As we come in for a landing we decide to skip right over the landing the pad. Considering the fact that we shredded our clothes it would be better to shift near the source of them. We land gently in the space behind my cabin. My dragon immediately release control as he retreats to the back of my mind. The pain that we feel at the moment is unbearable and he hasn't been able to say a word to me.
I rush through the trees as I listen for movement. When I reach for the door I pause with a curse as I inhale. Maybe taking a flight for the entire day wasn't such a smart idea. I was so distracted with thoughts of our mate during the flight that I forgot that I needed to make arrangements for somewhere else to stay. I crack the door open and sniff the air for her scent. Her scents hits me but it smells faded as if she has been gone a while.
Not wanting to interrupt her if she were to come back I hurry and make my way to my room. I have the thought to shower before changing but decide that that would take too much time. I should have called my mom this morning. Besides the text that I sent her the other night about finding my mate I haven't been communicating.
She just wanted to meet the woman that I am destined to so bad and I didn't know how to tell her that my mate practically rejected me as soon as she found out about me. I know that she would want to comfort me because I know how long she has waited. I just couldn't handle that at the moment. I pretty much have no choice but to tell her now because I am going to need to crash in their spare room for a while.
We are building more cabins on our land but as far as I know the progress of them wouldn't be complete for a few more days. I put on a robe quickly as I gather a few others. I place them in the bag I found at the back of my closet. Moving to the bathroom I also grab my toiletries before rushing out the front door. I check the time and nod to myself when I see that I am not late. If it is one thing my mother hates it would be serving cold food.
"Come on buddy. Mom is making her fried chicken. You know how much you love it" I say trying to coax my dragon to come back out. The way that things have been so quiet today is seriously starting to bother me. It really isn't like my dragon to not say anything for this long.
You can enjoy the fried chicken by yourself. It would also please me if you were to stop choosing everything that we do.
He says and then promptly gives me his tail. What the heck? I shake my head at the beast because I have no idea why he is even upset. I haven't done anything wrong. "I do not choose everything that we do. You make it sound as if we never do anything you want to do. We just went for a flight and I let you hunt" I tell him back.
No you always make stupid plans and go through with them. You are ruining our life by trying to plan everything out. You have even ruined our chance with our mate because of your stupid plans.
"Hey, that's not fair. I never meant to ruin anything with her. I was just trying to make sure that things worked between us. I didn't see you coming up with any big ideas" I yell at him.
I tried to warn you not to use our powers on her but you didn't even listen to me. I told you to not to try to trick her into letting us touch her but you did. You are the reason that we are in this mess. Now stop talking to me before I decide to just take over and leave you out of the fried chicken.
Well, the little jerk. He knows exactly how much we both love moms fried chicken. We are still a few cabins away and I can already smell it in the air. "That's harsh dragon. I don't even know why you are so angry in the first place. I was just trying to get you to come out to talk. You didn't have to be an ass about it" I grunt at him.
As soon as I walk through the door I call out to my mom. "Hey, mom. I sure hope things are ready. My dragon is threatening to shut me out and not let me have any" I say with a chuckle as I walk in.
Mate
My feet rush through the doorway as I catch her scent and follow it to the living room. I feel my eyes shift as I look at her after not seeing her the majority of the day. A small purr leaves my chest as I see her rosy cheeks and bright gaze. She looks amazing standing there. However, I start to wonder immediately what the heck she is doing in my parents' house.
Who cares? She is here and that is all that matters.
"Hi" I say with a wave. My palms start to grow sweaty as I get nervous at seeing her here. I hadn't planned on introducing her to my parents so soon because of how everything is going between us.
"Hi" She says awkwardly as she stares at me. I run a hand through my hair knowing that it must look a mess. I just took a flight for a few hours and came straight here. I suddenly feel as if I should have showered before coming her.
"Sorry, son. It's not quite ready yet. You can go ahead and get yourself settled. By the time you set the table too, I should have everything ready." She says with her voice getting close as she speaks. "This here is my new friend Tika. I have invited her to stay for dinner since I didn't think that you and your father would mind" she says as she walks into the room.
I can hear everything that she is telling me but for some reason I can't get my feet to move. The only thing that I can do is stair at my mate as I fidget. My skin feels itchy and foreign and I have this insane urge to hold her. I want to squeeze her against me until there is nothing left between us. I want to feel all of her on all of me. I don't even need a mirror to let me know that my eyes are glowing. Her cheeks blush under my gaze and I smile at her reaction.
