Gabriel eyed him warily, eyes searching, locked on the Drake’s display.

  Shinies!

  The dragon dug in his pack and, with expert precision, he gathered a single gold coin in his maw and stepped forward to lay it on the ground before the offering of food. He nosed the coin closer and stepped back.

  Gabriel scented the air, glanced from the offering to the coin, eyes calculative.

  Mate!

  His dragon’s roar seemed to reach Gabriel, and the Dette’s eyes slitted. Gabriel thought for a long moment before Sacha’s dragon strutted and fluffed his wings once more.

  Silly peacock! He’s already impressed. He’s just waiting for you to stop, Sacha shouted to his dragon.

  Mate? The voice came back reedy and broken in Sacha’s mind from Gabriel, in a way that told him tears may not be too far off.

  Mate!

  Gabriel huffed and squinted from the deer to Sacha and nodded once before stepping forward to take the single gold coin. He flitted his tail and turned his back on the Drake, lifting his rump with an alluring sway to let Sacha know how ripe he was.

  Breed sweetly. Take home.

  As if hearing the dragon’s thoughts, Gabriel looked over his shoulder, coin still in his maw, and whined.

  Take home. Cook meat. Feed mate. Good heat. Strong pups.

  All these promises, things that Sacha never could give Gabriel. He’d failed him so many times.

  Gabriel, are you still in there? At all? Sacha called through his soul, and Gabriel reacted to the words, but none came in response, only a draconic huffing, impatient to be mounted, or whatever it was that wild Drakes did for a Dette. His dragon didn’t even want to take part in the barbaric display, save for some cursory sniffing and nosing along his flank.

  Beast, I may mate Gabriel, but not until he offers me his skin. Do you hear? We are not wild animals! Sacha barked at his dragon and received a complacent huff of agreement in response.

  Mine.

  That’s right, now be a gentleman…dragon, beast. Sacha grumbled as he sat in his mindscape watching with detached pain as his dragon presented to Gabriel’s feral mating display with tender laps of his tongue along Gabriel’s bloody neck. Goat. The salty, musky tang made him shiver.

  Want provide for mate.

  I know you do, buddy. Sacha sighed as Gabriel went limp and complacent under his dragon’s touch.

  His dragon gave a last lick to Gabriel’s maw and turned to retrieve the deer. Gabriel grabbed the remains of his goat with the coin, too, then led the way up a cliff face and through the craggy scape before crawling into a low-ceiling cave.

  Delicate crunching shale gathered under Sacha’s feet as he followed, his tail curling languidly. Each step dragged the carcass a little further into the damp but cozy space. The ceiling rose not too far within, and a comfortable little nest lay secluded behind a wall of stones, a depression filled with soft moss and grasses. Gabriel stowed his meal and slipped into his nest, tail curling as he reverently deposited the gold coin in a prized spot within the moss.

  Sacha’s dragon’s chest puffed with pride, and he charged his fire, leaning down to the deer to scorch it, aiming the fire back out from where they came. Tenderly, he ripped the skin off and roasted the meat. An offering to feed his mate.

  Gabriel slipped from his nest and watched Sacha work, head tilted curiously. Gabriel nibbled the strip from his Drake’s maw and lapped at his face.

  Sacha, as if remembering something, reached over his back and tugged at the pack fastened under his wing. He pulled free the urn and scrambled with the top before a few vacuum-sealed small packets scattered out. He pierced one with his claw and laid it before Gabriel, thumping his tail happily.

  Mate.

  Gabriel stared at the strange offering with confusion and tentatively bowed his head to sniff. His pupils went from slits to full round orbs, dilating widely. He shredded the package, scattering the contents as he licked, nibbled, and rubbed his face in the crumbled dried flowers. Mating flower, his dragon spoke in their minds.

  With Sacha’s offering accepted, Gabriel prowled around his Drake, huffing with want as the scent of his heat grew stronger.

  Want mate. Want breed. Make yours. The words softly floated through Sacha’s head. Gabriel still had words in him, and maybe there was hope.

  Gabriel, speak to me, Sacha called through their souls, and profound sadness came back to him, shame, rejection. I have a gift for you. Sacha nipped and tugged on the nape of Gabriel’s neck and pleaded with his dragon to let him shift. Begrudgingly, and only because it would get him into Gabriel’s nest, Sacha’s dragon complied.

