The struggle was real.
Not only did he have to deal with the very real threat of being the most undignified of the dragons as he figured out how to dress up with that kind of arousal, but Riley also had to deal with Kael, who was acting like his second skin.
Yes.
Since they had that moment that had been cemented in his heart, the golden dragon had actually refused to part from him.
Literally.
Riley was walking around with a giant man attached to him. Arms around his waist as they went to the bathroom to take a bath. Head on his shoulder and the crook of his neck as he picked the clothes he would wear for today’s torture and confrontation.
Uh-huh. Today was a big day because Riley wanted to understand what kind of shit show he was now facing. More than that, he wanted to make sense of how he actually ended up as Kael’s fated mate.
Actually, it was something that had gripped him the moment he learned he was a dragon. But he couldn’t deal with it right away because he was being hammered by so much information he didn’t even know where to look first.
But more importantly, he was scared because what if he was just another black dragon?
After all, even Kael believed that his mate had vanished some decades ago.
If that had been the case, how would he have handled that? It would suck. But knowing how he was also a dragon would mean fewer challenges for them, right?
Right. Yet color him insane, because earlier, he just felt everything click.
Despite feeling like a different person and having that tentative feeling about his past and current family, Riley couldn’t even feel that bad about the situation.
He almost died; rather, he actually died for a short bit back then.
Sure, it was a clinical death, but heck, that was still death in his books when he definitely woke up looking and feeling like someone else.
So imagine his surprise when he finally got to face one of his biggest fears, only to discover his undeniable connection to Kael.
It was crazy, but deep down, he was sure.
Therefore, even as he walked around with doubts about his existence, at least he had no doubts about being Kael’s. Because earlier, he kind of understood what they meant about the bond being instinctive.
It was so instinctive that he finally understood why even dragons who hated each other could end up with children.
Yep. That bad. And Riley could have been the next in line if Thyrran, oh god, Thyrran, had not actually interrupted them.
Ahem.
But that was beside the point. That would be another issue for another time. What he was currently curious about was how any of that was even possible.
Like, the whole thing would just make him too old. Like old-old. And then there was the matter of how to make sense of the story he heard from Ka—
Wait a damn moment.
Riley, who had just finished buttoning the middle part of the shirt he was going to wear, suddenly stopped.
His hand hovered. His brain short-circuited.
Then he scoffed.
A second later, he turned to Kael with a look of absolute betrayal.
And smacked him with the shirt. Not that he would even feel anything with that wall of a body.
"Wha— What are you doing?" Kael blinked, taken aback as the fabric grazed his shoulder.
"What am I doing?!"
Riley huffed, hitting him again, this time with more offense and dramatic flair.
"This is me taking revenge for when you said I was annoying!"
Kael blinked. "When did I say that?"
"You said the egg was annoying when it kept calling you! And then you thought it was frustrating!" Riley shouted, still attacking him with the poor shirt.
Kael let out a low chuckle, his arms tightening slightly around Riley’s waist. He tilted his head just a little and offered a completely unapologetic grin.
"Sorry. I didn’t know any better," he said with those slitted golden eyes Riley had to tilt his head to properly glare at.
Riley narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical. He waited.
Then Kael added, "Then again, about that time you were trying to hire an assass—"
"Wha—?!"
Riley yelped and immediately slapped a hand over Kael’s mouth.
"You! I— Wait! I didn’t get to hire anyone!" sputtered the flustered aide. "Also, could you blame me?! It wasn’t like I could even imagine taking you out, even if I managed to hire ten or twenty of them!"
He flushed, embarrassed beyond belief. He had made sure to destroy all those old doodles. Heck, he even remembered eating one in desperation. So how?!
Kael smirked under the hand covering his lips. He leaned in slightly and whispered, low and husky, "Well, now you can. You can definitely take me out."
Riley’s eyes widened. His hand dropped, and he stared.
"You’re seriously saying that now?!"
Kael smiled like the sun.
"Hey! Don’t even think about that! Take it back!" Riley huffed, flushed all the way to his ears. "Why would I even want to take you out now?! I worked hard to survive for this, you know!"
Kael leaned in.
Riley took a step back.
Kael followed.
And then he kissed him.
What was supposed to be a flustered reprimand dissolved into heat, and it took them another half hour before they were finally able to meet Thyrran properly.
Only for Riley to find out—
That yes.
He had indeed taken out Kael in succession. And apparently, he could do it again.
__
"Wait, so you’re saying I’m actually back in my human form because I siphoned mana from him?"
Thyrran nodded. Or rather, moved his small head up and down with a kind of ancient, sage-like solemnity.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if your dragon form is now a bit bigger than earlier, with how you managed to knock him out like that."
"But, young master, I do not recommend you do that again. Because that’s dangerous for all of us."
You don’t say?