Grand Redemption (D'Vaire Book 1)

by Kingley, Jessamyn

  “Why wasn’t I invited? I always go with you guys,” Ayden pouted.

  “We just decided to go. I was going to invite you, but you have plans with Brogan,” Blodwen explained.

  “Ayden, do you want to go with them?”

  “No, it’s all right, I already started making plans with you. Sort of.” Ayden’s tone was sullen, obviously he wanted to go on the shopping trip.

  “Blodwen, whose idea was it for the shopping trip?”

  “Noirin, why?”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “I think she is in Aleksander’s office, that’s where she was earlier.”

  “Thanks,” Brogan said, as he took his last bite of food and hopped off his stool. Rinsing off his dishes he placed them in the dishwasher and then did the same with Ayden’s. Walking back around the counter he held out his hand to his mate.

  “Come on,” he said to Ayden with a wiggle of his fingers.

  “Huh?”

  “Take my hand, baby, let’s go.” Ayden gave him a puzzled look, but he too hopped off his stool and took the proffered hand. With Ayden in tow, Brogan went to find Noirin. Brogan found her just where Blodwen had left her in Aleksander’s office. Their king was in attendance as well. Both of their eyebrows shot up when they noticed Brogan and Ayden in the doorway hand in hand.

  “Good morning, Your Highness.” Aleksander threw up his middle finger at his best friend at the mention of his title.

  “What the hell do you want, Your Grace?” he threw back his emphasis on Brogan’s own rank.

  “Nothing from you.”

  “Good, what did you do to Ayden?”

  Brogan had no clue what Aleksander was talking about, “What do you mean? He is standing right here.”

  “He is holding your hand and it appears not to be under duress.”

  “What is with everybody today? People. Standing right here,” Ayden interjected with a wave of his unoccupied hand down his torso to emphasize his point.

  “Baby, let me handle this.”

  “Brogan just ignore the bigfoot in the chair and talk to Noirin,” his mate ordered.

  “Bigfoot?”

  “Yeah, Aleksander is abnormally large.”

  “And you are abnormally small, squirt,” Aleksander added.

  “At least I don’t have to wait for it to rain to take a shower.”

  “At least I don’t need a ladder to get on the toilet.”

  “Are they always like this?” Brogan asked Noirin.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “You do realize I am barely an inch shorter than Aleksander,” Brogan said to his mate.

  “Don’t spoil my fun,” Ayden instructed and Brogan bit back a grin.

  “Right. Noirin, I understand you ladies are going shopping this afternoon. Do you mind if Ayden and I tag along?”

  “Of course not, you are more than welcome to join us.”

  “I’m not going,” Aleksander announced.

  “No one invited you, honey,” Noirin said syrupy sweet to Aleksander, who was both her cousin and her king.

  Shopping with Brogan turned out to be a lot more fun than Ayden had thought possible. The highlight of the afternoon had been Brogan telling Madeline that the shirt she wanted to buy was butt ugly. Larissa’s mate had the absolute worst taste in clothing and Brogan had been right. The top she was so thrilled with looked like a crayon box had thrown up. Ayden had to reach up and make sure his eyes weren’t bleeding after seeing it; it was that bad.

  Brogan’s fashion advice had not been the only enjoyable thing; his mate had held Ayden’s hand throughout the entire afternoon. The simple act of having his hand held by his dragon had made him feel incredible. It made Ayden feel warm and fuzzy inside, and that was something he was never, ever going to tell a living soul. It was just too damn cheesy.

  His mate seemed to enjoy his company as well, Brogan had been smiling much of the afternoon and had hung on his every word. It was going to be exceptionally difficult to convince himself that Brogan felt Ayden was lacking in anything if he continued to look so damn thrilled in his company, but it was just one afternoon. Time would tell if Brogan was still smiling, as they tried to get closer to each other.

  Tonight their family was having a movie night; Ayden was feeling good enough about his mate that he just might be willing to share his popcorn. Maybe. Tonight Ayden was determined to get a real damn kiss good night and not some lame ass peck on the head. Brogan was huge and being wrapped in those muscular arms had been perfect.

