Hands still locked on Gedeon, he continued to plunge his dick into his mate. Somehow a coherent thought made its way through his overtaxed brain, and Gavrael realized he had yet to consider what Gedeon would need to come. That thought now at the forefront of his mind, he reached down and grabbed a handful of his dark hair.
“Get up on your knees,” Gavrael demanded in case Gedeon could not make sense of his intentions. With barely a hitch in the brutal pace Gavrael had set for them both, Gedeon managed to get himself upright. His body, covered in a fine sheen of sweat, was soon pressed against Gavrael’s own damp skin. They were capable of straining their muscles for hours in training no other race could match without a drop of perspiration, but this lovemaking was more intense than any workout.
Still driving his body forcefully into him, Gavrael released his hold on Gedeon’s black tangle of hair. He skimmed his hand down over the smooth, wet skin of Gedeon’s rib cage. It was Gavrael’s intention to slide his hand around Gedeon’s red swollen cock, but his hand never reached its destination. Before he could grab a hold of the other sentinel’s rigid flesh, Gedeon’s head dropped back onto Gavrael’s shoulder. He screamed out Gavrael’s name as he painted the blanket, which they had failed to pull down beneath them, with white ropes of come.
Gavrael’s body gave him no choice but to follow. With one last mighty stab into Gedeon, his balls emptied. It would forever remain a mystery exactly what transpired after Gavrael came. The next lucid moment Gavrael found himself with his face halfway buried in Gedeon’s neck and the mattress. His now softened flesh was still snug inside his mate’s body.
An amused and sated voice soon resonated through his mind, “Perhaps this is the flaw found in sentinels. When the right two get together they fuck each other to death.”
Gedeon’s words forced a laugh from Gavrael and he replied out loud, “It is a risk I am willing to take.” Placing his hands on either side of Gedeon’s shoulders, he eased his body slowly up. He gently pulled out of Gedeon as the other sentinel let out a soft sigh.
Once off the bed and on his feet, he tugged at the still prone body of the man Fate had so generously given him to spend with eternally. “Come on. We need to bathe. Then I will massage you. It is my plan to attend to you in this way each evening.”
Reluctantly gaining to his feet, Gedeon replied, “I do know how important schedules are to you. I’ll force myself to endure your nightly rituals.”
Gavrael offered his mate a grateful smile, and once again he sensed both affection and adoration from the man holding his hand as they made their way into the bathroom. Once inside the room Gedeon had decorated in the same lively tones as their bedroom, he spoke. “Tomorrow we’re going shopping, and we’re going to find the tightest pair of jeans that fit you, then you are going to wear them for a full day while I drool over you.”
Reaching down to start the water for their bath, Gavrael looked up to meet Gedeon’s roguish smile. The man’s good humor was impossible to resist, and Gavrael could not help teasing him. “Then perhaps we should pick up a bib for you on our shopping trip.”
Laughter erupted from his mate’s mouth before he leaned down to give Gavrael a quick kiss. “This falling in love business is turning out to be pretty easy after all,” he said with another one of his captivating smiles. Tenderness bloomed into Gavrael’s chest at Gedeon’s words, and he knew them to be true.
“Yes, it is, Geddy. Yes, it is.”
* * *
Over the course of the next several days, Gavrael began to grow accustomed to the link he now shared with his mate. While it started to feel normal to hear Gedeon’s voice in his head and he loved their ability to share emotions, their sex life was taking longer for the sentinel to adjust to. It was unbelievably erotic to feel Gedeon’s arousal as well as his own, but he grew frustrated that so far they had been unable to finish an interlude without blacking out.
For two men that belonged to a race who by name alone could cause terror in the sturdiest of souls, to have any kind of weakness was intolerable. Gedeon, whom Gavrael did not associate with patience, was the one who was content to wait until they acclimated to their soul link. Each night he counseled Gavrael and assured him that in no time at all they would stop losing consciousness.
Gavrael knew it to be true; each evening they woke quicker. Last night, Gavrael had regained his senses before he was finished coming inside Gedeon. He knew that meant it was down to mere seconds. But Gavrael prided himself as being ready, willing, and able to handle any threat at any time, and these few moments of darkness led him to feel decidedly vulnerable.
However, it was a small price to pay for the ability to translate his emotions to Gedeon. If he struggled to find words to express himself, Gedeon could feel his frustration and intervened. Usually this meant he was hauled to a private room and pressed against a wall with Gedeon’s tongue piercing through his lips. It was almost enough to try and manufacture his aggravation as often as possible, but only honest emotions poured from one sentinel to the other.
Although it had not been long since their mating ceremony, Gavrael had already begun to feel better about his ability to converse with his mate. The fear that had paralyzed him had all but disappeared. Without the fear, there was no chance Gedeon would be ashamed to call Gavrael his partner in life. Gedeon made it impossible to believe their matebond would be anything less than successful. It made Gavrael feel competent enough around his mate whenever they spoke. The other members of their family still felt like a minefield for him, but Gedeon assured him he would grow more comfortable as time wore on. Gavrael admitted to his optimistic and always helpful mate that he was developing more confidence, and amazingly enough, Gedeon did not look down at him at all for having fears. Gedeon made it clear; everyone had fears, even sentinels, and it was not cowardice to admit to them, so Gavrael was doing his best to own his emotions, and at the moment he was feeling nervous.
