Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

The sun was peeking from the horizon when he opened his eyes and gazed at Finn. The man was lying on his side watching him sleep.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Finn smiled.

“Tell me.”

“Are we… exclusive?”

Finn’s words shocked the hell out of Jazdon and he gave a start before staring at Finn with amazement.

“Forget I said anything!” Finn snapped and rolled, but Jazdon pounced and caught the beautiful man before he could slip away.

“Finn,” he whispered and tucked his head into where the man’s shoulder met his neck. Finn stayed rigid. “There is no other. I’ve been waiting a lifetime for you,” he quietly admitted.

Finn wiggled around until he was facing him and then cupped his cheeks, fingers thrusting through his cropped beard. Blue eyes searched his for a long moment and Jazdon hoped like fucking hell that Finn believed him. As far as he and his dragon were concerned, Finn was it for him. If Finn didn’t want this--what was between them—then Jazdon knew in his heart that he’d never love again.

Because he knew without a shadow of doubt that somewhere between the battle in the hallway and Finn facing off against King Daltor, Jazdon had fallen in love with this fierce, independent shifter.

“Jazdon?” Finn’s voice was a soft intense hiss.

“Yeah?”

“Ditto.”

His heart slammed against his rib cage, and he leaned closer to fuse their mouths together when a fist banged on the door. Both of them jumped and Finn laughed. Jazdon scowled at the intrusion, but reluctantly grinned when Finn seemed to find the whole thing hilarious.

“You wanted a wakeup call,” Vargla said through the thick door. “I figure since you didn’t answer the door in your room that you were in Finn’s.”

“Go away,” Jazdon snapped at the perky frost dragon.

“It’s time for rounds,” Vargla said with a voice filled with amusement.

Fuck. He sighed heavily and rolled from the bed. It was time for rounds. It was a daily job that they’d completed ever since he could remember. Why he thought he could get out of doing a perimeter check was beyond him.

“So how quickly do we have to be there?”

“Where?” he asked pulling on his jeans and peering at Finn.

“Rounds?” Finn snickered and Jazdon swore there was a sway to the man’s hips when he walked to the dresser. The little tease.

“I’m not going anywhere until I have food.”

“Why? You’ve never skipped a meal?” Finn’s gaze raked over his naked chest and Jazdon puffed up beneath the heated glance.

“Do you seriously think my dragon would let me skip a meal?”

“Good point,” Finn said with a laugh and disappeared into the bathroom.

By the time Finn got out of the shower, Jazdon had gone to his own room and raced through washing and dressing so that he could be back at the man’s room. He couldn’t bear to be away from Finn long and he knew it was his dragon’s doing, damn it. The thing ruled his desires. Good thing his brains were in charge most of the time. Well, maybe not most of the time, but some of the time, he thought running his eyes over the curling damp hair on Finn’s head.

***

The mess hall was noisy and crowded with the smell of food hanging in the air, but when they entered, the room dropped into complete silence.

Finn stopped in the doorway and Jazdon felt the young shifter’s hesitation, so he placed his palm at Finn’s lower back and nudged him forward. When he touched Finn, the room seemed to let out a collective breath and conversation roared through the room again. The food line began moving as the cooks slapped food on plates. Once the shifters knew that Finn was with the prince, they’d all calmed down. They even did one better. When he and Finn took a seat at one of the bench-like tables, several men and women converged on their location.

Vargla came over with his plate and gave a growl at the full table. Two of the younger dragons parted like the sea for the frost dragon and he sat in the suddenly vacant spot with a satisfied smirk.

“Do they do that often?” Finn eyed Vargla.

“What?” Vargla asked innocently.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Jazdon told Finn. “Vargla scares the younger clan.”

“I can’t help it if they fear me.” Vargla said around a mouthful of bacon.

“You’re an ass,” Merlon said dropping down beside Vargla and shoving the frost dragon over.

Jazdon noticed with amusement that Finn’s mouth gaped when Vargla moved and didn’t snarl at the librarian. He could have told Finn that Merlon was the only one that Vargla never snapped at in anger. Sure, the frost dragon grumbled at the librarian, but Jazdon knew without a doubt Vargla would kill anyone who dared to lay a hand on Merlon. It was an unspoken rule. He knew it just like he knew it was the same for him with Finn and after last night’s lovemaking, he knew that Finn would defend him without thought.

That’s because they were mates.

Finn might not realize that yet, but they were.

Last night his dragon had made love to Finn’s dragon. Their beast-forms had shimmered beneath the surface of their human forms and had taken each other just as Finn had taken him and vice versa … there was no going back from that.

Jazdon glanced up to find Finn watching him with an odd light in his blue eyes. He glanced back at his plate and stuffed the last of his sausage and pancakes into his mouth.

“Finish up, we need to get going,” he told Finn.