11. Sebastian

Ishouldn’t be nervous, but I was. I’d had sex more times than I should probably admit. But I wasn’t exactly young. I was over a century and a half. An entire century younger than Benjamin. But he was my second cousin. It didn’t really technically matter at this point though. He was my cousin. He was family. And knowing he and Eli were right next door when I might be sent out on assignment was actually a relief. And if Benjamin and I were both out, then Drew would have Eli. I could definitely see them becoming great friends, which I felt would be beneficial for Drew.

But that wasn’t where we were at in our relationship yet. No, we were standing in our new house in the mated enforcer housing. We’d picked the house right next to Benjamin and Eli, because really, why not? I got along well with my cousin. After we’d made our decision, I used a little bit of magic and had all of my things from my previous place brought over. I simply added them to the corresponding rooms here and figured we’d figure it all out later.

After that was finished, we went to Drew’s place and got his things. I couldn’t use magic to bring his things here because I’d not ever been around them and would most likely bring the entire household over. That would be unfortunate since he lived with others. Being in his tiny room with him was an experience. I couldn’t quite understand why any room in a house on Treasure Ridge was so small, but Drew had said he didn’t mind. In fact, the smaller size felt cozier for him when he first arrived. Now, he didn’t notice simply because he didn’t spend a whole lot of time in it.

We were currently in our new house, and Drew’s nerves were feeding my own. There was nothing romantic about taking him upstairs and getting to it. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to be romantic, because I did. I just needed to figure out how to incorporate that into our evening here. There wasn’t too much that could be romantic here on Treasure Ridge…unless.

I froze, suddenly coming up with an idea. I glanced around the room, wondering if we should get more furniture. What I had worked well for the single enforcer housing, but this place was obviously much larger, and the room looked a bit empty.

I would deal with that later though. Right now, I needed to locate my One and ask him out on a picnic date. It was a bit cheesy, but around here, it was probably the most romantic thing I was going to be able to come up with.

I located Drew upstairs in what was going to be our bedroom. He was reorganizing his clothes for probably the third or fourth time. “Did you need any help?” I asked.

“No. I think it’s good. I just wanted things neat and orderly. Your clothes are so perfectly folded.”

I snorted. “That’s because I cheat,” I told him. I waved my hand toward the drawer he was currently fussing with, and when he pulled his hands back, he looked at me with wide eyes.

“You use magic to fold your clothes?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Doing laundry is a chore that I don’t necessarily care for. It’s a fact of life, but I would much rather spend my time doing things more enjoyable. Laundry is not fun. I cannot think of anything that would make it enjoyable.” Actually, I could, but there was no way I was going to suggest that to Drew just yet. Perhaps after we’d been mated for a while, but for now, I was going to keep things as sweet and vanilla as I could. “I have a proposition for you,” I told him. I knew the real reason why he was up here rearranging his clothes was simply to avoid the elephant between us.

“What? Did I do something?”

I glanced around the room and shook my head. “Not that I’m aware of. Other than you using organizing your clothing as an excuse to avoid coming downstairs.” Drew’s cheeks turned pink again. I shouldn’t have said something, but we both knew that was exactly what he was doing. He was avoiding me by redoing tasks. “My proposition for you is come with me for a picnic? Do you like picnics?”

Drew’s eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. “I’d love to try one. I’ve never been on a picnic before.”

That was sad. I had no doubt that the amount of sadness my One had experienced in his life was great, and I was going to do everything I could to make things better for him. Starting right now. He deserved to have the world, and I was going to give it to him.

“What would you prefer? Chicken? Steaks? Sandwiches?” I asked.

“Oh, sandwiches. Can we have subs? You know, the thick bread with lots of meat and cheese on them?”

I chuckled. “We can. Did you like pasta salad? Potato salad? Things like that? Or just want junk food like chips?”

Drew’s smile grew. “Anything. I’m so excited. We’re going to do this now?”

