by Marcy Jacks
“I didn’t break his heart,” Kraigan said with a growl, rolling his eyes. Then he seemed thoughtful, and a little worried. “I hope I didn’t.”
Jason wet his lips. His pulse was racing again, and he couldn’t figure out why. This was too much, and he was having trouble catching his breath, too. “Look, it’s okay. I mean, just because you’re my servant now doesn’t mean you can’t ask me for favors like this.”
“Jason,” Kraigan growled.
“But you didn’t have to bother. I wasn’t going to say anything to him. I promise. Hey!”
Jason shouted when Kraigan’s hand snapped out and latched onto Jason’s wrist, yanking him out of the wheelchair so hard that Jason accidentally knocked the thing over.
Kraigan was incredibly strong, even with a broken leg and lying in bed, apparently, and Jason found himself pulled half on top of the man. He barely kept his feet on the ground, and he was suddenly chest-to-chest with Kraigan.
Big, mean, grumpy Kraigan.
“What are you doing?” Jason snapped, and he struggled to get his wrist free from Kraigan’s grasp.
He’d have better luck moving a mountain. Kraigan’s grip was beyond ridiculously strong. Jason put all of his effort into getting those fingers to uncurl from their iron-tight grip on him, but they wouldn’t budge.
Like they were made of stone and had been fossilized into place after years of inactivity.
“You promised you wouldn’t grab me.”
“I lied,” Kraigan said.
Jason swallowed, realizing what else he’d promised. “Uh, look, if you also don’t want me to tease you about being my slave, that’s fine. You can only be my servant for another week, and then I’ll let it go. You don’t have to hit me or anything!”
“Another week?” Kraigan asked then chuckled. That mirth seemed to go right into his eyes, his eyes that were so deep and intense Jason couldn’t look away from them. “You really are an idiot,” he said, and then his other hand came up.
Jason flinched, but Kraigan didn’t hit him. His large palm went to the back of Jason’s head, pulling him forward, and the most unexpected thing in the whole of the world happened.
“Mmph!”
Their mouths. Their lips. Touching. Not just touching, they were in complete contact with each other. That was a kiss, right? Yeah, that was right. Kraigan had pulled Jason forward until their mouths were connecting in the kissing way, but that was not what this could be.
Even though Kraigan had softened his lips to cradle Jason’s, even though his eyes were shut and Jason’s were wide open in shock.
Then the tip of Kraigan’s tongue, slick and warm and oh so devious, slipped forward and pressed in the crease of Jason’s mouth.
Sizzling pleasure. He couldn’t deny it. His body shivered with it, and his brain stopped thinking right at that moment.
“Mmm,” Jason said, and this time his eyes fell shut and his lips opened.
Kraigan’s tongue pushed inside, licking him deep and sliding against Jason’s tongue, and it was good. It was so good. He had no words for how this felt because there was nothing like it. Absolutely nothing could be as good as this.
Jason realized shortly after that he wasn’t trying to get away anymore. He was perfectly happy half lying on Kraigan the way he was, taking in his warmth, feeling each dip and mound of muscle on his chest and stomach through their clothing. What would all of that feel like on his mouth?
Kraigan let go of Jason’s wrist, and his hand must’ve gone down because the next thing he was aware of was the shock of pressure, and then pleasure, spiking through his cock and balls.
His eyes snapped open wide again.
Kraigan’s hand! His hand was definitely...it was totally...and Jason wasn’t even moving!
Panic unlike anything he’d ever felt before in his life struck him like an iron bat over the back of his head. His thoughts swam, and the floor swirled, but as his dick throbbed, the terror grew, and he yanked himself away from Kraigan’s mouth.
Kraigan had no longer been holding onto him, so there was nothing he could do that would keep Jason in place.
Jason, scrambling too fast, fell on his ass.
“Are you all right?” Kraigan asked, sitting up on his elbows and staring down at Jason with an expression that didn’t match anything that he knew about the man.
This was either a dream or a bad trick, but whichever it was, Jason needed to get out of here.
He got to his feet and ran for the door, nearly crashing through it. “Jason!”
Jason didn’t stop, and he didn’t turn back. He just hot-footed it back to his room as though there were wild werewolves snapping at his heels.
* * * *
The next morning, Aaron tiptoed his way back to the servants’ rooms. It was early. The sun would not be up for two more hours, and Aaron was not required to wake for another hour. That left him enough time to climb back into his bed, sleep in a little more, and then get started with his day.
So far, the first part of his plan had gone very well.
He’d tried to leave bed a half an hour ago, but Dravick was apparently a light sleeper. Aaron hadn’t known that about his king, but he sure as hell was aware of it now.
The man had grabbed onto Aaron’s wrist, keeping him from leaving the bed, dragging him back down, and in a sleepy voice that made the fearsome man with the broad shoulders and impressive muscle span sound like a purring kitten, he’d nuzzled against Aaron’s shoulders blade and asked him not to go.
Aaron had tried to put his foot down, in a manner of speaking since he was still lying in Dravick’s warm and comfortable bed. He’d stayed the night as he’d promised, and it had been wonderful, but now he needed to go.