  One thing Ayden had never found fault with was his mate’s body or his gorgeous face. Those blue eyes of his were dark as night and Ayden loved having them aimed in his direction. Last night during their big talk Ayden had been thrilled to see those eyes light up with happiness when he had agreed to put their past behind them. Ayden had been enormously relieved that Brogan had suggested they move slowly; he wanted them both to be sure they were doing the right thing. There was no sense in rushing into a mate bond just because Fate had decreed they were a perfect pair. A pair of matched dragons was not enough to ensure happiness. After leaving Aleksander’s office the night before Ayden had laid in bed and realized that what he wanted now was a mate that loved him and one he loved in return. He was not going to bond with anyone until he was sure that he had what he wanted.

  Chapter 13

  A week after their agreement to take things slow, Brogan was pretty sure that Ayden was now regretting their decision. The thought made him laugh. Every day Ayden spent his morning with Blodwen and the rest of the day they spent together. Sometimes they ventured out, but most of the time they were at the house just hanging out by themselves or with other members of their family. Latarian, after kicking up such a fuss at the discovery of their matebond, had left them alone. He had not gotten to know the witch any better since his arrival in Arizona. She glared at him whenever they were in a room together and walked away when he got close enough to try and talk to her. Although Brogan would like to further his relationship with someone who would always be a part of Ayden’s life, he was focused on ensuring that he and his mate were enjoying each other’s company. Well, mostly enjoying each other. Each night Brogan walked Ayden to his room and gave him a long hug and a barely there kiss on the cheek. The night before Ayden had stomped his foot and growled as Brogan had sauntered away. His mate was obviously not happy, but Brogan was thrilled; they were having a wonderful time together and Brogan knew that he was definitely not pushing Ayden too far sexually.

  Ayden was probably not going to put up with another peck on the cheek tonight and Brogan felt himself growing hard at the thought of Ayden demanding a more thorough goodnight. Grabbing a throw pillow to cover his erection, Brogan snuck a glance at his mate. Instead of watching the movie on the television, Ayden was staring narrow-eyed at him.

  “What?” Brogan asked with a grin.

  “I didn’t say anything,” his mate returned.

  “You are staring at me.”

  “So?”

  “Got a problem?”

  “Yeah, you,” Ayden shot back.

  Brogan was enjoying their silly banter, “Me? What did I do?”

  “Why do you keep giving me those stupid kisses?”

  “I can stop if you like.”

  “What I’d like is a real kiss.”

  “I have been giving you real kisses.” Brogan loved the fact that his mate was getting irritated, Ayden’s temper totally turned him on. If he couldn’t enjoy Ayden between the sheets, at least he got the pleasure of watching him get all riled up.

  “No, I am talking about kisses on the mouth.”

  “Okay, the movie is just about over anyway. You ready to go to your room?” Ayden popped right off the couch at Brogan’s question, so Brogan knew his mate was on board with the plan.

  “Yeah.” Brogan shut off the TV and grasped his mate’s outstretched hand, and they walked hand in hand to Ayden’s door. Letting go of Ayden’s hand, Brogan wrapped his mate into
his arms and held him close. He loved the feeling of Ayden’s tight body against his, he smelled like every scent Brogan had ever loved and Ayden returned his embrace in a way that assured him that he was enjoying it as much as Brogan did. Perfectly happy giving Ayden whatever time he needed to decide if their mating would work, Brogan needed no further convincing that the familiar was his. Leaning down Brogan pressed his mouth softly to Ayden’s before ending their embrace. He turned to head towards his own room when a hand on his arm stopped his forward progress.

  “Where the hell do you think you are going?” Ayden demanded.

  “My room.”

  “Oh hell no, you promised me a real kiss.”

  “I gave you a real kiss,” Brogan said and nearly lost it. His familiar was pissed off, and Brogan wanted to laugh right in his furious face.

  “Stop fucking smiling and kiss me,” Ayden demanded and this time Brogan did laugh before laying his lips on Ayden’s again briefly.

