by M. A. Church
Avery blushed.
“Thank you,” Warwick said, enjoying the light tint of color on Avery’s skin. “Oh, in case you haven’t already, warn the staff that a silvery white wolf will be seen on the grounds soon and is no danger to them. Make sure they understand it’s Avery.”
“Already taken care of it, sir,” LeMoyne said, then glanced at Avery. “Master Avery?”
“Yes?”
“After breakfast tomorrow, do you have time to meet with me? I’m assuming you have things you’re bringing from your pack house. We can get together, pick out a room in the castle you want to call yours, and then decide if anything needs to be done to it—like paint or flooring.”
“I hadn’t thought about that, but thank you. I’d love to. I do have some things coming. I’ll call my father tomorrow and make arrangements for it to be delivered,” Avery said, nervously playing with the belt on his robe.
“Excellent. I look forward to it. Master Warwick, Clarence cleared your schedule for tomorrow and the next couple of days. Short of an emergency, there’s nothing pressing,” LeMoyne said.
“Thank you,” Warwick said. “I appreciate that.”
“My pleasure. Have a good rest of the night, and congratulations once again. We’re so happy to have you here, Master Avery. Please leave the cart outside of the bedroom, and somebody will pick it up later.” Smiling, LeMoyne left.
“Ready to eat?” Warwick asked, holding Avery’s chair out.
“Absolutely.” Avery sniffed, then sat down. “Something smells wonderful. Oh good, I love steak.”
“It’s one of my favorites too.” Warwick joined him. Champagne sat in a bucket, chilling, along with wineglasses next to it. Deciding a toast was called for, he popped the champagne open and poured it. Warwick handed one glass to Avery and then lifted his own. “To us.”
Avery tapped his glass against Warwick’s. “To us, and to a wonderfully long life together.”
Warmth settled in Warwick’s heart as they sipped the champagne. Avery had taken his blood earlier, so yes, a long life was in the cards for them both. “Speaking of long life, you’ll need to take my blood regularly. Not much is required—about two tablespoons. Once a month is sufficient.”
“Does it have to be taken that way? By a spoon?”
Warwick raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. What did you have in mind?”
“Oh, you know—my teeth, your neck, while you screw my brains out.”
Was this the man who claimed he didn’t know how to talk dirty? Seemed like he was learning fast the art of provocative speech. Warwick shifted uncomfortably. Avery’s words certainly had affected him. He was trying to get hard. Of course, all Avery had to do was breathe and Warwick wanted him. The little imp knew it too, if the teasing glint in Avery’s eyes was any indication.
“Th-that can most definitely be arranged.” Warwick caught himself squirming and immediately put an end to that. Dragons did not squirm either. “While we’re on this topic, there’s something else I wanted to tell you. LeMoyne, Clarence, and Louise all three take my blood.”
“I wondered. Guess that’s why they smell different. You trust the three of them, don’t you?”
“With my life. And now you too.” Warwick sipped his champagne. The bubbles tickled his nose, and he grinned. It was one of the reasons he was so fond of it.
“Thank you. I feel the same.”
Neither of them spoke much more as they ate. Warwick was hungry, and he was sure Avery was too, especially since he’d fully shifted during the Chase.
Once they’d taken the hardest edge off their hunger, Warwick decided it was time to discuss a few things he had in mind with Avery. “So, I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh dear.”
Warwick huffed in amusement. “I do love a smartass. Now, as I was saying, those three businesses I demanded as payment from your father? I want to discuss those.”
Avery stilled. “Okay, what about them?”
“The businesses I took are all in the food industry. The three restaurants are quite well-known throughout the area. I’m placing them in your care.”
Avery’s mouth fell open, shock running across his face. “You what? But I…. Are you sure you want to…? Okay, wait. What exactly would I be doing?”
“What did you do before?”
“Well, I didn’t have a title, but I worked in Father’s corporate office. My job was keeping an eye on our profit margin. I mean, we had accountants for all of our businesses, but… I guess you could say I kept an eye on the accountants.”
“I have something a little different in mind. First, I want you to go over the numbers and make sure nothing has been missed.”
“I can do that.”
“While you’re doing that, I’m going to reinterview the staff at the restaurants, but unless I find a problem, I’ll probably keep them.”
“That’s good to know since most of them are werewolves.”
“But here’s where we’re going to do something a little different. I’m putting you in charge of them.”
“What?”
“I want you to take the restaurants in hand and go over them with a fine-tooth comb. Make a list of ideas on how to improve them, and based on what you decide, I want to redecorate and possibly even change some of the themes.”
“But, but, but… I’ve never done anything like that! I don’t know that I can. I mean, it’s not like I went to school to be an interior designer, or… or… holy crap, Warwick. What if I mess this up? Why do you think I could do this?”
“I have every faith you won’t fail in any endeavor you take on.”
“But—”
“Don’t doubt yourself. I don’t. For the short time I’ve known you, I have yet to see you not accomplish anything you set out to do.”
Avery goggled.
“If you need help or suggestions, then get them. If you have ideas, talk to somebody who can see them through. I can make suggestions if you need them. Correct me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t the patronage at these places mainly made up of werewolves?”
