The Dragon Lord's Omega

by E. J. Waugh

  This could backfire on him. He had never been well-liked, too independent, too clever for the rest of them. They’d never been able to see what Torv was doing, and Elston had never dared to say it in as many words before. All he could hope now was that their sense of pride would override their dislike of him.

  Or if not, that their fear would rule them if Elston had to slit Torv’s throat.

  “They won’t defend you, little omega,” Torv said. “They’re too stupid and frightened to listen to a word you have to say.”

  Judging by the look on his face, he realized his mistake immediately. In his disdain for Elston, he’d forgotten that others could still hear him.

  “Won’t we.” An older alpha, one who’d given a daughter to Torv only to have her rejected, stepped forward. “Won’t we?”

  Others began to move closer. Relief washed over Elston. Even if he only managed to start a fight, he could slip away in the chaos and escape with Jaren before anyone could come for them.

  Just then, the rustling of bushes behind him grabbed Elston’s attention. He kept his sword raised, but glanced in the direction of the sound.

  A moment later, Alina came crashing into the clearing, dagger in hand and panting harshly. “Elston,” she said, heaving for breath. “He’s dying.”

  Elston dropped the sword. He turned and ran so quickly that he had no idea what would become of Torv, and for the moment, it didn’t matter. If Jaren died as a result of what he’d done, Elston would kill Torv without remorse, if it was the last thing he did.

  Though they’d walked for hours, a party of twenty-odd people was slow, and an omega spurred on by the impending death of his mate was much, much faster. He cleared the castle gates before sundown, and skidded to a halt in front of Jaren’s hulking form.

  His breathing was shallow, and his skin cooler than usual. When Elston touched him, he didn’t react.

  This was it. His mate was dying, and he’d be all alone in the world.

  For lack of any other idea, Elston curled up next to Jaren’s body, put his arms around his neck, and began to sob. He felt as though his heart had been torn from his chest, having arrived too late to even say goodbye.

  He would never forgive this, and he would never forget it. No revenge would be enough for destroying this beautiful creature. Jaren was the only person worthy of the title of alpha Elston had ever met, and he wouldn’t even get the chance to see his own child.

  “I’m so sorry.” Elston sniffed, rubbing his cheek against Jaren’s. The hope that he might hear, even if he couldn’t respond, was enough to keep him talking. “I wanted so much longer with you. I promise our baby will be so loved, and they’ll know everything about you. I won’t let you be forgotten.”

  Tears continued to roll down Elston’s cheeks. He kept his face pressed to Jaren’s, not willing to leave him until he’d turned completely. The weather was still cold, but he was dressed warmly enough to stay in it, especially after running as hard as he had.

  As the sun set, Jaren’s body grew colder and colder, until he seemed to have lost all the heat he’d ever held.

  Alina returned, though Elston could barely make her out in the dark night. The moon was nearly full, but not quite.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, putting a hand on Elston’s back. “He was a good man.”

  Elston’s sobbing began anew at Alina’s touch, and his grip on Jaren only grew tighter. He knew Alina would tell him to come inside, for the baby’s sake if not his own, but he couldn’t do it. Right now, he wanted to die next to Jaren and turn to stone as well.

  “Elston,” she said. Elston ignored her firmly, not wanting to hear what he knew he was about to.

  “Elston, he moved.”

  That was not what he’d expected to hear at all. Elston looked up to see what Alina was talking about, and watched Jaren’s form rise and fall. He’d stopped breathing several minutes ago. Or at least, Elston thought he had.

  To Elston’s surprise, Jaren’s form began to move under him. It twisted and writhed, and Jaren thought that, perhaps, this was the last part of the process, but then it began to shrink down into the more familiar, human shape of his mate, and a tiny spark of hope caught in Elston’s chest.

  He rushed to check if Jaren was breathing, and found that he was. He was cold—too cold—and the breathing was shallow and labored, but he was alive.

