Dragon's Tears (City Dragons Book 3)

by Lisa Oliver

  But what was clear, as the head of his cock had made its way past the inner muscles, and the rest of his length was slowly disappearing from view; Byron was made for him. Like all shifters, Ice was well endowed and there had been guys in the past that could barely take half of him before screaming for him to stop. In Byron, Ice found no such resistance, keeping his forward motion steady, watching his mate’s shoulders bunch then ease as Byron fought to accept the invasion. The kiss of his balls against Byron’s butt was a relief.

  “Give me a moment.” Ice could smell the sweat on Byron’s face and hair, feel the tension in the big man’s body, the way it trembled and shuddered beneath him. Could I do this if the situation were reversed, he wondered marveling at how someone so strong, his equal in so many ways, made no fuss at all about taking him into his body. That was another way he could be vulnerable, so he’d never considered doing it before.

  Ice didn’t have time to ponder his answer as Byron rasped, “Move,” and his body obeyed. The heat coming from Byron’s body made it difficult for Ice to slide out – not all the way – he didn’t need the heady feeling of re-entry to get his pleasure. Just being in someone all the way was pleasure enough and Ice had inches enough to get the friction his dick craved. The feel of Byron’s warmth putting continual pressure around his cock head; the slick and slide of the lube as he thrust with ever increasing speed. So much more encompassing than his hand, and that was without Byron’s responses to his movements.

  Byron pushed back, showing yet another side of his character to his mate. The fire dragon wasn’t one to let someone use his body – he was taking his pleasure, wrestling it from Ice with every push back with his hips, every grunt and snarl amplifying Ice’s need. His man was a fighter – something Ice cursed himself for not recognizing before. But now was not the time for self-recrimination. Ice could feel his climax bubbling under the surface of his skin, as his duel animal spirits pushed at his mind. His animals wanted a true claim, the one promised by the Fates since time began and Ice was powerless to resist.

  Dropping over his mate’s back, Ice felt his fangs drop as Byron yelled, “I’m coming,” and his orgasm crashed into him with the force of a truck at high speed. His teeth hit skin; skin that broke easily, filling Ice’s mouth with Byron’s essence as his spunk coated the warmth of his mate’s insides. Ice couldn’t move. He didn’t want to move – if he could freeze a moment in time, this moment would be it. My gods, have I really been that much of a fool, he thought as he carefully removed his teeth, taking care not to tear anymore of Byron’s skin than necessary.

  You’ll be a dead fool if you don’t get your heavy ass off my back. Ice’s eyes widened and he was so glad Byron couldn’t see his face in that moment. He couldn’t even think it, but the words were there in his mind all the same. We have a mind link.

  “No shit, Sherlock.” Byron turned his head, peering at Ice over his shoulder. “But really, do you think you could move? I’m kinda smothering myself in the pillows here and besides, there’s an awful lot of you dribbling down my inner thighs. Fuck. Like, when was the last time you emptied those balls of yours?”

  Just to prolong the moment, Ice lazily licked over the blood spots still showing on Byron’s shoulder. He really wasn’t in a hurry to move or answer his mate’s questions. Besides, pulling out too quickly would be damaging to his mate, and he made sure that thought was front and center in his mind as Byron sighed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Byron expected to wake up alone in his bed. In the very short time he’d known the man, Ice had given the impression he was unused to intimacy, affection, or even sleeping next to someone. While it was all new to Byron too, he was ready to embrace those things – but he could be patient for a short while if he needed to be.

  What he didn’t expect was to see Ice sitting at the small table in his suite, dressed in a completely different set of clothes. All black, just like the day before, but Ice was in a suit this time, and the gold crest worn as a tie clip was new too.

  “Good morning. Did you manage to smuggle in a suitcase when you arrived yesterday?” Byron asked, smoothing back his hair.

