“No.”
Eduard snarled again, but when he tried to push against Draco this time, Draco caught his wrists in a tight grip.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” Eduard threatened.
Draco tilted his head to the side, smirking at Eduard and infuriating him further. “I’d like to see you try.”
Eduard tried to pull his wrists away, but Draco held firm. It was his turn to push, but he used his foot to tuck around Eduard’s ankle in a move Andvari had taught him. He had Eduard flat on his back across the desk in seconds. He trapped his wrists against the dark wood, leaning over him as Eduard struggled. “You’re going to hurt yourself, love.”
“Don’t call me that! I don’t deserve—”
Draco tutted then leaned in and nuzzled Eduard’s cheek. “You protected our mate. I’ve never been so proud of you. You kept him safe.Youdid that. You were brave in a moment of horror. You faced her down.”
“I should have—”
“You did what you should have done. You did what none of us could have. You confronted her, you learned more, but Eduard, there were others in the room. Andvari told us what happened, how strong she became. Would you rather have cost your father his life? Or Andvari his? Or would you rather Sawyer face this world without you in it? Is that what you hoped?”
Eduard snarled again, but it wasn’t as fierce. “No. Of course not.”
“My fierce mate, so beautiful and strong. Smart and brave.”
Draco released Eduard’s wrists and nipped at his neck.
“Draco—”
“Perfect. The goddess has blessed me.”
“But we don’t know who is after him,” Eduard whispered. His voice broke, a choked cry that Draco swallowed with his lips. He teased them for a moment, tasting Eduard’s heat. He pulled away when Eduard began to soften, his anger slowly fading as something else bloomed between them.
“We will find out,” Draco promised. “But not at the cost of your life. We are his guardians.His, Eduard. We cannot throw ourselves into danger unless it is to keep him safe. We will find answers. I swear to you.”
“But— I could have tried.”
“Youdidtry. I should have gone with you,” Draco muttered. “I could have—”
“No. Your place was—” Eduard stopped and let out a sigh. “I see what you did there.”
“Yes. Our place is with him, first and foremost. He is our destiny.”
Eduard ran his hands up Draco’s arms and squeezed them tightly. He shifted his legs, allowing Draco to lean further against him. “Yes,” he agreed finally.
Draco grumbled his approval as he captured Eduard’s lips again. His griffin opened for him, their tongues tangling as the heat that had built between them earlier in anger, now became flames of a much different variety. He took control, forcing Eduard to allow him deeper, taking everything he had to offer and demanding more. He ran his hands down Eduard’s chest then back up again before gripping the sides of his crisp white shirt and ripping it open. Buttons pinged across the room as he revealed Eduard’s chest. He rose, breaking the kiss only to trace his lips down. He plucked one nipple between his teeth, bit it teasingly before laving the mark with his tongue.
Eduard cried out at the sensation. Draco pinched the other bud between his fingers, teasing it to a peak before moving his mouth to it. He sucked the little nub into his mouth then nibbled on it for good measure.
“Draco!”
Draco pulled away long enough to grab the button on Eduard’s slacks and give it a tug as well. He had the pants down seconds later, pooling around Eduard’s ankles. “Roll over.”
Eduard’s breath heaved in his chest, but he complied, rolling onto his belly and baring his ass to Draco’s gaze. He pushed the tattered remains of Eduard’s shirt out of his way, running his hand down Eduard’s spine to the taut globes of his ass.
“Lotion in the drawer,” Eduard mumbled. He pushed his hips back into Draco’s crotch, so Draco smacked one muscled cheek with a sharp slap.
“Still,” Draco demanded.
Eduard grumbled out a complaint but complied, stilling as Draco flung open the desk drawer and dug around for the little tube of lotion. He glanced at the label as he flicked the top open, pleased to see it was some fancy organic blend. His mate did prefer the finer things in life and Draco had never been more thankful than this moment.
After getting a dollop of the thick cream on his fingers, he traced them over Eduard’s hole.
