Chapter 313: Each Other, Eventually

Even Riley knew instinctively that they couldn’t really take it out.

Not that they hadn’t tried to check. But precisely because they had tried, they were now fairly certain about the nature of such a stubborn heart.

Just like its owner, tenacious and unyielding, the fragment behaved as if it were the incarnation of Orien himself. A whirlwind that barged into everything without hesitation, only to wiggle itself right in the middle, hell or high water.

Even his heart fragment was like that.

And when faced with Liam, who accepted Orien’s existence, personality, and antics without reservation, what more could that fragment even want?

It was one of those thoughts that kept Riley sighing softly as he lay sprawled atop his new husband’s chest.

Chiseled as he was, Kael seemed almost unfairly comfortable. Riley, who had effectively claimed him as a living mattress, found the steady warmth and solid presence beneath him absurdly soothing after such a long and emotionally exhausting day.

Eventually, after discussions about Orien, Liam, and by extension Orien’s parents, the older couples made an executive decision.

Riley and Kael were ushered out.

The concerned big brother protested at first. He didn’t want to leave the children during such a crucial period of observation. But both his parents and his in-laws were firm. They insisted that the two of them needed rest as well.

It was only when Riley glanced at Kael, who had been dutifully monitoring babies without complaint despite those clearly furrowed eyebrows, that it truly sank in.

His golden dragon had likely been miffed the entire time. But given the situation they were in, he likely didn’t think it wise to protest. But even that must have taken genuine restraint.

For someone with Kael’s instincts and temperament, that alone was saying a lot.

So yes. They probably needed a break.

And that was how they ended up here.

On the bed. Cuddling.

Yes, yes.

It probably would have been better if they had been doing more than just cuddling. Riley—pray for his admittedly questionable virtue—absolutely wanted more than this. Especially when the man beneath him was now legally and unquestionably his husband.

Getting married had been an ordeal. A whole process. And Riley felt that he deserved at least a little, if not a lot, of indulgence afterward.

But alas for the half-baked immortal, it simply wasn’t in the cards tonight, or at least until he fixed the glaring issues that they unfortunately needed to before much of the good things could take place.

But to be perfectly clear, it wasn’t because either of them lacked desire. In fact, they had too much desire; they’d be even richer if they had a gold coin for every time one of them thought about any sort of bedroom antics.

And for Kael, whose office had been positively “tainted” with memories of what he did with his mate, a mountain of gold coins was an obvious possibility.

Thus, the likes of him would have scoffed at such an accusation.

He wanted his twig more than he wanted to breathe.

His body made that painfully obvious. There was no attempt to hide it. No restraint placed on the signs his body gave off.

Wandering hands. Check.

Slitted golden eyes. Check.

Receded claws as if prepared for anything. Check.

A tight, coiled abdomen. Also check.

And the very obvious tent in his pants. Definitely check.

He let it all show.

Not because he was crude, but because he didn’t want his mate to misunderstand. Not even for a second.

He wanted him.

He had wanted him every day, from the moment they woke until the moment they slept. It had been a constant battle for restraint, one he had been fighting for days. But now it felt different. Deeper. Heavier.

Because now, they were married.

Kael had seen the little papers all over the walls of the Civil Affairs Bureau. More than that, given how long they had to wait outside, it was inevitable that they would hear some of the endless explanations. Honeymoons. Hotels. Resorts. Family planning.

Therefore, even without further probing from his mate, he understood exactly what was meant to come next for a newly married couple like them.

Each other.

They would have had each other in a way they never had before.

But that hadn’t been possible because even with Riley’s current constitution as a dragon, Thyrran actually warned them against doing too much when Riley was at a point where his physical body hadn’t yet caught up to his true nature.

And what counted as too much?

For Thyrran, and likely for everyone else who had the sense to be cautious, “too much” would have looked exactly like what the dragon lord considered “as expected.”

Because Kael knew himself well enough to understand that once he started, stopping would be extremely difficult.

And it wasn’t because they were quite literally beasts both in nature and physique, but also because taking the next step would mean completing the long-standing mating ritual.

It was mainly that issue. Without his mate’s inheritance, he still hadn’t been able to unlock and utilize the supposed instinctive traits of a dragon.

Actually, it was one reason why he stopped complaining earlier when Riley insisted on monitoring the conditions of both competitors one and two. As someone who had his first transformation several centuries ago, he was definitely detached from the process that now felt second nature to him.

Therefore, he felt he needed to also see what was happening to Liam because, like it or not, his mate may have a similar experience, or in the usual case, probably an even worse one.

So he watched and took note of everything earlier. While he admittedly cared if the little peas survived, his most pressing concern was whether Riley would end up in too much pain.

Kael could only click his tongue at the thought of it.

His twig would be in pain just to transform into his dragon form, then he would likely be in pain because Kael was stupidly too powerful, and his body would have to take in not only him in a physical sense, but also him in the form of his mana.

The golden dragon lord felt like he was going to be sick from the thought.

But even as he informed Riley about such a thing for the purpose of transparency, his mate simply grinned up at him.

“I had a feeling something like that would be involved. But I also have a feeling that if we never clear that hurdle, we might just explode in utter frustration.”

He paused, eyes flicking meaningfully over Kael’s body.

“And while I know you probably don’t mind leveling a few mountains here and there, I really hope we aren’t aiming for a relationship that’s entirely celibate.”

The dragon opened his mouth, but was cut off by Riley gesturing across his body.

“Honey, for what is all this

if you’re just planning on shelving everything because of pain?”

And the ex-human meant every word.

The day he agreed to bottom, he already made up his mind. He had crossed that mental threshold long ago. And as someone who already had an express ticket down under, he was no longer even embarrassed about admitting that he was working overtime to manage his mana for very specific reasons.

He really needed something long. And extra hard.

He obviously tried not to think about it too much because the two of them were trying to be wholesome until they could go all out. But as someone who already had a taste of things, it likely would be impossible to stop.

Riley already did it before. He already opened up for Kael.

And with him being his husband and without that shred of a doubt about their relationship, what Riley wouldn’t do to just mount the man.

He was partly feral at this point and was partly thankful that he was a confirmed dragon because at least he had a reason for why he felt extremely thirsty.

Ahem.

Riley waved those thoughts away before they could fully derail him.

Instead, he shifted his focus.

“Do you think the opposition will be extreme?” Riley asked, placing both hands on Kael’s chest and resting his chin there.

“Probably,” Kael replied without hesitation. “But I don’t care even if they oppose us with their lives.”

His head rested against the pillow as he looked down at his mate, eyes sharp and unwavering.

Riley shook his head, half-amused, half-exasperated.

“They are bound to hear about what we did sooner or later,” he said.

“As they should,” Kael replied. “And if they do not, then we will go to every territory and get married again using their customs.”

“Huh?”

Riley stared at him.

Kael looked dangerously serious.

“I want to be married to you in every way possible,” he said. “So that no one can ever claim that, by their standards, we don’t belong together.”

Riley froze.

Then he surged forward just enough to cover Kael’s mouth with both hands as heat rushed up from his toes to his face.

The golden husband raised a brow in silent question.

Riley swallowed hard.

“Shut up for a moment, Honey,” he muttered. “You are making this celibacy extremely difficult right now.”

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