  “Help me get him inside,” Elston instructed Alina, and between the two of them, the managed to heave Jaren’s body onto both of their shoulders and drag him indoors, to lay down in front of the fire.

  Elston had blankets brought to them as he curled up next to Jaren, kissing his face and murmuring that he loved him and he had to fight to come back, shoving Jaren’s hand under his tunic to rest on his belly, where their baby was still growing.

  After long, tense hours that stretched well into the night, Jaren’s breathing began to even out, and the warmth Elston had been forcing into him began to stick again. He was recovering, though slowly.

  It didn’t matter to Elston how slowly he recovered, as long as he hadn’t lost his mate. He’d lie here with him for days, weeks if that was what it took to bring him back to full strength. Jaren had done everything to take care of him, and now it was his turn to take care of Jaren.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jaren woke to Elston wrapped around his body, and sunlight streaming onto the bed—which meant that either this was not his bed, or the bed had been moved.

  The last thing he remembered was dying, and for a horrible moment he wondered if he was dead, and Elston had died as well. He would not have wanted to be responsible for such a bright life to be cut so short, regardless of getting to see him again.

  Before he could question his situation further, Elston stirred, his eyes fluttering open in front of Jaren’s face.

  “You’re awake,” Elston said, his voice thick with emotion. “I was so scared you’d never wake up.”

  All at once, Jaren felt the deep ache in his entire body, and gasped as he became aware of the pain. Elston held him tighter, clinging as though his life depended on it. Perhaps it did.

  The pain didn’t quite subside, but it did become bearable after a few moments, and Jaren could finally get himself to speak. “How long was I asleep?”

  “This is the third day.” Elston moved his hand to cup Jaren’s face. “I love you. I need you to know that.”

  “I do know that,” Jaren said softly. “That’s what broke my heart.”

  He took a moment to consider the situation he was in, and was overwhelmed as he realized what Elston had managed to do. “You brought me back, my love. Back from death itself.”

  Elston laughed, though there were tears in his eyes. If Jaren was in pain, then he must have been in agony, not knowing whether or not he might ever wake.

  “They haven’t come back,” Elston said. “They turned on Torv. Alina watched them take him away at sword point. I think she helped, but I don’t think she’ll ever say so.”

  Jaren breathed a sigh of relief, and some of the pain subsided.

  “I couldn’t have lived without you,” Elston confessed softly. “Not even for the baby. You’re the only person who’s ever been kind to me. I wouldn’t have survived the loss of that.”

  “I just wanted you to live. I imagined that someday you could still be happy, as long as they didn’t kill you,” Jaren said. Though he trusted in the reality of Elston’s love, he wasn’t sure how deep mating really went in humans. He was beginning to realize that true mating, mating out of love and with complete and pure intentions, was a much stronger bond for them than he would have credited.

  He was extremely lucky that was true, or he would have been a very large statue now.

  Elston kissed him softly, his tears dotting Jaren’s cheeks as he snuggled closer still. “I’m happy now. We’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

  “My recovery will be slow,” Jaren warned. He could tell from his own state, and the fact that he already wante
d to be asleep again, that he would not bounce back from this as quickly as he might like. Waking up was only the start of it.

  “And I will take care of you for every moment of it. No matter how long it takes,” Elston promised. “You don’t always have to be the strong one.”

  “I think we’ve well and truly proven that by comparison to you, I am not the strong one at all. They are right to fear you, Elston, though they should have treated you with reverence.”

  “As long as I never see them again, I don’t care what they think of me.” Elston wrapped his arm around Jaren’s waist, letting the soft swell of his belly press against him. “I only care about what you think.”

  “I think…” Jaren smiled slowly as he thought of what he was going to say next. “I think you would have made a very formidable dragon, and I could not have asked for a more perfect mate.”

  Elston laughed, and Jaren felt another part of his heart mend. He’d been loved back to life, and now he’d be loved back to health, as well.

