Chapter 16

THE TREES WEREgreener than the last time he'd come into the forest, more wildflowers bunched in hardy clusters along the worn path. Grasping his lovely little keepsake book in one hand, March knelt down to look over a colorfully dotted shrub as they waited for Perrin.

Finding himself mesmerized by how the sunlight dappled through the canopy of leaves, falling on March's dark hair, tossing shadows across his cheekbones and the delicate curve of his mouth, Nero leaned back onto the rough trunk of a thick tree. "You really like it in here, don't you?"

March nodded, humming a little as he gently ran his fingertips over a fat bloom. "We don't really have anything like this back home. Most of the woods got bulldozed over for more farmland."

"I guess there's no way to avoid that sometimes," Nero said, but took a deep inhale of the rich air. "But nothing beats this."

"It's really special."

"If you like it so much, how come you won't come in here on your own anymore?" Nero asked, watching the noble carefully as he tensed. The conversation between he and Perrin about the strange presence, and how it had terrified March, was still fresh in his mind.

Uneasy, because he'd been trying not to think of it, March cleared his throat. "I don't know. Just busy, I guess."

"You're not that busy," Nero countered. "If it's just because of what happened with Bryndr, then fine, I get it. But if there's something else… I want to know."

"Sounds like you already know something," he pointed out, hugging his knees to try and fight off the sudden chill.

"Perrin told me he sensed something strange that day, before Bryndr. A presence that he didn't recognize and couldn't figure out. Did you feel it, too?"

Blowing out a deep breath, March stood, wringing his hands together nervously. "I… I did see something that day. Someone was watching me. I know it."

"Watching you?"

"I know it sounds crazy because no one can come back here without the guards knowing, but I swear there was someone else. There were these weird pops of light, like a flash, when I would try to look."

"Light?" Nero repeated, frowning. "You're sure it wasn't another dragon?"

"Definitely not. It felt human. It… It really scared me, Neroki. I can't explain it, but it felt so malicious." Though even just talking about it sent chills up his spine, letting the words pour out was a relief.

"It's okay," Nero said, pushing off from his position against the tree to place a hand on March's shoulder.

"You believe me?"

"Yeah, of course. You're not exactly the imaginative type, are you?" He said. "If you say there was something weird, and Perrin too, then I know you guys are right. I just don't know what to do about it, or how to help."

March shook his head, suppressing a shiver. "I've just been staying away unless you're with me."

"That's probably a good idea," he said, brows furrowed. "I'll start bringing you in more so you don't have to worry." But what would he do about it? Was there anything he could do?

"That's kind of you, Neroki. Thank you."

Though his body language still reflected the unease of the conversation, March's eyes seemed to beam gratitude for the offer, and a tinge of adoration, if Nero wasn't imagining it. He found himself wondering how he had the restraint to be in the noble's presence without succumbing to the grinding need inside himself to possess. He'd never been one to abstain from indulging his desires, but especially one so completely all-encompassing. But how could his feelings be so strong already, for someone he'd only known such a short time? Was it really just because March was the only thing he'd ever wanted that put up any resistance to him, like Beritz had suggested?

"What are you staring at?" March asked, feeling heat creep up his neck and settle into his skin.

"You just look really beautiful in this light."

"Stop it." He lifted a hand to his face, blocking it from Nero's view. "And get all of that out of your system before my family gets here."

"So do you want me to stop, or do you want me to get it out of my system?"

Annoyed by the way he'd put himself into the position with his poor wording, the noble huffed. "You know what I mean. You can't tease me in front of them."

"Afraid I'll get you all worked up?"

If March had a scathing response to the question, and he likely did, it wasn't able to be spoken. The sound of Perrin's massive wings slicing through the air stopped him short. Leaves and dirt were sent flying, whipped into a frenzy as he landed before them.

Hello, young humans. It's been awhile since I've seen you, March Cesari.