Just as I take a step toward her my mother is right in front of me and my gaze is taken off of my mate. My heart is beating fast in my chest and I have to stop myself from growling. She must see the look on my face because she puts a hand on her hips. I find myself tensing because I just know that she only does this when she wants to scold me.
"Young man. First you are supposed to greet your mother" I chuckle as I lean down to kiss the cheek she offered. She smiles once the action is complete. "Two, you need to freshen up because we have a guest. One whom you have not introduced yourself to should I add. Now hop to it. Time is wasting away and you know how I feel about cold food" she says as she looks at me pointedly.
My cheeks flare red at the way she talks to me in front of my mate. When I lift my gaze once more to Tika's I still feel that same pool that wants me to go to her. I'm shocked to see the anger on her face however as she watches our exchange. I cock my head at her wanting to know why she looks that way when the expression is gone a split second later.
"Yes ma'am" I say to my mother as I move around her. I walk to the stairs in a rush as I try to figure out what just happened. Why would watching me with my mother make her angry. Maybe she is just always angry. As I hit the landing at the top of the stairs I hear my mother ask her to go and gather some flowers from the garden to place in the vase on the table. In the bathroom I rush through my shower quickly. When I step out I feel so much better. There is just something about getting clean or making things clean that feels so right.
It's because you are crazy. Something that is messy can still be orderly. If life were full of perfections then nothing would ever go wrong. If things never went wrong then others could never learn from their mistakes.
"Oh so now you want to talk to me" I snark back at him as I comb my hair in the mirror. The cool air in the bathroom feels great as I let myself air dry.
Yes, so listen up because I know something that you don't know
I roll my eyes at his obvious talking. Dragons and their games. One of these days they are going to get him into trouble. "Yeah, and what's that?" I still ask. Even though he annoyed me earlier with his threat, I am just happy that he is speaking to me.
Before I tell you, I want you to promise that you will listen to me on this. None of your little plans or bright ideas. And you should know that if you decide not to agree then things can get deadly for you and our mate.
"Okay, with the dramatics. Fine I agree that I will listen to you on this" I tell him half-heartedly. He must figure this out because he decides to hold his tongue.
"Oh, you're serious. Fine Ceron. I promise that I will listen to you on this" I say sincerely.
Do you remember what happened when Magma went for a flight after her and Igneous created the bond? What about when Maximus took Emily back to her camp?
"Get to the point please" I tell him as I put my hair in a bun. I remember the details on both of those occasions to the detail. Magma's powers were uncontrollable because he had somehow taken her fire. Without him she was unable to keep herself warm and ended up almost freezing to death. During the break of Maximus and his mate he somehow lost his abilities. For someone who could be everywhere in the blink of an eye, he was unable to go anywhere.
During their time apart their mates experience their opposites. Magma got cold and Maximus went from everywhere to nowhere. What is the opposite of love?
The answer to the question hits me immediately and I am suddenly rushing to get dressed. That would explain the answer to the question of why she looked angry at the exchange between me and my mother. It also would explain why my dragon felt the need to be mean to me when we were on the way here. We have been apart too long.
We need contact with her. I know that she doesn't want it and that I was against it earlier. Now I am telling you to find ways to touch her. Hate can be even more powerful than love.
"You know this shouldn't be possible. We haven't even kissed yet when the other couples did" I remind him as I take the stairs down in twos.
I keep telling you that we are special. We are an alpha. I would imagine that the rules are going to be different for us.
When I reach the landing I cut right to the dining room. She is just walking into the room with a bunch of flowers that she got from the garden. I smile when I see which ones she has grabbed. They actually shouldn't even exist since they are a myth from a game but the dragons that grow the food here have made a lot of things that I have never seen.
"Interesting choice. May I?" I ask her as I gesture to the flower. She hands them to me willingly as she looks at me. "They are magnificent, are they not?" I ask her as hold them.
"I've never seen anything like them" she says gently. She eyes the flowers as if they hold some secret message she wants to decipher. I try to look at it through her eyes. The reddish pink petals of the flower are far from soft. The texture of them is closer to a leaf than a petal. The tips of the petals are jagged as if spike and are a bright yellow.
