STORY EXCERPT

Loki grabbed Malcolm by the shoulder, gripping hard, trying to tell his mate without words that everything would be all right, but the look on Malcolm’s face was enough to make Loki’s heart sink.

“We’ll find someone.”

“I know.”

Loki took his mate by both of his shoulders. “It will be all right. We’ll get the right guy or girl. We’ll have as many chicks as you want. We’re still young, it will happen.”

Malcolm rubbed his jaw. He’d felt the need to nest and have kids before Loki did, but they were mated, so it wasn’t long after Malcolm felt that itch that it affected Loki, as well.

They wanted children, but two dragons couldn’t create life together. It wasn’t in the cards for them, but it was possible for them to find a breeder, someone who could carry their young for them.

Malcolm was adamant that he wanted dragon children. He wanted chicks, and Loki had to admit, he felt the same way.

If they procreated with a shifter of the mammal variety, be it wolf shifter, bear shifter, cat shifter, that sort of thing, then the children they had would be those types of animal shifters.

The only way to have dragon chicks was to find a human. To find a breeder.

For Loki and Malcolm, who never thought they would ever want children, to suddenly feel that pull and change their minds, it was a shock.

They wanted children, which meant finding a human to breed with, and either inviting that human to mate with them genuinely, or turn that human into a breeder for a price.

Both options required them to be in that human’s life for the rest of their lives.

It made picking their human a choosey sort of thing. They needed the right one, and the more they looked, the more flaws they found.

And Malcolm was losing his hope.

“I thought this would be easier.”

“I know.”

“I thought we would have found someone by now. I was so sure that…”

Malcolm trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish. Loki knew what he was trying to say.

Because Loki felt it, too. He felt something close by, maybe it was a scent in the air with changing seasons, but Loki had been overly confident they would find someone to invite into their mating to carry their chicks.

But it had been a year of searching, and even though that feeling never left them, of being so close to their goal, they were consistently so far away from what they wanted.

“We’ll get this done. Don’t worry. It happens to everyone. We’ll find the right one.”

Malcolm shook his head, as though he was about to argue, but before he could get a word out, a beautiful voice called out to them.

“Excuse me?”

Loki and Malcolm turned to the sound of the voice.

A young man stood there, clutching a messenger bag, and suddenly cringing as Loki and Malcolm eyed him.

“Sorry to bother you, but…”

Malcolm tilted his head to the side. “What is it?”

Loki blinked. His first instinct was to be annoyed.

Could this guy not see they were in the middle of an important conversation?

But that annoyance melted out of him as quickly as a block of ice sitting next to an electric heater.

There was something interesting about this man. Something…familiar in his scent.

Loki didn’t recognize him either.

“Are you a mate of one of the other dragons?”

The young man shook his head. “No, uh, I’m not. I’ve lived here for a while. I was wondering if either of you were heading into town?”

“Why?” Malcolm asked, and it was clear by the tilt of his head that he was thinking the same thing Loki was.

Who was this guy, why was he so interesting, and why had neither of them ever seen him around here before?

Another soft cringe. Not all humans were comfortable asking dragons anything directly. Not unless they were one of the mates.

This guy must be one of the help if he had no mate here.

“Well, I’m trying to get to this reception hall. There’s a convention there, and I’ll be majorly late if I can’t get a direct ride.”

“You want us to fly you?” Malcolm asked, taking the paper with the information on it and handing it to Loki after a quick glance.

Loki looked. An artist alley? That seemed innocent enough. According to the timer, it was already starting.

Well, wasn’t that something?

“Fly, or drive, but only if you’re already going,” he said quickly. “I don’t want to impose.”

The name on the printed off ticket was Kaden.

He definitely didn’t recognize that name, but Loki already knew how much he liked it.

A fine name. It really was.

And he knew what he wanted to do.

“Malcolm and I go everywhere, and he tends to fly with me. I won’t carry both of you on my back. It’s not safe.”

