Chapter 30

Bent over a long wooden table, Killian let his fingertips dance across the tender petals of a young lily with blue-black petals. It was one of the hybrids he'd created with the aid of the dragon standing a few feet away. A dragon who would not join The Council. Killian understood the reasons behind the decision made by the D'Vaires, but it left his future much different than he'd imagined.

"I know you are sad about the meeting we just had," Dravyn said into the silence. They were in a small shed he'd built to protect the young seedlings he'd finally had the opportunity to experiment with.

"Sad is not the word I would use," Killian replied. With barely more effort than it took to suck in a breath, he sent a wave of magick toward the baby lily to darken its leaves so they would match the apron Dravyn had pulled atop his tunic. The thick fabric was smooth, had a hint of shine, and was the exact color of Dravyn's eyes. Dragonskin appealed to Killian despite the high number of beasts wreaking havoc in his life.

Dravyn turned, and their eyes met. "What word would you use?"

"I don't know."

"You are uneasy. It is written clearly in your gaze."

"No, you are better than most at reading me."

Ducking his head a little, Dravyn smiled, and Killian's lips turned up in response. "I have made a brilliant study of you in these past months."

Killian cupped Dravyn's cheek and kissed him tenderly. "Love is a beautiful thing, drawing us ever closer with each passing day."

"Which is why I stand here frustrated that you will not tell me what is on your mind and hurting your heart."

It was impossible for Killian not to preen internally at the way Dravyn stood his ground and prodded Killian. The man he'd first met wouldn't have dared. In such a short span of months, Dravyn had grown—bloomed like the small plants they'd worked as a team to grow.

"Very well, I will keep my secrets no longer. I understand why your family has decided to stay here. It is a wise choice. For now, you have the protection of isolation. Few know where to find you, and none of them are foes. But I cannot lie and say it would not be easier if you'd chosen otherwise. Teleporting is easy for me, but I have duties. Sometimes I curl up in your tree bed and I think, what if today is the day a dragon finds my castle? Will I close my eyes and wake with my family gone? I can do nothing to save anyone from here. I am the most powerful druid alive, Dray. That is not arrogance. It is a fact. My powers are necessary to The Council."

Dravyn sighed and stepped closer to Killian. Their arms went around each other, and Killian held the man who'd captured his heart like the precious treasure he was. Although he had to raise to his toes to lay his head on Dravyn's sturdy shoulder, it was, in his mind, still a perfect fit.

"I am a Duke," Dravyn replied. "I gave an oath to protect Aleksander and my family. Like you, I cannot be away from my home each night. But what if we were to compromise? Some nights I will venture to your tree and some you can stay in mine. Would that allow us to spend more time together? I do not care for the hours when I must try to sleep without you holding me."

With a grin, Killian kissed Dravyn's chin. "You've a fine mind. I believe that is a wonderful arrangement for us both. It will lessen my guilt if I am in my tree with greater frequency, and I cannot sorely miss you if you are in my bed. My prick will put me through less frustration as well, so there is that to think of."

Dravyn squeezed Killian tighter, and though it was nearly a struggle to breathe, he loved the sense of safety he'd found in the dragon's embrace. "I ache for you when we are apart."

"As you should. Never have I imagined such bliss could exist between two lovers."

Just thinking about it had Killian's body responding with the first tugs of desire pulling at his rod and his heart—for it would not be nearly so delightful to bed Dravyn if his mate had not already stolen his soul.

"Killer?"

"What do you want, Dragon Boy?"

"Can you teleport us to my tree?"

Killian did not need to be asked twice.

"Close your eyes," he whispered to Dravyn, then they shimmered to the tree he'd grown for his other half.

The second the thick wooden base of the room was solid beneath his feet, Killian used a wisp of magick to remove his clothing. A chilly wind rustled the leaves, but Killian barely noticed the cold. Killian fused his mouth with Dravyn's and delighted in the wave of desire sweeping between them.

Dravyn moaned, and Killian tugged at the dragonskin ties of his well-made apron. Although he could undress Dravyn with a spell, he preferred to reveal each thickly muscled part of him slowly. But he had no patience for Dravyn's boots, so those were pulled from his feet with a bit of sorcery.

Tilting his head to taste Dravyn more fully, Killian cupped his mate's firm arse. Although he wanted to bury his prick in Dravyn's tight perfect hole, his blood was heating far too quickly to give him the patience to open the dragon up. But the night was young, and Killian promised himself by morning he'd be pumping in and out of Dravyn's hot channel.

For now, Killian wanted to get Dravyn naked.

The dragon was of the same mind. Stepping back, Dravyn ripped the apron and his long tunic over his head. Killian's gaze feasted on the way Dravyn's muscles bunched as he struggled momentarily with the fastening of his hose and finally shoved them down his furry legs.

Dravyn's cock bounced as he threw himself onto the stuffed mattress and held out his arms for Killian. An invitation like that was far too grand to refuse. Equally aroused as his delicious mate, Killian pounced on the man and reunited their lips and tongues.