"Hello, Perrin," March responded, as always a bit intimidated by his sheer size. But recalling how gentle he'd been on their ride, he couldn't help but reach out to stroke a hand down his tough scales. "It has been awhile."

"Working on that, Perrin," the prince cut in. Turning to March, he added, "He was bugging me the other day to start bringing you around more anyway."

That is because I wish to become more acquainted with the human who holds so much of your attention now, Nero.

"He's exaggerating," Nero explained quickly. "He's just trying to embarrass me."

"Trying?" March asked, unable to suppress a grin as he imitated Nero's voice for the cocky expression he liked to use so much. He laughed good-naturedly, impressed with the pretty male's quick wit.

In regards to your previous conversation, young March, if it helps ease your mind, I've made the other dragons aware of the situation. There haven't been any traces of the mysterious presence since that day. He turned his massive head a bit, to signify his next words were for Nero. Are you wanting to bring March to our spot in the mountains again?

"Eventually," Nero confirmed. "We don't have much time today."

"My family is coming to visit today," March added, somewhat regretfully. The last thing he wanted was for the dragon to think he was opposed to the idea of spending time together.

That is understandable. Is your family an important aspect of your life, young March?

Feeling a bit flattered that such an elegantly majestic creature seemed to have a genuine interest in him, March nodded. "Yes, I've always been close with them."

The reason for my curiosity is because you possess a heavy influence over Nero's heart,he explained. The average human holds very little interest for me.

"Enough!" Nero groaned, holding up his hands. "Cancel the wedding plans, would you? Tell me more about the presence you and March sensed." Settling down comfortably, Nero patted the spot next to him, jerking his chin toward it. Though the dragon's observation about his place in the prince's heart had his stomach tangled into knots, March tried to look casual as he stared down doubtfully at it. "You could sit in my lap if you want to avoid getting dirty," Nero offered.

"I'll stand."

Perrin explained his perception again, this time in front of March. Though it didn't help give any of them any ideas on how to move forward, it did at least provide the noble with the sense he hadn't imagined it. Not that it was particularly comforting to know that.

Eyeing March carefully, Nero noted his nervous body language as it was discussed. "Don't worry," he said. "Whatever's out there isn't going to do anything to you while I'm here. Especially if all the dragons know about it, too."

"But what could it have been?"

"I don't know," Nero admitted, wondering whether he should involve his father or not. "But Perrin'll keep an eye out for it, and I'll be with you all the time. Don't let it freak you out, okay?"

"Okay," March agreed softly, though he was obviously still torn. Regardless of his feelings, the reality of the situation was that there was nothing he could do about it, so there wouldn't be a point in insisting on anything.

I hope you won't let this affect your perception of our home, or keep you away.

"Well, I… No," he said, shaking his head. "It won't stop me from coming around, Perrin. I do like it here."

I'm very relieved to hear that.

"You know," Nero started, heaving himself up to a standing position. "There's a ton I can show you around here. We can swim in the lake, or up in the hot springs in the mountains if you like that better." He stopped, wrinkling his nose. "I know you probably want to go on nice dates to expensive restaurants and operas and museums and that kind of thing, but-"

"No," March cut in, feeling awkward. "I don't really care about that."

"I mean, I can afford it or whatever," Nero went on. "It's just that it's hard for me to just go gallivanting around the city, you know? People are weird. They'd swarm us, asking for photos and crap like that."

"No, I understand that," March assured him, touched by the apologetic tone. "I don't need to be… Paraded around and shown off."

"All that formal etiquette training," Nero mused with a sigh. "Wasted on the birds and squirrels."

"I wouldn't call it a waste," March said, chuckling a little. "Your father seems happy with my credentials."

"Oh, I'm sure," Nero said, lifting his arms above his head in a lazy stretch. "You're the kind of person any parent would kill to hitch to their kid."

"You're biased."

"Am I? I mean, he picked you, didn't he? You know he could have picked anyone in the whole kingdom."

