Chapter 245: Kisses and Claims

The pad was plush, just the slightest bit squishy, while the scales had yet to solidify into armor.

Then again, he figured that even if it had been rough or odd, he still would’ve thought the world of it.

The foot alone was as deadly as it was adorable.

But that wasn’t why Kael, the great golden dragon, gave out. It was because the moment he touched the dragonling, mana was practically zapped off of him.

“?!”

The transfer hadn’t been gentle, and he didn’t even have time to restrict anything when it felt like his body had actually offered up his mana willingly. His heart thudded once, twice, before the world tipped on its side.

“Kael!” A chorus of calls could be heard, but there was nothing that could be done as the dragon lord collapsed beside Riley—a golden heap toppled by a foot no bigger than a tea bun.

__

A soft groan left Riley’s lips.

It was barely audible, just a hushed little sound that slipped out of him. He shifted slightly, his muscles twitching as his brows drew together. Somewhere, something warm was pressing against him, brushing against his cheek.

“Mnn…”

No, not brushing. That wasn’t quite it.

But he hadn’t realized that part yet. Because his body was only just beginning to register the fact that he was no longer floating through a dizzying blur of darkness.

Bzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzzt.

Riley’s eyes flew open.

He almost bolted upright like someone who had just been pulled from underwater. Air rushed into his lungs with a loud gasp, and his fingers curled into the blanket as he tried to reorient himself, confusion spreading across his face.

Then he froze.

Because the first thing he really focused on was gold.

Not sunlight. Not light fixtures. But two slitted golden eyes. Right there. Inches from his own.

No. That wasn’t just eyes.

That was a face.

A very familiar one. One that was filling his entire vision, leaving no room for thoughts, no room for breath. His gaze locked onto those golden orbs, and he could have sworn the air thinned around him.

“Kael?” he whispered.

It was so soft. As if he wasn’t sure if his voice still worked.

But apparently, it did.

Because that was all it took.

Because the face that could do far more than just launch a thousand ships leaned in.

And descended.

“Mmph—!”

The kiss landed hard, knocking what little sense he had left out of his head.

And it was electric.

Unexpected.

And definitely—Oh.

“Ngh…!”

Riley felt the jolt from just their lips meeting race through his chest and shoot straight into his toes. His breath, no, his body, hitched again, caught between shock and heat.

It was difficult to describe. Because they’ve kissed before, he’s wanted him since before, and knew what it was like to crave Kael long before this.

But this time, that heat and hunger sent a pulse through his body, leaving him gasping into the contact.

Their mouths pressed together, lips soft but burning, and yet even though they were locked like that, Riley’s whole body screamed for more.

The dragon lord was angled above him, one arm braced beside his head while the other hovered near his cheek, holding himself up but still close enough to make the overwhelmed Riley feel the tremble in his breath.

Then again, it went both ways. His bare chest rose and fell as he stared up, stunned by the intensity of something supposedly as simple as a kiss.

But how could this be simple?

The moment Kael moved even slightly, Riley yearned.

It was the desperate kind of yearning. His body ached for closeness, for the press of skin, breath, and warmth.

Riley parted his lips and tilted his head back to grant better access.

More.

He needed more.

A shaky sigh escaped as he reached for the back of his dragon’s neck. His fingers tangled into that soft golden hair, pulling him down with a gentle desperation.

Kael responded immediately. His lips moved hungrily, frenzied, as if the air between them had become unbearable. His body pressed against Riley’s side, not with weight, but with heat, and the breathing ball of heat couldn’t help but arch into it with a gasp.

They tore their mouths apart to catch a breath, but they did not let go. Their hands remained frantic on each other’s skin. Palms cupped jaws and fingers traced the lines of necks just to make sure they were not separated.

“Riley.”

Kael called out the name as if it were a prayer. His golden eyes raked over Riley’s face with a desperate intensity. He looked at Riley as if he were a mirage. He seemed to need to ensure he was real.

Riley swallowed hard. “Yeah?”

But Kael did not answer with words. Instead, he captured Riley’s lips again, and the pattern repeated. It was a cycle of need they could not break. Kael closed in and used his thumb to tilt Riley’s face up to his own.

“Riley,” he said again. As if saying it over and over had become his sole mission.

