by Alex DuBois
Malachai thought about that as they lay in bed after another bout of lovemaking that had left even him tired. He couldn’t sleep, though. Every time he tried, he found himself thinking about that.
Johnny didn’t want to go. Johnny had no real reason to want to go, and Malachai found that he was pretty much wrapped around his lover’s little finger. It was just a stupid old dragon tradition that any new dragons should be introduced to the older ones. It wasn’t like Malachai had ever been all that traditional. Wasn’t that part of why he’d come all the way up from South America?
Malachai slept very little that night, thinking about it. Johnny had agreed to go, and though he had some misgivings, it was probably best to observe the formalities. Levi would like it, and it was fairly important to Malachai that he stay on good terms with his older, powerful brother.
Besides, Malachai had heard very good things about Doctor Keith Summers, the shifter doctor in New York. He was supposed to be incredible, and no pregnancy was without risks. Levi was one thing, and Malachai could probably be talked out of going to see him until the baby was born. Seeing the doctor, though, that was something he wasn’t willing to put off.
When it came down to it, that was the real reason that he and Johnny had to go. Levi could just as easily be presented the baby after the birth. It was probably at least partially true that part of Malachai just wanted to show his beautiful mate off, and there was no way that that was a good enough reason to inconvenience Johnny as much as he was going to.
Proper medical care, however, that was another matter.
Very early in the morning, Malachai sighed and got up. There was no point. The responsibility that he’d been fleeing for most of his six hundred year life had caught up to him, and the honest truth was that part of him loved it.
It was new and unfamiliar, though, he had to say that.
For quite some time, Malachai watched his lover sleep. Johnny was so beautiful, and even more so in slumber. His eyelashes, Malachai noticed, were long and dark, long enough that they swept down and touched his cheeks as he slept. His lips were parted with his even breath, his chest rising and falling with it.
His mate. His pregnant, beautiful mate. How could he be so lucky? He knew that he was, even as he was terrified. He’d grown up completely without a father. In fact, Levi was probably the closest thing to one that he’d ever had, and his big brother lived on the other side of the continent from him.
With that being said, how could he be a father? That was always what had made him be so extra careful in the past with his human lovers. He had no role models at all. He was going into the most important job that a person could possibly have completely blind.
Now that it had happened, though, he couldn’t be upset about it. As soon as he’d found Johnny, he’d known that it was time. Fate didn’t always wait for someone to feel ready, he supposed. He just had to hope fate also knew what it was doing.
Silently, he walked down to the kitchen. They would need to leave on the next cloudy night. That night, if possible. Johnny could deal with his work situation and they could go. Which meant that he was going to have to make a nice big brunch for his mate, who was, after all, eating for two.
* * *
Several hours later, armed with plates of eggs, bacon, spicy Italian sausage for the baby and assorted other breakfast items, Malachai brought a tray into the bedroom where Johnny still slept.
Only Johnny wasn’t asleep anymore. He looked like he’d only just woken up. His green eyes were still groggy with sleep, but he had his hand on his own stomach and was looking at it in wonder.
When Malachai put the tray down beside the bed and looked at Johnny, he could understand why, too. Sometime, as if overnight, Johnny’s slender, flat stomach had started to gently round.
Not much, of course. Even walking around without a shirt, no one would notice unless they were looking very closely. If anyone did notice, it would just look like Johnny had gained the slightest bit of weight. For Malachai, though, who was paying strict attention, it was noticeable.
“You grew!” Malachai said, delighted. He sat down on the bed and touched Johnny’s stomach, utterly fascinated. He knew that dragons were born more quickly than humans, but this still seemed so fast.
Johnny gave him a sleepy smile and a nod.
“Yeah, I did.” He seemed proud of himself, and Malachai thought that he had every right to be. “Something smells good.”
The human helped himself to the food, and he ate a lot, which Malachai was glad to see. It was his job to take care of his mate, after all. It pleased his dragon to see Johnny eating with such a good appetite.