King D’Vaire had asked to speak to him privately; for what purpose, he did not yet know. He let out his breath and pushed out his worry as he followed Aleksander into his office.
“Have a seat,” Aleksander offered as he dropped into the chair behind his desk.
“Thank you.” Under him, the blue-black dragonskin that covered the couch was smooth and well-worn.
“We’re all so happy you and Gedeon are mated. While I don’t know the details of all that went on between you before, it seems like you’re doing well together now,” the dragon shifter ventured.
“Yes.”
“However, several members of our family are becoming, if not worried, at least concerned.”
“About Gedeon and I?”
“About Gedeon specifically.”
“Gedeon is well.”
“We can’t help but notice that since your mating ceremony, he has become more reserved. I haven’t heard him say a word in days.”
Gavrael was shocked at Aleksander’s words. Gedeon had not shut up since their mating. He certainly wasn’t complaining because he enjoyed listening to the other sentinel’s observations on nearly everything, but silent was not something that seemed possible for his mate. “I have found him more talkative than usual.”
“Perhaps he is spending so much time enjoying talking to you, he has forgotten the rest of us are not privy to your private conversations,” Aleksander said with a chuckle. “That’s a relief; I’m glad everything is going great between you two.”
“I forgot others cannot hear him. He enjoys talking very much. If I were not with you, he would probably still be talking.”
Aleksander’s smile was rueful. “Exactly, which is why it is almost impossible to believe that he’s all talked out when we are at meals and whenever else we’re all together.”
“He is not quiet at meals,” Gavrael countered. Just this morning Gedeon had gone on and on about how delicious his pancakes had been. While the banter was welcome, Gavrael was enjoying the same meal and knew how good they were. The only people that rarely spoke
at meals was Gavrael himself and the Grand Warlock. Gavrael due to his insecurity about finding the appropriate words and Dra’Kaedan due to speech requiring him to stop chewing. If Brogan was the warlock’s first love, then food came a very close second.
“I was sitting at the table with you this morning. I didn’t hear a word from him,” Aleksander said, sounding confused.
Of course, they could not hear Gedeon; he was using their telepathic link. Since Gavrael didn’t volunteer information, and Gedeon seemed content now to speak to him exclusively, the rest of their family had no idea their telepathy existed. Clearly, it was up to him to allay Aleksander’s concerns. “That is because he was speaking in my head.”
“Speaking in your head?”
“Yes.”
“I see,” Aleksander stretched the words out before asking, “Does anyone else speak in your head?”
“No, only Gedeon.”
“How long have you been hearing him?”
“For several days.”
“Is Gedeon aware you are hearing him in your head when no one else can?”
“Yes,” Gavrael said before adding, “He hears me in his head too.”
“You are both hearing each other in your heads?”
“Yes.”
“So, you hear things in your head Gedeon says, and he hears the same from you?”
It took a few minutes for the light to dawn in Gavrael’s mind. His inability to communicate well led Aleksander to believe he might be hearing things that were not real. Obviously, he needed to clear this matter up before Gavrael was signed up for a mental evaluation by an available doctor. “Once we became mated, we gained the ability to communicate telepathically. When close in proximity we feel each other’s emotions as well.”
Aleksander sat still for several moments, apparently deep in thought, before he replied, “I have never heard of a couple having this ability before.”
“Did I not hear Gedeon in my head all day, I would find it difficult to believe as well.”
“That’s incredible. I guess we don’t know if this is something inherent to sentinels or unique to the two of you.” The smile was back on the tall man’s face, which relieved Gavrael tremendously. Aleksander’s good opinion, like that of all of the D’Vaires, was important to him.
“I confess I am quite thrilled to have our new abilities.”
“Yeah, I’m getting excited myself, and I can’t even do it. I guess we won’t know if it’s a sentinel thing or not until another sentinel finds their mate.”
Those words brought with them a cloud of sadness; there was little hope of another of their kind reaching that milestone unless it was the Arch Lich’s sentinels since all the rest of their race was locked up at the compound. “It may be some time before that event.”
“Sadly true; I wish we could convince more necromancers to summon their sentinels permanently. I don’t know much about where you came from, but from what Gedeon has told us it doesn’t seem like there is much to do there. It sounds very lonely.”
“It was lonely and gray.”
Aleksander let out a laugh, “Yeah, I guess you are both pretty sick of anything gray.”
“Yes.”
“Thanks for taking the time to explain. I’m very relieved to know your mating seems to be going well, and that Gedeon is as lively and talkative as ever. I’m amazed by your telepathy and ability to feel his emotions. I wish dragons had those kinds of skills,” Aleksander said as he got to his feet.
Gavrael decided it was time to step out of his comfort zone and speak to Aleksander as if it were Gedeon he was conversing with, so he joked, “It would seem Brogan is correct that it is a shame you are not gay; then perhaps you might find yourself with a sentinel mate who would have such skills.”