  Tell me you understand me, Sacha pleaded, standing bare and naked before a towering, scaled Gabriel who watched him with hurt eyes. He nodded. Sacha approached, hands outstretched. The scent of the nestblossoms lifted around him and he wondered for a moment if Hallr really gave him the last year’s stock. They smelled strong, too strong. Gabriel placed his head in Sacha’s hands and whined.

  “Can you come to me, Gabriel? I want to kiss you and I cannot do that without your skin. Can your dragon let me prove to you I am a suitable mate?” Sacha tried appealing to Gabriel’s dragon, who clearly dominated the whole of him.

  Failed. A whisper rang through his head.

  “No, you never failed me.”

  Sent away.

  “Gabriel, no. If you had only said you wanted to stay, I would have kept you. I was stupid. I spoke rashly, so certain I could make it work. Not chasing after you was the worst thing I ever did, Gabriel.” Sacha pecked a soft kiss to Gabriel’s pure golden snout, closing his eyes to enjoy his warm breath, even though goat’s blood smeared down his neck.

  No pups.

  “Gabriel, if you come back to me, if you let me hold your skin, I will mate you right here and now. I will mark you and breed you until you cannot walk straight. Gabe, I’ve not had another Dette since you left.” Sacha shuddered, sniffling.

  Smell Dette on you, Gabriel’s mind whispered.

  “Yes, family. Come to me, Gabe. Let me love you. Mate, mine, breed, love.” Sacha tried appealing to his dragon once more, and he struggled, shaking his head like his dragon and flesh fought with one another. “You didn’t fail. You gave us a pup, Gabriel.”

  That caught his attention, a fierce eye locked onto his. “I’ll explain. Come, Gabriel.”

  The fight between the dragon and flesh continued as Gabriel’s keening roar turned into a shrill scream.

  Gabriel was short, even for a Dette. He had fierce eyes, keen and calculating, full of spit and vinegar. He shared so many similarities with Leo in his shape. Where Leo took Sacha’s pallor and lean form, he took the stature and round face from Gabriel. The years had been kind to Gabriel’s body, too, and the inset lines of sculpted muscles traversed his form. Gabriel’s sinewy shape stood out in stark contrast to what Sacha remembered. Sacha’s cock twitched. While he could appreciate a soft Dette, the Drake-like strength before him made Sacha quiver.

  “Gave…pup?” Gabriel rasped, canting his head as if he were used to it being longer, being able to see the world on its side with a flick.

  Sacha fumbled in the pack to bring out his phone and flicked it on, startling Gabriel. It’d been a while and smart phones were new to him. “Yes, look.” Sacha held up his phone and showed a picture of a pregnant little Dette, scowling up at the camera with an eerily similar expression to Gabriel’s on his face.

  “Pup…” Gabriel rasped.

  “Gabriel, come, I’ll explain.” Sacha guided Gabriel back to the soft nest and drew the Dette atop him. It was cold in the cave, but the burning heat of Gabriel’s impending season kept them plenty warm. Gabriel sniffed and insinuated himself possessively against Sacha. It’d been so long since Sacha had cared for him, or his dragon had called a Dette worthy. “You laid two eggs before running.”

  Gabriel choked and squinted hard, shaking as he buried his face in Sacha’s neck, blocking sobs.

  “Blank.”

  “No, just small, like you.” Sacha stroked Gabriel’s arm, cupping his firm form into the curve of Sacha’s body.

  “A human found the eggs and tried to hatch them. It was a Dette pup, and a few years ago he went into his first heat and a Drake found him. The poor boy didn’t know what he was.” Gabriel gasped sharply. Tears welled in his eyes.

  “Pup abandoned?”

  “None of us knew it was a pup, Gabe. It’s alright. He’s fine and mated.” Sacha drew a finger along Gabriel’s jawline and kissed his bloodstained lips.

  “Who mated pup?” Gabriel bristled.

  “If I tell you, you’re going to be angry. Let me show you how happy he is, first.”

  Sacha flipped through dozens of photos of the pups to get to passing photos of Leo tossing them about, all bright smiles. Even a few pictures of him working with flower arrangements, happy in his Snapdragon apron with pup prints all over it.

  “Have den?” Gabriel touched the phone curiously.

  “No. They chose one another. They’re a lone coupling, like I wanted us to be,” Sacha said, moving to kiss Gabriel once more. The kisses seemed to make him more pliant. The scent of relief permeated the air.