  “You’re beautiful, as a dragon,” Elston said. “Not that you’re not beautiful as a human. I’d just like to see your other form more often.”

  “Then when I’ve recovered, you shall.” Jaren, no longer capable of keeping his eyes open, let them fall closed. “Please keep talking to me, but I am going to fall asleep again.”

  “I don’t mind if you sleep, as long as you wake again. I’ll have some food brought up for next time, in case you’re hungry. I had the bed moved so the sunlight would shine on you in the hopes that it might help, but we can move it back now if you like.”

  Jaren smiled at having an explanation for the bed having been moved, and then heard no more, as he’d fallen back into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jaren’s recovery was slow, as he had predicted. Two weeks passed before he was strong enough to get out of bed, and a month before he was strong enough to do it every day. It pained Elston to watch him struggle, but he didn’t begrudge Jaren any of the support he needed, and felt closer to him for it.

  It wasn’t a sad time for either of them. They had cheated death to be together, and Jaren’s spirits never flagged, even when he found himself apologizing for needing so much rest. He was grateful for the state of things, and so was Elston.

  Besides, with the baby still growing inside him, Elston often found himself in need of rest, too. He had hoped to spend the warmer months strolling through the forest with his mate, enjoying the peace and the new life springing up around them in preparation for their own new life, but they would have plenty of time for that later.

  Having Jaren near-constantly available for cuddles that Elston knew weren’t keeping him from doing something else was, as far as Elston was concerned, a fair trade. Having him at all was, so he considered that the cuddles were an extra benefit.

  The only downside was that Jaren’s lack of energy also meant a lack of sex. Not that Elston blamed him at all, nor was he upset by it, but it was something he missed.

  Six months into his pregnancy, Elston’s resolve to wait until Jaren was recovered to even think about it again broke. He allowed himself to sink into a fantasy of Jaren being completely well again, and reached down to touch himself. It was a pale imitation of the care, attention, and skill Jaren had shown him in the past, but he needed the release desperately, and it would have to do.

  He was just getting to the good part—the particular way Jaren’s kisses changed when he was about to enter Elston, becoming harder and needier—when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

  Elston turned to face Jaren, blushing darkly at having been caught. He should have had the sense to leave the room, but he still wasn’t ready to be more than a few yards away from the other man unless absolutely necessary.

  “I’m sorry,” Elston said. “I wanted to wait until you were recovered.”

  “Don’t be sorry.” Jaren reached out to tuck a strand of Elston’s hair behind his ear. “I may not be well enough to be the alpha you deserve right now, but I am well enough to help you, if you like. Or well enough to watch.” He smiled slowly.

  “You’re more than the alpha I deserve.” Elston rolled over to face Jaren, taking Jaren’s hand and placing it reflexively on the swell of his belly. “I don’t blame you for a moment.”

  “Then let me help,” Jaren purred, moving his hand down between Elston’s legs. Jaren’s hand was so much bigger than his own that the contrast was immediate, even as he brushed past Elston’s crotch to push his fingers inside, which was a feat too awkward for Elston between his pregnancy and the reach of his arms. Though his cock was larger, Jaren’s fingers were thick enough to be satisfying.

  Elston hooked one leg over Jaren’s hip, to better open himself up and so he could rock against Jaren’s belly as he filled him. This was much better than trying to take care of himself, and Elston took the opportunity to breathe in Jaren’s scent deeply. He’d clamped down on his desire for his mate for a long time, not wanting to make Jaren feel pressured or as though Elston was anything less than thrilled to have him still breathing, but now he allowed himself to indulge all his needs at once as his orgasm built.

  He captured Jaren’s lips with his own, kissing forcefully as he rocked against him, hard and fast, his pace barely enough for the urgency he felt in needing his mate. Jaren pushed another finger inside him, stretching him further, and within moments that was enough to release all of the built up tension in Elston’s body. His orgasm rolled through him for what felt like hours, Jaren helping him draw it out by touching all the right places, places they’d discovered together.