  Ice looked down at his clothes as if he was surprised Byron noticed any difference. “Magic,” he said with a casual shrug, looking back at a phone Byron didn’t remember from the day before either. “All royal dragons have it. It can come in handy sometimes, like in today’s situation where I am to be formally announced to your family and you have company coming. Did you want coffee? The pot’s still warm.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind. Black is fine for me.” Byron rolled out of bed, conscious of Ice’s eyes on his naked back as he went into the adjoining bathroom. It didn’t take long for him to do what he needed to do, and fortunately, there was a clean robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door for him. His body ached, rather deliciously in places, and while Byron had been keen on a repeat of the night before, or better yet, a chance to claim Ice’s ass for himself, Ice’s clothed state sent a clear message he couldn’t ignore.

  Sauntering back into the bedroom, Byron took the seat opposite his mate, refusing to come across as a needy teenager swooning over their first crush. Taking a sip of the coffee Ice had poured for him, he asked calmly, “Did you get any sleep?”

  “Enough.” Ice at least had the decency to put down his phone, screen down on the table, Byron noticed. “Are you… er… feeling well, today?”

  “Better than I have been.” Byron made a point to leave on what Sammy used to call his charming smile. The one that didn’t meet his eyes and was usually used when he had to deliver news the listener didn’t want to hear. “There are some things I thought you deserve to know, though, our first day being mated and all that.”

  “The only thing I haven’t been able to find out about you is the net worth of roughly half of your horde,” Ice said with an equally cool smile of his own. “And as we all know how dragons love to keep the secrecy of their horde from others, that’s understandable. I was surprised to see you have what I imagine is about half of it invested in the Hollingsworth New York branch however.”

  “That’s not half, it’s only a tenth of my horde worth, if that.” Byron was momentarily thrown by Ice’s admission. “I’m sure we’ll be sharing details of our respective hordes soon enough. No, I felt our conversation should be about more personal things – like why you felt you couldn’t bear to stay in bed with your new mate until I woke up, or why I haven’t had so much as a kiss good morning.”

  The frown was minute, but Byron caught it. “I didn’t think those things were necessary, surely. We’re two grown men who’ve lived a long time, and we’re mostly dragon born. Are the behaviors you mention even considered seemly by your clan?”

  Byron took another sip of his coffee, before setting the cup down on its saucer. “Don’t let this castle and surrounding trappings fool you. I like to dress smart, and I conduct myself impeccably in public.” He leaned over the table, stabbing a finger in Ice’s direction. “But in my private quarters, I expect the man who claimed me as his own to show some affection towards me, not dive out of bed at the first opportunity. I want to be kissed and held, reassured of your commitment to me as I show mine to you, and yes, while we’re on the subject, I consider PDAs a necessary part of our mating. We are not bond mates who meet up once a week for a scheduled date to keep up appearances. We’re fated, you and I. That does make a significant difference.”

  Only the slight tilt of his chin showed Ice was affected by his words. “I have never known fated dragon mates, only bonded couples,” he admitted. “I have always believed dragons to be unlike other shifters, in that they cared more for their horde than anything else.”

  “You’d be wrong.” Byron eyed his mate steadily, the scar on his neck still aching slightly from where Ice had re-bitten him only hours before. “Both of my brothers have fated mates. I admit, when Dirk claimed Jon, I was against the mating, but that was because of how I was raised – by bonded parents who couldn�
�t stand each other. But that German Shepherd shifter has made my brother enormously happy, and they are fiercely protective, loyal, and affectionate with each other. My younger brother, Sammy, he’s also true mated to the vampire leader in San Jose. I was against that too, until Dancer told me how happy he and Raoul are and that they’re looking forward to the birth of their first child.”

  That got Ice’s attention. “Your youngest brother is true mated to the oldest vampire in the country?”

  “Yes, and while I didn’t see evidence of it, apparently Raoul has even found a house for him and Sammy, away from the coven so their child will be raised in a safer and more family like atmosphere.”

