Page 71 of Soar

Sam with kids who were also dragons. That was even more frightening, but also interesting. He’d be the uncle to dragon babies.

Or…

He slowly lifted his eyes to where Gregori silently watched him. The guilt that washed through him this time had claws. Shit, he still wasn’t expressing what he needed to, nor asking what he should be. Arguing with his twin wasn’t the right tactic here.

He went straight for Gregori, taking his hands into his own, trying to find and force out the words that needed to be said. “Gregori. Despite everything I’ve done, am I still your choice?”

“There is no choice,” Gregori replied softly. “You’re my mate.”

“No. Think about this. I damn near killed you and you’re not evenangrywith me about it.”

“This wasn’t your fault?—”

“The hell it wasn’t. It was my stubbornness that drove you to this.”

“It was mine,” Gregori corrected him. “My stubbornness led to this.”

Salem let his head drop on Gregori’s shoulder for a moment. “So we’re both at fault, which is why you won’t get angry with me?”

“Yes.”

“You are such a…” He groaned. “Goddammit, I don’t know whether to apologize or shake you right now. All right. Look.” He lifted his head to lock eyes with Gregori. “I do not want to lose you.”

He saw the delight in Gregori’s eyes blossom and it was such a beautiful look.

“That said, this, what we’ve been doing up here, isn’t healthy. I want us to have agoodrelationship, not a toxic one. We do better from here on out, got it?”

“I can agree.” Gregori’s smile threatened to take over his face.

“Which includes not letting me railroad you. If there’s something you need, or want, and I’m being an ass, tell me I’m being an ass. Okay? No more suffering in silence.”

“I promise.”

“Good. On my end, I’ll try not to be an ass. Just bear with me, it’s kind of a default setting in my personality.”

“Sooo,” Dimitri drawled. “What does this mean? Are you coming back with us or not?”

Salem finally broke eye contact with Gregori to glance at Sora again. “Will you still take me on as an apprentice even though I put a dragon’s life in danger with my assholery?”

Sora huffed a quiet laugh and dropped his arms to his sides. “I’ll be happy to have you as a student. First step will be learning a dragon’s mental health.”

An obvious dig, but no less than he deserved.

Salem turned his gaze back to Gregori.

Gregori lifted his right hand and dragged his fingertips ever so lightly across Salem’s cheek. “I won’t deny I want you in Brazil for my own selfish reasons, but I think you will learn a lot from the mages. They will help you to understand your magic, and you’ll be able to help even more people than ever before. That alone will make you happy.”

Salem shook his head. “Going to Brazil has to be about more than just magic. I told you, I don’t want to lose you, and I want to try for a healthy relationship. Still, I can’t promise that I can be your true mate. Once you’re home with your family, you mightfinally come to your senses and realize what a truly bad match I am for you.”

Gregori leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the center of his forehead, and a knot that had tightened in Salem’s chest loosened at last. “I know what kind of person you are, and I’m not worried. But I agree. Come back to Brazil with us. I promise to take better care of myself, and we will take things slowly. If you need space, then that’s exactly what I’ll give you so we can figure this out.”

The promise of learning magic to complement his skills as a doctor. The promise of getting the space he needed to figure out if he could actually be in a healthy relationship with Gregori.

Hell, with access to so many mated mages, he might be able to talk to someone who could explain what it meant to be mated to a dragon, and just why he was so fucking bad at it.

Forcing a smile, he looked up at Gregori and nodded. “Okay. First, I need to write a resignation letter. Then let’s pack. We’re all going back to Brazil.”

Just over twenty-four hours later, Gregori tipped his head toward puffy clouds and roared as he glided over deep blue waters, wide strips of white sand beaches, and deep green palm trees. He was home, and he had his mate on his back.

---