Page 25 of Immortal Bonds

"These are amazing," he said to Eden, though his gaze was still on Creighton.

"They are, aren't they? My friend is the most talented ever. He made these just for me based on pictures. Can you believe it? Pictures! You should totally get him to make you something."

The man raised a brow while staring at Creighton, then looked away briefly to face his nephew. "You think so? What should I get him to make?"

Eden hummed. "Anything you want. He can do it, I swear. Look around at all these stuffies. Oh, and he's got his own personal collection. Do you have one with you?" The way Eden said it didn't register at first.

"Have what?" Creighton said.

"Do you have any of your stuff with you? Like one of your Gnomes?"

The way Eden said the word made Creighton giggle. It also did the wonderful task of breaking the trance he'd been in, staring at the older dragon in his presence. "I do. I don't typically show people, though."

The man dipped his head in understanding, then softly whispered, "Would you make an exception for me? I'm quite interested to know. Gnomes are one of my favorite creatures."

Creighton's smile was blinding. "You like them too? I've never met anyone else who loves them like I do. That's amazing. I can't believe it. I'm so excited. Let me get it out." He reached into his bag blindly, not wanting to look away from the man. When his hands wrapped around the familiar shape, he pulled out his tiny Gnome and extended it towards Thalric.

"See, this is just one. I have a lot of them."

The minute he held it out towards the other man, he knew he was in big trouble. Because those glowing eyes shone even brighter, and the way the man didn't touch the Gnome but admired it closely, careful not to get his scent on it, but appreciating every little detail, made Creighton squirm with excitement.

"This is truly magnificent," he said in a whisper. "You deserve all the praise for your work, if my young nephew hasn't already said as much."

"Oh, you bet your butt I have, Uncle. I was just trying to convince him to charge more, because this is crazy, right?"

Creighton blushed at the praise. He wasn't used to people paying him this much attention, to people telling him how wonderful he was.

"What is your name?" the man said.

Creighton froze for a second, not sure why that was suddenly something so scary. Then he took a deep breath and answered. "I'm Creighton. And you are?" he replied, eager to know who this man was.

"My name is Thalric," he said. His voice remained soft, and the way the word glided off his tongue sent a shiver that Creighton couldn't suppress. What in the world was going on with his body, and how did he get it to calm down? He didn't want to make a fool of himself, not when he'd been so graciously invited to the castle. Something was going on, and he had to figure out what.

CHAPTER 9

THALRIC

Thalric stood in his room taking deep breaths as he contemplated whether or not his nephew's plan was going to work. It had been a great idea when Eden first proposed it. The thought of getting his Little Biter to the castle to meet in person would reveal if the other man could possibly be his.

Scenting was a big deal in shifter communities, and if his Little Biter wasn't compatible in some way, then it was best that he knew before he got any deeper into things. He chuckled darkly. He was already too deep into it. His heart was split in two. His natural instinct, his urge, was to seek out his mate, to find and claim the person fate had deemed for him.

But at the same time, he'd become obsessed with his Little Biter. Being a Daddy to him was the highlight of Thalric's life, really. He couldn't even say it was simply the days that felt better with him. It was all of it. Every last bit.

Thalric's phone buzzed with a text letting him know that Eden and his friend, Thalric's Little Biter, were in the playroom together. All he had to do now was go to them and see. Just walk into the room and he would have answers to everything that had plagued him for so long.

While it all seemed simple, it was still scary, still nerve-wracking, because this could be the start of something amazing or it could be a disaster.

Since he wasn't sure which, Thalric took a few more moments to gather himself before striding down the hall of the castle towards his nephew's playroom. The closer he got, the harder his dragon pressed to come forward.

Normally, he wouldn't have minded. His beast occasionally had the urge to be set free, and Thalric would indulge him. At the moment, though, he was flustered. "Not now," he muttered to himself.

The people who passed him gave him a wide berth. The staff knew he was different from the Saint family as a whole. They had been around him long enough to understand he came from a different horde. Not by origin, but he'd lived there long enough that his habits and mannerisms had changed.

Even so, he realized he was probably being a bit of a disturbance to the natural order of things. He pushed back against his dragon hard enough to get the other part of him to settle down. Once that was in order, he focused on keeping his heart rate steady.

When he reached the door to the playroom he froze. His dragon rose up and everything in his world went still.

Mate.