid the ultimate price when he’d beaten her to death. These pairings affected how my mate felt about bonding and were part of the reason we hadn’t mated yet. I hoped that in the time we had spent together he knew I wouldn't force him.
I looked up and met Krispin’s eyes. He may be my king, but he wouldn’t upset my mate. "Devin is right; our mating is our business, and when we decide to bond will be our decision," I said. "We appreciate you trying to give us some time alone.”
Krispin opened his mouth to reply but quickly snapped it shut after Ben gave him an elbow jab in the gut.
"Devin, we just want to see you happy. That's all. Krispin might have said it like an order, but that's not what he meant," Ben saidgently. "Now, let's make some breakfast and get a start on our day."
Pants Off
Devin
Breakfast was a tense affair. I was still fuming over Krispin’s words. How dare he try to force me to bond to anyone? He may be the leader of this area, but he had no say when I bonded with my mate. No one was going to force me to bond with anyone. I'd seen what happened when the bond was forced.
Roarke gently touched my thigh, getting my attention and pulling me out of the internal tirade I had going on. I looked at him and saw the concern in his green gaze, and I realized I might be overreacting. I couldn't let anger and fear rule my actions. I gave him a small smile. “I'm okay,” I said softly.
Ben and Krispin left the table, taking Callum. I'm sure they wanted to give us space from the tension in the room after the outburst. I reached out and grabbed Roarke's hand.
"I'm sorry for how I acted. I just got so angry with Krispin and the way he spoke."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, my mate. I was in shock at what he said; otherwise, I'd have said something sooner," he replied.
"I had hoped that over these past few months you’d have realized I would never force you to bond," he whispered earnestly.
"I know you won't. I'm sorry if I sounded like I didn’t trust you.”