  “Who mated?” Gabriel’s voice came as a whisper beneath slowly closing eyes and ebbing exhaustion.

  “A Nielsen…” Sacha swallowed as he said it. “Hallr.”

  Gabriel stiffened then relaxed with a soft smile and a sigh. “Good mate for pup. Happy.”

  “I…I thought you’d not want to… Hallr is—”

  “Hallr sweet. Hallr respect. Hallr rude.” Gabriel struggled with the words. “Hallr love?”

  “I have no doubt in my mind that Hallr loves Leo. They were a fated complement. His marking was perfect.” Sacha planted another kiss on Gabriel’s lips.

  “Leo?”

  “Your pup, Gabriel.” Sacha didn’t want to tell him about the other egg, or the box. He’d save that for later. Gabriel couldn’t have known.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gabriel

  It was a lot to take in, finding out that you had a son.

  “Why no find me?” Gabriel blinked up at Sacha questioningly. The dragon had molded his mind these twenty some odd years.

  “We’ve been searching for you for a few years now. Someone said they saw a dragon that looked very similar to you here, so I waited until spring to come, because I could bring you nestblossoms, and have a better chance at reaching you inside. Besides, you know the rules. Once you come here, the council won’t help us get you back. This was my only chance.”

  “Because heat?”

  Sacha nodded. “But I don’t have to take your heat! I just…”

  “You want mate? Me, mate?” Gabriel situated his jaw, licking over his teeth. It’d been almost a year since he’d gone into his skin. He only did so during his heats and only then because it made pleasuring himself easier.

  “Yes. Even my dragon wants you.”

  “No go to father. No leave Sacha. Stay mate?” Gabriel licked his teeth again and blanched. “Heat soon. Take food and sleep. Need sleep.”

  “Shh, yes. May I sleep with you, share nest?” Sacha stroked his side and met his eyes with concern and love. Gabriel’s skin prickled, covered in dirt. He’d not rinsed his mouth or chewed on a stick recently to clean his teeth. Shame crept over him at all the things he’d not done, and the blood all over him. Staring at it and glancing over his body made his scales ripple.

  Sacha held Gabriel as he shifted into his scales, struggling with it a little before he saw to the goat he’d brought in. Gabriel always wanted fresh meat right before his heat. The protein and iron fueled him.

  Sacha shifted into his gold dragon, showing off his black talons and horns with a preen. He blew gentle fire over the deer and pulled strips off, holding them out to Gabriel to distract him from the goat. His dragon puffed up proudly, doing as a good drake should, providing for Gabriel. His inner dragon approved of Sacha.

  When Gabriel stretched and yawned, stuffed uncomfortably full, he rumbled quietly in his chest, a purr flickering for but a moment. Clean nest. Gabriel dragged the goat’s remnants by a leg from his cavern and tossed them onto some flat rocks outside where bones littered. Big birds eat. Weak dragons. Feed my pups.

  Y-you had pups? Sacha bristled.

  A profound jealousy and sorrow laced Sacha’s words in his heart. Gabriel shook his head gravely. Two. Eggs from Slang dragon. Hatch in winter. Kept warm. Dette die.

  Sacha glanced around, presumably looking for them. A sense of duty laced his pose. They’re coming home with us.

  Gabriel butted his head into Sacha’s side, huffing with approval. Please.

  Sacha brought the deer out and slung it up with the goat while Gabriel went to inspect his coin. Sacha packed his satchel up and rumbled. Bath.

  Get clean in stream. After clean, nest. Gabriel snuffled around at the spilled nestblossoms and rolled around on the spilled petals for a moment. A thunder of a purr rumbled in his chest as warmth shimmered down his neck and belly. Heat come soon. Missed Sacha.

  You missed me? Sacha spoke through their souls, and Gabriel nodded. I missed you too much, too. Sacha rubbed his head up along Gabriel’s neck. In return, Gabriel purred, comforting his drake.

  Gabriel flipped onto his legs and grabbed an evergreen branch from beside his nest and put his head down to the floor, sweeping dust and leaves from inside his small space. The petals of the nestblossoms flew to the mouth of the cage, and Gabriel blew fire to burn them. No other Dettes or Drakes would take Sacha’s offering.