"They call it a sanguine rose. They are a flower that exist nowhere else in the world because they are made by dragons. In a video game called Skyrim they were used as a signal of aid for a time in the game. For us dragons we have interpreted them as a call for help. Another way to need aid if you will" I tell her as I move closer. Removing just one from the long entangled stems I hand it to her. "The best part is that they themselves need a little aid before they can show their true beauty."
Talking is not touching.
"What do you mean? Isn't it already perfect" She says as she looks at. One would thing that because the bulb itself is three different colors it would be perfect. She has yet to see if opened yet, however.
"Yes, it can be perfect in this simple form. Over time I have however learned that sometimes things are better with heat" I tell her with a wry grin. Stepping close to her so that the tips of our feet nearly touch I hold her gaze. As I lean toward the flower in her hand I place my hand on her hip. My dragons heats our chest a little preparing to change the flower as she softens underneath my hand.
With the smallest exhale I can manage I breath a flicker of flame onto the flower and watch her eyes widen as it opens. He eyes sparkle in amazement as she gets her first look at the spiky petals. "That's amazing. What did you do?" she ask as she meets my gaze while bringing the flower to her hand.
She touches the petals hesitantly. I don't feel the need to stop her as she doesn't because I'm ow that the petals are cool. Dragon breath causes them to almost like frost as soon as they are opened. They will go back to a normal temperature shortly.
"I heated it. I used the warmth of my mouth to heat it from the inside out. It made the inside get nice and moist. The true beauty of the heat however are the petals. Now that they are open the spikes make it so it can handle anything I do to it" I whisper to her.
Damn
I swear when I started describing that flower that I was describing it. However, standing so close to her as I breathe in her scent has me on edge. The warmth of my hand on her body and the tingles I feel make me want something I've never had. Her eyes are wide at my description and I can tell that we both know I'm no longer talking about the flower. Well not the one she's holding at least. A purr leaves my lips as the scent of her gets stronger in the air. My gaze flies to her lips and I immediately want to place mine on hers.
We can figure out how to taste her together
"Honey, I'm home" My dad yells as he comes through the door disrupting the moment. She jerks away from me quickly as if we were doing something wrong. I take a few deep breaths as I try to get myself together. After a few moments when the effect she has on my body doesn't calm I decide that its best to take my seat.
She walks forward when my dad enters the dining room and offers him a hand. "Hello sir, my name is Tika. I hope that it's okay that your wife allowed me to stay for dinner" She says in rush. His jolly chuckle fills the air as he takes her hand. I have to stop a growl of possession from leaving my mouth as they touch. Even though it irks me to see, I know that he loves my mother. For some reason, my shoulders relax when he smiles at her. I was so afraid that my parents would have some other reaction to her when they met her.
My mom comes into the dining room with the last dish of food and places it on the table before kissing my father. Over the years I have learned to just deal with their affection. As a child I used to find it gross and annoying but as a man I can see the appeal. I look over to Tika to find her staring at them angrily. Her teeth are clenched and her hand grips the table. Hoping to stop a reaction I rise from my seat and lay a hand on her lower back.
She instantly relaxes as I guide her into a seat. "Oh dear, we should allow her to sit on the other side" my mother says as she gives me a pointed look. I stare at her in confusion for a moment before she mouths something at me. My eyes widen when I realize she said, 'your mate' and I instantly lead Tika to the other chair. With the way that things are going right now I would rather not have my parents know that she is my mate. It just might be good to get an honest reaction from them.
This isn't a good idea Xander. We should tell them that she is our mate.
"Mom will understand why we chose not to disclose it. I just want to see how they react to her" I tell him as I bow my head to say grace. I peek an eye open to see how she is doing. Her hands are in the prayer pose but she has a frown on her face as she looks around the table. I have no idea if she has found something else to feel negative about.
It doesn't help that this table is so large. How are we supposed to stop her hatred if we cannot touch her from this distance.
Shit. The pesky beast is right. As mom starts to make plates I try to come up with an idea to how I can touch her without my mom asking to many questions. Nothing comes to mind and I start to get worried at how the evening would go.
"So, why don't you tell us more about yourself dear. Are you from California" My mother ask her politely.
"Yes, I have lived here all of my life. I used to reside upstate in San Francisco" She says evenly as she eats the food. Her eyes widen when she bites into my mom's fried chicken. She looks at my mother in wonder before chewing hurriedly. "This is absolutely amazing" she says and then starts to eat more. I smirk inwardly knowing that my mate like my favorite food. The thought brings me so much joy.
