Chapter Eleven
It was almost four o’clock in the morning by the time Dragos was able to go to bed. After a quick shower, he brushed his teeth and slipped silently into the shadowed bedroom. Pia had tucked the baby in his bassinet.
He tried to ease into the bed without disturbing her, but when his weight pressed down on the mattress, she rolled toward him and complained sleepily, “It’s almost dawn. I said good night to Bel hours ago. You guys talk too much.”
He snorted. “Don’t I know it.”
She was wearing his favorite red nightgown. The lace looked gorgeous against her creamy skin. Desire was a welcome, restless friend.
He pressed his lips against the curve of her breast and murmured, “If I had known you would be wearing this, I would have tried to get away sooner.”
She snickered and started to wind her arms around his neck, but then she bolted upright. “Oh—hey! I was dreaming, and the baby finally told me his name! He’s Niall.”
“Niall Cuelebre.” Dragos liked that. He smiled at the shadowed, quiet baby. “Good boy.”
“I love it.”
He hooked an arm around her and coaxed her to lie down beside him. She settled willingly against his side in one of his favorite positions, with one slender leg draped across his hips. The feeling of her warm curves nestled against him, the scent of her hair—there wasn’t anything finer or more complete than moments like this.
He grew hard, his erection lying thick and full along the edge of her thigh, but he had been hard and aching for her for the past two weeks, so he schooled himself to patience even as she walked her fingers across his chest.
“How did your talk go?” she asked. “Or should I say argument?”
He expelled a soft laugh. “It’s complicated, but bottom line, I think Graydon and Bel might like to come with us. He’s very aware that she puts up with the city in order to be with him.”
“Wow,” she murmured. “That would be amazing, but it would only leave five sentinels in New York with no leader.”
“I know.” He paused. “I’m going to contact Rune to see if he and Carling might like to come to New York, at least until we know which direction Liam might go in. Rune would make a fantastic leader—and maybe even a permanent one should Liam decide to come with us. If Liam wants to settle in New York, Rune and the others would have the experience he needs to help him take the reins. They’ll still be shorthanded, but they can make decisions about where to go from there.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” she said.
“I’ll talk to Rune in the morning. Liam comes home in a few weeks.” He nodded as he thought it through. “It’s possible we could leave as soon as next month—not that we need to leave that soon, just that it’s possible.”
She pressed her lips to his shoulder. “Amazing.”
Her warm lips on his bare skin, the sexy red nightgown. Patience was all well and good, but his was beginning to reach its limit.
“Enough about them,” he whispered on a soft growl as he rolled her onto her back and came over her. The last of the exhaustion and shadows had left her face. She looked vibrant again and glowing with health. He ran a finger along the neckline of the nightgown and looked deeply into her beautiful, moonlit gaze. “I will wait as long as you need, but it would be good if you could let me know now how this is supposed to go. Do we kiss a lot and neck, then go to sleep, or are you ready for a bit more?”
“I wore your favorite nightgown. That’s how this is supposed to go.” She gave him a slow smile and reached down to cup his cock. “I’m ready for a lot more. You have no idea how frustrated I was when I opened the front door earlier to find almost all of your sentinels glowering on the doorstep.”
“If I’d known that, I would have gotten rid of them sooner.” He rocked against her fingers, enjoying the thrust and pull. “My gods, I love you, Pia.”
She stilled, then sighed, her whole body relaxing with pleasure, and once again he reminded himself to tell her more often how much she meant to him. He was not good at putting his emotions into words, and he counted himself the luckiest of all creatures, because she knew that about him and loved him anyway.
He ran his lips along the luscious line of her neck, sucking and kissing at the most sensitive areas while he caressed and molded her full breasts gently. Mating and marriage were like a symphony that swelled and ebbed. The longer he lived with Pia, the more he grew to appreciate that.
There were the times for boisterous, possessive sex and submerging oneself in a lavish, ravenous hunger, and then there were the other times when gentleness ruled with a fine and delicate hand.
This time called for a gentle ravishment. Pia’s body had newly healed from giving birth, and her breasts were full of milk. He knew from their first child that meant her breasts would be painfully sensitive at times.
So he kissed lightly along the rounded flesh, nuzzling her as she massaged his length. He reacquainted himself with the delights of her body, relearning the things that gave her pleasure, biting and nipping at her lower lip and plunging his tongue into her mouth in an erotic imitation of their most intimate act.
Her body undulated underneath his in languid reaction. He loved how she opened to him. She knew this dance as well as he, and he never tired of how her pleasure grew like a trusting bloom. She had never evolved into an experienced voluptuary who gave up studied, paced responses like a professional athlete who knew how to run a marathon race.