  While Elston hadn’t realized his soul had still been unsettled by Jaren’s near-death experience, he felt a renewed, more comfortable peace come over him as he came down. He still had his mate, in every way. Everything was going to be all right.

  Elston took a few moments to catch his breath, then kissed Jaren more softly than before.

  “Do you need…?” He glanced down Jaren’s body, but couldn’t see what he was looking for over his own stomach.

  “I wish I did, but no.” Jaren pulled the blankets up over both of them. “Soon, though. I promise.”

  “I don’t need you to promise. I love you exactly as you are. I just want you to be well.”

  “And you’ve done everything within your power to make that happen.” Jaren wrapped his arm around Elston, pulling him close with some of his former strength. “I feel much better knowing that I can still be a mate to you. And that you still want me to be.”

  “I just didn’t want you to feel as though that was the only thing that was important to me. I never stopped wanting you. It’s been torture,” Elston admitted, blushing again. Jaren had always encouraged his sexual appetite, but he was still recovering from a lifetime of hearing that omegas weren’t supposed to have one.

  “You know, I don’t even feel as though I need to sleep immediately.” Jaren sighed, squeezing Elston gently. “My mind feels clearer already.”

  “Mine, too.” Elston snuggled close to Jaren, relieved that he hadn’t exhausted him and perhaps limited the precious few hours of Jaren’s waking time for the day.

  “I think I’d like to go for a walk with you today. If you’ll have me,” Jaren said.

  “I would have no one else.” Elston smiled against Jaren’s neck, finally feeling that everything was, truly, going to work out in the end.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hours before it actually happened, Jaren knew Elston was about to go into labor. He thought, for the sake of saving him some stress, it was better not to say anything. He’d find out soon enough, and there was no use in both of them worrying about it beforehand.

  He was grateful that he felt back to full strength by now, because he suspected he’d need it. While he’d thought little of the birth or any complications therein before now, the fact that it was about to become reality forced him to wonder if Elston would be all right. Jaren had no way of knowing how a human omega would cope with a dragon bi
rth—they weren’t unheard of, but other than that hybrids existed, Jaren knew very little about the process.

  Though he’d watched Elston intently all day, it was the moment he looked away that he heard his mate cry out, and spun around to see him doubled over in pain. To his relief, panic cleared from his mind, and his natural crisis management abilities came to the fore instead. He approached Elston and put one hand on each shoulder, hoping the action would be grounding.

  “Can you walk, or should I carry you?” He asked. Elston was still treating him as though he was made of glass, so it might have been better to simply pick him up without asking, but he was bound to be under enough stress without the surprise of being swept off his feet unwarned.

  “I can walk.” Elston took a few deep breaths. “I was wondering why I’ve been worried all day. I guess I know now.”

  Jaren pulled Elston into a hug and kissed his forehead. “You’re going to be fine. You have the combined knowledge of every omega in the household at your disposal, and you are the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

  Elston laughed, though the way his voice wavered gave away his nervousness. “You sound more worried than I am.”

  “What if you lose interest in me once you have a baby to love?” Jaren said. He’d intended to joke, but he realized as he said it that he was giving voice to a very real fear he held. Though now that he had said it, it sounded ridiculous.

  Elston’s face fell. “You don’t really think that would happen, do you?” He reached up to cup Jaren’s cheek.

  “I think I’ve mentioned before that dragons have a jealousy problem.” Jaren rested his hand on Elston’s belly gingerly, not wanting to cause him any pain, though he knew that wasn’t quite how it worked.

  Instead of saying anything else, or even laughing at him as he should rightly have done, Elston curled his hand around the back of Jaren’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Jaren appreciated the comfort, but felt guilty for needing Elston to reassure him when he should have been busy reassuring Elston.