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  Ryland started to feel a bit foolish, if the answer to that question wasn’t obvious. “I’m trying to seduce you,” he cried out in frustration. “But, apparently, you don’t want me or you wouldn’t be asking that question.”

  Draco snorted. “All you have to do is walk into a room and I want you, gràdh. I meant, what are you doing because you aren’t well enough for sex.”

  Ryland scowled at his mate. “Yes, I am. Now, get those clothes off before I tear them off.” It was an empty threat. Ryland wasn’t even close to strong enough to do that and since he was human, he didn’t have claws like Draco did.

  When Draco shook his head and tried to reopen the door to leave, Ryland had had enough. “What do I have to do to prove it to you? Because I have to tell you, I am so horny I’m about to explode. One way or another I’m getting fucked, so you better decide if it’s going to be you or not.”

  It was a sneaky and underhanded threat. Chadwick had already recommended this course of action yesterday, telling Ryland just the insinuation that another man would be fucking him would drive Draco out of his mind. Ryland hadn’t wanted to use the tactic but he was too damn desperate not to at this point.

  Just as Chadwick predicted, Draco growled out, “Mine.” Then grabbed him and sank his teeth into the mating mark he’d left the other day. His arms trapped Ryland against his hard body. The proof of how much Draco wanted him evident in the rigid outline of his erection pressing against Ryland’s hip.

  Just like that first time Draco had bitten him, Ryland’s entire body felt as if molten fire were pouring through his veins, going straight to his already hard dick. His balls pulled up and his prick throbbed against the front of his pants. If he didn’t get them unzipped and fast, he was going to come in them like some teenager.

  “Please,” he whined, wanting more than just a bite. He wanted the whole mating. Kisses, touching, penetration, and hopefully a mind-blowing orgasm. But it was so much more than that. He wanted the entire package. Lying in Draco’s arms at night, waking up to him in the morning, loving him, and sharing their lives in every way possible.

  A whimper poured from him as Draco slid his canines from his body. But that whimper turned into a moan of pleasure as he felt Draco’s lips capture his in a searing kiss that took his breath away.

  Ryland reached out to Draco’s shoulders and held on, needing to ground himself because his head was spinning as lust slammed into him. The sound of fabric tearing was only noticed when the cool air touched Ryland’s heated skin.

  The next thing he knew Draco was tossing him onto the bed. “Damn, gràdh, I need to be inside of you.” Piercing blue eyes stared right into his soul and Ryland felt his heart skip a beat.

  So many emotions were swirling inside of Ryland, but there was one that stood out above all the rest, pushing at him to be freed. “I love you.” It came out before Ryland even realized he was going to say it. He may not have planned on telling Draco that, but now that he had, Ryland didn’t regret it. How could he? Draco was everything he wanted in mate, even if he’d never known he would have a mate.

  The mattress dipped when Draco’s knee landed on it. He climbed up, joining Ryland, hovering over him. Those blue eyes Ryland loved staring into remained on him. “I love you with all of my of heart and soul, gràdh.”

  Then Draco was kissing him once again, the weight of his body pressing down upon Ryland perfectly. Wrapping his arms and legs around Draco’s body, Ryland pulled him more fully down upon him. The fact that he was naked and Draco still had his clothes on made everything even more erotic.

  But as hot as it was, Ryland wanted to feel Draco’s skin against his. Plus, it would make mating a whole lot easier if there weren’t clothes in the way.

  His hands went to the edge of Draco’s shirt but no amount of tugging or pulling would budge it with their bodies plastered together. Ryland pulled his mouth from Draco’s and yelled, “Move.”

  Draco sat up and yanked the shirt over his head. But instead of taking off his pants, he flipped Ryland over. “Hands and knees.” Draco’s voice was thick and guttural.

  The moment Ryland was in position, Draco’s much bigger body draped over his back. He could feel his mate’s heated breath against his shoulder as he placed a kiss there. “Mine,” Draco whispered. “All mine.”

