Mine.
Walter leaned forward and kissed him. “But you’re mine, too,” he said simply. “If I belong to you, then you belong to me. Right?”
“And on that note,” Everard said, “my advice as a doctor is to take it easy, at least for a few hours. Just so you know, I like your marigold, but I’m not calling him Daddy. Ever.”
“Everard!”
Everard held up a hand. “No. The two of you will take a shower and go to bed. Tosleep.Doctor’s orders.”
So Grimbold found himself herded upstairs, first into a shower, shared with Walter, then into bed, also shared with Walter. Grimbold pulled the boy to him and then fell into a deep, deep sleep.
* * *
Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.
Grimbold woke alone, the demand of his dragon thrumming within him. Where was Walter? He scented the air and knew he was close.
Nude, Grimbold rose from his bed and looked for his omega. He found the boy, also nude and shivering, standing on a balcony that overlooked Lake Ottawa as it spanned the eastern horizon.
“Aren’t you cold?” he asked Walter.
Still shivering, the boy shook his head. “No. I’m hot. So hot. Can we go swimming? I want to go swimming.”
The summer morning was merely pleasant, not remotely hot, so Grimbold felt Walter’s forehead, checking for fever. “Are you well?”
Mate!
Walter shook his head again. “No. You should probably get those heat dampeners your son brought. I think I’m about to become inconvenient. I’m sorry.”
His dragon’s clamoring became clear to Grimbold—Walter had gone into heat. His plan had been to give the boy chemical suppressants so he could weather his heat alone and with as little suffering as possible. That idea seemed ludicrous now.
“Come. I’ve something that should ease you.”
“Yes, sir.” The response was both meek and miserable.
Grimbold squeezed Walter’s hand and drew him along quickly until they reached his bedchamber. He paused at the threshold. “I’m not sure we can reverse course, but this is your last chance, Walter. Once you go inside this room, there is no going back. You’ll be mine, and you’ll remain mine until either of us dies.”
Walter looked up at him, his flame-blue eyes wide. “Only if you want me. Only if I won’t be a burden, or charity, or—”
Grimbold halted Walter’s mouth with his own, kissing the breath out of him. He whispered, so close that his lips danced along Walter’s, “Never a burden. Never. I want you. I want forever, or as long as that lasts.”
Walter backed into the room and Grimbold followed.
Mine! Mate! Mine! Mate!
They would, but first, he’d take his omega “swimming.”
* * *
Grimbold’s hoard had a bed, as most did. His largely went unused, but the linens were kept clean and fresh. The bed itself was on a small raised platform surrounded by small bits of treasure: coins, rings, gemstones, and the like. The bed was a lone island in a sea of riches. To get to it, one had to wade through that “sea.”
Walter gasped when he saw the room. He immediately lay down and covered himself in gold, sighing in contentment as he did so. “It feels so good.”
Grimbold dropped down beside him. “I’m going to make love to you.”
“Finally,” Walter sighed. “I want you inside me. Now. Need you. Need you so bad.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at Walter’s exasperated tone. “Get on the bed, then.”
