Chapter Nineteen
The rain was never going to stop. Never. Bryan cracked an eye open, then sighed and let himself fall back to sleep. Sleeping was safe.
Something warm and wet nibbled at his neck, spreading warmth throughout. When he didn’t open his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, the warm and wet grew teeth, the bite sharp.
“Shh. Sleeping.” He wrapped the blankets around him.
“Time to get up. I want to go fly and you’re coming with me.”
“It’s raining, Deke. It’s yucky outside.” Had they made it rain? Could they stop it? That was crazy talk.
“I know. But it’s never raining in the ocean.” Deke leaned over him, body big and warm and good against his back. “You remember how we flew together.”
“Of course it rains at the ocean.” He didn’t know how he felt about flying. He wasn’t sure that had really happened.
“At the ocean, yes. In the ocean, no.” Deke growled a little. “You were with me. You know what I mean.”
“Don’t growl at me.” He moved away, suddenly grumpy. “If you want to go, go.”
Deke put an arm around his waist and dragged him back. “I want to go with you. I’m not leaving you—I told you that.” Deke rubbed his belly.
“I’m not wanting to go out in this. I want to rest. I think I’m still recovering.”
“Baby, you’ll be changing for months. It’s hard work and you’ll have to get more sleep than you’re used to. The best thing is for us to be together and flying is the best fun ever. I will carry you out to the car if that’s what it’s going to take.”
“You know, most guys would offer to take me out to breakfast on the way or something tempting...”
Deke blinked. “I could do that.”
“You’re slacking on the whole wooing thing. Really.”
“I am? I revealed my biggest secret to you...” Deke stroked his belly again. “And I make you bacon all the time. And I want to take you flying. That’s wooing, isn’t it?”
He managed to contain his snort. “Maybe. Maybe a little bit. That’s probably not in the wooing handbook.”
“But neither are dragons, eh?”
“No. No, I don’t understand that at all, but I’m trying.” And that was the truth. He didn’t want to be crazy. Maybe soon he had to go talk to Shae.
“One way to help you understand is for you to come fly with me. Nothing else matters when we’re in the sky or the ocean.”
“It’s a drive out to the coast, you know.” Still, if Deke wanted to go, he thought he’d go. He wasn’t sure what to think, but he had to try and figure things out. He really did.
“Well, I thought we might have breakfast along the way.” Deke’s eyes twinkled at him.
“Did you?” He took a kiss. “Okay. I guess I’ll come with. I’m not getting wet, though...”
“We can’t go to the ocean to fly and not go in the water, baby.” Deke kissed his shoulder.
“No?” He leaned a little, breathing nice and slow. “I’m tired of feeling so wrecked, so weird.” He was tired of fighting against this.
“We need to fly more. Make love more. Eat more. Sleep more,” Deke told him.
“But what about working? What about the normal stuff?”
“We have the rest of our lives for normal stuff, baby. We’re in love—don’t you want to explore that? Revel in it?”
“More than anything.” But real people didn’t get to do that.
“Then let’s do it!” Deke dragged him up, pulling Bryan against his strong body.
“Okay. Okay. Let’s go. Let’s go...be.” If he was going to be crazy, it might as well be good.
Deke looked so pleased, and he took a kiss, taking that happiness for himself.
I love you, baby.
Love you. Love.
Deke cuddled him close. “Clothes would be good, I guess, eh?”
“Clothes. Towels for after. Maybe a snack.”
Deke beamed at him. “Look at you, embracing it.”
“I’m scared and worried, but I’m curious, too.”
“Curiosity is a good thing.” Deke pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.
“Yeah?” He looked out the window again. “It’s raining harder.”
“You’re not going to melt.” Deke tossed him a pair of his sweats.
“I might. You never know.” He tugged them on, then pulled on a T-shirt.
Deke came over and hugged him. “You’re not going to melt. I’m not going to let that happen. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
“I’m heading out to the ocean with a man who might be a dragon and we’re going to fly in a thunderstorm. I’m using up all my bravery and belief.” And that was the truth.
“Might be a dragon.” Deke shook his head. “I’ll believe for both of us.” Then Deke took his hand and led him through the house.
“Well, I might be hallucinating.” It would be infinitely cooler if Deke were a dragon, though. He didn’t have much memory of how Deke looked as a dragon, but what he did remember had been stunning—bright blue and sleek, shiny. Strong.
“That would be a hell of a hallucination. I’m ready to prove I’m not just in your head. I want to let my dragon out with you again.”
“Are you the same?” Did Deke still think like a human in his dragon form, or was he more animal?
“Am I the same as what, baby?”
“In your head, are you the same person when you’re a dragon?”