  Ayden issued another order as soon as the kiss was over, “Damn it, use your tongue.” Brogan laughed again and pulled Ayden back into his arms. Then he licked his face.

  His mate was seriously getting annoyed. “Gross! I meant put your tongue in my mouth.”

  Doing as he was told, Brogan stuck his tongue out and thrust it into Ayden’s mouth. After a few seconds of Brogan just standing there with his tongue sitting idly in his mate’s mouth, Ayden smacked him on the chest and pulled his mouth away.

  “Let go of me so I can set you on fire,” Ayden ordered with a murderous glare.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he explained to Ayden with a chuckle.

  “Maturity, Brogan. It’s not just for humans.” Not bothering to respond to his mate’s jab, Brogan stooped down and kissed him again. This time his tongue slid gracefully against Ayden’s and they were both finally getting the real kiss they wanted. Ayden titled his head slightly, and Brogan took full advantage and deepened their kiss.

  Brogan slid his hand down to caress the plump curve of his mate’s perfect ass, and Ayden moaned. If they weren’t in the hallway, Brogan would be trying to coax many more of those sounds from his mate, which was why it was the perfect location for the slow seduction Ayden deserved. Remembering why it was so important that they not get carried away, Brogan slid his hand from Ayden’s ass up to his back and, with one last lick to Ayden’s full bottom lip, he ended their kiss and raised his head. Ayden was staring at him with eyes as dark blue as his own, and his dick was hard against Brogan’s thigh. Brogan’s own cock was poking his little familiar in the belly. With a sigh, Brogan extricated himself from Ayden’s embrace and gave his mate a whispered goodnight, before heading to his room to jerk off. Again. At this moment, going slow really sucked.

  It was amazing how one kiss from your mate could affect one’s mood, but Ayden felt positively giddy today. His dragon better not go back to those little pecks again, or Ayden was going to do something truly evil to him. An itchy rash on his ass would work. Or maybe golf-ball sized hemorrhoids. No, Ayden would cover Brogan head to toe with oozing sores. Wait. That would be pretty nasty to look at, it might not be worth throwing up just to punish his mate.

  “You have a very devious smile on your face, what kind of evil are you plotting?” Brogan asked, as he took a seat next to where Ayden sat on the couch. It was early afternoon and Ayden was pretending to watch TV while he waited for his dragon.

  “Actually I was thinking about doing something truly horrible to you if you give me another one of those peck kisses,” Ayden informed him.

  “You mean like this?” Brogan leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. It was the first time he had kissed him during the day, and Ayden was quietly thrilled. Maybe Brogan would stop making him wait until the very end of their day to get any action.

  “Exactly like that, I like tongue kisses.”

  “Duly noted, but if I promise to give you a kiss with tongue at night then I reserve the right to kiss you as many times as I want, however I want, during the day.”

  Ayden pretended to mull it over, but in reality he knew he would be a fool to turn down such an offer. The more kisses, the merrier, as far Ayden was concerned. And please let them get to more than just kissing soon, his freaking arm was sore from his nocturnal activities after his mate left him hard and leaking.

  “Fine.”

  “It’s a deal then. Now, what’s on the agenda for us this afternoon?”

  “How the hell do I know? I was too busy thinking of giant ass hemorrhoids on your ass to plan anything.”

  “That’s really sick.”

  “I know,” Ayden agreed gleefully.

  “I guess we are stuck on this couch staring at each other then.”

  “Guess so.”

  “I’m bored,” Brogan announced.

  “Me too.”

  “Wanna set Noirin on fire?” his dragon offered.

  “The woman feeds me. No.”

  “I could shift into my dragon and use my fire breath to set you on fire and then we’d be even.”

  “Only in your dreams will that ever happen. You know, you’ve asked a ton of shit about me, but I haven’t gotten the chance to question you.”

  “Well, I am very good looking, ridiculously smart, excellent in bed, and I cannot cook for shit. Me in a nutshell.”

  “You forgot humble,” Ayden could not help pointing out to his obviously very secure mate.

