Page 81 of Don't Fae With Dragons

“You have to claim Mili back.”

CHAPTER 48: CORY

“Ican’t do it!” Max hisses at me outside Mili’s cottage.

Since Chrysthinia told us we have to consummate our claims on each other, Max and Port have been whispering urgently to each other. Now I know why –Max is worried about sex with Milica.

“Well, you have no issues with Port, do you? Mili is part of us, too, so it shouldn’t be any different,” I say cheerily, clapping him on the shoulder for good measure.

Max sidesteps and runs his hand through his wild hair. “It’s not the same. Youknowit’s not the same. Port I trust, and I know he trusts me. But thefaery?”

“Max,” I sigh, “You two clearly have some pent-up tension. Perhaps this is an adequate a time as any to relieve it.”

“You don’t understand, Cory.”

I pace to him and stand, staring deep into his eyes. “Max, do you mean to tell me you’veneverfantasized about the faery?”

He frowns and says, “That’s not the problem; it’s the fact that - that you’re all too good for me. How can I –how can I participate in this sort of ritual when I’m not sure I even deserve to be here? You don’t know me, not truly. You don’t know the things I’ve done.”

This is the first time that Max has been really honest with me, I realize, and I know he means everything he’s saying. I nod slowly, my brows furrowing as I think. How do you convince someone you care for them, that they deserve your care?

“Well,” I start, slowly, “Why not focus on all that right now? Perhaps in time we’ll discover we truly can’t stand you.” Max scowls at me, but I continue, “I mean it, Max. Anything can happen; I can’timaginethat happening, but it technically could. Still, why does that have to be a problem for today? Right now, shouldn’t the only thing that matters be that Mili needs us? Needsyou?”

Max blinks at me, reeling from my words, and I continue. “We’re all killers Max. We’ve all had to be. But you’re not wicked, Kar is.”

Then, after a painfully long moment, his eyes harden with determination, and he nods.

We walk inside to the smell of nut- and honey-scented candles burning and the sight of dim light filtering through the closed curtains. Max sighs as Port comes up to him, kissing him softly on the cheek before pulling him to the bathroom.

“We’ll get undressed,” Port says, “And meet you and Mili in the bedroom.”

I nod in understanding –they may need a moment before we begin to prepare themselves. It is our first time lovemaking as a full group, and were I not as proud as I am, I might be a little nervous.

I inhale the almond and honey aroma and turn to the kitchen, where Mili is bandaging her damaged wing. “I’ll heal you,” I say with forced confidence. “After all this, I mean.”

Mili smiles weakly and nods at me before folding her wings back into herself. She walks to me and whispers, “Is Max okay?”

“He’s nervous,” I reply.

“I am too,” she admits. “I’ve never really done this. Max and I haven’t even ... we’ve hardly even kissed.”

“I’ll guide us.”

She smiles. “I know you will.”

Then I lean over and say to her, all earnestness, “I already told Max and Port, but if you ever want me to stop, or anyone else to stop, even for asecond, you tell us. If anyone is uncomfortable, nobody continues. Okay?”

She nods but there’s something vulnerable in her eyes as she looks up at me, something searching and soft that seems to go beyond our usual back-and-forth. I take her hand, letting my thumb trace slow circles over her knuckles.

“I recognize you, noble faery healer,” I murmur quietly, the words carrying a depth that settles deep between us.

She studies my face, her expression softening, and after a moment, she squeezes my hand, her voice barely above a whisper. “I recognize you too, noble dragon, guardian of all that I love and of my heart.”

The simplicity of the words lingers in the air, yet they feel stronger than anything else we could’ve said. For a moment, it’s just us in that quiet understanding, a recognition of who we are to each other—neither perfect nor flawless, but chosen, respected, seen and claimed.

The bathroom door opens and Max and Port walk out, both completely naked. Max’s face turns completely red whenhe realizes the two of us are still clothed, and he tries to walk back into the bathroom until Port grabs him and keeps him from doing so.

“You’re supposed to be undressed!” he exclaims.

---