“I checked the weather. It’s supposed to be cloudy tonight,” Malachai said carefully. He knew that this was a dangerous subject, one that Johnny might not want to talk about, but as far as Malachai was concerned, the faster they got to New York and got Johnny checked out, the better.
Johnny stopped eating to look at him, then nodded slowly and went back to his food. He more picked at it than ate it, though, and Malachai sighed softly. This was a touchy subject, and he knew it. He also knew that Johnny tended to avoid things that were uncomfortable. Still, he really felt like it was best.
“I have work,” Johnny said quietly, and then he looked down at his stomach. “Not that I should be surfing like this, I guess.”
Malachai frowned.
“Look, you’re going to get a lot bigger, love. People are going to notice. I don’t see how you can do your job, at least while you’re still pregnant.” It wasn’t even like Johnny could dress to hide it. His job sort of demanded a casual, revealing dress.
Johnny was a smart young man, and he picked up on the implications of that quickly With a sigh, he rubbed at his eyes, clearing them of the last traces of sleep.
“My boss is awesome. He’s never done anything to me. I can’t just walk out on him.”
Johnny showed an admirable work ethic, which was interesting, because that wasn’t the stereotype about surfers at all. It was almost funny. Johnny would never have to work a day in his life, if he didn’t want to. At the same time, if Johnny loved it, he should do it.
Just not when he was pregnant.
Meanwhile, Johnny continued to speak.
“I’ll talk to him. Maybe I can work something out. Take a year off. I’ve been working with him for almost three years, I’m sure ...” Johnny didn’t sound sure, though, and Malachai frowned. He could compel Johnny’s boss to let him take as much time as he needed, but he got the sense that his surprisingly sentimental, sweet lover wouldn’t like that.
“It should be soon. The sooner we get there ...” Malachai let his voice trail off.
Johnny nodded, accepting it as truth, and it was. Right now, there was no real danger to flying, but that wouldn’t be the case forever. There was a reason that the dragon instinct was to find a cave and hole up for a large part of the pregnancy.
“I’ll go now.” Johnny finished clearing his plate, then put it aside and climbed out of bed. “Thanks, by the way. That was awesome.”
Malachai shook his head, amazed. Poor Johnny’s life was being torn apart. He was about to go and potentially lose his job. But he was still polite, he still thanked Malachai for doing what came naturally. He had an incredible mate, sweet and loving and considerate.
All of which made Malachai feel more guilty for uprooting him, but it was for the best. It was. He just had to remember that.
“Can I come with you?” Malachai had to fight not to have his voice sound incredibly plaintive. It didn’t feel quite right when he and Johnny weren’t together.
“I’d like that,” Johnny said, and Malachai smiled.
* * *
In the end, Malachai did end up having to lean on Johnny’s boss just a little bit. He wasn’t too obvious about it, but he made sure that there was at least some hope of Johnny being able to come back to his job. If not, Malachai was determined that he would get his mate another job just like it.
They walked out with the decision having been that they would wait and see. That was all that they could hope for, and Johnny was understandably a little bit quiet and thoughtful as they left the shop.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Malachai said softly. He meant it, too. Johnny, by carrying Malachai’s child, was giving up a lot. Malachai was very aware of that. Maybe he should have tried to get a better answer out of Steve.
“It’s done.” Johnny didn’t seem to want to talk about it, but he wrapped an arm around Malachai’s waist and pressed close to him, and Malachai respected his desire to keep to himself, though he kept their emotional connection open on his side.
When they got back to Malachai’s house, he cast a look up at the sky. Usually it was a clear, bright blue, but the clouds had rolled in, just as the weather report had promised.
“It looks like we’re leaving tonight, love.” Malachai could feel Johnny’s tiredness, and he led him carefully to a couch to rest. “Is there anything you want me to pack for you?”