It amazed him how each time with her was both familiar and new, and entirely authentic.
She might be the best lying non-liar he had ever met, but he had also grown to know her inside and out.
That catch of her breath, the way she arched up to the gentle, wise touch of his fingers, the tightening of her features—it all spoke of her deepest truths. Diving into her emotional center was the most precious of all the dragon’s many treasures.
Kissing down her body, he eased her fabulous legs apart. They had both done this many times before, and she knew what was coming. Anticipation had already made her wet.
Softly, carefully, he licked her as he stroked along the petals of her intimate flesh. A broken moan slipped out of her. With an alarmed glance at the bassinet, she grabbed a pillow and slapped it over her face.
He pressed his face against her inner thigh to muffle his laugh, and that was a miraculous treasure too. He adored how laughter had crept into their love life.
Telepathically, he asked, How are you doing up there, lover?
Don’t mind me, she said, strangled. Carry on.
So he did. He teased and licked and stroked, losing himself in the sexy perfume of her body, feasting delicately while pressing her down into place with one hand flattened on her belly. She twisted underneath his ministrations, a light sweat breaking over her gleaming skin as he played with the sensitive pearl at the heart of her pleasure.
Positioning one finger at her entrance, he pushed in a few inches, then out. In and out, as he asked, All right if I go all the way in?
Oh God, yes! She groaned into the pillow.
With a quiet chuckle he slid his finger inside. Even though she had given birth just a few weeks ago, she was entirely healed—she felt so tight, so wet, so utterly tantalizing. He worked a rhythm of stroking her and licking, until soon she bucked and twisted, tension standing out along all her muscles. Her inner muscles gripped his finger, and when he judged her ready, he eased in a second finger.
That sent her over the edge. Sucking in a quick breath, she jammed her face harder into the pillow to muffle her shaking groan as the climax rippled through her body, and it was beautiful, beautiful. Unable to control his primitive response, he sank his teeth into the tendon at her inner thigh, pressing with tense care.
Mine, he whispered, replete with the knowledge that it was true. Mine.
That sent her hurtling into another peak. Reaching down, she grabbed his hand to stop his rhythmic thrusts while she shook all over. “Too much,” she whispered through gritted teeth.
“That’s okay.” He kissed her fingers. “We’ve got all the time in the world for me, when we’re ready.”
All the time in the world. That had almost not been the case.
The savagery of his fear had been terrible. Remembering, he surged up to cover her body, yanking the pillow away so he could kiss her with the lingering remnants of his rage and terror. Quick to grasp that their earlier lightheartedness had turned dark with urgency, she wound her arms and legs around him and held him tensely.
“I need to come inside now,” he mouthed against her lips.
Shifting eagerly, she guided him in. He held on to enough control to remember how much bigger his cock was than just his two fingers and pushed gently, gently, entering a little more with each thrust while she hissed and wound shaking fingers through his hair.
Finally he thrust all the way in, to the root, while fine tremors ran through his taut body. He muttered in her ear, “If that baby wakes up now, I’m going to have to go outside and break a lot of things.”
“Shhh!” she admonished.
He coughed out a short laugh. But it wasn’t really a laugh. His eyes turned damp. Goddamn, Pia. Goddamn.
I love you so much it makes me crazy, she said. Still. Always.
How badly do you need me to be careful? he gritted while conflicting urges cascaded through his body.
She shook her head jerkily. Not. At. All. You’re being so careful it’s making me crazy.
That was what he needed to know. With a soft growl he couldn’t suppress, he gripped her by the hip and thrust into her hard. The resulting friction nearly sent him out of his head. Pulling back, he did it again. And again.
Soon he bucked into her, overcome with the need to rut, while she lifted herself for every thrust and sank her teeth into his bicep.
When she tightened her slick, inner muscles, he came to an intense, inelegant finish. His climax slammed up his spine, twisting his body with the force of it. Gasping, he arched his head back and gave himself over to it while she cradled him with her whole body.
Slowly he came back to himself. He gasped, “That was over too fast, damn it.”
She gave him a sly smile. “Good thing we get to do it again very soon. We’re adults, and we’re going to live forever. That means we can make love as many times as we want.”
That was, in fact, the only thing that made it okay to relax down into her arms again.
“Holy gods, woman,” he said in her ear. “You are my everything.”
Still. Always.
* * *
Let’s not make a big deal about it, Pia had said with a shrug.
Dragos was glad they had decided not to squander their energy on making a big deal over their impending move, because the sentinels made a big enough deal for all of them. As soon as they heard the news, they talked and argued about what changes they needed to implement in the New York demesne and how to accomplish them.