I nodded and held out my hand. “Right now. All you have to do is take my hand.”

Drew placed his hand in mine, and after I brought his up to my mouth for a quick kiss. I winked at my One while he stared at me with a slightly parted mouth. I chose that moment to transport us to Dragon Falls. It was absolutely beautiful, and although I had magic and could take us anywhere in the world, some of the most romantic places I could think about were dark once more as it was late at night. We would get there soon enough. But right now, I needed to relax Drew, and what better way than taking him to Dragon Falls for a picnic?

I was still holding Drew’s hand when we arrived at the falls. He looked around, his face showing every emotion. “Where are we?”

“We’re at Dragon Falls,” I told him, confused. “The council is about thirty minutes that way,” I said, pointing over to my left. “Have you not been here?”

“Dragon Falls?” Drew looked around, now frantic. “Are we allowed to be here?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t we?”

“Because we’re not dragons, and this is where they live. This part of the mountain is private. We don’t come here.”

I was confused. “Who told you that?”

“I heard it from Phineas and Philip. They warned us to not ever go here or near any of the created ones’ houses because they were private areas.”

I sighed. I had a feeling I knew why they had told Drew that, and it wasn’t because they were trying to spread misinformation. It was because their overly protective older brother had said as much to keep them from venturing out away from the house and possibly encountering an enforcer.

“Well, that wasn’t correct,” I told him. “You are allowed to go anywhere on the mountain. It obviously goes without saying, don’t go walking around in someone else’s yard, but you are allowed to venture here to the falls while running. Or while having a picnic with your mate. And for the record, the created ones don’t live near the falls. They are scattered all over the mountain, and some live off of the mountain. The dragons who settled this mountain long ago live a little farther that way,” I said as I held out my arm to the left. When Drew followed the movement, he gasped. I’d of course used magic to give my mate a picnic for two, and I’d tried to think of everything. We had sandwiches, of course, and there was fruit, cake and pie because Drew had said he loved sweets. I also provided wine as well as soft drinks. I’d noticed Drew had grabbed a can of it on our way out of the cafeteria this morning. Pasta salad, as well as deviled eggs. I didn’t know what all Drew would want, but I was trying my best to come up with food ideas he would have experienced here.

“Wow. That’s for us?”

“It is. Would you like to sit and enjoy our supper?”

Drew walked over to the heavy blanket I’d provided, and after he toed off his shoes, he stepped onto the blanket and sat down. I joined him, sitting close but not on top of him. We needed to have room to eat, and I had every intention of getting close soon enough.

“Where do you want to start?” I asked. We’d not had lunch since breakfast was more brunch than breakfast. This was early for supper, but that was fine. We could have our romantic picnic, go home, continue with the romance, and see where it led us. I knew where it was going to go, and so did Drew. This was simply to help calm his nerves.

“Sandwiches. Sandwiches are always a favorite.”

I couldn’t help but grin at Drew’s happiness. He was genuinely happy, and it made me feel good that I’d had some part in that. I didn’t truly know what his life had been like up until now, but I knew I was going to do everything I could to always make sure he had a smile on his face. He wouldn’t know the ugliness from his past ever again. Going forward, there would be smiles, happiness, and definitely romance. It was going to be incredibly easy to fall completely for my One, and I wasn’t going to deny myself that happiness. I would be sure to not push Drew, but when the time came and it was right, I would share my feelings with him.

I handed Drew a plate, then reached for a sub that was thick with meat, cheese, condiments, and tomato and lettuce.

“If you don’t like something that’s on there, just say so, and I’ll have it gone as if it was never there.”

“Nope, it’s all great,” Drew said as he peeked inside the sub. He took a big bite, closed his eyes, and moaned. “Oh yeah. That’s a sandwich,” Drew said around his food. He chewed for a moment and swallowed before grinning at me. “I’m not sure where you learned to make sandwiches, but I approve. Yes, these are great.”

