Crimson Flames

by Alex DuBois

  Johnny had been ready to believe, though.

  “You can touch me,” Malachai prompted, a hint of amusement in his voice, as quiet as it was. “In fact, if you want, you can climb up and I’ll take you on the ride of your life.”

  Johnny was a surfer, and Malachai had figured something like that would appeal to the daredevil in him. He was right, too. Johnny actually grinned, then took a step back to look at Malachai.

  “You’re sort of, well, huge,” Johnny said, looking him over. “How would I even get up?”

  Malachai crouched down further and put out his front leg, offering it to help Johnny up.

  “Let your instincts guide you,” he prompted, knowing that the mate of a dragon would have a touch with riding them that normal humans wouldn’t. Indeed, Johnny was easily able to clamber up onto his shoulders, and he found the natural spot just in front of Malachai’s wings to settle.

  “Hold on, little one,” Malachai encouraged, then, with powerful back legs, he took off into the night air.

  It was time to show Johnny just how fun being mated to a dragon could be, even out of bed.

  Chapter Four

  Johnny

  On some level, Johnny had found himself believing Malachai long before they’d gone to that beach. The redhead just seemed so serious about the whole pregnancy thing. Or maybe it was just that Johnny wanted it to be true so badly. Didn’t everyone secretly want to believe in magic, if they were only given a chance?

  Seeing his lover turn into that terrifying, awesome, powerful, beautiful dragon, though, that had blown any last trace of doubt out of Johnny’s mind. How it was possible, he didn’t know, but he no longer doubted. How could he, when he could actually reach out and touch the red, hot scales?

  So, if he could believe that his lover was a dragon, why not that dragons could reproduce by sleeping with other men? It made about as much sense as turning into a giant, fiery lizard did, and the truth was, Johnny had been feeling something inside him, something like a little flame, that seemed to grow just a little bit every hour.

  Maybe the appropriate reaction would be to scream and run away, and it wasn’t that Johnny didn’t feel those urges. But when he met Malachai’s eyes, they were somehow the same. Of course, they were enormous and much further off the ground and they had slitted pupils, so obviously there had been some changes, but the essence of the soul that was shown within them was the same.

  This was his lover, the man he was falling for so hard. This man had never lied to him, not even when it would have been so much easier to do so. There was no reason to run.

  Besides, Malachai in his dragon form was beautiful, too, in his own way. Awe inspiring, certainly, huge and strong and with those shiny, bright scales, but definitely beautiful. And he could feel that the dragon was the same man that he was falling for so quickly.

  Who hadn’t dreamed about riding a dragon? If there was a single person out there that hadn’t, Johnny certainly didn’t want to meet them. Anyone with an ounce of imagination had to at least have thought about it.

  In some way, it seemed like the most natural thing to climb up onto that foreleg and then onto Malachai’s broad back. There was a place, just in front of the wings, where his body seemed to settle naturally, and he gripped onto him with his legs.

  It was like he was born to do this. To ride a dragon. It was terrifying, but it was also the most thrilling thing he’d ever done. As a surfer, he was, naturally, a bit of a thrill seeker, and this left surfing in the dust.

  Then Malachai pushed off the ground with his powerful hind legs, and Johnny felt and heard the huge, powerful wings unfurling behind him.

  In seconds, in a rush of sea air that blew Johnny’s shoulder length hair around his face, they were airborne. Johnny gave a little gasp of fear and delight, clutching onto Malachai’s shoulders for dear life, watching as the sand of the beach was left behind.

  Malachai took them out to sea, which Johnny supposed was a good idea. It was less likely that they’d be seen there. It was so dark, and there were no lights on the water, so there seemed to be very little chance that they’d be seen.

  Then, all rational thought left Johnny’s head, because Malachai swooped down toward the cold waves of the Pacific ocean. Johnny let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a laugh, and when Malachai pulled up, his powerful legs just barely skimmed over the tops of those waves.

