I rumble the offer to him, and I can hear the pleading in my voice, the desperate hope.Please. Please join me. I need you close.
“Ye would share yer hot spring with me?” His hands move to the fancy dinner jacket he’s still wearing and start unbuttoning it with fingers that tremble with emotion and barely restrained desire. “Yer personal sanctuary? Yer most private place?”
His voice carries awe and disbelief, and desperate hope, all mixed together.
You’re my mate,I rumble, and my mental voice cracks with emotion.You caught me when I fell. You held me safe. You hatched and flew through the night to find me. How could I not share everything I have with you?
I move further to the side to give him more space, water sloshing with my movements.Your species loves the heat and minerals of hot springs. It heals us and settles the beast within. I need... I need you close, Solaris. I need to know you’re real and safe and mine.
I rumble once more and back deeper into the water, submerging myself until only my nostrils and eyes are above the surface, watching him with desperate anticipation. Steam rises from the water in lazy curls, creating an almost mystical atmosphere in the dimly lit cavern.
My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. After almost two years of carrying him, of talking to him, of dreaming about him—he’s here. He’s real. And I’m terrified and elated and so grateful I can barely breathe. He can join me or not. It’s his choice, and I won’t pressure him either way.
But goddess, I hope he chooses to stay. I hope he wants this—wantsme—as much as I want him.
Solaris’s hands freeze on the buttons of his jacket, and he looks at me with such raw emotion that it takes my breathaway. “Lass,” he says, his voice breaking. “I’ve dreamed of this moment. Of ye. Of being close tae ye without tha shell between us.” His hands resume their work with renewed purpose, fingers flying over buttons. “I’m comin’, my heart. I’m comin’.” He sheds the jacket, then his shirt, revealing a broad, scarred chest that speaks of battles fought and survived. His hands move to his trousers, and he strips with efficient speed, clearly done with waiting, done with hesitation.
When he’s finally bare, I can see the full extent of the scars covering his body—centuries of fighting, of surviving, of enduring. He’s beautiful and broken and perfect.
He shifts without warning, and his orange drake explodes into existence—massive and powerful, and magnificent. He’s larger than me, ancient and scarred and absolutely stunning. Without hesitation, he slides into the hot spring with a sigh that sounds like a prayer being answered.
The water rises dramatically as his bulk displaces it, and then he’s moving toward me with purpose. He curves his body around mine protectively, and I feel his warmth seeping into me from all sides.
Finally,he rumbles, pressing his maw against my neck.Finally, I can hold ye properly. Finally, ye’re safe in my arms where ye belong.
I turn my head and press my face against his, purring so loudly that the water vibrates with it.
We’re together. All five of my mates are finally in my nest. My family is complete.
And I’ve never felt more safe, more loved, or more whole in my entire life.
