Mate Healer (6 page)

Sighing happily, the dragon lay there as Lian pet him. Lian wondered if Nevair would be naked when he returned to his human form. Before he could ask, a slim blond in black religious robes scurried into the bar.

The blond came to a screeching halt at the sight of the dragon lying calmly beside Lian.

His narrowed gaze landed on Lian. "You must be Lian."

"Yes."

"Trestair Dragonwing, Nevair's assistant. You can call me Tres."

Lian reached across the dragon nose to shake Trestair's hand. "Lian Blythorpe."

"That's not a dragon name," Trestair's snappish tone put Lian on the defensive.

He didn't know what he'd done to get on the guy's bad side, but he didn't back down.

"No it's not." Lian thought Trestair kind of rude, but if Nevair depended on this guy Lian didn't want to cause conflict.

"Ah," Trestair acted as if he'd uncovered some deep dark secret, but since Lian never claimed to be dragonkin, he couldn't even imagine what the blond thought he'd discovered.

Lian could tell the man wanted to interrogate him further, but Nevair bared a fang in Tres's direction. "He's kind of snarly," Lian commented.

"That's because you're not bound. Your proximity to an unattached male incites his dragon," Trestair explained as if Lian was a gradeschooler.

Lian frowned. "What do you mean bound?" Somehow his studies hadn't covered that part of dragon culture.

"He believes you are mates, so anyone around you is a potential threat," Trestair explained, impatiently.

Lian's heart skipped a beat and his body chilled at the thought. "My father always called my mother his mate but that didn't stop him from killing her and then himself." In Lian's experience, the mystical mating process caused more harm than good.

Tres gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that. Many cultures have mates but few have them to the extreme of dragonkin. Once you're mated, it's forever and you belong to each other until death. If you are true mates a mark will appear on your back within forty-eight hours of intercourse."

"What kind of mark?"

"A large dragon resembling Nevair in dragon form would be your mark if the two of you are mates," Trestair explained.

For the first time Lian understood how women felt while waiting to find out if they were pregnant, a combination of hope and stark terror. "You think I'm your mate?" Lian asked the dragon.

A flash of light poured from the beast. Lian watched wide-eyed as Nevair transformed from dragon to human. Naked human.

Wow!

"Here!" Tres handed over a bag. Distracted by the large dragon, Lian hadn't even noticed the man had carried one. It was probably why Tres followed Nevair in the first place. Lian wondered how long a dragonkin could hold his animal form.

"Thanks," Nevair accepted the bag, but his hot gaze remained on Lian.

Nevair dressed quickly in the robe he pulled out. Embroidered dragons covering the front gave the simple garment a luxurious appearance. Once dressed, Nevair grabbed Lian, yanking him close for a kiss. Despite his trepidation, Lian allowed the embrace. His entire body melted at the first brush of lips against lips as if it had been waiting for the moment they were reunited again.

Lian sucked in his breath. He'd never been the focus of such intensity before. He'd had men attracted to him in the past, but none who appealed to him as much as this man.

Eventually Lian's larger head prevailed and he pulled away from Nevair.

"You can't just shift into a dragon and scare off my friends." Lian scowled at the sexy man. A difficult feat when every inch of him longed to be back in Nevair's arms.

Nevair wrapped his hands around Lian's hips. "I will have more control after we're properly mated."

Lian stepped back. "What if I don't want to be mated, did you think of that? What if I came to do a job then planned to leave? I can't leave if we're bonded."

Nevair's handsome face hardened. "You don't get a choice. It is the will of the goddess."

Lian folded his arms. "Maybe the goddess needs a little talking to."

"Sacrilege!" Tres shouted.

Sighing, Lian turned away from the men.

"Tres, go back to the cathedral. I'll talk to Lian," Nevair's calm tone made Lian want to kick him.

"I can't believe you gave up all other choices for this." Tres stormed out. His stomping footsteps echoed in the almost empty building.

Lian started when Nevair touched his shoulder, he hadn't heard Nevair walk up behind him.

"I'm sorry," Nevair said, his tone heartfelt.

Lian turned around. "About what?"