It's true that Beritz is logical and pragmatic. He doesn't suffer from bouts of impulsive decision-making.

"He means like I do," Nero spoke up, grinning and looking completely unoffended.

"I gathered that."

Beritz thinks that you're a compatible match for Nero, as well as for the role of sitting on the throne.

It was a lot of pressure, was all March could think, unsure whether to feel flattered or terrified by the concept.

"Alright, enough," Nero spoke up, all too aware of the turbulence swirling in the noble's opalescent eyes. He was trying to chill him out, not give him an existential crisis. "We're here to pick flowers, anyway."

Grateful and surprised by the prince's tact, of which March had once believed he'd never possessed an ounce of, the noble knelt down by the floral shrub again. "These are nice. I thought I could do one of each color, all over the page."

ONCE A HANDFULof bright flowers had been pressed onto a page in what March hoped was an artful arrangement, the sun was high in the sky above them. Perrin had sunk down onto the forest path, eyes closed, illuminated by a patch of sunlight.

"Is he sleeping?"

"Maybe," Nero answered, nudging March toward a small clearing off to the side where the grass was thick, gesturing for him to sit. "He likes to relax when I'm around."

"That's sweet." Because the grass was thicker here and he wouldn't be getting dust and dirt all over his clothes, March lowered down next to the prince, resting his chin on his knees. The forest was quiet now, but for the crackle of shed leaves tumbling across the dusty path, and the soft chatter of birds.

"Hey," Nero said suddenly. "Don't take anything Perrin says too seriously, okay?" When March only stared at him in mild confusion, he went on. "About… You know, my heart or whatever. He doesn't really get social cues or understand what's weird to say out loud. All the dragons are like that."

"It's okay," he assured him, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "I didn't take it too seriously."

"Not that you aren't important to me or anything. Maybe I shouldn't say that yet," Nero sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "I'm usually better at this, you know?"

"Really?" the noble asked incredulously. "You always look like you know what you're doing to me."

"Well, you wouldn't have anything to compare it to, would you?"

"I guess I wouldn't," March admitted, but his lips poked out in a small pout. "Well, it's not like I've never been approached before. I've been on the receiving end of plenty of pathetic attempts at seduction, believe me."

"Sounds like they just make me look better by comparison," Nero said, shrugging. "Guess I should be grateful to them, then."

"I don't think you need any help looking good."

"Wow." Nodding in approval, Nero couldn't help but chuckle. "Getting kind of brave now that my tongue's been in your mouth, huh?"

"Please." Though a strange sort of giddiness seemed to be spreading through him, March shook his head, burying his face into his knees to keep from having to see the prince's expression. "I'm just being honest. It has nothing to do with… That."

"Right." Grinning, he reached out in his habitual way to flick at March's dark strands of hair. To his surprise, the noble reached up to press their palms together.

"Neroki." Taking a deep breath, March curled his hand into Nero's, lacing their fingers together. "It's not that I'm brave. I've just never felt like this before."

God, his hands were soft. Nero had wondered if they would be, considering the time the noble spent daily gripping his bow and arrows. But he imagined at least one of the various, neatly labeled pots and jars lining the counter in March's bathroom was intended to soften skin.

"If I told you I feel the same way, would you believe me?" Without letting go, Nero shifted his position so his side was aligned to March's.

He paused, looking thoughtful. "I wouldn't have any way to know if you're lying, so…"

"Hey." Nero snapped the word out, bringing March to attention. "I wouldn't lie to you about that. This is going to sound insane, but being around you these last few weeks… It's the first time in my life I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to."

"Because it's what your father wants?"

"No," he denied, shaking his head. "No, in a broader sense than that. I always do whatever I want, whether it makes sense or not, even if it ends up feeling bad after. But when I'm with you, I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. Like I'm moving forward or something, not just… Stagnating, I guess. God, that sounded so much less pathetic in my head. I'm not a stalker or anything, okay? I know we just barely started getting to know each other, but I can't help how I feel."

