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“Peregrine,” he uttered, and traced his knuckles over Peregrine’s cheek. “You are stunning. More beautiful than I could have imagined.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“You will wear my gold forever.” Sebastian’s hand lifted to the chains hanging from Peregrine’s ear and the thick golden cuff that held them in place. “I will get you more. Much more. When others look at you, I want them to know you are loved by a dragon. I want them to see plain as day that you belong to me.”
Peregrine nodded and nuzzled into Sebastian’s hand. “Yes. Of course.”
“Come.” Sebastian took him by the hand and brought him to the bed. He removed Peregrine’s clothing but left the jewelry in place. All of it. Even the elegant chain looped over Peregrine’s hips. “Gorgeous,” he whispered, and pushed Peregrine onto the bed. “Stunning. Divine. My omega. Mine. Mine.”
Sebastian’s hot mouth surrounded Peregrine’s flaccidity and sucked him in, and suddenly Peregrine was drowning in pleasure. It burned through him like dragonfire and ate him to the core.
“My lord,” he breathed. “My lord.”
“Sebastian,” rasped the dragon who’d given him everything, and now gave him so much more. “I am Sebastian. You will call me Sebastian. For as you are mine, I am yours, and you will call me by my name.”
“Sebastian.” The word was like a prayer, and it lifted to the heavens from his tongue. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”
Sebastian didn’t. Not until Peregrine went rigid and came into his mouth. Once he had, Sebastian pulled away to speak. “You have given me everything, Perry,” he said, setting a loving hand on Peregrine’s stomach. “Now it’s time I do the same for you.”
* * *
New gold was brought into the palace every day, most of which ended up in Peregrine’s possession. Brooches and hair clips and rings. Necklaces, body chains, and more. Peregrine wore it all and cycled between pieces depending on his mood. There were diamonds and sapphires and emeralds to choose from. Fat rubies and smooth black tourmaline. Some of his jewelry had no gemstones at all, but was made of gold in colors Peregrine had never seen before—whites so intense they resembled snow and dusty colors that verged on pink.
Sebastian had more light, airy clothing commissioned, and soon Peregrine had a wardrobe so large, it necessitated its own chamber for storage.
Weeks passed. Sebastian made love to him every day, often more than once, and vowed all kinds of impossible things—that they would mate; that Peregrine would be his forever; and that it didn’t matter what anyone said about his parentage, Sebastian would defend him until the end.
But when one month became two, and then neared the end of three, a mate mark had yet to appear, and Peregrine began to worry. If he and Sebastian were not mated, his eggs would be taken from him and he would be sent away. Should he stay, he would bond with them and go mad, as had happened to every omega before him, and as would happen to every omega after.
Sebastian appeared to have arrived at the same conclusion. While stoic, Peregrine had become familiar enough with him to read the subtleties of his body language, and he could tell his dragon was in distress over their failure to mate.
“It’s possible,” said Peregrine quietly one evening after they’d made love, “you’ll need to send me away.”
“No. I shan’t do any such thing.”
“You might need to.”
“No, Perry.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Sebastian sounded insistent, but he stared through the ceiling as though it would offer them the solution to their problem. “You are mine. I will not send you away.”
“Then I will go mad.”
“You won’t.”
“It’s the law of nature, Sebastian.”
“Then I will fight nature tooth and nail, and when I win, I will force it to change.” A curl of smoke escaped Sebastian’s nostrils. He snorted to chase it away. “I refuse to lose you. You are my treasure, and I will not give you up.”
But by the end of the month, there was no mark, and nature refused to be conquered. Worse, one night Peregrine woke from his sleep to find it had attacked—labor pains tore through him. He was without a mate, but his clutch was ready to be laid.
19
Sebastian
1509
