For the moment, Crimson bristled with draconic energy, like invisible sparks danced along his skin. He seemed impatient and on edge, and nobody messed with him.

  I loved that side of him. I wondered how much more of it I’d get to see.

  Crimson practically dragged me away from the crowd into a quiet clearing in the forest, saying, “I have something to show you.” I kept glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone followed, but Crimson never looked back. He was confident we’d be alone for a while.

  “What did you want to show me?” I asked. “Because if it’s your cock, I’ve already seen it.”

  He smirked. “No, but I can show you that, too, if you’d like.”

  “I’m not opposed.”

  He let out another laugh before tossing his head back like a rearing horse. Then a burst of magic seized him. His body grew, twisting and turning into a huge, intimidating, sexy form.

  Crimson’s dragon stood before me. There wasn’t a single frightened bone in my body, but I saw how somebody could find him menacing. For one thing, he was massive, nearly the size of a bungalow. His hooked black talons could rip up a car with ease, and his shiny fangs glinted like a row of knives.

  This wasn’t my first time seeing his dragon form, yet it never dulled my awe. I reached out and touched my palm to his foreleg. The red scales were smooth and cool under my hand.

  No, calling them red was an understatement. True to his name, they were a rich crimson, drifting into a different shade at various angles of the light. He was like a living, breathing ruby statue with lungs full of fire.

  And he was mine.

  A shiver ran through me. Just as Crimson was possessive over me, I was possessive over him. The end of the challenges came as a relief.

  “Don’t ever do that shit again,” I muttered.

  Crimson’s dragon voice rumbled with amusement. “Do what, my sweet kitten?”

  “Threaten to go on a date with some other omega.”

  Scoffing, Crimson brought a paw to his chest in an offended gesture. “I did no such thing. I knew from the start you’d win, Taylor. Have faith in your alpha.”

  “I do have faith in you. It was everyone else I didn’t have faith in. Could you imagine going on a TV show date with one of those guys? The second-hand cringe would be unbearable.”

  He laughed. “You’re not wrong. I would’ve fought the urge to set myself on fire.” Craning his neck toward the ground, he nuzzled my cheek with his smooth muzzle. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. The Games are over. You’re my mate, Taylor, and I love you.”

  Those words made my heart flutter every single time.

  “Now stop thinking about silly things and get on my back,” Crimson said.

  “Get where?”

  “How else am I supposed to take you to the castle? It’s a long walk for someone without wings.”

  As a tiger, I wasn’t exactly afraid of heights. I could climb a tree well enough.

  But being in the sky?

  Sensing my hesitation, Crimson let out a puff of smoke. “Come on. Do you really think I’d let you fall?”

  “I’m not that light,” I warned him.

  “And I’m not that weak,” he shot back. Then he sighed dramatically. “Honestly, Taylor. It’s like you’ve never met a dragon before! We’re only the strongest creatures in existence.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And the most pompous. Let me on.”

  “I was kidding about getting on my back, by the way. Far too dangerous, especially since you might be pregnant.”

  My jaw dropped. What did he just say?

  Crimson kept speaking like he hadn’t just dropped a huge bombshell. “I’ve made a neat little seat for you. And I promise on the lives of my six brothers that I won’t drop you. Wait, no. I promise on my tail I won’t—”

  “Crimson,” I interrupted. “Did you say I might be pregnant?”

  He didn’t look nearly as shocked as I felt. “Well, yes, certainly. We had unprotected sex, didn’t we?”

  “Yes...”

  “We even talked about it, remember? I said, ‘I want to breed you, Taylor.’ And you said, ‘Put an egg in me.’”

  My face turned hotter than the sun. I did say that. I’d been caught up in the heat of the moment, the sultry dirty talk.

  But that wasn’t all it was. In my heart, everything I’d said was true.

  There was a distinct possibility that our intercourse had resulted in pregnancy. Of course I knew that. I was a grown man who knew how biology worked. But this whole experience felt so surreal, so dreamlike, that I hadn’t considered that fact. It was like I was untouchable here on Chromatimaeus Island.