  Swooping and darting and playing, Malachai flew, and it wasn’t long before the delight overtook the fear for Johnny. Slowly, Johnny let go of his death grip on the dragon’s shoulders, extending his arms out to both sides, gripping onto Malachai with only his strong thighs.

  Then, it really felt like he was flying. Like he was one with Malachai on a level that he hadn’t even dreamed possible. Like he could even feel what Malachai was feeling, the delight in the movement of his wings, the joy of motion. His pleasure and Malachai’s pleasure seemed to mix together in the most delicious way.

  It had to end, of course. Johnny knew that it was a risk to even do what they’d done. Someone could have seen, though as dark as it was, even Malachai’s bright color was likely to stick out. A boat could go by, and though none did, it was probably better not to push it.

  Quietly, Malachai glided in, and Johnny, feeling a bit shaky, clambered off of him. Just like that, Malachai was Malachai again, no longer a dragon but the incredibly pretty man that he’d been when he’d picked Johnny up in the nightclub.

  “So now you know for sure,” Malachai said, and he looked at Johnny thoughtfully. Once more, Johnny got the odd sense that he could almost feel what his lover was feeling. Malachai seemed worried, like Johnny might run now that he knew the full truth.

  Well, he wasn’t going to. He was excited, yes, and a little scared, but this was by far the best thing that had ever happened to him and he wasn’t going anywhere. Never in a million years would he give up on an adventure like this. Love and babies and a dragon? He’d have to be an idiot.

  “Yeah. You’re a dragon and I’m going to have your baby.” Johnny smiled. For the first time, he could just let himself believe in the baby thing. He’d wanted to believe so badly, but he had a reason to now. He no longer had any reason to believe that Malachai was joking with him. Not when he was literally a dragon.

  “Pretty much, yes,” Malachai admitted, then took Johnny’s hand and tugged him toward the house. Which was probably a good idea. Johnny was still a little shaky, and he was still so tired from the pregnancy. Now that the rush from the flight was over, he was feeling that more than ever.

  “That was incredible,” Johnny had to admit, letting his body brush lightly against Malachai’s. Maybe he should be more freaked out that his lover was a dragon, but it strangely didn’t bother him. Malachai was just Malachai, he was the same man that he’d been before.

  “Good. I love to fly. We’ll have to do it again sometime,” Malachai said as they wandered up the short path toward Malachai’s house.

  There was a brief moment of silence, and Johnny thought about everything he’d learned. It was good news, all of it, but it was also slightly terrifying as well. More than slightly. As the rush wore off, he found himself slightly overwhelmed, and he clung to his mate.

  “It’s a lot to take,” he admitted, and it was. He had no idea what sort of a father he’d be. Since he strongly preferred men, he hadn’t been sure that a baby was in the cards for him at all.

  “Yeah, I know. I didn’t think, until meeting you, that I even really wanted to have a baby. That’s why I was always so careful. I knew it was possible, but ...”

  Johnny laughed softly.

  “Yeah. That’s more than I had before,” he said, amused. In the world he knew, men couldn’t get pregnant. Of course, there were also no such things as dragons in that world, so obviously that was pretty damn different even to start with.

  “I hope we don’t mess it up,” Malachai said quietly, and Johnny nodded fervently. He let himself be led into the house, then
collapsed on the couch, completely drained.

  “I feel bad for you. I mean, a beach bum surfer isn’t really the sort of co-parent that anyone would choose if they had a choice,” Johnny said quietly.

  Malachai settled beside him and rested his hand on Johnny’s stomach, which was still so flat.

  “I would,” he said quietly. “Johnny, you were born for this, born for me. I literally could not find anyone more perfect for me in the whole world.”

  Johnny smiled. That felt nice to hear. He wasn’t sure how it could be true, but he could sense Malachai’s sincerity about it. There was something off, though. Not in Malachai’s expression or in anything he’d said, but in some deep way that Johnny could sense because of their link. He didn’t understand it, but he was coming to believe it was true.

  “What is it?” Johnny asked, and Malachai looked a bit startled, but then gave a slight smile.

