Page 36 of Immortal Bonds

Creighton continued to lick at his skin as Thalric tried to get his boy clean. There was no use in fighting how good it all felt. No way to ignore just how amazing Creighton's mouth felt on his skin. When they had been kissing earlier, his mate had nicked Thalric's mouth. He could taste the blood, but it was quickly sucked up.

As Creighton's kiss turned frenzied, Thalric wanted more of that — more drugging kisses and writhing bodies — but they had to get clean first. He needed to make sure his boy was cared for.

He also had the sneaking suspicion that his boy was tired, and that maybe if all played out well, he could convince him to lie down for a while. Creighton was pliant in Thalric's hands.

With surprising efficiency, Thalric was able to get his boy soaped up and rinsed off in no time. He had to contend with his throbbing erection, but it was fine. He doubted it would go down anytime soon anyway, considering how intoxicating it was to be around his Little Biter.

Creighton stumbled out of the shower, and Thalric only just managed to catch him. When he stood him upright, his boy wrapped his arms around Thalric's waist and nuzzled into his chest yet again. "Sleepy, Daddy," Creighton mumbled.

He smiled at the baby voice. His boy was full of surprises. All those nights he'd wondered if he would ever hear his Little Biter's voice. All those times he'd considered whether or not he'd get to hold him. It was worth it to be here now, to be with his mate.

Thalric managed to get them out of the bathroom, dried, and into the room. Then he slipped one of his shirts over Creighton's head and eased his boy into bed. He went back into the bathroom to hang up their wet towels and to retrieve Creighton's glasses.

When he turned to look in the mirror and caught sight of himself, he chuckled. His hair was a mess, and he looked as if he'd been thoroughly ravished.

He could understand now why Romilly wasn't around much since finding his mate. If it weren't for the council vote, Thalric would demand that he and Creighton have some time to settle in.

It only seemed fair, but he had responsibilities. And since he knew where Creighton was and trusted his mate, he knew the other man wouldn't run away. They had time. They would get to explore together.

He turned off the lights and climbed into bed beside his mate. Creighton immediately rolled over, snuggling into his broad chest. Thalric slid his arm around his mate and then used his other to lift Creighton's thigh onto his. The position put Creighton pressed against his side.

Feeling him there and not going further was something akin to torture, but he knew that his boy was exhausted. He'd said as much, and his body was sinking deeper and deeper into an unconscious state as time wore on.

Creighton needed to be rested before they went any further, before Thalric put his mark on Creighton's neck and claimed him forever. The bond was already forming. It had started before Creighton's blockers had faded.

There was no denying that Thalric could feel Creighton's emotions, which was why he knew for a fact his boy was exhausted. He could tell when he was anxious and when the tension inside of him was seconds from snapping.

Thalric didn't want to cause that type of disruption, and his boy would do better in conversation, in all of it, once he slept.

Creighton hummed as he rubbed his face like a cat against Thalric's chest. Thalric rubbed along his side, then used his other hand to hold his boy's head steady as he leaned down to kiss those beautiful curls.

"Rest, Little Biter. We will talk more once you have slept."

Creighton mumbled something under his breath, but it quickly disappeared as he began to softly snore. Thalric fought back the laugh that came up. It would disturb his mate, and he would never forgive himself if Creighton was offended.

As he lay there, as still as possible, listening to his mate's soft snores, Thalric went over the events of the day. He thought of it piece by piece and replayed it in his mind in a loop. He was on his second run-through when a voice in his head brought him up short.

Uncle, Romilly said, gently prodding as if he didn't want to disturb anything.

Internally he scoffed, to which Romilly chuckled and said, "I know this is probably awkward, but I didn't want to come into the room and disturb you."

"Good," Thalric replied. "I'd hate to have to kill you for looking at my mate."

"I see," Romilly said. "So the Gnomes were correct that you have found your mate."

"The Gnomes knew?" Thalric questioned, his voice laced with sarcasm. Of course they knew. Gnomes were far more powerful than people gave them credit for.

Romilly hummed, not picking up on the tone. "They did. When I took Archer to visit them, they informed me that you had found your mate and would be staying. They were overjoyed at having you close again, and honestly, that only made them more rambunctious with Archer. I had to practically drag my boy away before they started planning some elaborate surprise party for you."

"Why would you ruin their fun like that?" Thalric teased through the mental connection.

If an eye roll had an audible noise, it would have been the sound Romilly made. "Don't encourage them. My point is simply that I want you to know that I support you, whatever that looks like. We can replace your station at the other horde, and I will absolutely welcome your mate with open arms. Eden informed me as well that he's a good guy."

"He's the best," Thalric replied, his voice gentle.

"Yes, the mate bond does make you instantly trust them," Romilly started, but was cut off when Thalric interrupted.

"No, I already knew him. We met online and had been talking, but had never seen each other or met in person. He's the man I've been slowly falling in love with for years."