  I slowly looked down at my body, seeing it with a new perspective. I placed my hands on my belly. It felt the same as ever, so maybe it was my imagination kicking in when I thought it seemed different than before.

  But a whole new world opened up in my mind. A vision of me, pregnant. Crimson as the father. And a beautiful baby between us...

  Tears sprung to my eyes.

  “Taylor, are you all right?” Crimson asked softly.

  “Yeah.” I was so choked up I could barely talk. My voice was thick with emotion.

  Crimson hesitated. When he spoke, he sounded worried. “You’re not upset, are you?”

  “No, you overgrown lizard,” I half-snapped, half-sobbed. “I’m happy!”

  Instantly relieved, Crimson wrapped his long neck around me, cuddling close with a grin. “Aww, look at you. Underneath that prickly exterior, you’re a big softie, aren’t you?”

  I sniffled loudly. “I’m going to claw your face off.”

  Crimson beamed like I’d complimented him. “Yes, yes. Now come on, let’s have our celebration somewhere a little more luxurious.”

  It turned out I was too distracted to be scared of heights. The whole time Crimson flew us back to his family’s castle, my mind raced with thoughts of our potential baby. I’d been so busy with my rivalry-turned-sort-of-friendship with Alaric, the challenges, and the chaos of reality TV, that the unprotected sex had slipped my mind.

  Was there a dragon egg forming inside of me right now?

  My heart skipped a beat. I hoped so. And if there wasn’t, nothing stopped me and Crimson from trying over and over again.

  “There it is,” Crimson said.

  Since he clutched me securely in his paws against his chest, I felt the deep rumble of his voice against my back.

  It wasn’t hard to miss the castle, but that didn’t stop my sense of wonder. I was a city boy, whether I liked it or not, so the sight of a beautiful, edgy castle on a forested island took my breath away. It was like a visual out of a film.

  I couldn’t voice my awe, so instead I said, “I don’t envy your house cleaner.”

  That earned me a cackle from Crimson.

  He touched down by the looming front doors on a cobblestone walkway. The area looked both well-manicured and untamed, like the castle was a natural extension of the wilderness. It was a fitting home for dragons—creatures who were noble and smart, yet harbored a ferocious feral side.

  After placing me gently on the ground, Crimson shifted back to human form and adjusted his suit. “Here we are. Home.”

  My chest felt warm. Was this to be my home, too?

  “Is this what you wanted to show me?” I asked.

  “Not quite. Follow me.”

  Entering the castle felt like stepping into another world. I was no lithe little omega, but the arched ceilings, at least ten feet high, made me feel small. Was this castle built with the dragon brothers in mind so they could take either form they pleased?

  Yet for a castle housing six other dragons, it was surprisingly empty.

  “Where is everybody?” I asked as Crimson led me up a flight of stairs.

  “What am I, a babysitter?” Crimson teased. “Jade is locked up in his library, no doubt. I suspect the twins, Aurum and Saffron, are sneaking around production to get a glimpse of the action. Thystle is probably moping in his room listening to My Chemical Romance, while Cobalt is undoubtedly doing serious adult dragon things that none of us are privy to or care about.”

  From his list, I only counted six, including Crimson.

  “What about the seventh brother?” I asked.

  A silent beat passed before he answered. “Best not to guess with Viol. He’s a wild card.”

  The way he said it made me think he didn’t want to discuss that particular brother further, so I let it slide.

  After many long hallways, we reached a pristine red door. Crimson opened it and gestured for me to enter.

  What I expected was—well, a bedroom. What I got was a massive, sprawling space the size of a penthouse suite. Calling it a ‘room’ was like calling a mansion a house.

  That wasn’t all, though. As I took in the scale of his room, Crimson wandered over to another door and beckoned me closer. This one had a different aura. The deep cherry wood was hand-carved with intricate designs, secured with a numbered digital padlock.

