“Fuck,” Draco groaned out as Ryland’s tight heat surrounded him.  It was like coming home and he never wanted to it to end.  Unfortunately, his body had other ideas.

As much as he tried to give Ryland time to adjust to him, Draco just couldn’t wait any longer.  He’d already been going way too fast in preparing his mate but no matter how hard he tried to slow down, it just wasn’t happening.  Of course, it didn’t help that Ryland was making sweet little noises begging Draco to complete their bond.

Still, he wanted this to be good for Ryland, not hurt him, so he did his best to remain still and give Ryland time to get used to his size.  But that was shot to hell when his mate gave a whimper and begged, “Please, Draco.  I need you.”

That was it for Draco.  He had to move.  He may not want this to end, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to spill his seed inside his mate and seal them together, forever.

Never in his life could he remember sex ever feeling like this.  His blood rushed through his veins at lightning speed as his thrusts increased.  He needed Ryland to belong to him more than his next breath.  But there was something missing.  A reason he and Ryland weren’t careening over the edge of bliss.

Draco looked down at his mate’s bowed back and realized what it was.  Without pulling out, he flipped Ryland over, causing them both to groan at the exquisite sensations that move created.  Then those amber eyes were staring up at him, drowning in lust.

That was all he’d needed.  His balls pulled up tight.  His cock throbbed within Ryland’s channel.  Draco slammed into his mate one final time, pegging his sweet spot and they both cried out.

Those muscles that had encased him so tightly already clamped down, yanking his orgasm from his body at the same time Draco dropped down and sank his teeth into his mate’s supple body once more.

Ryland screamed Draco’s name, his arms wrapping around Draco’s neck to pull him closer.  The sweet metallic taste of his mate’s blood filled Draco’s mouth as he swallowed several mouthfuls.  That was when he felt it.  The tether that had started to form between them several days ago snapped into place, linking their souls together.

Ryland was his.

Forever.

When he extracted his teeth from Ryland’s body, Draco knew he wore a sappy smile.  He couldn’t help it.  He had actually stopped believing long ago that he would ever be granted a mate.  Now he had one.  The perfect one.

Once more, he silently swore he would find a way to be good enough for Ryland.  He just prayed he could actually do it.

“What are you thinking about?” Ryland asked, his arms still tightly around Draco, holding him close.

“What?” Draco wasn’t about to admit that he wasn’t good enough for Ryland.  He wasn’t, but his mate didn’t need to know that.

Ryland released his arms from around Draco and maneuvered his body so he could look into Draco’s eyes.  “Just now.  You were happy, almost floating.  I could…” Ryland hesitated for a moment as if unsure he should say what he was thinking out loud.  “I could feel your happiness,” he said in awe.  Then he frowned.  “Is that even possible?”

Draco rolled off his mate and lay on his side so they were face to face.  “Sort of.”  This was territory where Draco didn’t know all of the facts, but he’d heard things when he was living with his family.  “To be honest, I don’t know all the details, but I remember when my sister found her mate, she used to talk about how odd it was to always be aware of her mate’s emotions.”

He chuckled as he thought about the rest of what she said.  “But she hated that he always knew what she was feeling.  She claimed it was a woman’s God given right to be moody and her mate intruding on those emotions was pissing her off.”

Ryland laughed with him.  “Yeah.  I can see how that might cause a few problems.”  His mate froze for a moment, then narrowed his gaze at Draco.  “There’s something you don’t want me to know.”  It wasn’t a question so Draco didn’t bother to respond.  “That’s why you went from happy to sad just a minute ago.”

Draco inwardly sighed.  He should have known better than to tease his sister about her mate always questioning what she was feeling.  But how was he to know one day he’d have a mate and it would be Draco trying to hide his emotions from him?

Ryland leaned up onto his elbow, staring Draco down.  “What don’t you want me to know?  Why would you be sad that we’d mated?  Because that was sadness I felt.  Don’t you want to be mated to me?  Is that it?” Ryland continued on a rant that was only spiraling out of control.  “You regret mating me.”

“No,” Draco shouted.  “Never.”  He pulled Ryland into his arms and kissed him until they were both panting for air.  “I could never in a million years regret mating you.  I love you, gràdh.”

“Then what is it?”  Ryland asked, clearly not believing Draco.

If he wasn’t honest with Ryland, his mate would know and continue to believe Draco didn’t want him.  That wasn’t something Draco could allow.  So, as much as it killed him, he decided he had to tell his mate everything.

“I’m not good enough for you,” he said as he released the breath he’d been holding.  When Ryland opened his mouth to refute that, Draco placed a finger over his mouth and said, “No.  I mean it.  I’ve done things that…”

He closed his eyes, unwilling to see the condemnation he knew would be there when he was done.  “It started when I was a kid, probably around seven or eight.  I was always getting into trouble.  Fighting with the other kids, even destroying property in a fit of rage.  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to control my temper.”

That was an understatement.  “By the time I was thirty, I had gotten into a fight with another dragon, who had been bullying one of the weaker members of our clan.”

“How is that considered a bad thing?” Ryland asked.  “You were defending that other dragon.”

“Maybe, if I’d just hit him.  But I didn’t.”  It was always the way when Draco got angry.  “I can’t seem to stop once I get started.  I nearly killed the bully that day.  As it was, I had beaten him so badly, he couldn’t shift.  He’d been in dragon form and unable to return to his human one.  For the rest of his life, he was forced to live out his days hidden away from the world.”

A hand touched his face, cupping one cheek gently.  “Open your eyes,” Ryland whispered.

Draco didn’t want to but he couldn’t deny his mate anything, not even if it meant having to see the disappointment and disgust in those amber eyes.  Except, when he lifted his lids, all Draco saw was love shining at him.

“I can’t tell you that what happened in the past was right or wrong.  I wasn’t there.”  Draco appreciated that Ryland didn’t try to just push it aside as if it didn’t matter.  “All I do know is you saved me, twice.  And even though Gerald deserved to be punished for raping my sister, you stopped yourself from killing him so he could face the Council.”

“That was because you needed me.”  It had been the only reason Draco hadn’t torn the little shit apart piece by piece.  It still galled him that all the Council did was put Gerald in prison for a year and given him mandatory counseling.  They actually felt it wrong to sentence him to death when the old Chief Council not only condoned what Gerald and the other guards had done by raping his sister, but had given them permission.

“The point is, you stopped from killing him.”  Ryland leaned forward and placed a kiss to his lips.  “You don’t give yourself enough credit for being an amazing man who has been nothing but kind and gentle with both me and my sister.  I love you Draco and there is nothing you could do to ever make me stop.”

He dragged Ryland into his embrace, holding him tightly.  The words had been like a balm to his weary soul.  As far as he was concerned, there was no one on this earth good enough for his gràdh.  “I love you, too,” he whispered before capturing those sweet lips once more.

Now that the rush of needing to mate with Ryland was out of the way, Draco planned on taking his time loving on his mate.