Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Gregori still looked like he was earnestly listening, as if he absorbed every word Salem said. “How long are your surgeries?”
“Depends on the surgery. Longest haul I’ve ever had was thirty-two hours, but it wasn’t expected. They had some bad complications. Usually, surgeries are anywhere between three and six hours.”
“Wow. That is a long time to be focused on a task. No wonder you’re exhausted by the time you’re done.”
“Exactly. And when I’m tired, I’m mean. No one wants to be around me until I’ve gotten at least eight hours of sleep. Not even me. Plus, I’m beyond klutzy. I do some really stupid shit. Things people get pissed off about.”
“I’ll remember. If you have such a long day, I’ll make sure to promptly tuck you in. Wait, do you eat properly on those days?”
Oh my fucking god. He was taking notes. Mental notes, but still. Salem slumped in the seat, groaning. “Gregori. Seriously?”
“What?”
“Don’t use that innocent tone with me. You’re over there taking notes on how to take care of me, aren’t you?”
He grinned and leaned in to kiss Salem’s cheek. Which startled him all over again, as no one had ever kissed his cheek. And why the hell was he cute doing it?
“Your work is very important. You’re saving children’s lives. I want to support you.”
Salem would have hit Gregori by now if he wasn’t so earnest and sincere. He still might.
All right, time to turn these tables. “Don’t you have a life of your own?”
“Of course. But my mate is my priority. We’ll have to learn how to blend our lives together to live in harmony. Every couple has to learn this.”
He wasn’t budging. Try again. “Is it really okay for you to live so far away from your clan?”
“Hmm, truthfully? I don’t know.” Gregori scratched his chin, looking pensive and thoughtful. “In the memory of our clan, no one has ever lived separate from it. Not for any length of time, anyway.”
“Length of time being…?”
“A week or so. Even if they do leave clan territory, they’re usually visiting another dragon clan, and they’re not alone. We have some of our clanmates with us. Dragons are kind of homebodies, in a sense.”
So a self-declared homebody was willing to drop everything and follow Salem to America even though he had absolutely no experience being away from his clan? Wow. Salem wasn’t sure whether Gregori was determined or pigheaded.
The conversation stalled while the plane taxied out onto the runway and then quickly lifted into the air. The flight steadied out gradually, becoming smooth. Looked like they weren’t going to have much turbulence. Well, externally. Plenty of turbulence for Salem.
It was clearly too late to convince Gregori to disembark and go home—he was stuck with him on the flight—but Salem could at least try to convince him once they landed.
“Gregori. Hasn’t it occurred to you that you might be wrong?”
“About us being mates?”
“Yeah.”
Salem could see amusement play over his features in the dim lighting of the plane, like Salem had just asked something silly.
Gregori pointed to the tray table still folded up. “What color is the table?”
“Answer my question.”
“I am. Answer mine.”
Salem rolled his eyes and played along. “Grey.”
“And what color is your Kindle?”
“Blue. What are you doing?”
“Proving the point. You are absolutely sure on those two colors, correct?”
Ah, Salem saw now what he was getting at. “It’s that clear-cut for you?”
“That clear-cut. The dragon within me knows. There’s no room for error or mistake.” Gregori leaned in a little, tone soft. “It’s why Kaiser Jaeggi couldn’t convince his dragon lover to throw the true mate aside. Despite everything that happened afterward. Rejecting our mate, once we’ve found them, is worse than cutting off a limb. We wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves.”
Salem looked into those deep, dark brown eyes and realized there was not a single word, in any language in the world, to convince Gregori to give up. He was as sure of them as he was of gravity keeping people on this planet. Salem had no idea how to respond.
“It’s all right,” Gregori assured him, tone gentle. “Our mages always take a little longer to come to terms with it. A relationship isn’t built in a single moment. I don’t mind courting you for a while, learning about you. I don’t want you to give up your vocation, everything you’ve worked for. It would be a disservice to both you and the ones you can help. We’ll find a middle ground, I promise you.”
How did you argue in the face of such absolute conviction? Salem was asking for himself because he sure didn’t know what to say.
Gregori kissed him on the forehead this time, lips soft and gentle, before undoing his seat belt. “Be back in a moment.”
Salem watched him go toward the bathroom, still speechless. Seriously, what was Salem supposed to do with him?