Kaden swallowed, nodding. “Right, sorry, I wasn’t trying to pry or anything,”

“We can take my car.”

Malcolm looked at him, and there was that familiar flash of interest in his eyes.

Kaden blinked widely at the both of them. “R-Really?”

Loki shrugged. “We have some stuff to do in town anyway. It’ll take us a couple of hours. You need a lift back after that?”

Kaden nodded, a wide smile forming at his mouth. “That would be great. I promise not to take long. I’ll be ready to come home whenever you are.”

“Good. All right, I’ve already got my keys. Malcolm, you up for a drive?”

Malcolm wouldn’t stop staring at Kaden. His nostril’s flared, as though he were drinking in that sweet scent of someone who…

Might be interesting to them. That familiar scent they’d felt had been so close to them for years, but never knew what it was.

This was it, and Loki had an idea of what it could be.

This could be the human they’ve been looking for.

ADULT EXCERPT

Loki felt a thrill he’d never experienced before while watching Malcolm kiss their human. He and Malcolm had even shared a bed with a third person before. Fun times, and while those had been fun, this was different.

This was their mate. Their human who would give them a child. Not just a breeder. No. This wasn’t someone they would keep as a servant for procreation. No, this was an actual mate.

And Loki never thought he would feel this ever again. What the hell could be more thrilling than this?

He found out when Malcolm pulled his mouth away from Kaden, looked over at him with that wicked expression on his face, and invited him over.

Hell yes. Loki went.

Kaden seemed to be in a daze of sorts. He blinked his eyes widely, as though he were still coming off that particular train that had left him like that.

Loki chuckled, amused by the sight as he took the man’s face in hand and brought his mouth forward for another kiss.

Kaden gasped against his mouth, as though he honestly had not seen the kiss coming. That was adorable. Loki couldn’t help but open the man’s mouth with his tongue, licking deep inside for a taste.

His blood heated as Kaden moaned. The smaller man shamelessly pushed himself closer to Loki’s body, and even as Loki grinned through the kiss, he was able to feel some sense of sympathy for the other man.

Kaden’s body heated hotter than any fire Loki could have ignited. Was this normal for a human mate? He was going to have to ask Jason or Adrien. They might know a little more about this.

Loki pulled back to give Kaden a chance to breathe. The man gasped for breath, but he didn’t appear to be struggling for any air when he leaned up to Malcolm’s mouth, eagerly accepting another kiss.

Loki’s hands couldn’t be held back. He touched and stroked Kaden’s body, palmed between his legs and felt the heat of his cock through the clothes.

“We’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Loki shook his head, stunned. “I can’t believe all this time you were right here.”

Kaden moaned as Loki stroked his cock, pulling away from Malcolm’s mouth for air as he struggled to pull himself together.

“Th-that feels real good.”

Loki grinned, getting Kaden’s belt undone, lowering his pants down around his knees. “That’s something of the point, sweetheart.”

Malcolm looked at Loki with heated eyes. Loki hadn’t seen an expression of lust on Malcolm like that since the day they’d first fucked.

“I want you to fuck him, and I want to be inside you when you do it.”

Loki shivered, the idea of that sort of pleasure hitting him in all the right places.

“Sounds good to me. In here or in our room?”

Kaden looked between him and Malcolm, as though he still didn’t quite understand the lust that rushed through his own blood.

“We’re really going to do this?”

Loki looked at his mate, briefly concerned by those words, but he heard no fear in them.

Just disbelief, and maybe a little hope.

“Only if you want to.”

“We meant it.” Malcolm stroked Kaden’s cheek. “You’re ours. There’s nothing we want more right now, or ever, than you right now.”

The color that flooded Kaden’s cheeks was adorable, and even though Loki was fairly sure he knew what the answer would be that he would get, he still found himself holding his breath, waiting for Kaden to say those magic words.

“All right. Take me to bed.”