Nevair gave a self-conscious smile. "I guess I have several things to apologize for. I'm sorry for wrecking your evening and for biting you without permission. But I'm more concerned that if our union is blessed by the goddess you'll hate me forever."

Lian winced as he remembered the fights his parents used to have. He didn't want a relationship like that. "I had a rough childhood. My parents loved me, but they grew to hate each other. On my home planet people didn't get divorces and I think my father felt the only way out was to kill them both."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents. I'd like us to start again." Nevair wrapped his arms around Lian. "You're a handsome, intelligent, compassionate man and I'd be very lucky to have you as mine. Would you consider having dinner with me?"

Lian leaned back to see Nevair's face. His solemn expression showed how sincerely Nevair meant his words.

"I'd like that." Lian might not have done relationships in his past but he could at least date the man and see where things went. Besides, nothing guaranteed they would bond. It could be a fluke. Either way, he wouldn't mind getting to know Nevair better. If Nevair had saved himself all this time only to have Lian toss him aside, it could scar him for life. Lian didn't want to be responsible for that.

"How about tonight?" Nevair looked around at the knocked over tables and smashed in door. "I don't think you're going dancing after all."

"Sounds good."

The club staff returned. All ten bowed to Nevair.

"Have the owner send the bill to the cathedral. I will honor all reasonable charges," Nevair announced.

"Yes, Holiness," they replied in odd synchronization.

Lian shook his head and accepted the arm Nevair held out. "I'm surprised they didn't string you up for the damage."

Nevair shrugged. "They know I'll pay and I don't lose control often."

Glancing around at the staff, Lian noticed they gave him more attention than Nevair. Apparently they were used to the dragon shifter, while Lian still remained the unknown factor. "Let's go."

Stepping around the downed chairs and tables, they exited the bar. Lian's mind spun as he tried to figure out how to fit a holy religious icon into his view of the future. After his parents' tragedy, Lian had never thought to find a long-term relationship of his own and didn't even know if he could handle one. One sideways glance at the gorgeous man standing beside him and he knew he had to at least try.

He didn't pay attention to where Nevair led him until they stopped at the doorstep of an enormous cathedral. The stone edifice towered over them and Lian pulled to a halt. When they'd dropped Nevair off earlier, Lian hadn't really examined the building. Now the idea of having a lover who swayed the beliefs of an entire planet damn near stopped his heart.

"Don't panic now, my sweet," Nevair soothed.

Lian sighed as Nevair rubbed circles on his back.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I'm just going to show you my living quarters and we can share a drink while we talk and have a meal."

Lian hoped they did more than talk. Eying the large muscular man beside him, Lian gave his best seductive smile. "I planned on doing a lot more than talking. If you plan to be my mate don't you have to claim me?"

Nevair laughed. "I think I already claimed you quite thoroughly earlier but if you'd like to end up in my bed, you won't hear any complaints."

"Good to know." Lian smiled. He still had reservations about a permanent bonding but it wasn't like he couldn't find the spaceport if he needed to make a break for it.

Lian stayed silent as Nevair led him through a large chamber. Praying mats covered the floor, many of them filled with worshippers dropping offerings into the pots beside them and asking the goddess for special favors.

"Do you think she really listens?" Lian asked. He'd been to enough worlds where famine and fear were the prevalent forces that he doubted a goddess's benevolence.

Nevair gave Lian a sideways glance before continuing his journey. "Some goddesses listen better than others. We have one who likes to help."

Lian gave a soft snort at Nevair's careful answer.

"I'm a man of the goddess but even I can't always figure out her ways. In some cases, wars must rage in order for mankind and dragonkin to learn their lessons. I'm not saying people don't deserve a prosperous and happy life, but I think sometimes we need to learn things as a culture before we can thrive as a people. One of the kings married a son of our goddess. He seems to find her more annoying than anything."

"I think most kids find their parents that way." Lian blinked back the unexpected onset of tears. As much as his mother had annoyed teenage Lian, he still missed her like an open wound in his chest.

Nevair led Lian behind the pulpit and up what seemed like an endless flight of stairs.