“Well, yes.”
“And you are a werewolf. Who else would know better how to serve them, make them feel comfortable, and see to what they need?”
“But my father—”
“Is an older man set in his ways. You’re younger, hip, and will bring new and innovative ideas to the business. Plus, I want you to take this and make it into something of yours.”
“I… I… I….” Avery stuttered. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve never honestly thought about… I never dreamed I could….” He leaped from his seat and rushed around the table.
Warwick barely had time to scoot back and open his arms before Avery launched himself at him.
“Oh shit!” Avery yelled as the chair and both of them tipped backward.
Warwick wrapped his arms around Avery as they fell, laughing wholeheartedly as they landed on the floor. It seemed appropriate. From the moment he laid eyes on Avery, he’d been knocked off stride.
“I’m sorry!” Avery grinned as he stared down at Warwick. “I didn’t mean to knock you over.”
“No damage done, trust me.” Warwick helped Avery get back to his feet and righted his chair.
Avery wrapped his arms around Warwick’s waist and hugged him hard. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I don’t know what to say or do. No one has ever done something like this for me. You have no idea how much it means. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.”
Warwick started to speak, then had to stop and clear his throat. What was wrong with him? His emotion seemed to be all over the place. That was completely non-dragon-like. “You…. If I had to choose between you and my hoard, I would choose you.”
Startled, Avery blinked, joy on his face. He hugged Warwick hard again, breathing heavily. “Guess that’s like a declaration of love for a dragon, huh? That means a lot to me.”
Warwick stopped breathing. Surprise, shock, and something he’d n
ever felt before filled him.
“Okay, these restaurants.” Avery rubbed his hands together excitedly as he sat. “Can I change their names too?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Whatever you want to do.” Warwick dragged his thoughts back to the conversation, but they were as tenacious as his nature. Dragons didn’t love. Or did they? He searched his memories but couldn’t remember ever feeling whatever this was he felt for Avery.
“You sure you’re okay with that?”
“Yes. I trust you.” And that…. He could count on one hand those he trusted, and that only happened after several years spent in their company. But Avery was different.
“I can’t wait!” Eagerly, Avery cut into his steak. “This is going to be fantastic. I’m scared—oh, who am I kidding? I’m terrified!—but if I don’t mess up, it’s going to be great.”
“Again, I have faith you won’t mess this up. Keep in mind, if you ever have questions, you can always come to me. I have a little experience running businesses.”
“Just a little, huh?” Avery snickered.
“A bit, yes.”
“I will, and thanks for that,” Avery said.
“Always.”
Chapter Seventeen
IF Avery could have reached his own ass, he would’ve kicked it. What had he been thinking when he made that comment about a declaration of love and hoards? Then there was that comment Warwick made about loving smartasses.
He tried to not to read too much into that, but it was hard not to. Did Warwick love him? Could he love him? Avery was afraid he was well on his way to loving Warwick. Maybe he was already there. He had a bad case of lust, there was no denying that, but that wasn’t a bad thing either.
But Warwick fascinated him. He had a soft heart, at least for those he cared about. Avery was pretty sure he fell in that group. They got along well together, but they hadn’t had a full-on argument either.
Just because werewolves believed in fated mates didn’t mean the couple was perfect. No one was, paranormals included. Avery did have faith that Warwick was right for him. Now he needed to convince Warwick of that.
If that hadn’t been enough of a shock, Warwick surprised him with the businesses he’d assumed from his father. Avery never entertained the possibility of having control over them. He was an Omega, and most thought he didn’t have the qualifications to deal with such. That Warwick was willing to give him a chance, and trusted him to deal with it, was a boost to his self-confidence that Avery hadn’t known he needed.
On top of everything else, Warwick seemed to be distracted, and Avery had no idea why.
They finished dinner, then dessert. Between the two of them, they manage to drink the champagne. Warwick had a TV that rose out of the bottom part of his bed, so they watched TV for a little while, and then Avery yawned again.
“Ready to go to bed?”
“Yeah, I think so. Do we have any plans for tomorrow?”
“Why don’t we play it by ear—outside of the meeting you have set up with LeMoyne, that is. We can spend the day exploring the castle and getting you settled in.”
“That sounds good to me. I’m going to go to the bathroom right quick. Then I’ll be ready for bed.”
“Okay.” Warwick clicked the button on the remote to shut the TV off, and it started a slow descent back into the footboard.
Avery took care of his business in the bathroom, then brushed his teeth. He caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror and glared at his neck. He wanted that damn mating mark. He never really thought of it before, but now that it obviously wasn’t going to appear, it upset him greatly not to have it.
How would other werewolves react? Oh, they’d be aware he was involved with a dragon from the smell, but that mark meant a lot to his kind. With a sigh, he tried to let the negative feelings go. There was nothing he could do about it. At least Warwick wore his mark.
After he finished in the bathroom, Warwick slipped in and took care of his business. Fortunately there wasn’t a wet spot to deal with, so he plopped down on the bed. Warwick joined him, and after a few false starts, they figured out what position worked best for them.