  “What’s that for?” I asked.

  “So my snooping brothers and house staff don’t enter.”

  “Is this the part where I get concerned about dead bodies?”

  “No, because I’d let my brothers see those,” he joked. Maybe.

  Crimson punched in the key code with quick, practised movements, but he didn’t open the door right away. He paused at the threshold, smoothing back his hair and taking a deep breath.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  Crimson bounced on the balls of his feet. “Yes.”

  “...Are you sure?”

  He shot me a playful glare. “Listen, it’s a big deal to show off your hoard to your mate for the first time.”

  My eyes widened. I hadn’t realized his hoard lay behind this door. I had to admit, the concept of dragon hoards hadn’t meant much to me until I met Crimson. His passion for his collection of suits went beyond a normal person’s interest. It was kind of like what quilting meant to me.

  I put my hand reassuringly on his arm. “I know how important it is to you.”

  The tension eased from Crimson’s face. “Hah. How embarrassing of me. Of course my mate would understand.”

  I smiled, then leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek for good measure. He replied with a loving growl, a less-than-chaste kiss in return, and a possessive grab of my ass. Being so close to his hoard must’ve awakened his dragon instincts, making him wilder than usual, which was fine by me.

  With a deep breath, Crimson opened the door.

  Much like the castle, the sight of Crimson’s meticulously kept and displayed hoard instilled a sense of awe in me. Rows of suits lined the deep, wide walk-in closet, which was nearly the size of a room itself. Pot lights and rows of stealthily placed LED strips shone down from above, casting the suits in an ethereal glow, while the black closet walls created a cozy atmosphere. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on any of the fabric. It was clear Crimson’s hoard was handled with painstaking, meticulous care.

  When I glanced at him, he almost looked embarrassed.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “You’re not going to laugh?” He sounded like he half-expected me to.

  I raised a brow, crossing my arms. “Crimson, my main hobby is quilting. You know, the thing usually associated with little old ladies with nothing better to do. Which is ridiculous, since it’s dismissive of the whole art form, but whatever...” I gestured to the suits. “So as a fellow connoisseur of fabric—and your mate, might I remind you—why the hell would you think I’d shame you for this?”

  Crimson blinked, shocked by my impassioned speech, then let out a relieved laugh. “You’re right. That was silly of me.” He glanced at the door, which he shut behind us. “You know, I don’t let my brothers in here. Jade came in earlier this week by accident and I nearly bit his face off. Nobody else is allowed... except you.”

  That made me feel oddly special. “Thank you for trusting me, Crimson.”

  He grabbed me by the waist, pulling me against him. “Thank you for being my perfect mate.”

  As we hugged, I couldn’t help noticing the closest suit hanging on the rack. I couldn’t identify the material at a glance, so my fabric nerdiness bubbled to the surface.

  “Is that cotton, or a silk blend?” I asked.

  Crimson grinned at my interest. “Neither. It’s Merino wool.”

  “Really? But it’s so smooth and shiny.”

  My alpha chuckled, nuzzling my face with great fondness. “Ah, you really are my fated mate, Taylor.”

  Twenty

  Crimson

  There was one nagging thing on my mind as we exited my closet. After Taylor was so honest and accepting of my hoard, I felt encouraged to bring it up with him.

  “So, now what?” Taylor asked. “Castle tour? Meeting the family? Wrapping up the game show?”

  “Why, are you in a hurry to escape me?” I teased.

  Taylor shot me a deadpan look. “Yes, almighty lizard. I tremble before you.”

  “Call me a lizard again and see if my boner stays alive.”

  Intrigued, Taylor’s gaze fell to the front of my pants. A slow grin spread over his face.

  “You should’ve just said so,” he mumbled as he sauntered over. But before Taylor wrapped his arms around me, I raised a hand. He paused. “What is it?”

  I glanced hesitantly at my closet, then back at my mate. “There’s something I want to try.”

  “I’m listening.”