The dragon king’s eyes widened briefly before he roared with laughter. “Oh, Gavrael, the first rule of being a D’Vaire: We never want Brogan to be right about anything.”
Flush with success, Gavrael quipped, “According to Dra’Kaedan that is an impossibility.”
“Yeah, you are definitely one of us,” Aleksander stated matter-of-factly, before adding, “I’m beyond thrilled you’ve found your mate. You seem happier.”
“Thank you. To me, Gedeon is happiness.”
Chapter 18
Somehow Gedeon had managed the impossible. Not only had he succeeded in getting Gavrael into a pair of snug jeans, but they were also enjoying an exceedingly rare day off from training. Gavrael had been none too thrilled at the prospect of missing out on the ability to improve his already ridiculously honed skills, but there was no way Gedeon was going to waste any part of the day changing into their normal gray attire to go outside.
At the moment, he was watching his denim-clad mate head toward him with his plate of breakfast foods piled high. While he enjoyed the way the denim showed off Gavrael’s firm ass, he had to admit the view his package so beautifully presented was even better.
“Your dick looks good in those snug pants.” Gedeon said through their mind link.
It was difficult to get Gavrael to make many facial expressions, but that statement certainly caused one.
“You okay, Gavrael?” Blodwen asked as the sentinel came to a complete standstill in the middle of the kitchen. Their eyes met, Gavrael’s still rounded in shock, and Gedeon offered him a lazy smile. That seemed to help kick his mate back into gear.
“I am fine, Blodwen. Thank you,” he answered as he came to sit next to Gedeon.
“You startled me.”
“Sorry.”
“Yet I sense you are not truly sorry.”
“No, but I bet you can also sense I really do like the way your dick looks in those jeans.”
“Yes, I do sense your enthusiasm.” Even in his head, Gavrael’s tone was dry as dust.
“You’re going to do a lot more than sense it later.”
“Should you allow us to train later, I would be willing to allow you to express your enthusiasm after breakfast.”
“Nope. Gonna enjoy this for as long as I can.”
Gavrael’s sigh was both heartfelt and audible. No doubt about it, Gavrael’s discomfort was part of what Gedeon was enjoying so far about this day. It was not that he wanted his mate to feel distressed, it just showed how far out of his comfort zone Gavrael was willing to go to please him. Once, Gedeon had deemed Gavrael impossible and hopeless when it came to the two of them, and now he made his heart swell. His feelings for his mate grew every day, it seemed.
As a sentinel, love was a concept. There was no basis for love in their compound; they did not interact with any living thing besides Alaric. Gedeon cared for the family he had been so recently brought into, and he heard them speak of love. However, having nothing in his past to compare it to, it was difficult to ascertain if he was truly at that level of caring yet. What he did know was, Gavrael already meant more to him than anyone. So he contented himself with while he may not yet love him, he soon would.
The other thing that brought him both peace and happiness was that Gedeon knew his growing feelings for Gavrael were shared. Being able to feel the tenderness that emanated from someone as strong—and before their matebond, seemingly emotionless—was humbling. It was one thing to know people around you enjoyed your company and cared for you; it was quite another to feel such a depth of emotion from someone who commanded your utmost respect.
And, as Gavrael’s conversation with Aleksander had illuminated a few days ago, Gedeon was nearly obsessed with his mate. In his joy to utilize this gift of telepathy they now shared, he had forgotten there were other people in the world that cared about him. The D’Vaires were important to him. If they were not wonderful people in their own right, then at the very least because without them Gedeon would not be sitting next to the very sexy dark-haired sentinel at his left.
That conversation with their king had also made it clear to Gedeon how important the D’Vaires were to Gavrael. He had lectured Gedeon about being sure to act as he always had wit
h them. It gave him deeper insight into the man. When they began to grow closer, Gavrael did not show any affection toward him outside of their bedroom. Gedeon understood it made his mate uncomfortable.
However, Gavrael struggled at times to express himself well, and it was not clear exactly why it made him uneasy. Gedeon had assumed his refusal to touch him was due to him not wanting their family to see that side of him. That they were not worthy of being privy to their personal affection for each other. When he had realized Gavrael did care deeply about their opinion, he then surmised Gavrael thought showing affection in front of them would lessen their respect for him.
Taking the bull by the horns, Gedeon had finally asked why he still refused to touch him outside of their bedroom. But, Gavrael’s reasons had nothing at all to do with anyone but Gavrael. He had explained it was inexplicable even to him. Somehow, that inability to answer settled something in Gedeon. It was just Gavrael’s way. It didn’t mean he didn’t care for him. It didn’t mean he was embarrassed by either his mate or his affection for him. Gavrael preferred Gedeon be the one that dished out the attention. Gedeon had no problem with that.
He knew from their link that Gavrael enjoyed every touch, so he rarely let any space get between them when they were together outside of training. After all, Gavrael more than made up for it when they were ensconced in their room at night. He, unbeknownst to Gedeon, had purchased all manner of massage oils and used them nightly. Bath salts, bubble bath, and scented candles had also been on his shopping list.
Sentinel's Dagger (D'Vaire, Book 2) Page 19