  “You really are my mate, aren’t you?” he said, and then sighed. “It’s just my brothers. I have to tell them about you, and I don’t think any of them expected me to find my mate first.”

  Johnny nodded a little bit. He had no idea how dragon families worked, but he could guess there were some definite dynamics involved. Weren’t there in all families?

  “Are they all dragons, too?” he asked, just to be sure, and Malachai nodded.

  “Yes, and my older brother, Levi, I don’t know how he’s going to react. He’ll either be overjoyed or he’ll feel threatened. And my mother ... Oh. Oh, that’s going to be fun.”

  Johnny laughed softly, resting his head on Malachai’s chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

  “You got yourself into trouble by knocking me up,” he teased lightly, and he was rewarded by hearing the sound of Malachai’s laugh resonating in his chest.

  “Maybe,” Malachai admitted, and then he got more serious. “But there’s more to that, Johnny. My brother, Levi, is the oldest dragon on the continent, as far as we know. He’s also my brother. As such, it’s considered polite for me to bring you to him to meet him. Get his blessing.”

  Johnny blinked. What were they, in the Middle Ages or something? Who needed the permission of their family to hook up with someone? In the world that Johnny had grown up in, people made their own choices, and they didn’t have to check with anyone else about it first.

  “Okay, well, where is your brother?” Johnny asked. Maybe it was a day trip sort of deal, but somehow, he didn’t think so, and that hope was soon thoroughly dashed.

  “East Coast. New York, mostly,” Malachai admitted, looking at Johnny evenly. “There’s a shifter doctor there I want you to see, too. A good one.”

  Johnny shook his head.

  “I’m doing fine without a doctor,” he told Malachai quietly. “And it’s a long trip. If your brother wants to meet me, why can’t he just come here? I’m pregnant.” It didn’t seem fair at all.

  “Because he’s older, and he has more territory. Again, it’s a respect thing. If he wanted to, he could cause trouble for us.”

  Johnny’s eyes widened. All of a sudden, he wasn’t sure what he’d gotten into. There was apparently an older dragon out there who could cause him trouble, if he wanted, and his baby, too.

  “Look, he won’t. Probably. He tends to help other dragons, but he’s a stickler for etiquette and he’s sort of stuffy.” Malachai looked at him, his blue eyes actually pleading, which wasn’t the sort of thing that Johnny had seen from Malachai before. “Look, he’s a good guy. At least meet him before you pass judgment on him.”

  Johnny sighed, rubbing at his eyes, which felt like they were burning suddenly. He pulled away from Malachai so that he could look into his eyes.

  “What do I know about him, babe?” he demanded. “That he’s going to make a pregnant person fly across the country because he’s too big and important to come here? That I have to kiss his ass because he’s older than me?”

  Johnny searched Malachai’s eyes, but then sighed and turned away. He was going against tradition here, he could sense it.

  “Look, I would just call him and tell him if I could, but like I said, he’s old fashioned. He doesn’t even have a phone. Besides, baby, I want him to meet you. I’m proud of you. I want my family to know our baby.”

  Johnny smiled a little. That was kind of sweet, and he could feel how important it was to Malachai. So he gave a little bit of a nod.

  “I can see why you want to go, and I can see why you have to,” he said quietly. “I’ll go.”

  In response, Malachai pulled him into his arms and gave him a searing, burning hot kiss.

  “How are you feeling? Do you want to go for a swim?” Malachai asked, and Johnny smirked a little.

  He’d have to be feeling pretty horribly indeed to say no to a swim.

  * * *

  It was night time, and the beach they were on was private. Malachai stripped off all of his clothes and Johnny did the same, enjoying the slight chill of the breeze that came in off the ocean.

  The sand was smooth and slippery under his feet as Johnny made his way out into the water. Little waves washed over his chest, and as always, when he was in the ocean, Johnny felt whole, balanced, complete. He felt like he was home.