“Ah.” Deke pondered that. “Yes and no. I’m still me, but even more me. Pure me. Does that make sense?”
“No.” None of this made sense. “You still know me, right? Like you know who I am?”
“Absolutely. You shine like a beacon to me. Always.” Deke stopped at the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels.
A beacon. Him. Weird. Cool, but weird. He didn’t think it ticked a box in the reality column, though.
Deke moved them to the kitchen. “You wanted to bring something to eat?”
“Well, it’s gonna be chilly...maybe not. I don’t know. What do you bring on a day trip to be a dragon?”
“Usually just me, baby.”
“I guess you don’t bring a cooler to that...”
“No, I usually don’t. Food would be good, though. We’re both hungrier than usual.”
“We can’t grill out, but we can take chips and sandwiches.”
“Whatever you want, baby. Tell me what and I’ll make sure it happens.”
“Let’s just go. Come on. I want to get moving if we’re leaving.” He was stressed out, a little scared.
Deke growled and grabbed him up. He was spun around and then Deke’s lips were on his, hard and all-consuming. He held on, clinging desperately to his lover, wanting something stable and sure. And that was Deke, the huge body immovable, his lover holding on.
Breathe, baby. Let’s go. We’ll find a hotel nearby, find a restaurant for supper or take out. Let’s just go.
He had to admit, this whole talking while kissing thing was amazing. So was the idea of just going.
Deke ended the kiss and grabbed his hand and they were off, the towels tucked under Deke’s arm.
“Do you want to take my truck? You can drive.”
“If you’d prefer that to my sweet Bug, sure.”
“Broader wheel base and it’s heavier. This storm is brutal.”
“Point. Let’s go.”
They loaded up into the truck, simply them and a few clothes and that was it. A buzz of excitement hit him, making his toes curl. He never did stuff like this.
Deke turned on the heat as soon as he started the truck. “You still want breakfast or do you want to get to the beach?”
“Can we drive through somewhere? For a snack, a drink?”
“Look at you, Mr. Smartypants.” Deke turned off before getting to the road out of town and they drove up to the Timmies. “You want one of their breakfast sandwiches and a coffee?”
“Please.”
“You got it, baby.” There was only one car in front of them and Deke ordered four sandwiches and two large double doubles. His lover turned to him and smiled as they waited for their order, the rain hitting the truck putting them in their own little world. Which was rather fitting.
He found himself weirdly eager to go out to the ocean, to go to a hotel, have an adventure and not be stuck in his head.
Deke grabbed their food when it was ready and passed the bag over to him. “Prep one for me, please?” Deke got them back on the road, heading toward the beach.
“Sure.” How normal and wonderful and weird all at once.
He passed the sandwich over to Deke who one-handed it, and downed it in about four bites.
“You want another one?” he asked.
“That’s why I got four. Two each. I know you’re hungry.”
“I am, yeah.” He’d let Deke have three if he wanted it, though.
“Two each is good, baby. You need your sustenance. Gotta make sure you don’t faint while we’re making love.”
“We’re not going to make love in the ocean.” He was hungry, though, so he snarfed down the first of his sandwiches.
“Now there is a magnificent idea. We should do it!” Deke ate his second sandwich slower than the first, but still with gusto.
Bryan wasn’t sure if dragons had cocks, but he was sure he wasn’t riding one. Delusion or not.
Deke laughed. In fact Deke nearly choked on his sandwich as he laughed so hard. “No, baby. I won’t make you ride my dragon cock. I will let you see it, though. I meant we should make love in the ocean. You and me. Like this. Both human.”
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop.” Okay, so he was stupid.
“You are not stupid! It tickled me, imagining you riding my dragon cock.”
“Be nice or I won’t be riding anything of yours.”
“Hey, I told you that you’re not stupid—isn’t that nice?” Deke asked.
“We’ve already had this discussion.”
“The one where I’m thick when it comes to the niceties of being romantic and nice?” Deke looked at him, face lit up by a sudden flash of lightning. “I can’t help it.”
“You’ll have to learn.” Like he was the paragon of romance.
“I will for you, baby. I’ll do anything you want.”
Instead of replying, he ate his second sandwich—bacony goodness.
The storm seemed to get worse and Deke gripped the steering wheel, keeping the truck on the road. “At least we know the beach’ll be deserted.”
“Are you sure this is safe, Deke?” Was going out to the beach in this weather proof he was crazy?
“The driving maybe isn’t the smartest thing in the world, but the flying? By air or by water, yes, I’m sure that it’s safe. Totally.” Deke slowed down, taking it easy and concentrating.
“I hope you’re right. It doesn’t feel very safe.” He had to trust Deke, but God, it was hard.