"I don't think you're a stalker," March breathed out. The contact of their palms felt hot now, like he was being held in the grip of a flame. "And you don't sound pathetic. Saying something like that is really… Romantic."

"Romantic," Nero realized, raising his brows as he remembered his conversation with Cedar. "That's good, isn't it?"

"If you wanted to, you could kiss me now." Flustered beyond belief, flushed to the roots of his dark hair, March could hardly believe the words that had come from his own mouth. "I mean, you don't have to. I'm only saying because-"

He broke off, mind going blissfully blank as his back was pressed to the soft ground, mouth covered with Nero's. With a breathy moan, he clutched at Nero's coat, pulling his body closer, wishing he could drown out the warnings in his head. The prince's lips were so hot, teasing him, retreating and seducing until his blood was pounding inside him. When Nero slipped a thigh between his legs, pressing possessively against his cock, he could only gasp.

"March." Growling out the name, Nero dragged his hands down the slim body, gripping his hips with unrestrained greed. His fingers dug in, preventing any escape from the overwhelming pleasure his grinding motions caused the panting noble.

"Stop," March begged, head falling back in a surrender that spoke volumes more than the anguished word. Relishing the exposed skin of the pretty, pale neck, Nero pressed his mouth to it, searing the skin there with burning kisses, until March's hips were trembling in his hands.

"You're going to be amazing in bed," Nero groaned, nipping at the heated flesh. When a loud moan tumbled from March's mouth, his slim hips bucking up against the prince's palms, Nero raised his head to stare down at the noble curiously, a grin cocking his mouth. "Does that turn you on? Getting compliments?"

Though he hadn't known that it did until that very moment, March could only answer honestly. "Only when it's you."

"Of course," Nero chuckled, lowering his face again to meet March's soft lips. "Otherwise you'd be in a near constant state of arousal, right?" He joked, thinking of how often his own father, as well as professors and council members, were praising the studious noble.

Because the idea of that was too embarrassing to put any real thought into, March didn't respond, tugging at the prince's collar, silent encouragement to keep kissing him.

The grass beneath them warmed from the sun, a lush cushion neither of them noticed as they lost themselves in each other. Eventually slipping his hands under Neroki's dark jacket, March couldn't help but glide his fingers over the rigid planes of muscle.

When the heat between them became too great, March found it difficult to process his brain's warning over the intense sensations. But the feeling of the prince's firm thigh pressed against his cock was boiling inside his body, threatening to bubble up past a point he couldn't return from.

"I-I can't. We can't."

"No," Nero agreed, pulling back and laying his forehead on March's shoulder, though he couldn't quite gather the willpower to peel their bodies apart just yet. Throbbing all over, he squeezed his eyes closed, trying desperately to block out thoughts of ripping off the raven-haired male's clothing and plunging into him until they were both satisfied. "Not now."

Nero, someone is approaching. Someone that works for you.

Perrin's voice in both of their heads had March blanching, acute embarrassment washing over him from head to toe. He'd completely forgotten about the dragon's presence.

"Ah…" Glancing up from the high-strung noble's mortified expression, Nero realized it was too late for them to break apart to try and save face. Watching the uniformed guard approach them with a brisk walk down the path, he could only wait.

"I beg your pardon, Your Highness."

Rolling his eyes up to the clouds, Nero cleared his throat. "It's fine. What do you need?"

"The Cesari family is here looking for March."

"Oh!" Horrified by the thought of them seeing him in such a position, March wriggled under the prince, desperate to escape.

"Where are they waiting?" Nero asked, understanding his panic but knowing that no one employed under him would have ever allowed them to come into the enclosure without his express permission.

"They just arrived, so they're still in the entrance hall."