"Thank you dear. It happens to be my son's favorite food" she says softly as she smiles at me. My mouth is full so I can only nod in her direction.
"Oh, you have more than one?" My mate ask my mother.
"Oh no dear. I just count him as two because of his two sides. There dragon is their own person you know" she says nonchalant. I roll my eyes at her as she chuckles. She has always used this as an inside joke to make sure my dragon feels appreciated. He gloats in my head as he makes his scales shine at her words.
"Wait, you two aren't dragons?" she ask as she looks at my mother and father. They laugh heartily at her question and my father clears his throat.
"Nope, we are just as human as you. It is helpful to know that all dragons are the same age. Each one that you see will be about your age since they all hatched on the same day" he says to her. "We actually just had the first dragon children be born a few weeks ago."
My mate looks at him in confusion and I can feel the wheels turning in her mind. "There are a number of humans here. The government decided that we would need help when we were placed here. They sent humans who specialized in different things so that we could grow to be our own society. They wanted us fully functioning so that we would no longer need their aid" I tell her honestly.
"So, why didn't you guys just become dragons like Emily?" she says. My fork clatter to the plate as I wonder what she is talking about. Leaning forward on to my elbows I cock my head in her direction. "She had dragon eyes when I saw her today. Maximus had to calm her because I think the baby was coming" she says awkwardly as we all look at her.
My eyes glaze over as I open a mind link to Maximus. I can hear my mate talking but I can't seem to focus on anything else right now. "Hey Maximus. You and Em okay?"
"Yeah, we are doing just fine. The egg is here safe and sound. I do need to be excused from my duties for a bit though. Her dragon refuses to let me leave the nest" he says with a chuckle.
"So my mate was right. Emily did indeed get a dragon. You got time to brief me now or would you like to wait" I ask him.
"I'm just sitting here right now. She keeps pawing me but I can't say that I mind. Any way she was hearing a voice for a few days and thought she was going crazy. Martell commanded her dragon Nikola to come forth and she did. I will have to mark her before our egg hatches. My dragon says that I will know the right time."
"Well, I would say that congratulation are in order brother. Let me know as soon as the babe is here. My mom has already gotten he or she a few things" I remind him.
"Great, but I got to go. She doesn't like my split attention. Bye" and he closes off the link.
"Well she did indeed get a dragon. Seems like our mates change with us over time. It could still be different though. All of these bonds seem to be different" I say as I come back to the table.
"It looks like that will be something for you to look forward to with your mate" My mother says as she gushes in Tika's direction. The expression that passes her face could only be seen as lethal
"Who's to say that I even want a mate. Not everyone needs love to go about their daily life" she says a bit tense as she stabs one of the vegetables on her plate.
Quick touch her with your foot
"I am not playing footsies with her under the table like I'm some sort of horny teenager" I say quickly. I do end up slipping my sandal off of my foot to be prepared if it really comes to that.
"Oh, sorry about that dear. I wasn't trying to say that you needed your mate. I am a firm believer that a woman can do anything that they want without a man. Even if they think that we are dense sometimes" my mother answers. Something in her words must satisfy my mate because I watch her relax. A heavy breath leaves my chest as I look at my father. He is frowning for some reason as he looks at her. The air grows thick with tension and I try to fill the silence.
"Well, other than obvious things the visits of the other humans are going well. I have received a report as of this morning that two people have found mates in the Pegasus clan. Maverick their leader was one of them" I state a bit too loud. I sigh with relief when all eyes turn to me interested.
"And what is the occupation of his mate?" My father ask.
"Oh, well I don't know. Why?" I tell him honestly. I don't even know what the occupation of my own mate was before she was in prison. Did she even have the chance to get a job or do anything with her life? She is pretty young. I just can't seem to look at her as I have the thoughts, however.
She can start new here. If she never had a job before we can find her something that she will like doing.
"Well, I thought that I would ask about someone else's mate since my son doesn't seem inclined to tell me about his" he states. I nearly choke on the bite of food I was about to swallow and have to drink some water to get it down. My eyes bug out as I look at her and her silverware clangs to the plate. I shake my head at her when I realize that this is a look of pure fury on her face. Trying to persuade her not to say anything I place my bare foot on her legs only for her to shift away as she turns to face my father.