  “Nah, I was never very good at playing down my numerous attributes.”

  “Tell me about your parents.”

  “Okay. Well, we were not close. I grew up as a peasant. My parents worked hard, and neither one of them had found their mate, so they decided to marry and have me. They were not mean or awful, they just worked, ate, and slept. It was not an easy existence being so poor and I suppose I grew up kind of lonely. I didn’t have friends because the other dragons around my age thought I was puny and made fun of me for it.”

  Ayden found that hard to believe, his mate was massive, “You were puny?”

  “For a dragon, yes. I grew slower than the others but by my late teens my life was drastically different.”

  “How?”

  “Prince Aleksander. He was riding his horse one day and saw the kids beating the snot out of me.”

  “Why were they beating you up?”

  “They caught me kissing another boy. He was older and when they found us he told them I had forced myself on him. In reality, he initiated it, but I was not an unwilling participant. I knew I was attracted to boys, but kept it to myself because gay dragons were not welcome in our court. Aleksander broke up the fight and befriended me. I spent most of my time up at the castle from that point on, much to his father’s dismay.”

  “So you and Aleksander became best friends right from the start.”

  “Yeah. Although, and if you ever tell him this I will deny it to my last breath, I had a helluva crush on him for years. I still think it’s a shame he’s not gay,” Brogan admitted with a sigh.

  “I can understand that, he’s hot.”

  “You are not supposed to notice other men, mate.”

  “He lives here. You want me to cover my eyes when he walks in the room?”

  “No, but I must find you a blindfold.”

  Clearly his mate was insane. “You need to be medicated.”

  “So says the person who wants to give me giant hemorrhoids and has already set me on fire.”

  “We can share a padded room,” Ayden returned.

  “Deal. So, what else do you want to know about me?”

  “Um. I know you like to travel. Are you planning any trips in the future?” It would suck if he did, Ayden had to be in close proximity to his witch, and he doubted Latarian would be willing to hop around the globe.

  “Ayden, I began traveling because I couldn’t stay here any longer, I was lonely even around the people I loved and I wanted to find my mate. I thought if I went out in the world I might find him. If I travel again, it will be because
the two of us decide there is someplace we want to see. If you want to stay here I will be just as happy, I’ve seen more than my fair share of the world.”

  “I didn’t realize you actually wanted to find your mate.”

  Brogan sounded perplexed by Ayden’s statement, “Why wouldn’t I? I think that is what most shifters and magickind want, to find their other half.”

  “Well, keeping boyfriends isn’t exactly conducive to bumping into your mate.” Just look at what it had done for us, Ayden thought wryly.

  “Figured that out when I found you, but I didn’t really have boyfriends. I did use that word to describe Paul, but a more accurate one would be lover. I had lovers. Boyfriend implies that I was emotionally connected, I wasn’t,” Brogan confessed.

  “You just wanted to get laid then.”

  “Yes and so did the men I was with, I led no one on. Most of my lovers were one-time deals, the only man who will ever have my heart is my mate.”

  “I kind of get it, I just never got horny before I met you, so it was different for me. It’s just difficult to think of my mate being with anyone else,” Ayden said with a frown.

  “I understand, I would feel the same if you had been with someone before we met. Are you still upset about Paul?”

  “No, I might still be bothered if you had slept with him, but I have forgiven you for not being honest with me from the start.” It was the truth; Ayden did not even think about Paul anymore.

  “I’m glad; I don’t want you to have any hurt feelings about Paul. He meant nothing to me.”

  “Before you met me, did you ever try and imagine what your mate would be like?”

  “Sometimes. I’m shallow, so I wanted him to be good looking. I like to laugh, so I hoped he would have a good sense of humor. I dreamed of someone who would love my family because I will never give them up. I consider myself very lucky because I got a mate who has everything on my shopping list. How about you?”

  “I had a dead mate, and I didn’t even know if it was a male or female, but I did hope they were tall. That is Latarian’s fault for giving me so much shit for being short.”

  “I like your height; you fit just right in my arms.”