  Then those lips kissed and nipped down Ryland’s spine. A kiss was placed on each cheek of his ass before hands spread him wide open. Ryland let out a groan of sheer pleasure the moment he felt Draco’s tongue lick along his crack, zeroing in on his pucker.

  “Damn, you taste good, gràdh,” Draco said before diving back in, this time driving his tongue into his channel. Ryland had no idea anything could feel so good. His whole body shook, his arms collapsing when they couldn’t hold him up any longer.

  He lay there with his head on the pillow and his ass high in the air, luxuriating in the pleasure Draco was giving him. He wanted more of that talented tongue, but he also wanted Draco to get on with their mating.

  Thankfully, Draco was on the same page, for as soon as Ryland’s channel relaxed and opened for his mate, Ryland felt Draco move and the rasp of a zipper. One hand gripped his hip, then he felt the tip of Draco’s penis pressing against his ring of muscles.

  Ryland blew out and suddenly Draco was inside of him. The burn was intense but welcomed, as if it meant that he was finally getting his wish. Draco was mating with him. From this moment on, he would forever belong to this amazing man.

  CHAPTER 13

  “Fuck,” Draco groaned out as Ryland’s tight heat surrounded him. It was like coming home and he never wanted to it to end. Unfortunately, his body had other ideas.

  As much as he tried to give Ryland time to adjust to him, Draco just couldn’t wait any longer. He’d already been going way too fast in preparing his mate but no matter how hard he tried to slow down, it just wasn’t happening. Of course, it didn’t help that Ryland was making sweet little noises begging Draco to complete their bond.

  Still, he wanted this to be good for Ryland, not hurt him, so he did his best to remain still and give Ryland time to get used to his size. But that was shot to hell when his mate gave a whimper and begged, “Please, Draco. I need you.”

  That was it for Draco. He had to move. He may not want this to end, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to spill his seed inside his mate and seal them together, forever.

  Never in his life could he remember sex ever feeling like this. His blood rushed through his veins at lightning speed as his thrusts increased. He needed Ryland to belong to him more than his next breath. But there was something missing. A reason he and Ryland weren’t careening over the edge of bliss.

  Draco looked down at his mate’s bowed back and realized what it was. Without pulling out, he flipped Ryland over, causing them both to groan at the exquisite sensations that move created. Then those amber eyes were staring up at him, drowning in lust.

  That was all he’d needed. His balls pulled up tight. His cock throbbed within Ryland’s channel. Draco slammed into his mate one final time, pegging his sweet spot and they both cried out.

  Those muscles that had encased him so tightly already clamped down, yanking his orgasm from his body at the same time Draco dropped down and sank his teeth into his mate’s supple body once more.

  Ryland screamed Draco’s name, his arms wrapping around Draco’s neck to pull him closer. The sweet metallic taste of his mate’s blood filled Draco’s mouth as he swallowed several mouthfuls. That was when he felt it. The tether that had started to form between them several days ago snapped into place, linking their souls together.

  Ryland was his.

  Forever.

  When he extracted his teeth from Ryland’s body, Draco knew he wore a sappy smile. He couldn’t help it. He had actually stopped believing long ago that he would ever be granted a mate. Now he had one. The perfect one.

  Once more, he silently swore he would find a way to be good enough for Ryland. He just prayed h
e could actually do it.

  “What are you thinking about?” Ryland asked, his arms still tightly around Draco, holding him close.

  “What?” Draco wasn’t about to admit that he wasn’t good enough for Ryland. He wasn’t, but his mate didn’t need to know that.

  Ryland released his arms from around Draco and maneuvered his body so he could look into Draco’s eyes. “Just now. You were happy, almost floating. I could…” Ryland hesitated for a moment as if unsure he should say what he was thinking out loud. “I could feel your happiness,” he said in awe. Then he frowned. “Is that even possible?”

  Draco rolled off his mate and lay on his side so they were face to face. “Sort of.” This was territory where Draco didn’t know all of the facts, but he’d heard things when he was living with his family. “To be honest, I don’t know all the details, but I remember when my sister found her mate, she used to talk about how odd it was to always be aware of her mate’s emotions.”