  The head shake was so slight, Byron almost missed that one. It seemed his mate preferred to give away as little as possible in terms of body language. Byron only caught it because he was paying close attention. “Raoul has a reputation as being one of the most cold-hearted beings alive,” Ice said calmly. “He’s fair and completely honest in all his dealings, but he’s never been known to care for anyone intimately.”

  “Sammy is his life. But then, what can I say?” Byron raised his eyebrows. “Us Hollingsworths are just so amazing our mates want to please us, and in return we do everything in our power to please them. So, don’t waste your time or mine hiding behind the ‘acceptable behavior’ excuse. Just tell me honestly. Why weren’t you still in bed with me this morning when I woke up? Why am I still waiting for my morning kiss? And, perhaps more importantly, why did you feel the need to block the mind link you claiming my ass allowed us to have?”

  /~/~/~/~/

  I should have magicked a watch along with my outfit, Ice cursed as he thought over what he would say next carefully. The urge to look at his wrist to make a time point was strong. While Ice had thoroughly enjoyed the night before, the cold light of day had him pulling on his armor of distance and disinterest along with his clothes – something it would appear his mate didn’t appreciate. Now he’d made that stance, and he admitted to himself that mistake, Ice still had to play it through otherwise he’d be left having to explain why his armor was necessary in the first place, and they definitely didn’t have time for that. “I’m not one for spending time in bed unless I’m sleeping,” he said slowly. “It is gone ten o’clock and we do have a lot to do today.”

  He stopped, his gaze direct and unflinching. Byron would crumble. People always did. Ice only hoped his mate’s apologies wouldn’t go on too long, because they did have a lot to do and he’d be the one begging for forgiveness if he let Byron’s words touch his soul.

  “You’re suggesting the only reason why you weren’t in bed with me when I woke up, is because it’s later than usual?”

  Not crumbling. Not even a hint of an apology. Oh no. “I’m saying half the morning has already gone and your uncle will be here in two hours.”

  “And he can come, go, or fly to the moon for all I care. That doesn’t answer my question. Do I repulse you?”

  “No. Of course not.” Ice was horrified Byron even mentioned that, but he couldn’t let it show or Byron would learn his façade was an act.

  “Do you regret claiming me?”

  Ice frowned genuinely this time. “Not at all. Look, you have to realize I have certain quirks in my behavior, which I am sure you’ll get used to, one of which includes a distaste for public shows of affection or lounging around in bed half the day.” There. We can work up to things like that, because what Byron hoped for actually sounded heavenly to Ice.

  “Half the morning. Let’s keep our facts straight shall we and considering I’ve had a trying week, with very little sleep in an actual bed, a fact that’s understandable in this instance, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Of course.” Ice had been working on tracking down the man who’d taken Byron while his mate was sleeping. He wasn’t likely to forget the abduction in a hurry, or the heavy fear he carried that it might happen again.

  “You claim staying in bed with me goes against your normal behavior, but that doesn’t explain the lack of a morning kiss, or why you blocked our mind link.”

  “I’ve been up for hours,” Ice said, as though that explained everything, and in his logical head it did. In his emotive mind, it sounded ineffective, but he pushed on. “If you’d been awake when I got out of bed, then I’m sure we’d have shared affection then, but as you weren’t…”

  Ice let the sentence trail off, picking up the coffee mug and replenishing his cup. Personally, he wouldn’t have minded feeling Byron’s lips around his cock when he’d woken up with a raging hard on, along with the cuddles and kisses Byron seemed to enjoy, but even he knew now wasn’t the time to mention it.

  Byron leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “I see. So, no affection, no morning lie-ins and it seems the contents of your mind, or more importantly, our ability to connect when apart via the mind link is something you plan to ration out as well. Are there any other rules I should know regarding this mating of ours?”

  At least he isn’t making a fuss. And when he realizes I can be persuaded to relax those rules, we’ll both feel better. But Ice had to keep up his façade for now. “None that I can think of, but if something comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Uh huh.” Byron nodded. “Can I ask just one more thing before I get dressed for our busy day?”