Graydon and Bel did decide to move to Rhyacia too, which surprised no one who knew them. Pia was over the moon with excitement when she heard the news, and Dragos was very pleased.
As soon as everybody had recovered enough for Dragos to feel comfortable with leaving Pia and the baby for a brief time, he traveled down to Florida to meet with Rune. After walking along the beach and talking for a while, Dragos told Rune about his and Pia’s decision to move to the Other land.
Rune listened intently, the clean, spare lines of his face set in thoughtful lines.
“Hell of a change,” the gryphon said after a while. “But I think it suits you.”
“I think it does too.” Dragos squinted as he looked out over the water. “This world increasingly calls for more patience and diplomacy than I have to give. And I like the idea of facing the challenges in Rhyacia.” He stopped walking and turned to face the other man. “Come back to New York. Rule in my place until either Liam is ready to take over, or… just stay and rule.”
The other male narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “We like what we’ve built here. We have freedom, and through our agency we can face as many challenges as we choose to take on.”
“I can see how this would suit you, but it’s not the same,” Dragos said, and he could tell Rune was seriously considering it.
Finally Rune said, “I’ll talk it over with Carling and see what she says.”
“That’s all I ask,” Dragos told him. “Just let me know what you decide soon. Liam’s coming home during term break, and I want to be clear about what’s on the table for him to consider.”
“We’ll be decisive,” Rune promised.
He was as good as his word. By the time Dragos arrived home and turned his cell phone back on, a voice mail message from Rune was waiting for him. When he punched Play, Rune’s voice filled his ear. “We’ll do it, at least for the short term. We’ll see what Liam has to say and make any longer-term decisions then.”
The tension eased from Dragos’s shoulders. His boy would be in good hands if he decided to stay in New York.
As soon as Eva agreed to go with them, Pia blithely disconnected from the rest of the decision making. “I’m not going to pack a thing,” she told Dragos. “We want to leave this house fully furnished, and besides, we can hire other people to compile what we need and transport it. I’ve done my hard work for the time being. We’re never going to have another child, so right now I’m all about this baby.”
Dragos smiled. “That’s exactly as it should be.”
The days felt too long, yet at the same time they flew by. Thousands of decisions had to be made, but he didn’t want to become overburdened by any of them. He, too, needed to spend precious time with his younger son. Yet a part of him had grown quiet and waited patiently. His dragon was ready to leave.
Then the day came when Liam arrived home. Pia spent the morning in the kitchen making all his favorite foods. The white dragon flew in early afternoon. Dragos had been given advance notice, so he stepped outside to watch Liam descend into the nearby pasture, sunshine glinting off his massive spread wings.
The white dragon shapeshifted to reveal a tall young man with dark blond hair, wide shoulders, and the long-legged, rangy build of an NFL quarterback. When he caught sight of Dragos, his handsome features lit with a bright smile.
Dragos strode toward him, watching as his elder son approached. Liam moved with the smooth fluid grace of an apex predator, and there were subtle, telltale differences from the last time Dragos had seen him. Liam carried himself with a comfortable assurance that had been missing before. He had grown fully into himself.
The two men came together in a tight hug. Pia called out, and Dragos and Liam turned to see her race toward them, her expression alight with joy. She leaped at Liam, and laughing, he caught her up and swung her around.
“Where’s your dog?” Pia asked. “Where’s Hugh?”
“Hugh’s dogsitting Rika so I can focus on my baby brother.” Liam grinned. “Where is he?”
“He’s taking a nap—he should be waking up any minute now.” Pia beamed up at him. “Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”
Liam laughed. “I’m always hungry.”
“Well, come on. I’ve fixed enough to feed an army.”
They all went inside. As soon as Liam laid eyes on Niall, his face softened. “I was never that little, was I?”
“Of course you were,” Dragos told him. He eyed the baby. “More or less. You had a few pounds on him.”
Pia taught Liam how to hold a baby, and for the rest of the day the two were inseparable. The only time Liam agreed to give Niall up was at feeding time. As soon as Pia was finished nursing the baby, he demanded to have his brother back again.
It was a good day, a perfect day. Dragos watched his family and soaked it all in. Liam told them all about school in Glen Haven—the coffee shops that dotted the campus, the mingling of the different Elder Races along with magical humans, the community of gargoyles that dominated the town.
Pia hung on his every word. When there was a pause in the conversation, she asked, “Have you dated anybody yet?”
A small, very male smile notched up one corner of Liam’s mouth. He admitted, “I’ve seen a few people. Nothing serious.”