"Have them wait in the dining hall. Just tell them we've gotten caught up with something, and that we'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Understood, Your Highness." He gave a small bow before rushing off, disappearing from their sight as quickly as he'd come.

"Ah, Perrin," Nero started.

There's no need for explanation, I understand. I hope you enjoy your time with your family, young March.

"I-I'm sorry, Perrin. I didn't realize… I mean, I forgot you were… I'm sorry if we made you uncomfortable." The words could barely make their way from his throat, which felt like it was clogged with glue.

Think nothing of it. Though humans require more privacy in their mating rituals, for dragons, procreation is not considered a sacred or intimate act. So you haven't made me uncomfortable in the slightest. Farewell, young humans. Until next time.

Rising into the air with a practiced grace, Perrin's wings snapped once, then twice, before he soared off, leaving the two of them in a heavy silence.

"Let me up," March pleaded softly. Head reeling, he plucked at the collar of his shirt, needing the air to cool him as he shifted into a sitting position.

"I should apologize for that, but I don't want to."

"I don't require an apology," March said, a bit pitifully. "I'm the one who asked you to kiss me, after all. And now I'm being punished for it."

Knowing perfectly well what he meant, Nero found the confession amusing and painfully arousing. "It'll pass."

"I wish I was different," March whimpered, pulling his knees up to his chest. "If I was like you, then I wouldn't care so much to deny all of this."

"If you were like me, I wouldn't want you nearly as badly," Nero said, carefully and gently lifting the noble's hands away from his face so their eyes could meet. "You're perfect the way you are."

"You don't mean that," March scoffed. "I know that you would like nothing better than to have kept kissing me there. You only stopped because you knew I needed you to."

The words rang with unbridled truth, but Nero only shook his head, rifling his fingers through March's dark locks of hair. "It's true that I want you more than anyone I've ever known. But I can wait for you."

"You don't mean that," March repeated.

"It's difficult," Nero admitted. "But I wouldn't do anything to make you hate me. And you would, I think, end up hating me if I were to rip the clothes from your back and take you here in the dirt."

"I would," March said feelingly, resisting the urge to sniffle.

"Not that I've given you a reason to, but I hope you know that I won't push you farther than you're ready for."

"I do. I have to." Because my heart is in your hands, March thought miserably. "Anyway, it's my fault if I… I know I'm giving you mixed signals. I think it just comes naturally for me to say no, even if I don't really mean it." It was humiliating to admit, but he had no other way to phrase it.

"Don't tell me we need a safe word already," Nero joked.

"What's a safe word?"

Blinking once, then twice, hoping that he was joking, Nero cleared his throat. "Ah, forget it. We'll worry about that later." Bringing an arm around the noble, he pulled until March's head was resting on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine."

Because he'd felt dangerously close to crying and didn't want his eyes red and puffy, March took deep, steadying breaths, grateful for Nero's shoulder.

"I can't believe I have to go and meet my family after this."

"It's not as if you'll have a sign around your neck with the details of our morning written on it. They won't know anything."

"I suppose you're right," March said, slightly calmed by the thought. No matter how much he had changed in the time he'd been away from them, all of his transformations were carved inside him. On the outside, he was no different at all. "I can't imagine what they'll think, if they can tell how close we've become."

"Think about it like this," Nero said. "For you, it's only been half a day. As far as everyone else is concerned, we've been courting for nearly two months. If they do think we're close, it shouldn't seem as shocking to them, right?"

Making a noise of agreement, March sighed. Though his knees still felt weak, he forced himself to stand. "It probably isn't the best first impression. We were supposed to meet them when they arrived."

Standing as well, Nero gave a shrug. "They were young once too. I'm sure they'll understand once I explain."

Eyes wide, March let out a horrified splutter. "You're not actually going to tell them why we're late, are you?"

As always amused by the raven-haired male's reactions, Nero chuckled before flicking a fingertip lightly down onto the tip of his nose.

"You're way too easy to mess with."