But for some reason, the human-turned dragon could understand, and he felt he wouldn’t tire of answering his call.

“Yes?”

More than that, he was sure he wouldn’t tire of crashing into each other. Kisses, frantic hands, wild and hot breath. He wanted all of that, too, and more.

When they finally pulled back, they were panting.

Their foreheads touched. Their fingers stayed wrapped around each other’s necks, cheeks, arms, like they couldn’t risk being parted again.

Kael’s golden eyes, slit-pupilled and glowing, looked down at Riley with something between awe and disbelief.

But in truth, how could mere awe and disbelief be enough to describe the kind of emotions that gripped his entire being?

How could that encompass how he felt like combusting and imploding at the same time, just because his heart felt too full?

Kael was experiencing a kind of pleasurable agony he never thought he’d be able to go through.

So when it finally slipped out, centuries of repressed emotions followed.

“Riley… you are my mate,” he breathed.

A breath for him, for his soul, for the young dragon who lost it all, and for the dragon who would have everything and more.

Because nothing had ever burned through him like this.

And it burned so bright and hot that a tear fell from the corner of his eye.

It caught Riley off guard. The vulnerability in those golden eyes had his heart thundering in his chest. He reached up to wipe it.

His fingers brushed the dragon’s cheek gently.

Who would’ve thought Kael would be like this?

Then again, who would’ve thought Riley would end up like this?

But he didn’t regret it, and his heart felt so positively full that he couldn’t help but smile. A smile so big his eyes gleamed with something soft and powerful.

He took a trembling breath.

“Yes. And you are mine.”

It came out so naturally. So perfectly, like it had always been a fact.

Riley’s eyes shimmered, their usual color melting into a luminous emerald green as something in him, no, in them, clicked.

The golden dragon didn’t even have time to respond.

Riley pulled his face down.

He kissed him again, tears falling unchecked, their mouths meeting in a fierce, unrelenting need—like every breath they took had always been meant for each other.

Damn.

He felt so complete.

The heat between them surged.

Riley’s hands roamed across Kael’s back, fingers pressing, seeking, learning. Their bodies, already bare, slid against each other with maddening friction. Skin on skin. Warmth on warmth. Breath on breath. Every shift only deepened the need.

Kael let out a low sound, deep in his chest, as Riley rubbed against him again. Purposefully. Desperately. His hips moved with instinctive rhythm, seeking more, dragging sweet friction between them as if trying to etch the moment into their very bones.

He didn’t hesitate anymore.

His body craved it. His heart surrendered to it. And he didn’t try to stop himself this time.

Kael responded like he had been waiting his whole life.

He kissed Riley harder, hands moving along his sides, cupping the curve of his waist, then rising to his ribs, as if trying to learn him inch by inch. Their chests pressed together, rising and falling as one, and their gasps mingled in the tight space between them.

Their eyes met.

No words were spoken.

But permission was there.

The kind that came from trust and want and something far deeper.

Kael’s hand began to slide lower.

And then—

“Young Master, Dragon Lord Dravaryn, are you done now?”

“!”

“!!!!!!”

Riley nearly shot out of his skin.

“GAHHHH—!”

The screech ripped through the air.

Thyrran, the unfortunate familiar who had no choice but to remain nearby unless he wanted to risk losing his life, had very clearly been holding himself back from interrupting earlier. He really didn’t want to be present for this. But until his young master’s core developed enough to support greater distance, there was simply no way for him to separate without consequence.

“If you could just improve your core a bit, then I’d be able to at least be outside of this room,” the ancient familiar muttered, “Therefore, I would like to request that we proceed to the part where we find your inheritance before you end up nesting in this room.”

Riley wheezed so hard he almost forgot his name.

Kael blinked and realized he couldn’t feel Thyrran. But only felt as though his twig was over there as well.

And for one long, horrifying moment, Riley’s entire soul threatened to just leave out of sheer embarrassment.

He buried his face in Kael’s neck and let out a muffled cry of despair.

Kael, to his credit, wrapped his arms tighter around him.

“You’re not allowed to look at me,” Riley groaned.

“Who? Thyrran?” Kael asked, still grappling with the fact that there was really no trace of another presence.

“No. You.”

“Huh?”

Because the mortified black dragon couldn’t believe how he was still hard despite all of this!

Oh god.

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