  He chuckled as he thought about the rest of what she said. “But she hated that he always knew what she was feeling. She claimed it was a woman’s God given right to be moody and her mate intruding on those emotions was pissing her off.”

  Ryland laughed with him. “Yeah. I can see how that might cause a few problems.” His mate froze for a moment, then narrowed his gaze at Draco. “There’s something you don’t want me to know.” It wasn’t a question so Draco didn’t bother to respond. “That’s why you went from happy to sad just a minute ago.”

  Draco inwardly sighed. He should have known better than to tease his sister about her mate always questioning what she was feeling. But how was he to know one day he’d have a mate and it would be Draco trying to hide his emotions from him?

  Ryland leaned up onto his elbow, staring Draco down. “What don’t you want me to know? Why would you be sad that we’d mated? Because that was sadness I felt. Don’t you want to be mated to me? Is that it?” Ryland continued on a rant that was only spiraling out of control. “You regret mating me.”

  “No,” Draco shouted. “Never.” He pulled Ryland into his arms and kissed him until they were both panting for air. “I could never in a million years regret mating you. I love you, gràdh.”

  “Then what is it?” Ryland asked, clearly not believing Draco.

  If he wasn’t honest with Ryland, his mate would know and continue to believe Draco didn’t want him. That wasn’t something Draco could allow. So, as much as it killed him, he decided he had to tell his mate everything.

  “I’m not good enough for you,” he said as he released the breath he’d been holding. When Ryland opened his mouth to refute that, Draco placed a finger over his mouth and said, “No. I mean it. I’ve done things that…”

  He closed his eyes, unwilling to see the condemnation he knew would be there when he was done. “It started when I was a kid, probably around seven or eight. I was always getting into trouble. Fighting with the other kids, even destroying property in a fit of rage. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to control my temper.”

  That was an understatement. “By the time I was thirty, I had gotten into a fight with another dragon, who had been bullying one of the weaker members of our clan.”

  “How is that considered a bad thing?” Ryland asked. “You were defending that other dragon.”

  “Maybe, if I’d just hit him. But I didn’t.” It was always the way when Draco got angry. “I can’t seem to stop once I get started. I nearly killed the bully that day. As it was, I had beaten him so badly, he couldn’t shift. He’d been in dragon form and unable to return to his human one. For the rest of his life, he was forced to live out his days hidden away from the world.”

  A hand touched his face, cupping one cheek gently. “Open your eyes,” Ryland whispered.

  Draco didn’t want to but he couldn’t deny his mate anything, not even if it meant having to see the disappointment and disgust in those amber eyes. Except, when he lifted his lids, all Draco saw was love shining at him.

  “I can’t tell you that what happened in the past was right or wrong. I wasn’t there.” Draco appreciated that Ryland didn’t try to just push it aside as if it didn’t matter. “All I do know is you saved me, twice. And even though Gerald deserved to be punished for raping my sister, you stopped yourself from killing him so he could face the Council.”

  “That was because you needed me.” It had been the only reason Draco hadn’t torn the little shit apart piece by piece. It still galled him that all the Council did was put Gerald in prison for a year and given him mandatory counseling. They actually felt it wrong to sentence him to death when the old Chief Council not only condoned what Gerald and the other guards had done by raping his sister, but had given them permission.

  “The point is, you stopped from killing him.” Ryland leaned forward and placed a kiss to his lips. “You don’t give yourself enough credit for being an amazing man who has been nothing but kind and gentle with both me and my sister. I love you Draco and there is nothing you could do to ever make me stop.”

  He dragged Ryland into his embrace, holding him tightly. The words had been like a balm to his weary soul. As far as he was concerned, there was no one on this earth good enough for his gràdh. “I love you, too,” he whispered before capturing those sweet lips once more.

  Now that the rush of needing to mate with Ryland was out of the way, Draco planned on taking his time loving on his mate.