I chuckled. “I’m glad you approve. But sadly, I cannot take credit,” I said as I handed him a bag of chips. “I work with tons of shifters and, before that, grew up with an omega father, as well as a brother that is a shifter. They could definitely out-eat my brother Caspian, me, and our father.”

Drew grinned around another bite of the sandwich. I held out the pasta salad. His eyes widened, and he nodded. I then wondered if he was hungry and I’d just not picked up on it.

“This is so good,” Drew told me.

“Are you hungry?” I asked. When Drew nodded, he then shook his head.

“I am, but not starving. But this is really goo—oh shit.”

“What?”

Drew’s eyes widened. “I’m not starving. We ate what? Five hours ago?”

“About.”

“I had a snack. You gave me a snack.” Drew went quiet. He set the sandwich down on the plate and sighed. When he looked at me, there was a sadness to his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I always get really hungry right before my heat hits. I’ll eat and eat, and then the fevers start.”

I smiled at my One. “That’s all right,” I said, reaching out and touching his leg just above his knee. “I’m right here, I’ll take care of you, and we said we were going to claim one another this evening, right?” Drew nodded. “And we will. Just as soon as we finish our picnic and we enjoy watching the sun set on the falls.” It was gorgeous this time of year, and I wanted Drew to experience it. I also knew that most likely, Alpha Sergei and alpha mate Chin would be doing their mating dance about that time.

“I really wanted to be coherent when we claimed each other.”

“You will be.” I gave his leg a gentle squeeze. “You’re coherent now. If at any point you start to feel like you are becoming feverish, let me know, and we’ll be home in a blink. You will be very much aware of the two of us when we claim one another.”

Drew looked at me for a long moment before he finally nodded. We continued on with the picnic, but I could tell his happiness about it seemed to have dimmed. That was a bit upsetting, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I was going to make the best of the moment and then take my One home and show him how wonderful it could be between two people who wanted to be together.

We ate our meal mostly in silence, and when I brought out the cake, Drew’s smile returned. “Did you want ice cream with it?” It was a decadent chocolate cake that was multiple layers thick with creamy chocolate frosting in between.

“I’m afraid to say yes,” Drew said. “That looks… Where did you get that? They don’t have that at the bakery next to the store.”

I chuckled. “This came from the council cafeteria. They have it every few days.”

Drew’s eyes widened. “No they don’t. Seriously?”

“They do. Same with the pie,” I told him as I pointed to the pie that was on the other side of the cake. Drew’s eyes rounded.

“Nope. No ice cream. Can we save the pie? I love both, but chocolate cake.”

“We definitely can.” The pie would be an amazing treat after a round or two of physical pleasure.

I handed Drew his cake and then moved behind him. He grinned up at me but seemed to realize I wasn’t eating cake. “You’re not having any?”

I shook my head. “Not at the moment. Perhaps later, I’ll have a bite or two, but for now, I’m plenty full and am going to enjoy watching you eat your cake.”

“How can you watch me eat it when you’re behind me?”

I wrapped my arms around Drew and pulled him back into my chest. “Over your shoulder,” I whispered close to his ear. While there, I gave in and let my lips gently touch his ear. I heard Drew’s sudden intake of breath and smiled before doing it again. That time, his breath started coming in quicker, more shallow pants, and I wondered if it was too much for him. “You can tell me to stop if it’s too much,” I said.

Drew set the cake down to the side but hadn’t reached far enough, and it ended up sliding off of the plate and landing on the blanket. Drew groaned and turned his head to the side. “You owe me a piece of cake because I was really looking forward to that, but don’t stop, please.”

I grinned again, and now that Drew’s head was turned to the side, I took the opportunity to kiss just in front of his ear and then move my lips to his lobe. I gave it a quick nip, pulling a squeak from Drew, who suddenly relaxed in my arms.

