“Way too long.”
Three years of being loved has turned Darian into a menace. Gone is the guilt, the constant need to earn his place. In its place is confidence. Hunger. A man who knows exactly what he wants and isn’t afraid to take it.
I love this version of him.
“Kieran’s being a voyeur again,” Darian says without looking. “Someone should do something about that.”
“I’m not being a voyeur. I’m participating from a distance.”
“That’s literally what voyeurism is.”
“I’m touching myself. That’s participation.”
“Barely.”
Darian pulls back from me. Looks at Kieran. A slow smile spreads across his face.
Oh no.
Ohyes.
“Kieran.” Darian’s voice drops. Intimate. Dangerous. “Come here.”
The room goes still.
This is new.
Not entirely — there have been moments over the past three years. Charged glances. Accidental touches that lasted too long. The tension between Light and Dragon that started building the night Kieran watched Darian take me apart in that cave. Something shifted then. Something neither of them has ever really acknowledged.
But they’ve never…
Not directly.
Not like this.
Kieran’s hand stills on his cock. His golden eyes fix on Darian. Assessing. Ancient.
“Why?”
“Because I want to touch you.” Darian says it simply. Like it’s obvious. Like he hasn’t just shifted the entire energy of the room. “Because I’ve wanted to for a while. Because we’re all here, and we’re all safe, and I’m tired of wondering what you taste like.”
Finn makes a strangled sound. “Holy shit.”
“Seconded,” Torric mutters.
Malrik just watches. Silver eyes gleaming. He knew this was coming. Of course he did. Malrik knows everything.
Kieran doesn’t move for a long moment. The bond hums with uncertainty — not fear, just… newness. Even after a thousand years, there are still firsts.
Then he rises from the chair. Tucks himself back in — barely.
He crosses the room.
Darian stands to meet him. They’re nearly the same height, but Kieran has centuries of presence that make him feel larger.
“If you’re going to do this,” Kieran says quietly, “do it properly.”
Darian’s hand cups the back of Kieran’s neck. Pulls him in.
