AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They will be few and far between.” Sebastian stole another look into the van and sighed again. “I have told Bertram that until the threat to my family has been neutralized, I will not be available to him, and there is no one else who would call upon my services.”
“What of your father?”
“Father?” Sebastian shook his head. “Father is too busy caring for his expectant mate.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
The easy, if somewhat vexed, expression on Sebastian’s face darkened. “You speak as though there’s something I should know.”
“No. Not at all. Your father and I are not in close contact and I haven’t heard from him since I last paid Walter a visit. I know nothing. I said what I did off intuition alone.” Perry met Sebastian’s piercing gaze and held it. There had been a time where such a cold look would have frozen him to the core, but he was the mate of a dragon now, and no one loved a beast without learning to tolerate its claw. “But you must also know that my intuition is often right. I don’t know how I know these things—only that I do.”
“You worry me, Perry.”
“Darling, I worry me, too.” Perry smiled and stepped forward, lifting up onto his toes to better cup Sebastian’s cheek. “But all will be well. It always is. Even though we sometimes suffer, we will recover. And perhaps, if you are busy, it will be for the best—you’ll be less inclined to worry over me when you have work to focus on. But, should you need to leave…” He pouted his bottom lip. “May I please have this one small concession? Please?”
“You absolute vixen,” Sebastian grumbled as he drew Perry into his arms. “I can’t tell if you’re being honest over this intuition of yours, or if it’s all a tangled web meant to ensnare me into doing your bidding.”
Perry hid his smirk against Sebastian’s chest. “I’m afraid that’s my secret to keep, my love.”
A rumble sounded behind Sebastian’s ribs, and very suddenly Perry’s feet left the ground. The dragon had scooped him up as though he weighed nothing, and now moved to pin him against the side of the van.
“What will I have to do,” Sebastian whispered against his lips as the kiss of cool metal chilled his back, “to coax the truth out of you?”
A thrill shot through Perry, and he wrapped his legs around Sebastian’s waist. “Whatever it is,” he whispered back, “you’ll need to work long and hard at it, indeed.”
Someone nearby cleared their throat, causing Sebastian to growl in frustration and Perry to peek over his shoulder, where he found Pritchard standing a few feet away. Next to her was a small silver hand truck onto which had been loaded a wooden crate, its top missing, filled to the brim with assorted greens. Perry had been taught to identify jewels, amongst other luxuries, so not all of them were familiar, but he did recognize a few—romaine, collard greens, kale, and arugula.
“Excuse me, sirs,” Pritchard said. “The kitchen has just had this delivered—would you like me to load it into the back?”
Sebastian set Perry on his feet and turned to face her. “Is there not enough in the van already? It’s everywhere, Pritchard. All over the goddamn floor. You’ve turned my van into a salad bowl. Tell me why we need more.”
“The Attendants were insistent,” she replied with a simple shrug, not in the least bit intimidated. “Shall I load it?”
A bit of smoke escaped Sebastian, but it was all for show. Perry was certain of it. Of all the wonderfully heroic things at which Sebastian was skilled, theatrics topped the list. At least when he was grumpy. It was unabashedly adorable.
“Yes, thank you, Pritchard,” Perry replied while Sebastian smoldered. “We’ll be in need of all the greens we can get at this mysterious destination of ours. Isn’t that right, Sebastian?”
Sebastian glanced menacingly over his shoulder at Perry. Smoke continued to curl from his nostrils, which Perry found to be absolutely precious. “Of course, beloved,” he said flatly. “Nothing would bring me greater joy.”
It was settled, then.
What Perry wanted would be his.
Had Perry not been pregnant, he would have bounced up and wrapped his arms around Sebastian’s neck to pepper his face with kisses, but with the babe in such a delicate state, Perry settled for beaming at Sebastian instead.
The smoke stopped pouring from Sebastian’s nostrils, and after a moment, he smiled back.
“Do you hear that, Pake?” Perry asked as he spun around to look into the back of the van, where all the seats had been stripped out and one very large, very old tortoise had been loaded into the cabin. He sat on a nest of greens that closely resembled the ones in the crate, which he was in the process of eating. An empty plate was tucked into a nearby corner, empty save for a strawberry-red streak. “Sebastian says you can accompany us. How much fun we’ll have. You do so adore to travel, and it’s been so long since we last went anywhere.”
Pake lifted his head to regard Perry. Assorted greens hung out of his closed mouth. After a moment’s consideration, he began to chew, and the greens slowly disappeared.
“Look, Sebastian,” Perry cooed. “Pake is glad to hear that he’s welcome to come, too.”
Sebastian sighed. “I’ll load the crate. Perry, you get settled in the front seat. It’s time to go.”
Perry reached into the back and stroked Pake’s smooth, cool skin, then sat in the front and prepared himself for the journey. It was a dark time, yes, but with his mate and a friend with whom he could share the burden, he’d survive. There were still happy days ahead. He knew it. All he had to do was wait and one day, they’d be his.
* * *
