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’s mouth fell open, but not a peep of sound slipped out. In truth, the thought had never crossed his mind. He’d been so sure Sora or Ha Na would summon his ass back to Brazil if they caught even a whiff of trouble on his part.
Rodrigo muttered a curse under his breath and rolled his eyes. Clearly, he didn’t need an answer from Gregori. “See. Brain out the end of your dick. Every last one of you. Thankfully, your brains seem to grow back after you’ve been bonded for a while. Dimitri is just now starting to show signs of intelligence again. God help me with Luka and Vasily.”
“I’m sorry.” Gregori’s shoulders slumped, and for the first time in too many centuries to count, he felt like a fledgling dragon who’d disappointed his parents.
“All we wish is to see the members of the Valerii Clan happily mated. Every mage needs to be protected, whether they are a potential mate or not. The risks you took meant you could not properly protect Doctor Hunter. Even when your head is full of nothing but air, you must remember to trust your clanmates and rely on them for support.”
“Yes, Velichestvo.”
“I am only asking for balance, Gregori. You can’t very well be a good mate to him if you kill yourself in the process.”
“You are right.”
Rodrigo sighed again and took a sip of his tea. “It has been known to happen on occasion.”
Some of the weight on Gregori’s chest lifted, and he was able to give a tiny smile. His king was taking his stupidity much better than he’d expected, but then Rodrigo had always been a very patient and compassionate leader. He had to be if he was going to survive guiding their clan of lunatics.
With the unpleasantness taken care of, Rodrigo leaned in close and smiled. “So, now that you have him here in Brazil, have you seen any signs of improvement?”
“Some.” Gregori reached for the teapot and poured some of the tea into the empty cup in front of him. “I can tell he’s making an effort to appreciate the little things I do for him. We even have plans for a date. I…” The words he was about to say got caught in his throat and he shook his head.
“What is it? Just say it.”
“It’s greedy of me.”
“Say it anyway.”
“I worry his only reason for coming here was to learn about how to use magic and medicine together. I’m grateful he’s here, but I want him to want to be near me too. I don’t know how I can reach the point where I matter to him.” Gregori drained half his cup of tea. It would have been better if this was vodka. “I sound pathetic.”
“You sound like a dragon completely enamored of his mate,” Rodrigo corrected. “Is he still so leery of admitting to being mates? Despite moving down here for you?”
“Unfortunately, he’s had a very bad dating history. Each ex-boyfriend hammered it into his head that he’s not worthy of a good relationship. It’s taken time for him to see I like living with him and won’t be angry with him even when he screws up.”
Rodrigo’s nose scrunched up. “How horrible. I better understand why he’s hesitant. Still, even knowing where he’s coming from, it had to be hell on you.”
Gregori fiddled with his cup, unsure how much to say before blurting out, “Even with all the languages I know, I don’t have the words to describe how much it hurt to be continually rejected because of who I am. What I am. There were times I wanted to scream. Other times I wanted to track down every ex of his and put the fear of a dragon into them. I still might do so, actually, as the reminder pisses me off all over again. Even saying ‘it’s been hell’ is such an understatement.”
Rodrigo reached out a hand and gripped one of Gregori’s tightly, the pressure and warmth grounding him. “I know it is. But as hard as it’s been, he’s now very vocal about never driving you to that again. He’s clearly repentant over it and striving to be a better partner to you.”
“He declared we have to go see Wicked together. Just us,” Gregori admitted. “It’s the first date he’s asked me on.”
“There. That sounds like progress to me.” Rodrigo squeezed his hand before letting go and sitting back in his chair. “Salem might prove me wrong, but he doesn’t seem like a big gesture kind of guy. However, I think he will fight for you. Just be patient and support him as you have been, and I’m sure he’ll come around eventually.”
“Thank you, Velichestvo,” Gregori said with a bow of his head.
A loud knock echoed through the office a second before the door opened and footsteps hurried across the tiles. “Velichestvo,” Thiago called out. He stepped through the curtains, his face flushed and his normally tidy hair an unsightly mess. “Forgive the intrusion. We need your assistance.”