Dravick wouldn’t have any of that, however, and his hands had roamed around like those of devious person that he really was. They slid across Aaron’s chest, pinching his nipples, and then down to his cock.
Aaron’s humped forward the moment Dravick’s fist enclosed around his morning erection, and he’d done that while Dravick thrust back against him.
Both of them lazily brought each other to orgasm in the early morning like that, which had left Aaron so tired he’d had to sleep for another ten minutes before he realized he was still not in his own bed.
He hated having to leave Dravick’s side, and his bed. It was warm and comfortable, and the room was cold in comparison, waking him right up with its chill.
Dravick continued to sleep, spent from their night together and their morning romp. Aaron had to grab a wet rag to clean himself up with, and he started another fire so that Dravick would at least wake up to a warm bedroom.
Then he left.
Aaron thankfully made it back to the servants’ rooms without notice, and it appeared that no one was awake. He sighed. Good. That was good, though now he was so wide-awake he didn’t think he could sleep at all.
Sniffing at his clothing, he thought it best to have a shower and change into something that did not smell of sex.
Aaron was so absorbed in his task that he’d made it all the way into the shower rooms without realizing that one of the showers was already occupied.
He stopped at the sight of…Jason?
Yes, that was indeed Jason, his palm splayed against the stone wall of the shower room, his head down, panting for breath as his fist move briskly against his cock.
Aaron immediately turned and left the room, face heating up hotter than any scalding hot water at what he’d just witnessed.
Well, he would have to go to the hot spring then if Jason wanted to do that in there. Jason panted and moaned softly but loud enough that Aaron did not want to be around there any longer.
Though he wasn’t fast enough to leave because he thought he heard Jason call out a name before he spun around and made haste elsewhere.
The showers were a new feature, recently installed, and it seemed a lot of people were hoping to gain some privacy when they pleasured themselves.
There
were no curtains between showerheads, however, so the area was just as open and public as the hot springs were. The difference was that people got in a mighty lot of trouble for having sex, or bringing themselves off, in the hot springs, which made the shower room a favorite.
Was Jason in love with someone? At the very least he was in lust with someone because no one did that and called out a name unless they were.
The name sounded very much like a dragon name, and a swell of sympathy rose up inside of Aaron’s chest. He knew exactly how the man felt.
After quickly washing up in the hot springs, which were empty, thankfully, Aaron made his way to his bed.
He barely felt like his head hit the pillow when he woke up to the sound of chatter around him.
What was going on? Couldn’t he get a little sleep tonight?
He opened his eyes, noting that many more torches were lit, brightening up the room, and the entire hall seemed to be waking up around him.
Aaron groaned and pushed himself up. What was going on? There was a group of men chortling about something at the foot of his bed. Someone noticed he was getting up, and they immediately turned with grins and loud exclamations.
“Hey! Look who’s awake!”
“Finally.”
“Who’s the note from, Aaron?”
“Note?” he asked, sleep still clogging his brain. Then he saw the letter Dravick had written him in the hands of one of the servants.
Instantly wide-awake, he jumped out of bed. “Hey! Give me that!” he snapped.
He leapt at the man, but the guy just yanked his hand out of the way. The guys all laughed and cheered, as though watching some sporting event taking place.
The man holding on to his letter started to read it out loud. “Affectionately, D. Who’s D, Aaron?”
“A special lady,” said one man.
“Or a guy,” said another.
“Men don’t draw flowers like that.”
“Give me that back!” Aaron snapped, and this time, when he snatched his hand out, he managed to get the note. Thankfully without ripping it in half.
Heart pounding, he managed a sigh of relief when the note was his once more, but he couldn’t fully relax now that everyone had seen it.
The laughing and snickering had stopped. Only a few of the men continued with their game, but most of them seemed to go silent.
They were just watching him now, their eyes clearly thinking, pondering about what could have Aaron in such a fit.
Oh no, had he given away too much?
“Is it a dragon?” asked one of the men, Soren, if Aaron was remembering his name right.
Aaron shook his head. He didn’t say anything, but that seemed to be answer enough for the people around him.
“Holy shit. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ll get into for that?”
“Why would he?” asked another man. “A couple of humans have gotten together with dragons already.”
“Yeah, idiot, and the dragons tried to get rid of them.” This servant accented his words by sliding his thumb over his throat.
A collective shiver passed through everyone.
“Leave him alone already.”
Aaron turned. Jason. That had been Jason speaking. He was sitting at his own bed, tying the many laces of his boots.
“If it’s a dragon, then you can all do him a big favor and keep your mouths shut about it. If it’s not, then it’s not any of our business.”
Aaron wanted to hug him more than anything in that moment. He was so damned elated to have someone in his corner that it took him a moment before he realized how utterly tired Jason appeared to be.
His hair was spiked up all over his head, as if he’d immediately gone to bed right after his shower and it had ended up that way during the night. There were dark shadows stained to the bottom of his eyes, like half moons. If the moon had been the color of a bruise.
Just the sight of Jason was enough for most of the attention to be taken off of Aaron. Some of the guys went over to Jason. “You all right?”