Warwick went to sleep quickly, but Avery caught himself staring across the room at the fireplace. He was tired but was having trouble falling asleep. Having a body in the bed next to him was going to take some adjusting to. No, not a body—his mate. He savored the words. He had someone now, someone who truly cared for him.
Finally he dropped off to sleep.
WARWICK’S alarm woke them the next morning and, bleary-eyed, Avery stumbled to the bathroom and flipped on the light. He turned on the shower and hunted around in his overnight bag until he found something to pull his hair up so it wouldn’t get wet. Turning toward the mirror, he reached for his hair… then screamed.
The sound of a body crashing to the floor, then a low roar, echoed into the bathroom, but all Avery could do was stare at the mirror in shock. Warwick stumbled into the bathroom, hair all over the place, fangs down, and claws out. Even the scrollwork around his eyes had appeared.
“What!” Warwick bellowed, searching the bathroom frantically. “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
Avery pointed at the mirror.
Growling, Warwick turned to the mirror. Then his mouth dropped open too. “Merciful gods.”
“How… how?” Avery lifted his fingers, his hand shaking horribly. Gently he touched what could only be described as a massive, modern tribal tattoo that began where Warwick had bitten him last night while making love, and extended all the way down his right arm. Crisp lines, thick and dark, curled around and emphasized the lean muscles of his bicep and forearm. The lines were sharp, but… the more he looked at it reflected back in the mirror at him, the more he began to see a pattern to the scrolls and swirls. The longer he stared at it, the more he noticed the overall design looked like an abstract figure of a dragon in profile. He could almost see the snout, an eye, and the frills.
What was startling was that the ink wasn’t black like one normally saw in this kind of design. It was the same brilliant purple as Warwick’s eyes. It looked like a tattoo, but it couldn’t be. Then, of course, there was the issue of this appearing overnight while he slept and he hadn’t felt a thing.
“Incredible,” Warwick whispered as he gently traced some of the lines. “But I have no idea how or why this appeared.”
“I haven’t either, and it’s impossible to tattoo werewolves,” Avery said, breathing hard as he watched Warwick trace the lines.
“This can’t be a tattoo,” Warwick said, lowering his hand.
“I don’t think it is either,” Avery said, still unable to believe what he saw on his arm. “I don’t know what it is.”
Warwick bent and leaned closer. “Notice it starts right where I bit you last night.”
“Yeah, I saw that.” Avery gulped. Warwick was close enough that he could feel Warwick’s breath on his skin. As usual, his body reacted. Shock and desire mixed together. “Do you…. Do you think it looks like a—?”
“Like an abstract drawing of a dragon?” Warwick straightened. “Yes.”
“Holy… holy shit.” Little blinking lights danced across Avery’s vision. He took a deep breath, then another until they disappeared. “You think this could possibly be something like a mating scar?”
Warwick scratched his head. “I thought it was just a myth. I mean, I remember something mentioned about this a long time ago, but really didn’t think there was anything to it.”
“Well, if it’s strange, it’s going to happen to me.” Shock quickly gave way to excitement. The one thing he’d desperately wanted was tangible proof on his skin that he belonged to Warwick. He’d tried to accept he wasn’t going to get it, but it’d been hard.
Warwick snorted. “It only goes to prove how special you are.”
“Oh gods, oh gods.” Avery couldn’t believe it, simply couldn’t believe it. Happiness overwhelmed him. The mark was gorgeous, a bold and proud statement.
He flung himself into Warwick’s arms, and Warwick grunted with the impact. After a brutally quick kiss, he leaned back. “I want to tell everybody, but I also kind of want to keep it between us—not a secret, really, but something special that only the two of us share.”
“Whatever you want to do is fine by me, but that’s going to be hard to hide.”
Avery moved out of Warwick’s arms and glanced down. “Yeah, it goes all the way out on the back of my hand. Oh well. Unless I’m not planning to leave the room, it’s silly to talk about keeping it between us.”
“I’m all for staying in here. I’m confident I can think of something for us to do.” Warwick winked.
Avery chuckled. “I’m sure you could, and I’m right there with you. But servants talk, no matter how much we wish they didn’t. No, as much as I’d like to keep this as something private between us, it simply isn’t feasible. I guess it’s a good thing I’m used to being stared at, because this is going to cause quite a stir.”
“You, my lovely werewolf, will always cause a stir.” Warwick tugged his hair. “How about we take a shower? I’d like to examine that up close and personal.”
“Uh-huh. You just want to get me naked.”
“There is that too.”
After they showered and dressed, they went down to breakfast. Avery had barely taken his seat before the comments started. He’d worn a long-sleeved shirt but with the sleeves rolled up, and the marks on his arm were hard to miss. There’d been exclamations of surprise, followed by questions. Several of the staff wanted to touch his mark, which wasn’t surprising, but he’d said no. This was his, and he wasn’t ready to have people touching it, although he understood why they wanted to.
Once everybody’s curiosity had been appeased, breakfast was served.
“So, what do you have planned today?” Avery asked, eyeing a crispy strip of bacon.
“Well, while you and LeMoyne are busy, I’m going to do some work—take care of some emails and things like that. Nothing that’s going to take long. I thought after you decided what room you wanted, I’d join you.”