“I’ll replace the cake. What do you want me to do?” I asked. “More of this?” I added when I trailed my lips along his ear and then to his neck. He was quite a bit shorter than I was, and it was difficult to reach too low, but I had a plan. I slid my hands under his thighs and easily lifted Drew and was able to get my legs under him. His squeak was cute, but with him on my lap, he was high enough that I could get to his neck without issue. Drew moaned when my lips latched on to his neck, and I took that as a positive.

“Yes,” he whispered. “More of that. More of everything.”

I could certainly do that. I knew already that we’d have to catch the sunset another time, but that didn’t matter. Drew was finally in my arms and seemed just as willing as I was, and I was going to use that to my advantage. Since we were out in the open, and I had no intentions of giving anyone a show, I kept my actions to simple kisses and gentle touches over his clothing. My hands explored his chest and narrow waist while my lips alternated between gentle nips that were followed by soothing sucks.

“Sebastian…please,” he whispered after several minutes.

I grinned against his neck, which he had completely exposed for me.

“Please what?”

“I need you to do more.” He took my hand, and I let him move it to what I expected was a painful erection in his tight jeans.

“What do you want me to do about this?” I asked as I gave it a gentle rub. Drew moaned loudly, and my gaze flew to the surrounding area. I didn’t notice anyone, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be out there.

“Please,” he whimpered. “I need touch.”

I felt Drew’s hands with mine, and when he started tugging at the button of his jeans, I knew it was time to get us home. With a thought, I had us gone from our picnic spot, and we were now sitting on the floor of our new bedroom, our entire picnic still surrounding us. “I’ll help you with that,” I told him. I moved my hands to the waist of his jeans, and when I undid the button, Drew sucked in a deep breath. Not wanting to cause him any sort of harm, I used a bit of magic to get the zipper undone. I knew I’d made the correct call when I reached inside and found nothing but warm skin. “Do you always go without underwear?” I knew some shifters did while others chose to wear them.

“Depends.” Drew’s breathing was coming faster and in shorter breaths now, and I grinned before finally wrapping my hand around his cock. He gasped and then made a whimper sound. I went back to kissing his neck as I slowly stroked up and down his now exposed cock.

I moved my lips down his neck, and where it met his shoulder, I gently bit down. Drew shouted out as I felt his cock swell and then start pulsing. I grinned against his neck as I slowly stroked him through his orgasm. When Drew’s body started twitching, I stopped my hand and gently let go of him. His body was completely pliant, and I wondered just how amazing things were going to be between us.

“Are you ready to go to bed?” I whispered in between peppering kisses up his neck. It took a moment, but Drew finally nodded. I had so much more to show him and couldn’t wait to explore his body completely. I helped him stand, and as I stood behind him, I turned Drew to face me. When he gazed up at me, his eyes were clear but filled with desire. Gone was the hesitancy from earlier, which was exactly what I’d wanted.

I cupped his face and started to lean down to share my first kiss with him. When Drew closed his eyes and tilted his head upward, I knew he’d given me permission, and I took it. When our lips met for the first time, I felt a tingle go through mine. The vibrations that had been subtle in my body flared to life but weren’t painful.

Drew opened his mouth when I did mine, and as my tongue gently touched his, he moaned into my mouth, and his body fell into mine. I moved one hand around his shoulders as I gently explored his mouth with my own. When I encountered a sharp canine, I grinned as I broke the kiss. Drew pouted a bit, and it was absolutely adorable. I couldn’t help but kiss him again, this time a bit less gentle but still tender.

Drew moaned again, and I started walking toward the bed, him walking backward with me. When his legs were touching the side, I leaned down enough to pick him up and then simply crawled onto the bed with him in my arms. I used a touch of magic to make it seamless, but when I gently laid him back, I broke the kiss again to look down at him to ensure he was still with me. The look of desire had only increased, and when Drew grabbed my shirt and pulled me back down, I went willingly.