"Why don't you put an electronic transporter here?" Lian huffed.

Nevair laughed. "Sometimes this is the only exercise I get in a day. It keeps me in shape."

"Ah." Lian bypassed the obvious chance to offer the man as much exercise as he wanted.

At the landing, a hallway opened up before them. "My quarters are at the end," Nevair pointed.

Lian examined the portraits as they walked. "So, I take it these are previous leaders?"

"Yes and my ancestors. Although the position doesn't have to be hereditary, we are one of the few orders where it has been passed from father to son for generations."

"But you're gay. The line will stop with you right?" Lian didn't want to hear that Nevair planned on having children with some pretty dragoness.

Nevair shrugged. "My father also preferred men. He had sex with a woman in order to continue the line. Now the technology is different. When the time comes I'll have my sperm inserted by artificial means. My father never found his mate so it didn't matter to him. I have hopes that I haven't been dealt the same fate."

"Sorry, occupational hazard," Lian backed off.

Nevair stopped in the middle of the hall. "If we are truly mates it is completely your business. I want children but I want you more. Not to mention your job is to learn about fertility. I won't be offended by your questions."

Lian nodded his appreciation. He hadn't considered children as an aspect of his life before. Stupid since as a doctor he'd seen all kinds of family arrangements but he'd never considered them for himself.

"We'll worry about that if it becomes an issue," he finally said.

Nevair wrapped a hand around Lian's arm and continued down the hall. Nevair's rooms weren't what Lian had expected. They weren't completely stark or unnaturally luxurious but something in between. The stone walls added an austerity to the room but the large bed with silk swathed comforter and thick carpets screamed of a man who enjoyed soft textures. A high-end communications screen covered one wall and a small desk sat on the corner.

"Nice," Lian approved.

"Thanks. All my books and a larger desk are in my office. I pretty much just sleep here."

From what Nevair had told Lian, he'd never used that bed for anything else either. "Want me to help christen the bed?"

Nevair's grin brought Lian's nervousness back. He wondered if the goddess would consider it sacrilege to have sex in her cathedral.

"It's okay, right? There's not a problem with you bringing someone for sex in the chapel, is there?"

Nevair shook his head. "Others in my position have had families filling the entire top floor. I'm certain they'd have to have had sex for that to happen."

Lian laughed in relief. "Good. I don't want to cause a scandal." He might not mind being in Nevair's bed, but he didn't want the hit to his reputation by having a major religious leader defrocked or whatever they called it. Rainbows would shoot out of Bourne's ass before Lian gave him that kind of ammunition to use against him.

A soft kiss derailed Lian's inner rambling. "It will be fine. I didn't know you were such a worrier."

"I'm not, but then religious guys aren't usually my thing." Lian had beliefs but they were murky. He tended to stay away from people who preached for him to see things their way. "I don't have to convert to your religion or anything, do I?"

Nevair had been leaning in for another kiss and froze. "I'll expect you to attend the occasional service. You don't have to follow my beliefs, but if we are mates, I'll expect you to put in an appearance from time to time. Do you have your own religion?"

"No. I'm not particularly religious."

Nevair laughed. "Trust me to bond with the one man who doesn't worship my goddess." Nevair latched onto Lian's wrist. "We can settle our differences later. Right now I want to see you naked then I'll order us some food."

"You've already seen me naked," Lian said.

"My memory isn't very good. I'd best examine you all over again," Nevair's leer made Lian harder than the stone walls.

Playing along, Lian slowly unbuttoned his top. He'd worn his favorite black shirt of Morovian silk created by a group of little old ladies who spent their entire lives learning the skill of spinning. It had been exorbitantly expensive but whenever he wore it he thought it worth every penny.

"I really like this shirt," Nevair commented as he helped Lian slide it off his arms.

"Me too." Lian's lips curved into a pleased smile. His lover had excellent taste.

His shoes, socks, pants, and underwear were quickly removed with Nevair's assistance. He then stripped his clothes off with an efficiency that struck Lian as more erotic than the sexiest exotic dancer. He could almost feel Nevair's need of him with every yank of cloth.