  He felt like that when he was with Malachai, too, which was a little strange. It was like he needed both fire and water to be all that he could be.

  Rolling onto his back, Johnny let the water support his body, he let his hair spread out around him. He’d always loved skinny dipping, and tonight, with Malachai here, was definitely no exception.

  His lover floated over to him, tracing over Johnny’s flat stomach, and Johnny gave a smile.

  “Our baby is in there,” Malachai said, and his tone of voice was usually irreverent, but it was nothing of the sort then.

  “Mmm.” Johnny smiled, realizing something. “I can almost feel them.”

  Malachai looked at him, eyes wide.

  “Really? Are they happy?” he asked, and Johnny concentrated, then shook his head. It was all too confused. It almost didn’t feel like there was only one in there, but he’d never done this before. He could be imagining things.

  “I don’t know.”

  Johnny groaned as Malachai ran a clever hand up over his chest, touching one of his nipples and playing with it. “Stop it. You’re making me hard.”

  Malachai smirked.

  “Is that such a bad thing?” he murmured, then leaned down to kiss Johnny as they floated together in the ocean.

  “Hmm.” Johnny smiled as the kiss ended. “If you took me right here, do you think anyone could see?”

  Maybe it was a stupid question. Just a short time ago, Malachai had been a dragon, and no one had so much as blinked. Johnny pushed his legs down, pressing himself against his lover.

  “No. It’s too dark,” Malachai murmured, and Johnny could feel his lover growing hard against him.

  “I need you.” Johnny had said that to Malachai before, and it never seemed like it would stop being true. The desire to be taken, to be as connected to Malachai as he possibly could be, was as strong as ever.

  “I need you too, beautiful,” Malachai admitted, and then he leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Wrap your legs around me. Hold on to me.”

  Johnny shivered, loving the way Malachai talked to him. How loving he was, but also dominant, possessive. He wasted no time at all in doing exactly what Malachai told him to do, his firm little ass rubbing against Malachai’s thick, hard cock.

  As always, when Malachai slid inside him, it was like he belonged there. Like Johnny was complete, linked with him as firmly and fully as he could be.

  It was different, though, being taken in the water. It wasn’t something Johnny had ever done before. The waves pulled them together and pushed them apart, making them rock together, turning the act into a much more gentle, loving thing than it usually was between them.

  Johnny loved it. He accepted his lover deep inside of him over and over, and let the ocean do what it wanted. H
is cock throbbed, pleasure filled his body in waves, just like the waves that kept tugging at him.

  He was going to come, and it was going to be a slower orgasm, but every bit as intense as the ones that he always had with Malachai.

  “I love you, my beautiful mate,” Malachai suddenly said. Johnny had let his eyes drift closed, but he opened them again in surprise.

  “What did you say?” he whispered, sure that he’d heard wrong. He looked into Malachai’s pretty blue eyes, clutching onto him.

  “I said that I love you. With every bone in my body, with everything in me. I love you more than anything.” Malachai’s voice was sincere. There was no way that Johnny could do anything but believe him.

  “I love you too, Malachai,” Johnny replied, and only then, when he said the words, did he know just how true they were. Then they were kissing, and Johnny was right on the very edge. Somehow, he could sense that Malachai was, too.

  When they came, they came together, clinging desperately to each other as they floated, linked to one another, on the waves of the ocean and of the pleasure they’d brought to each other.

  Chapter Five

  Malachai

  It wasn’t that Malachai had ever lived the monastic lifestyle that his older brother seemed to prefer. Malachai liked sex, and he didn’t particularly try to make a secret of it.

  Even so, he’d never been this consistently aroused in his life. He’d never before had this overwhelming desire to be with one person, to have him all the time, to make him his.

  That night, he had to have Johnny again. Sometimes, he felt guilty, like he was putting too much pressure on his mate, who was, after all, carrying their child. On the other hand, every time he turned to Johnny, he found that his lover was already ready for him.

  They were in sync that way. In all ways, it often felt. Except for the issue of traveling to see Levi, of course.