“You are the most precious thing in my life, baby. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
He reached out and squeezed Deke’s thigh, trying to take and give support.
“Mmm. Love you, baby. It’s going to be about twenty more minutes. If you want to take a power nap, go for it. I’ve got this.”
“No. I’ll keep you company.” Keep them on the road by the power of his will alone.
“Thanks, baby.”
Bryan looked for something on the radio, but there was only static. Weird.
“You can play your phone if you like. Let me hear the music you like best.”
“Do you like music? Are you...are you old?” If Deke really was a dragon, if this was real, he had a lot of questions.
“I love music. And yes, I am by human standards. Not for a dragon, though. And I’ll always be the baby brother. Even if a million years pass.”
“Do you think I’m, like, pointless? I mean, I can’t do anything cool, man.”
Deke growled, his fingers going white-knuckled around the steering wheel. “Do not talk like that, baby. You don’t put yourself down or I’ll have to beat you.”
“Well, it’s true. You’re a dragon. You say Jake is a dragon. Shae is an artist. I fix cars.”
“And you’re my soul mate. That’s pretty fucking special, Bryan.”
“And what if you find someone better?”
Deke pulled off onto the side of the road and put the truck in park before turning to him. Deke’s expression was serious as a heart attack. “There is no one better. You are perfect just as you are.”
“My whole world turned upside-down for you. That’s so scary. Do you understand?” He thought maybe Deke did. Deke had left the service for him.
Deke nodded. “Everything else has disappeared but you. And I’ve never felt anything like this before, either. So what if you’re not a brain surgeon? A brain surgeon wouldn’t have time for a soulbond anyway.”
The wind blew harder, the truck rocking on its springs. “Man, this storm is scary, huh?”
“We gotta to get to the beach. It won’t seem bad at all once you’re riding my dragon.”
“I hope you’re right.” He held on to the promise of a fancy hotel room and room service after.
“Of course I’m right.” Deke headed back out onto the road. “It means a lot to me, that you’re here.”
The words felt good.
“It means everything. I don’t want you to feel like you’re pointless, but if you do, I want you to tell me so I can remind you how wonderful you really are.”
“I want to believe.” In everything. In all of it.
“I’ll help.”
He did love the confidence that Deke had. About everything it seemed.
They pulled into the parking lot, the wind whipping around them, the waves crashing on the shore.
Deke got out and came around to help him. “We shouldn’t have to go very far and there’s no one around. Let’s strip here.”
“Yeah. Keep our clothes dry.” God, he was scared.
“Don’t be scared, baby. I’ve got you.” Deke stripped, tossing his stuff back in the truck. “Come on. You’ll see.”
“I’m fine. Totally cool. Like an ice cube.” He stood there, shivering in the driving rain.
Deke grabbed his hand and ran, tugging him along toward the water. As soon as they had the dunes between them and the road, Deke stopped. “Ready?” he shouted.
“As ready as I can be. Hurry, Deke! It’s cold.”
He’d no sooner said it, than Deke shimmered, body changing, becoming the unbelievable dragon he’d seen before. He fought to breathe, to suck in air, and he had to make a choice in that second to turn and run for the truck or go into Deke’s arms. Deke bent, offering him a wing to climb onto the solid back.
He ran to Deke and climbed on, holding on. “You’re real.”
Of course I’m real. Hold on tight.
A moment later they were airborne, the huge wings flapping. The storm flashed all around them, but Deke was like a rock beneath him, so solid. He wasn’t cold, either. Despite being naked, despite the rain.
We’re made of magic, baby. Pure energy.
We? Him too?
Yes. We. You’re changing. Becoming mine.
Deke soared, moving higher, farther out over the ocean. He leaned forward, snuggling into Deke’s long, scaled neck.
We’re going down.
With that, Deke shifted, aiming them straight at the ocean below them.
“Deke!” They were going to drown.
We were in the water last time, Deke reminded him. Trust me.
Trust you. Right. Right. Oh God. Oh God. They hit the water and he cried out, his mind screaming in sheer panic.
Hold on!
Like he was going to let go.
They went into the water, everything suddenly calm, peaceful, and somehow he could breathe.
Deke? God this was weird.
Yeah, baby? Isn’t it wonderful? The water is pure.
People can’t breathe underwater. He could, though. He was.
I’m not people and you’re with me.
The big wings still flapped, though he couldn’t hear them, could only feel the water rippling by him as they moved through the water.
Magic. Deke’s whisper was huge.
He believed that. This wasn’t normal.
I could never be normal, Deke told him. Neither could you.
I’m, like, ubernormal.
You’re flying through the ocean on the back of your dragon soul mate. I think normal is out of reach.
