Page 7 of Immortal Bonds

You're so amazing. This is adorable, and I'm going to think about it every day, often, to get me through.

Creighton's cheeks heated, and he had to take his glasses off for a moment to fan his face. "Holy hotness," he whispered to himself, happy he was alone in the shop.

His phone buzzed again, and when he put his glasses back on to look, the man had replied with a photo of his own. It wasn't as direct as what Creighton had sent. At first, he couldn't tell what it was, but then he saw the bright spots flaring in the corner of the image and the grass where little fairy houses stood. He knew they'd be empty. It was very rare that those houses were ever filled because of how the fairies had built their own villages. Seeing one in the wild wasn't going to get you a connection with one. But it was still adorable.

He wondered why seeing magic in this state didn't bother him when the man in the road had. Maybe it was because his pseudo-Daddy had told him he could use magic. They hadn't fully discussed their species other than to say they were both supernaturals.

It made sense now. If he was Fae, then he would have magic. Feeling like he'd put the pieces together, Creighton replied with a bunch of heart emojis and a gif of a man swooning.

That is adorable.

After he sent it, he waited.

You forgot something.

He bit his lip, hesitant. They only used the endearment a few times in all the months they'd been speaking.

He paused. Had it been months, or was it already over a year?

He calculated backwards, noting when he remembered first downloading the app, since it wasn't long after that he met this man. Holy crap. It had been almost two years. In fact, it was coming up very quickly.

They hadn’t done anything for their one-year anniversary. Probably because neither had really acknowledged it, and time was a precious thing for his Daddy. So Creighton wasn't a brat — he felt a strong itch to tease the other man, but he was exhausted, tired down to his bones from the range of emotions he'd had today so far.

He texted back: It looks amazing, Daddy. So cute — and added a wink at the end.

Good boy, he got in reply.

And the shiver that tore down his spine was quick and fast. He had to put his phone down again. How did one person he'd never met have such an effect on him? How did a stranger control so much of his mood?

Creighton didn't have the answers for it. He didn't think he wanted to know the answers either. For the time being, he could just enjoy the company of the other man, the connection they had, and hope that one day he might be brave enough to share more of himself — to share who he was and where he was. And really, really far in the future, if his Daddy didn't find his fated mate, maybe they could even meet.

It was a pipe dream. But Creighton was used to keeping his head in the clouds. He didn't have the ability to fly. But his mind could soar leagues above reality.

CHAPTER 3

THALRIC

Earlier that morning at the castle

Thalric strode towards the dining room, a tiny hint of nerves running through his system. His dragon told him to calm down, that nothing was going to go wrong. This was his family, after all. The worst that could happen is someone poking fun at him, not a death threat or anything, and it wasn't his life that he feared for.

The night before, when he'd arrived, he had told Mira he would be down for dinner once she called, and he had texted a bit back and forth with his boy to make sure that he was doing okay that day. The Little he'd met through an online app he discovered one night when he couldn't sleep had been one of the greatest gifts he'd stumbled across.

Little Biter, as the boy's handle was, had been in need of someone who could lead him without being too demanding. He needed a firm hand, but he had only seen other Daddies on the app who were looking for a brat to tame. Thalric wasn't a big fan of brats. It had never been his choice of partners, though he had met several through the years.

He much preferred someone who liked the things he liked: the solitude and the time together to just be. He wasn't sure he'd find it when he signed up, but as fate or luck would have it, he'd come across Little Biter, and it had been wonderful ever since.

There were daily check-ins that were a highlight for him, and he usually made sure to have time for them, with the few exceptions where his duties kept him away for days at a time. He was always regretful of that, and had he known where his Little lived, he would have flown to him and groveled at his feet.

But he hadn't had to.

The boy was understanding, telling him that he liked the solitude at times too and never once judging him for a job that was tedious. Thalric loved that about him. He loved a lot about his boy, actually, though he'd never voiced it, because his boy was shy — rarely ever going so far as to call him Daddy, as they had agreed upon — almost like he was afraid it wouldn't last, so he didn't commit to it.

Meanwhile, Thalric had called his boy every tempting nickname under the sun. He had used endearments left and right, wanting him to be comfortable, because he couldn't decide what fit the boy best.

Thalric often wondered if maybe meeting him in person would help, or even just hearing his boy's voice. He had a feeling it would all click into place, but that wasn't the option just yet. So he held his tongue and kept patient.

In the midst of texting his boy, which was usually his morning and nightly ritual, he'd fallen asleep, his body more tired than he thought it was. He missed the phone call, and when Mira came to check on him and he was passed out, she left him be.