“I just don’t feel good,” Jason said, and he looked as if he meant it. “Is it all right if I just stay in bed, guys?”
Because of his recent kidnapping and rescue, and because Jason was well liked in the servants’ area, the men around him all nodded. One man even cheerfully offered to take on Jason’s chores for the day, and when Jason promised to repay him, the servant waved him off.
Aaron wished he was as well liked. It was rare that the guys took it so well that one man would be down for the day. Perhaps if Jason requested two or more days, then the grumbling might begin, but Aaron had his doubts about that.
Because Aaron wanted to speak with him, he dragged his feet as he readied himself for his day. Jason had climbed back into his bed, grabbing onto the covers and sticking them over his head.
Soren even offered to bring him breakfast later on.
Aaron walked over to Jason’s bed. To anyone else still late to leave, it would possibly only look as if Aaron was also offering his services, but it was the other way around.
“Jason?”
Jason didn’t reveal his face from beneath the blanket. “What?”
His voice was muffled, still sounding tired. Maybe he really was ill, and not simply heartsick.
“I need to ask you about…” Aaron looked around, making certain no one was listening in on him. “I need to ask about Adam and Novik.”
Slowly, Jason pulled the covers down, revealing his pale face and a thoughtful frown. “What about them?”
Aaron’s face heated. He wasn’t even entirely certain how he wanted to word this.
“I want to know about…this is difficult. I’m not even sure how to say it.”
“Spit it out and go away,” Jason said, turning over.
He really wasn’t in his usual good mood.
Aaron nodded, swallowing. “Very well, I was wondering if you think Adam and Novik believe the risk is worth it.”
Jason faced him again, that frown still there. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you are Adam’s best friend, and he was attacked as well. Does he still seem happy? Do other dragons insult him or attack him daily and I just don’t know it?”
Jason sat up. “That note really was from a dragon, wasn’t it?”
He didn’t know why he was going to be honest. Perhaps it was Jason’s personality that brought it out of him, but he wanted to talk to someone about this, especially if that someone was also in a secret relationship with a dragon.
“Yes,” Aaron said.
“Can I ask who?”
“Dravick.”
“What?” Jason shook his head. “I didn’t catch that.”
He clearly had. Je just didn’t believe it.
“It’s Dravick,” Aaron said, raising his voice just enough to be heard.
“The king?”
“Shh!” Aaron hissed.
“Sorry, sorry,” Jason said. “Holy shit, are you serious?”
Aaron nodded, and because he didn’t like bending over like this, he got down on his knees next to the bed. “I just needed an opinion on this. At least someone to share it with. Last night I thought I was happy with what we had, but if I can never speak of it to anyone, I might go mad.”
“I don’t blame you,” Jason said, grumbling the words. Then he whistled. “I mean, you can talk to me all you like, but if the dragon population ever finds out you’re with their king, they’re going to come after you. They already went after Adam and me. Blue wasn’t even with anyone before, but now that he’s with Lightning—”
“But Lightning protects Blue,” Aaron said. “Novik protects Adam, and Javik protects Athy.”
“I know but—wait, what about Javik and Athy?”
“I—”
“Never mind, I’ll talk to her later, but that’s different. Those guys are warriors, and no one wants to mess with them. Almost no one, but there’s still trouble. This is their king, though. Maybe if you tell
anyone else, it should be the warriors so they know at least to keep an eye on you.”
Aaron wasn’t about to do that. Novik already knew, and that seemed bad enough. Aaron was still certain that Novik was angry about the entire thing.
“Did you tell anyone else? About your dragon lover?”
Jason tensed. “What?”
Aaron’s face heated. “I’m sorry, but I tried to walk into the shower last night, and—”
“Please say no more,” Jason implored. “No one knows, and nothing’s going on. The guy doesn’t even like me. He was just playing a mean prank.”
Aaron’s heart ached for the man. It really did. “A prank? Like with Kevan?”
Kevan had been a dragon, a civilian dragon, who had appeared to be taking an interest in Jason for a time. There had been talk of the scandal while that went on. Many of the humans had warned Jason to be careful while others had patted him on the back for his bravery.
Only later it had come out that Kevan had been luring Jason into a trap. The man had invited Jason to his room, and there had been an ambush waiting. Jason had claimed nothing had happened, but Aaron could still recall the heartbroken look on his face.
And now it seemed to be happening again.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Jason said, shaking his head.
Aaron nodded. “I understand. Thank you for speaking with me, and I won’t tell anyone of what you just told me.”
Jason nodded, putting himself back under the covers for a rest he clearly needed, and Aaron left to start his day.
He thought he saw a shadow dart away when his conversation with Jason ended, though he couldn't be certain.
Chapter Eight
Breakfast would have been a boring enough affair, Dravick had to say. If not for the fact that Novik had apparently told Adam that he was half dragon and carrying an egg inside of him that would need to be removed once the hatchling was ready to come out.
A half-dragon Adam might be, but he could not shift into a dragon, and he couldn’t open the scales of his stomach to let the egg out.
Novik had sat all through breakfast, accepting congratulations from the other warriors with a grim expression, and all the while Adam had appeared more green than ever.