My dragon soul mate. He had to crow. What a thought!
His emotion was echoed by Deke, pure pleasure and happiness shared with him, cocooning him.
The ocean was calm this deep, the other creatures in it avoiding them. It was surreal, that he was under the water and not breathing.
It’s magic, Deke told him again. Magic we make together.
Have you ever done this with anyone else?
No! The answer came immediately, emphatically.
Good. His response was as fast. Real or not, this was his.
He felt Deke’s humor, his pleasure. The emotions as strong as the wings that moved them through the water.
Time seemed to dissolve, the universe spinning around them madly. Eventually, Deke warned him they were going up and they pushed up through the water into the air.
The night was cold and clear, and it shocked him, how his lungs had to remember to breathe. He wasn’t cold, though. Warmth was pouring off Deke.
“This was real.” He’d been awake and sane and not dead the entire time. He needed to believe it, so he decided he would. It was so vivid—the ocean, Deke, the dragon between his legs. And it wasn’t going away. If this wasn’t real, he didn’t want to know. He chose to accept it, to be happy instead of constantly plaguing the incredible thing with doubts. If he was crazy, then so be it. He wouldn’t throw this magnificent gift back. He would enjoy it as long as he had it. “This is real,” he said again.
That’s what I’ve been telling you.
“I know. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to know.”
Deke banked and turned, scales shining in the moonlight. He realized suddenly that the storm had ended. No thunder, no lightning, and no rain.
He relaxed over Deke’s back, humming softly. “It’s beautiful!”
Yes! The only thing I’ve ever done that felt better is making love to you.
That’s next, huh? Food. Hotel. Sex?
And they say I have a one-track mind. Look ahead.
He did, and he could see the shore, rapidly approaching. The sight was amazing, utterly breathtaking.
Deke banked again once they were close to shore, flying along it for a while before coming in for a landing. He wanted to know they could do this again.
And again and again and again and again until the end of time.
“Okay. Yes. Yes, please.” He found himself shaking, close to tears. Not sad, but...changing, deep inside.
Becoming more mine every moment.
Deke went in for the landing, and he expected to be jolted, but instead it was soft, as if Deke were stopping on cotton balls.
Deke wrapped around him, wings cradling him. It was the most amazing thing he’d ever felt. Blowing out of his nostrils, Deke warmed him with his breath. One claw stroked his cheek as tears poured out of him.
He cuddled in, clinging as his tears dried. The wings around him slowly faded away and he was standing with Deke the man, his lover’s arms around him, holding him close.
“We’re naked on the beach, Deacon-meine.”
“We are. We should go to the truck and get our clothes on, shouldn’t we?” Deke put one arm around his shoulder and turned them toward the parking lot. “I promised you a hotel, food, lots of hot sex.”
“You did.” He was shivering when they got to his truck, and he was grateful for the towels, his warm clothes.
Deke turned the heat on in the truck as soon as they got in it, and they trundled out of the parking lot. “How are you feeling?” Deke asked, suddenly serious.
“Amazed. Hungry.” He stopped for a second, then continued. “Like I want you to hold me.”
Deke reached over and took his hand, holding on. “We’ll be there in five minutes. It’s a little place on the inlet. I made sure they do room service.”
“Thank you.” He was sort of stupidly excited. But it felt like there was a weight off his shoulders now that he’d decided to believe.
“It’s my pleasure, baby, trust me.”
“The storm is gone. It’s so clear.”
“And did you see the moon?” Deke asked. “It looks so big.”
“Uh-huh. It’s magic.” Huge, lovely.
“Nah, that’s you and me.” Deke grinned at him, gaze so warm.
“Uh-huh. Right. Flatterer.”
“I don’t have to work at it—with you it comes naturally.”
That was his sailor—low on the romance, high on the love.
They got to the edge of town and Deke pulled into the hotel lot. “I made sure they had steak on the room service menu.”
“Maybe I’ll get pasta.” He might be Deke’s soul mate, but he was his own man.
Deke snorted. “And maybe I’ll stick to a salad.”
“Mmm. Salad.”
“Brat.” Deke grabbed him up and kissed him, quite thoroughly, leaving him dazed and dizzy.
“Come on. Your steak awaits. As does...” Deke’s eyebrows waggled. Damn one-track mind. Okay, two track.
Still, Deke made him laugh.
“Steak. Bed. Nice long nappage.”
Deke sing-songed, “First comes love, then comes nappage.”
“That sounds a little perverse, Deke.”
“I’m hoping it’s going to be a lot perverse. Like a lot.” Deke gave him another quick kiss. “Come on. We have to go in for any of that to happen.”
“True.” His life wasn’t boring, he’d give Deke that.