How they'd gone from discussing their evening to smoldering with the need to couple immediately, Killian could hardly guess. He was far too interested in dousing the flames of desire Dravyn so easily coaxed in him. Dravyn spread his legs, allowing Killian to nestle between them.

Once Dravyn bent his knees, Killian used a speck of magick to lubricate their bellies and pricks. Then he set his hips into motion. His body urged him to rut against Dravyn like a crazed animal, but Killian refused.

The best things in life deserved to be savored, and there was nothing finer in the world than Dravyn. So, Killian moved at a determined pace designed to drive them just crazy enough to both savor each other and race to their glorious finish. From the groans beneath him and the voracious way Dravyn was returning his kisses, Killian figured he was doing exactly what they needed.

Slick with sweat and magical oil, Killian focused on the bite of Dravyn's nails into the skin of his back and the delicious scent of aroused male as they moved in perfect harmony. His balls ached. Killian ignored it. Shoving his arms under Dravyn, he buried his fingers in his mate's tangled tresses and stroked his stubbly jawline with his thumbs.

Dravyn's pleasure was Killian's, and each moan escaping Dravyn pushed Killian closer to the edge. The end was inevitable. Still, Killian ignored the sparks along his spine for as long as possible. His desperation grew, but Killian offered himself no respite until Dravyn tensed.

Tearing his mouth free, Dravyn sucked in a deep breath, and his hot seed splashed between them. Killian buried his face in Dravyn's neck and pumped his hips three more times. His orgasm tore through him like wildfire. He whispered Dravyn's name, and Killian's heart thundered. He wondered how each time they came together could be better than the last.

"I missed your dirty talk," Dravyn whispered as his hands swept along Killian's overheated skin.

"My apologies," Killian said, lifting his head to stare into the satisfied green eyes of his dragon. "My lips were too busy kissing you to offer you compliments on your incredible body or regale you with words about your enormous skill in bed. Shall I spend the next hour composing such heated phrases to compensate?"

Dravyn's cheeks were pink from their exertions, but somehow more vivid color rushed to his face. "No, it is far too embarrassing outside of passion."

Killian shrugged and brushed their lips together. "I suppose I will have to make love to you again and ensure such an experience is filled with dirty talk."

"I am amenable to that idea."

Delighted with Dravyn, Killian focused on planting little kisses on his mouth and chin and along his jaw.

"Killian?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Overwhelmed by the tender feelings reducing him from a powerful druid to nothing more than a simple man with a full heart, Killian smiled. "Dragon Boy, my love for you is immeasurable. Fate has been far too kind to me."

"I wish I did not have to disappoint you by staying here as a D'Vaire instead of joining The Council."

His brows furrowed, Killian quickly cast a spell to clean up the beautiful mess they'd made. Because he understood Dravyn's shyness, he covered them with the blankets on the dragon's bed. Distance wasn't something Killian wanted, but he refused to be distracted by how wonderful it was to feel Dravyn's naked skin against his own, so he rolled off his man and landed on his side.

Killian propped his head on his elbow and waited for Dravyn to face him. Brushing away the damp hair from Dravyn's forehead, Killian met his sad gaze.

"I am not disappointed in you," Killian stated firmly. "It is circumstance with which I have my argument. We both have responsibilities. I fear I would find you less honorable if you were to give up and walk away from your family without even a glance back. What we have is safe. My heart will only grow fonder of you. No blame is on these magnificent beautiful shoulders of yours. We are making the best of a complicated situation. No more…no less."

Dravyn's smile was relieved. "It makes me happy to hear you say that. I feared you might wonder why I did not accept the invitation from The Council despite Court D'Vaire declining it."

"No. You are a part of Court D'Vaire. Their decisions are yours. I respect that. Do you think less of me because I am not leaving behind my family to join you here permanently?"

"It never crossed my mind that you would give up everything to move here," Dravyn replied, genuine shock on his face. "You are Killian the Dwyer. You have responsibilities. People are counting on you to guide them. To grow them food. To make decisions for their future. To protect them. No, you cannot hide here at D'Vaire."

"While you have food to grow. A court to feed. A family in need of healing and peace. Joining The Council is not for you. At least not now. Someday, I hope we can combine our lives fully, but it is circumstance keeping us apart. A sundered world constantly at war with evil. That is who I blame. That is what disappoints me."

Dravyn snuggled close to Killian, and he wrapped his arms around the dragon and kissed the top of his tangled hair.

"I am glad we will share each night together," Dravyn said against Killian's chest.

"Me too, Dragon Boy. Love has bloomed quickly between us given all that has complicated our relationship since that first meeting so long ago. There are thorns on our stalks, and weeds will sprout. But we are both good at tending things. Despite the strife we face, what we have between us will endure. That I promise you."

In silence, they held each other. Killian closed his eyes and gloried in the perfect way they fit together. The wind whistled gently through the leaves of the tree he'd convinced to grow for his mate, and Killian doubted a more peaceful moment had ever existed. Resting his cheek on Dravyn's tresses, Killian soothed Dravyn with the subtle stroking of his hands and wished for a future with none of the perils of the past or present plaguing them.