That was as it should be. School was for learning and exploration. Nobody should get too serious in college. Dragos might not be very good at interpersonal relations, but even he knew better than to say that out loud.
Finally, as the sunlight started to wane, he exchanged a glance with Pia and stood. Turning to Liam he said, “Come walk with me.”
Liam’s expression grew still and guarded, but he stood readily enough and followed his father out the front door. Together they walked in silence down the path to the lake.
Dragos asked, “Remember the talks we used to have here?”
“Of course. I’ll never forget them.” Liam smiled as he looked around the scene. “What’s going on, Dad?”
He had always been a bright, wise boy.
Dragos said, watching him, “I named the Other land Rhyacia. Your mom and I have decided we’re going to move there.” As Liam’s expression went from guarded to shocked, he added, “We want you to come with us. You can fly all you want without the need to cloak your presence. Everything needs to be built there, Liam—new laws and a new community. There is more than enough room for you to carve out your own space there.”
“Holy shit,” Liam murmured. “You’re really going to just walk away from Wyr demesne here in New York?”
“Not entirely,” Dragos replied. “Graydon and Beluviel are going to come with us. Rune and Carling are going to move back to New York. There are going to be a lot of changes to implement and a lot of decisions to make. Most importantly, there’s a lot of room for growth.”
He paused to study his son. Liam looked rattled, which was no surprise since Dragos had just yanked the proverbial rug out from underneath him. But Dragos could also see the wheels had begun to turn in the young dragon’s mind.
“What is Rune going to do when he comes back?” Liam asked.
Dragos smiled to himself. Liam was beginning to see all the implications. “That’s going to depend quite a lot on you,” he replied. “I need to rescind that promise I made to you. In return, you will have more choices than any of us thought possible back when Constantine died. You can stay in New York and rule in my stead, and Rune would be fine with stepping in as your First. But if you come with us to Rhyacia, I will make you my First there. Right now the population is small and intimate, and you would have more than enough time to learn and grow into your position as the community grows. Here, if you step in as the new Lord of the Wyr demesne, you would have the experience, support and advice of all the remaining sentinels, including Rune. What I can’t in all conscience support is making you a sentinel here in New York, because I still believe you can’t get ready enough in a year’s time. Take any other option but that, and you will have my full blessing.”
“Dad, I-I don’t know what to say.” Liam rubbed his face. “This is a hell of a lot to take in all at once.”
“You’re right, it is,” Dragos said immediately. “And you should take your time to think about it. This is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your life. If you decide to come with us to Rhyacia, there won’t be any coming back to New York later. The power structure here will grow to fill the space we leave, and the new ruler won’t welcome either one of us if we try to take control again, and I wouldn’t blame them.”
Liam blew out a breath. “I thought I was going to be eating too much and sleeping late during term break.”
Dragos laughed. “You can do that too. You can go back to school and join us in Rhyacia when you’re done. There’s more than enough time for that, but New York is going to call for a quicker decision.”
As Dragos spoke, he noticed a man in a black suit leaning back against a nearby tree. Azrael chewed on a long blade of grass as he looked out over the lake.
“What does Mom think?” Liam asked.
“Why don’t you go ask her?” Dragos suggested as he kept his gaze on Death.
“I will.” Giving him an impulsive hug, Liam headed back up the path.
When he was gone, Dragos walked over to Azrael. “What are you doing here?”
“Just taking in the scenery. Witnessing change.” Azrael said, his hard, white teeth grasping the tender shoot of grass gently. “That was serious hunger in the boy’s face. In Rhyacia, he would only ever be your First. He’s going to choose New York.”
“I know. I saw it too.” Dragos’s eyes narrowed.
And Death only appeared in person for the extraordinary events.
Realization struck. “I thought you were in Las Vegas and in Devil’s Gate for Pia and Niall, but you weren’t, were you?” And there had been less than a thousand casualties from the battle, which, while certainly nothing to dismiss, was so much less than many other wars. He said slowly, “You were there for me.”
Azrael shrugged. “Pia and Niall were scared, uncomfortable, and very, very miserable, but you did almost die. That one bullet lodged against your stubborn old heart. An eighth of an inch farther to the right, and it would have been all over. And remember—I’m not just here for Death. I’m also here for rebirth, and green, growing things.”
“Not what you’re most famous for,” Dragos said dryly.
“No.” Azrael smiled. “You’ve been ruling here for centuries, but now the Lord of the Wyr is leaving. Long live the Prince of the Wyr—and all hail the new Lord of Rhyacia. How does that feel?”
Dragos took a deep breath as he looked over the quiet lake. There was so much to look forward to, so much life to live. He could feel himself expanding as he reached for it.
He admitted, “It feels good.”