  CHAPTER 14

  After arriving in Miracle, Draco had taken Ryland to their home, which consisted of a farm with more falling down buildings than ones that actually stood. “I hope you meant it when you said you prefer to camp out,” Chadwick joked.

  Except, he wasn’t exactly joking. The only structure that looked like it might not fall over in a stiff wind was the barn and that was only because someone had obviously been rebuilding it.

  “As long as Draco doesn’t mind, I’d love to camp out,” Ryland said with a shrug. It made no difference to him, other than it was a bit cold. Then again, that would just mean they would need to cuddle to keep warm, so Ryland was good.

  Chadwick rolled his eyes, clearly expecting a different answer. “You are out of your mind,” he said as he climbed aboard a motorcycle.

  “At least I’m not stupid enough to ride a motorcycle,” Ryland said. “You know those things are death machines, right?”

  A broad grin covered Chadwick’s face. “You know I like to live on the edge.” The motor started and in the next instant Chadwick was heading away from the farm, to the town they had just come from.

  Well, town might have been a bit of an overstatement considering it only contained a diner, a bar, and a general store. Still, it had a lot of charm, at least the parts that were still standing, which admittedly weren’t many.

  Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and warm lips pressed a kiss against his mating mark, causing Ryland to shiver. “Are you sure you’re okay with camping?”

  Ryland leaned back against that hard body, loving how Draco’s much larger frame seemed to envelop him. “On one condition.”

  Draco turned him so they were facing each other. His eyebrow was raised as those blue eyes looked at him questioningly. “And what’s that?”

  “That you promise to keep me warm all night long,” he said with a wink.

  As if they were reading each other’s minds, they both leaned in and kissed. It was as natural as breathing. Before it went too far, Draco pulled back. “As much as I would like to stay here all day, making love to you, if we plan on camping out, we’re going to need to go into town to get a tent.”

  Furrowing his brows, Ryland wasn’t so sure Miracle was the place they should go. “Are you sure they even have tents? I mean, there is only the general store and it isn’t that big.”

  His mate grinned. “Not to worry, gràdh. If there is one thing I’ve learned about Iniko, that mouse shifter is always prepared.”

  Ryland didn’t know who Iniko was but he figured the
re was no harm in going into town. If Miracle didn’t have tents, they would need to head to the next town over, which was nearly an hour away. With it still being late morning, they had plenty of time.

  The farm Saber had bought when he and his pack had decided to move into Miracle was only a twenty-minute drive. It should have been more like twelve but the ruts in the dirt driveway were so deep, Draco had to inch his pickup along in order not to cause any damage to the vehicle.

  “You know, Saber should really think about fixing this road from hell,” Ryland grumbled when Draco was forced to go over an especially deep rut. Good thing he’d had on his seat belt or Ryland would have been thrown from the truck.

  “Chadwick put it last on the list, claiming it added a degree of difficulty for anyone who tries to attack us,” Draco grumbled as he inched his way over yet another dip that Ryland swore was as big as the Grand Canyon.

  By the time they had reached Miracle, Ryland had been praying for one to get them through that driveway. His muscles were killing him from trying not to get tossed around the truck like a ragdoll.

  “I need an aspirin,” he complained as he got out of the truck with one hand pressed against his temple that had been knocked against the window. He’d been surprised the window hadn’t cracked when he’d hit. Apparently the glass was stronger than his head, for it clearly had been his head that had suffered the most damage.

  Draco was there at his side in an instant, his arms around Ryland as he cradled Ryland to his body. “Do you need me to take you to Nole, the doctor?”

  Ryland groaned just thinking about getting in that truck again. “Not if it means another drive. I just pray you are right about there being tents here because there is no way I’m getting in that truck again.”

  Draco bit his lip as if to stop himself from smiling. “How do you think we’re getting home?”

  If the thought of having to ride in a vehicle again was bad, it was a million times worse to imagine going over that driveway. “I’ll walk,” he said.