  “Of course.” Ice was eager to get the practical things out of the way so he could enjoy the affectionate side of life Byron was hoping for. Maybe my armor wasn’t a bad thing this morning. “Ask anything you like.”

  “What do I get out of all of this?” Byron unfolded one of his arms to wave between the pair of them. “What do I get out of this mating with you?”

  Ice genuinely didn’t understand the question. He was a catch. Everyone who knew him said so and while he couldn’t talk about his feelings while there was someone out there probably planning to kill them both, it didn’t mean he didn’t have them. “We’re mates. We’ll be together for as long as Fate has decided we will be.” And you will see in the fullness of time just how wonderful that togetherness will be.

  “Together as in how exactly? Will I be traveling with you? Do I stay home and work at the company in New York, while you go off and do what you need to do? Am I going to be stashed in one hotel room after another, while you run your various businesses, sitting around waiting for you to get back so you can bless me with your cock if you feel up to it?”

  Ice genuinely hadn’t thought that far ahead and definitely not in those crude terms. Although the thought of having Byron ready for him every time he came home had its appeal, leaving him so he could come home in the first place didn’t. “Let’s deal with whoever is after you first and then we can discuss it,” he said firmly. “I admit, due to the nature of my work and the confidentiality aspects of my businesses, it’s not going to be possible for us to be together all the time and there will be weeks at a time when my time will be limited. But I’m sure we’ll find a workable routine between us.”

  “Hmm.” Byron got out of his chair. “I have to wonder if we’ll be discussing it, or if you’ll be laying down the rules and expecting me to follow them. It might pay for you to keep in mind, thanks to years with an overbearing father, I don’t follow rules well, in fact I barely follow suggestions. I even have a t-shirt with that printed on it. It was a present from my cousin Leonard. Now, if you’ll excuse me while I go and get dressed. I won’t keep you long. Perhaps you could have breakfast sent up, along with another pot of coffee while you’re waiting. We’ll go and see how Dirk is doing once we’ve eaten.”

  Ice was going to mention he’d already had breakfast down in the kitchen when he went to get coffee. He’d learned long ago to eat whenever he found food, because when he’d been homeless he’d never known where that next meal was coming from. But seeing the stiff set of Byron’s shoulders as he stalked across the room, he kept quiet, waiting until Byron had taken clothes and closed the bathroom door before he relaxed. As s
oon as his keen ears heard the sound of water running, he went over and picked up the house phone – an old and overly ornate affair like everything else in the room. Ordering Mr. Byron’s usual breakfast to be sent to his room, from the person who answered his call, Ice replaced the handset in the cradle and wandered over to the windows, his fingers steepled under his chin.

  It is good we talked about this early, he reasoned with himself. I told him I was a bastard by nature and birth, and that wasn’t a lie. He doesn’t understand that this mask I wear is to keep us both safe and now he’s claimed I can make it up to him when this danger is passed. Yes, this is for the best, this morning’s conversation. Which should have been comforting, but Ice felt fingers of fear wrapping around his belly, as though something had gone horribly wrong. It was quite disconcerting.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Byron let the water in the shower stream over his head and face, washing away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. He felt useless, used, as if once again he was just not good enough, not even for his mate. The only thing he had to congratulate himself on, was that he didn’t break down in front of Ice.

  All the dreams of closeness Byron had imagined when he’d thought of his mate, were gone. The hopes he had for himself every time he saw Dirk and Jon together dashed with a few polite and well targeted words. Byron felt as though his heart had been slashed into a million shards of glass, much like the state of the coffin he’d been kept in. Even the protectiveness and fierce support Ice showed before they bit each other was missing.

  And now no mind link. Byron had been thrilled when he heard Ice in his head that first time. For the first time in his long life he realized what it was like to have a true connection to someone – someone who would always be there for him. But Ice had taken that away too, as though withholding toys because of a toddler’s tantrums.