Johnny shook his head and rested his head back against the couch. Malachai watched him for a second, and there hadn’t been very many times in his long life that he’d felt hopeless, but this was one of them.
“It drives me crazy when you’re upset,” he admitted, sitting down beside Johnny and taking his hand in his.
Johnny shook his head, opening his eyes to look at him.
“You say we have to go, and I can see why. That doesn’t mean I want to.”
Malachai nodded. He’d picked that up, and he sighed as he pulled Johnny’s body against him, enjoying his warmth, the way he smelled. Everything about him, really.
“What can I do to help? Do you need more food? A nap?” Malachai wasn’t used to this. He’d never really had to take care of anyone before. The link he shared with Johnny only shared emotions.
“I could nap,” Johnny admitted, and Malachai smiled. That was something, at least. He could do something to help. Without a word, he picked Johnny up in his arms and brought him to bed.
* * *
His intention honestly was to let the human sleep. Johnny didn’t, though. He was resting, maybe, but he wasn’t actually asleep, and Malachai found that he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
At first, he was only intending to rub his back a little, just to help him relax, maybe even help him drift off. He let heat and even low flames focus in his hands as he kneaded at the knots he found in his shoulders, but all of his good intentions went out the window when Johnny moaned for him.
Just like that, Malachai was hard. Even then, he held back. He focused on Johnny’s back, on giving him a nice massage, and as the human made more noises for him, he let his touch go deeper, let it become more intense.
“Malachai, more,” Johnny whispered, and Malachai could tell that the other man wasn’t anywhere close to sleep anymore. Maybe he should feel worse about that than he did, more guilty.
“Roll onto your stomach,” Malachai murmured, his voice silken. Johnny wouldn’t be able to lie on his front for very much longer, not as he got bigger with the baby.
Johnny gave him a slow, very sexy little smile, then rolled over as directed. Malachai took a second to just admire his beautiful body, his slender waist, strong shoulders, and gorgeous, round little ass, then he straddled that ass and started to really give him a deep, firm shoulder and back rub.
One thing that was endlessly fascinating about Johnny, one of many, was how sensual he was. How shameless he was about pleasure, and not just erotic pleasure, either. He threw himself with complete abandon into enjoying the back rub, and Malachai very thoroughly rubbed down to his narrow waist, then slipped off of him and to the side so that he could shift down to his lover’s strong thighs.
All the way down to his feet, worshiping every inch of Johnny’s body, Malachai rubbed and stroked and kneaded, his hands hot enough to burn a normal human but Johnny was no longer that. Not now that he was mated to a dragon.
“I can smell your arousal, love,” Malachai said suddenly, working his way back up from Johnny’s feet, trailing his fingers between the human’s thighs.
“I need you,” Johnny whispered, and as always, the rush of power, of pleasure, that was sent through Malachai was intoxicating. He knew Johnny meant it. Not only could he feel the heat of his lover’s body, smell his arousal, but he could feel it through the special bond they shared.
Malachai moved aside a little.
“Roll over,” he murmured, and his voice was deep with power and desire. Johnny did the most amazing things to him. “I need you too, my love.” He wanted to take him while they were face to face, looking at each other right in the eye.
Johnny did roll over, and Malachai smiled. He knew that Johnny was doing it because he wanted to, not because he had to, and that meant everything to him. The human’s cock was swollen and leaking precome and Malachai knew that Johnny needed him, just like he’d said.
Malachai took a few seconds to admire his mate, and then he slid on top of him, pushing Johnny’s legs apart with his own. Just like that, knowing that Johnny could take it, that Johnny needed it as much as Malachai did, he slid inside him, right to the hilt.
They kissed desperately, and Malachai felt Johnny’s arms wrap around him. He felt the human cling to him as he writhed under him, and he got to look down into that pretty face and know that he was the one who had put that look of supreme pleasure there.
