Ravi settled back down in the bed, snuggled close enough that he was practically a part of Sora. Though, Sora felt that it still wasn’t close enough.
“I can’t believe you brought them here,” Ravi said on a sigh.
“I figured it was easier to bring them here since I have no intention of returning home.”
Ravi sat up and stared at him, his mouth hanging open. “I’m sorry. What?”
Sora smiled. “I want to stay here with you. Well, unless you want to move to my home so you can be closer to the wind dragons. I just thought we could stay at Burkhard with your fam—”
Sora didn’t get any further. Ravi let out a shout and lunged at Sora. They rolled, laughing, across the bed until they fell to the floor with a loud thud. They both grunted and resumed laughing in a tangle of sheets on the carpet.
“Really? You really want to stay here? I thought we were going to talk it over some more, as we didn’t really reach a decision,” Ravi said, his fingers digging into Sora’s shoulders as if he were afraid he’d suddenly disappear or maybe wake up from this wonderful dream.
“Yes. Definitely. I hesitated for all the wrong reasons, it seems, in making that decision. I love it here, and you’re so happy. I want to be wherever you are, and this is your home. I want to make this our home. Do you think King Alric will be willing to take in one more mage?”
Ravi tackled him to the carpet and rolled them until they banged into a piece of furniture. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I know we went back and forth, but the truth is, I just…I can’t leave. This is my family, and my family needs me right now.”
“I know. I reached the same conclusion. It would be selfish of me to ask you to leave.” Sora ran an affectionate hand through those dark curls. He’d made the right decision. It was clear from the expression on Ravi’s face. “I will be where my mate is.”
Ravi’s joy somehow tripled. “Then you know? That we’re mates?”
“I do. I think I knew almost from the beginning. It took a minute for my heart to get it through to my head, is all. You feel the same?” He hadn’t meant to make that a question—Ravi obviously felt the same—it was just so much to take in at once.
Sora exhaled and swallowed hard. It was such a relief that Ravi felt the same that it stole all his words away and filled his heart to overflowing.
“I love you, Sora. I love you like the wind loves the clouds and the tops of mountains. I love you as only a dragon can love his mage. Completely and forever.”
Sora pulled Ravi down, sealing their mouths together in a crushing kiss. He’d heard it every time Ravi had called him mine, seen it in every look, but the words had finally penetrated down to his soul.
“I love you, Ravi. You are my dragon, and I love you completely.”
Ravi kissed him, laughing with delight. “I love you to the sky and back. I’m so excited, I can’t contain myself. Come, come, we must cement our relationship! I must show you my hoard.”
Having grown up with dragons, Sora didn’t discount how important a hoard was. And he had been incredibly curious about Ravi’s. He also, at this point, knew Ravi well enough to figure out the real motivation. “By that you mean you want to introduce me to your hoard and then have hot jungle sex.”
“You know me so well,” Ravi purred, eyes wicked. “Up, up, up!”
Sora came up, ready to follow, then paused. “Pants might be a good thing.”
“Damn. Alright, but don’t get too dressed. I absolutely forbid you to wear clothes for the rest of the day.”
They threw clothes back on, then Ravi hauled him out of the room, giggling like a demented gnome. Fortunately, they didn’t pass anyone in the halls as they raced about to the upper level, where Ravi’s room was. Fortunate, because it would have been rather obvious what they had just been doing—and intended to do again shortly.
In two minutes flat, they were in Ravi’s room, and they went straight through the sitting parlor and into the one room Sora had never attempted to enter. Ravi flung the door wide, then pirouetted inside, spinning so he could take in Sora’s expression.
Sora paid little attention to him as his eyes took it all in, head panning back and forth.
It was a game room.
No, it was THE game room. There were arcade games lined up along a wall, shelves of board games, and four tables in the middle of the room with every possible gaming system on display, obviously hooked up and ready for action. Sora saw a chess board so old that the pieces were carved from bone sitting not five feet away from a PlayStation 5. Ravi might not have every game in the world in this room, but there were probably very few missing.
Sora’s mouth went dry, and he might have whimpered. “You know, as a kid, I would have murdered someone to have this room.”
Ravi grinned from ear to ear, delighted by his reaction. “Why don’t you marry me instead? Much more legal and fun.”
“Done. Sold.” He advanced on the dragon, intent. “We are having hot, blistering sex first. And then we’re playing Mario Kart.”
“Oooh, talk dirty to me, baby.”
If Sora hadn’t already known, he knew it now. Life with Ravi would never be boring.
Ravi yawned and scratched his head as he stumbled toward Alric’s office. Maybe he should look into this coffee thing again. Cameron swore by it. Both Tori and North called it liquid life.
But then, Baldewin and Alric had made him promise to warn them before he ever drank anything with that much caffeine. They complained he was already too excitable. Ravi plus caffeine would equal disaster.
He was seriously dragging, though.
“Keeping late hours, young dragon?” Alric inquired in a light, teasing voice.
Ravi blinked, stunned to find the king standing outside his office, looking like he was waiting for him. He quickly glanced down at his watch, confirming that he was not late to meet with Alric. It was usually the king who was distracted and slow getting to his office for meetings. Ravi was the one who had to hunt Alric down and get him back on schedule.
“Mates have a way of throwing a dragon’s schedule off.”
The mention of mates had a smile blossoming on Ravi’s face. Sora was most definitely his mate. They’d stayed up late talking about mates and how quickly they could get Sora’s things moved into Ravi’s room. They’d brainstormed ways Sora could utilize all his knowledge and experience at Burkhard, and how best to go about teaching the other mages.
They’d officially been mates for three days, though there really had been no need to tell anyone since everyone had seemed to guess almost from the beginning. However, he and Sora had enjoyed a private dinner with Sora’s parents last night, which had been something of a mixed bag.
Yuki was clearly not happy that her son would not be returning home, but it was something he was determined to work on. He wanted her to know that her son would always be safe at Burkhard. Ravi and the other Burkhard dragons would protect him.
“Yep, there’s that look.” Alric turned and started down the hallway. Ravi fell into step with him.
“What look?”
“The same look Baldewin and Warin get when anyone mentions the word mate. I’ve been told I have it, too, whenever Cameron is in the room.”