  Many, many Dettes, few Drakes. Poor Drakes. Gabriel huffed. Less than copper. Weak. Some sick. Inbred.

  Sacha whined in sympathy. Some were beyond hope though. Some, like Frikka, remained cognizant and lived out here to escape the norms of society and likely for some perverse reasons. Gabriel never could understand the crazy Dette. He always behaved more like a Drake.

  Sacha followed Gabriel like a love-struck puppy, feeling possessive and dominant as his tail swished from side to side. He growled at the thought of a Drake getting too close to Gabriel.

  Gabriel moved like water, winding around the rocks and foliage, while Sacha stumbled and wobbled with uncertain footing. Gabriel gave him cursory unimpressed looks every so often, but Sacha tried.

  Sacha shifted into his flesh when they reached the side of a flowing stream with cool water coming from the melted snow. He drank handfuls and splashed his face while Gabriel did the same, splashing over his body to rid himself of the blood and thick scent. He didn’t smell that pleasant, but the thick scent of heat overpowered the unwashed state of him. Sacha dipped a toothbrush in the water and brought it to his mouth, lifting his eyes to see Gabriel watching him with want.

  “I got a spare.” Sacha rummaged in his bag and offered Gabriel a wrapped toothbrush and his toothpaste. He went after it ravenously, scrubbing at his teeth.

  “Want kiss.” He coughed over the minty taste and spat into the water before scouring his tongue.

  “I’d kiss you even with a filthy mouth.”

  Sacha dipped into the water and pulled out a washcloth and soap. He scrubbed over himself, daubing the essential bits before watching Gabriel stalk over to him. “Wash me.”

  Sacha’s cock twitched at the command, and he approached hesitantly. It’d been so long since he cradled and touched Gabriel. Sacha was the same as he had twenty-five years ago, lean, and tall, protective and fierce. Gabriel fought a laugh, remembering how he often was mistaken for a Stoor. To compensate, he exaggerated his French patois.

  Gabriel groaned when Sacha’s lean long lines pressed into him, possessing him with tender touches and a wandering cloth. He didn’t realize how dirty he was until the washcloth touched his skin.

  Years ago, he was clean-shaven all the time for his Drakes, an expectation of Dettes, but those days were long past. He had a long line of dark hair starting at his navel and circling his stiff cock. The hair on his arms and legs, while dark, was thin and sparse, and he never grew facial hair.

  His cheeks went hot with embarrassment, but Sacha didn’t seem to mind. The hard ridge of his cock pressed up against Gabriel’s lower back. “Shh. I see those gears turning. You used to always be so self-conscious.”

  “Wanted to make good pups.”

  “And you can’t, looking like this? You’re so tight and firm. Your hair, you’re ashamed of it, but I like it. It accents your cock so well.” Sacha dipped his rag down and scrubbed over Gabriel’s cock. It stood rigid; the foreskin pulled back over the weeping tip.

  “Only come back to me because pup,” Gabriel said, his eyes watering.

  “I don’t care about pups anymore. I care about you, Gabe, dammit! You are my mate. You are my heart and I did wrong by you. I thought you’d moved on, and then I heard you were here!” He flipped Gabriel to face him as he scrubbed down his Dette’s back and combed his fingers through Gabe’s long silky hair.

  Gabriel’s erection flagged, going soft against Sacha. He gazed up at Sacha wearily. “If I make no pups, you still want mate?”

  “If you never ever let me bed you again, I’ll still want to mate you. I love you. You were fun and adventurous. I heard your voice in my heart so clear when you spoke. Could I have convinced your father to let me have you on my own back then, I’d have taken you all to myself.” Sacha leaned down to kiss him softly once more, then again, peppering Gabriel’s stiff lips. He didn’t kiss back though.

  “No more share? Only Drake?” Hope fluttered in Gabriel’s chest.

  “Only Drake. I promise.”

  “No have to make eggs?”

  “Not a one. I can have a doctor give you something to stop your heats. We could separate at your heats. Anything, Gabe. Gods, I didn’t know you did this to yourself. I’d have gotten you immediately if I thought you’d gone out here.” Sacha pulled Gabriel in for yet another kiss then paused in thought a moment before lapping his tongue over the Dette’s mouth and over his cheek until his cock stirred. Gabriel opened his mouth to make a soft breathless noise, and Sacha hummed with delight as he sank his tongue into Gabriel.