As always, the sex was explosive, intense, amazing. Unlike any experience that Malachai had ever even dreamed of having, honestly, though he’d heard that the sex between fated mates was always better.
Maybe he just hadn’t believed that he’d be lucky enough to find his own mate. It wasn’t often that he could say that he was happy to be wrong, but this was one of those few times.
Rocking together, they looked into each other’s eyes. The movements on both sides were desperate and intense and almost rough sometimes, but the look in Johnny’s eyes was loving and affectionate. Malachai knew the expression was mirrored in his own eyes.
How long it was that they were linked, that Malachai was buried inside Johnny, he didn’t know. It felt like days, but it also felt like seconds. It felt perfect and fulfilling and like it could also somehow never be enough, like Malachai could never get enough of his mate.
Malachai held off only until Johnny came, and only just. He watched as the human’s face convulsed with intense pleasure, he felt the hot wash of his mate’s fluids over his body, and only then did he allow himself to fill his lover up, never looking away from his eyes.
His eyes. They were like the sea, and so easy to get lost in, to drown in. That sort of drowning, Malachai would never mind doing.
After they’d both calmed down for awhile, Malachai looked out the window. It was brooding twilight out there, and the clouds were indeed thick and dark. It was the perfect night, and who knew when there would be another?
“It’s almost time to go,” Malachai murmured, and Johnny, looking resigned, nodded.
Chapter Six
Johnny
Somehow, when Malachai had said that he and Johnny would be flying to New York, it hadn’t occurred to Johnny that Malachai would be the one flying them.
Maybe it should have. After all, he knew that his lover was a dragon. Still, Johnny had a lifetime of experience that told him that when someone talked about flying, they meant in a plane. A nice, safe, tested, airplane, neatly encased in metal.
It wasn’t like he didn’t like flying on Malachai. He did. He loved it. But it was a long way from Los Angeles to New York. A very long way.
Johnny looked at the huge draconic form of his lover and bit his lower lip uncertainly. Malachai gave him a little bit of a chuckle and shook his enormous head, clearly amu
sed.
“I won’t let you fall. Flying on me will be far safer than flying in an airplane,” he promised, and Johnny frowned. He could see how that was true, actually. Certainly if anything went wrong, Malachai could make a landing far quicker than a plane could.
Johnny sighed and nodded, surrendering to the inevitable, then climbed up onto Malachai’s back. It was even easier than it had been the first time, like he was born do to that. Born to ride a dragon. That made him smile, but a moment later, he frowned as reality kicked in again.
This was the first unexpected thing about this trip. What else would happen? He had a sense that something would, and he didn’t feel entirely comfortable.
Though to be fair, it could just be that he didn’t want to go. That could be a large part of why he was so uneasy.
Malachai had thoughtfully tied straps onto himself that were quite clever. Not only could Johnny hold onto them, if he wanted to, but they also served to tie a bag of supplies for them around the dragon’s neck.
“Sleep, if you want,” Malachai murmured, then pushed off the ground with a powerful sweep of his wings and the flexing of the muscles of his back legs. In seconds, he was airborne. “I swear that I will not let you fall.”
Johnny gasped, enjoying himself almost despite himself when he felt that takeoff. It was thrilling, there could be no doubt about that. There was really nothing like flying, and it almost made sense suddenly why Malachai would want to fly this way rather than the more usual way in a plane.
Last time they’d flown together, Malachai had stayed close to the water to avoid being seen. This time, he adopted a different approach. He flew up, up, above the clouds, and it made sense that he’d been waiting for a cloudy night.
In retrospect, Johnny really should have asked more questions before they’d gotten to this point. He’d made some incorrect assumptions.
Up where they were, Johnny could see the stars, and he watched them for a long time. After awhile, though, even that got boring, and he felt a wave of exhaustion roll over him. The baby tired him out, and he wondered if he’d ever get his energy back. That energy seemed almost like a dream now, though he’d once taken it for granted.