  A bead of sweat rolled down my temple and my palms turned clammy. Getting out my request proved harder than I expected, but I should’ve known it would be hard when it was so dreadfully lewd...

  Taylor raised a brow as my silence went on. “Crimson, do you have some kind of kink you’re scared to share with me?”

  My face flushed. “I beg your pardon?”

  But he was nonplussed. “You can tell me. Fated mates and all that, remember? Didn’t I just tell you literally five minutes ago not to be ashamed of things you enjoy?”

  I sighed, worn down by his stoic sensibility. “Yes, I know. But this is different.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Does anything faze you, my love?”

  “Not really. Except realizing I might be pregnant. But that was in a good way.”

  There was no point in hiding the truth any longer. Just because I found my little fantasy embarrassing didn’t mean Taylor would.

  “So? What’s this non-vanilla kink you have?” Taylor pried.

  “In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that wild. But it has to do with my precious hoard, so I’m a bit nervous,” I admitted.

  Taylor smiled sympathetically. “Sure. If you want, let’s explore it together. Tell me more about

  it.”

  I swallowed. The image of it in my mind was very hot, but would I feel the same way in real life? There was no better way to find out than what Taylor had suggested—exploring it together.

  I bit my lip.

  “I, ah... want you to come on my suit,” I murmured.

  Taylor’s brows shot up. He looked genuinely surprised. “Oh. That’s it? I thought you were into diapers or something.”

  I chuckled. “And what if I was?”

  “For you, I’d try anything once.”

  The unexpectedly sweet comment made me smile. I held him close, wrapping my arms around him like a baby koala, never wanting to let go.

  Taylor’s scent was musky and thick, and his soft neck practically begged for me to bite it. But if I went down that road, it would lead to full-on fucking again. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but I wanted to try something different.

  As we embraced, I let my hand roam down Taylor’s chest, finally resting on the slight bulge in the front of his pants. He purred, which was adorable.

  “Do dragons always get horny over their hoard?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I never thought of my hoard that way until I met you. Perhaps our fated mates unlock kinks related to our hoard.”

  Taylor swallowed audibly. “Someone should do a study on it.”

  Despite trying to keep his voice steady, I heard it hitch. It was cute when his stoicism crumbled under erotic pressure.

  I kept caressing his growing erection. Taylor closed his eyes as his breathing quickened, along with the rise and fall of his chest. I felt his beating heart rapidly thumping against mine.

  “Already pent up since last night?” I teased.

  “Sorry that it feels good when an alpha dragon feels me up,” Taylor grumbled, his cheeks deep pink.

  “Let’s take care of that, shall we?”

  With a deft motion, I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of his pants and pulled out my throbbing prize. Taylor gasped. The sudden sensation of cool air against his hot cock made him shiver.

  I licked my lips. My mate’s cock was gorgeous. A shiny bead of pre-cum glistened at the tip of his swollen head. My mouth watered, eager to engulf it.

  But as I began to kneel down, Taylor grabbed my shoulders.

  “Don’t,” he said in a strained voice.

  “Hm? Why not?”

  He mumbled the next words, clearly embarrassed. “I’m already close. I won’t be able to hold back and... come on your suit.”

  A wave of fondness hit me. “Aww, Taylor. You’re too sweet.”

  “Whatever,” he grumbled, as red as my dragon’s scales.

  I kissed him to diffuse his embarrassment. Soon, he was lost in our passionate make-out and threw his shame to the wind, moaning and whimpering into my mouth. My mate’s lustful sounds sent shockwaves of arousal rocketing through my body. My cock ached.

  Taylor pulled back from our kiss. His eyes flashed, glassy and mischievous. He glanced down at my blazer, then gently ran his hands over it.

  “Such fine fabric,” he murmured.

  My heart skipped a beat, and my hand paused on Taylor’s shaft.

  His ferocious tiger eyes glinted again. He knew he just hit the jackpot.

  “You like that, don’t you?” he asked softly as his fingers dragged down the fabric. “You like when I compliment your suit.”