He closed his eyes and a smile took over. "And I don't have to marry Felicity."
The relief on his face? I couldn't imagine feeling that way. Then again, I had no problem with women, but Omden? He'd struggled, trying to figure out his sexuality when he was a boy. I hadn't known him back then, but the stories he'd told? The confusion? That had been hard enough for him. Adding on a forced relationship to a woman he was repulsed by? I couldn't even imagine what that would've been like.
"Sylis?" I did my best to make my voice sound gentle. "I'm going to ask you a question. You do not have to answer it, but I'm curious. Are there any women you would marry if you could?"
"Or is it only Tobias?" Omden asked.
"No - " the man tried, going so far as to attempt to sit up.
I pressed him back down by his shoulder. "Just lie there. I said you didn't have to answer."
"It was a mistake," Sylis said. "I just tripped - "
I snorted out a laugh, impressed by howbadhis excuse was. "You tripped and fell face first into some man's mouth?"
"Next time," Omden told him, "say he turned as you went to look over his shoulder."
But I made a noise. "Tobias is as tall as me. Sylis isn't."
"They could've been sitting," Omden pointed out. "I mean... Hey, is that a grenade blast?" And he pointed to the side.
I looked. I should've known, but Omden had picked the one thing I'd been thinking about, so I couldn't stop myself. When I realized what he'd done, I turned back, ready to tell him that wasn't funny. But the moment I faced him, Omden pressed in, pushing his lips against mine.
The kiss was quick, fast, and not deep enough to be a big deal, but he'd proven his point. I was tempted to press for more, but I resisted. Still, at this rate, I was going to throw this man in bedwhen we got home and make sure he knew taunting me worked out well for him in the end.
"See?" Omden teased, smiling at me like he could read my thoughts. "Sitting, the height isn't a problem at all."
"Oh, you keep that up and it won't be a little peck you get away with," I warned, sliding my tail down to twine with his. "I will kiss the shit out of you."
"He doesn't know what shit means," Omden reminded me.
"And I wasn't talking to him," I countered. "I mean it, Om. No teasing me - too much."
But Sylis had fallen silent. I checked, worried the man might be worse off than I thought, but found him staring up at the trees as they passed, squinting hard against the bright light. His cheeks were red and splotchy. His hands were clenched under the blanket, and I swore the man was doing his best to pretend he was already a corpse.
"Relax," I said.
"You weren't supposed to know I'd done that," Sylis said, still watching the trees - what little he could see of them. "And now you're taunting me for it. I can't believe Tobiassaidanything. I thought he was my friend."
"Is," Omden said, letting go of me to scoot closer to the man. "Tobias heard the big Dragon over there is my lover. That's similar to a husband, but better. He told Ayla you had to stay up here because you deserve to be happy. That's why he said you'd kissed him. She told us - " I grumbled, which made Omden pause, but he kept going without even looking over. "-and now you get to see that no one cares."
"Because he's huge," Sylis mumbled. "Of course no one would say anything. They wouldn't to Tobias either - for the same reason."
"Not how it works," Omden said. "This? The attraction to men? It's how you were born. Dragons accept that."
"Too much," I said, easing myself up so I could step across the man and sit on his other side. That would keep him from having to twist his neck so much to see me. "Sylis, we are Dragons. I'm Drozel. He's Omden. The man driving is Irrik, who is a Reaper. Not a wild man, but one who reaps the crops he sows."
"Oh."
I nodded. "We are not evil. Many of us don't believe in your god. Others do. Many of us like women. Some of our women like women. Many of us like men. Some of our men like men. But here's what separates our people from yours."
"You don't eat us?" he guessed.
"So you know that much," I said, relieved to hear it. "We also believe people should be allowed to do what they want. To sew, to dance, to drink, or love, or anything else. That approval, however, ends when it harms someone else. You cannot tell me to do something because you think it's right. I cannot make you do something because I think it's the way it should be. No harming others. That means no punishing women. No attacking anyone. Do you understand?"
"I don't know," he said. "Tobias told me we could do what we wanted up here, but I'm not sure when it would harm someone."
"Well, shooting us is pretty obvious," I told him. "But we'll help you figure it out, because you're going to be staying with us."
