Autumn Feast - Charlie Richards Page 0,5

so long?”

Agnoroth chuckled roughly. “I admit I struggled with how to approach you,” he shared, fighting against the heat he felt creeping up his neck.

To Kristof’s pleasure, his admission seemed to relax his mate. His human grinned as he waggled his brows. “Good to know a dragon can succumb to nerves, too.”

Losing the fight against his blush, Agnoroth knew his cheeks were pink. Before he could come up with a response, the chime of the doorbell rang through the room.

Agnoroth growled. “If it’s that asshole again, I’m going to wring his neck,” he declared as he released Kristof and jumped to his feet. “Does Casey bother you often?”

“That should be Benji,” Kristof told him, following. “He’s the one I called.”

Squelching his growl took nearly all Agnoroth’s self-control. The fact that his mate called another dragon shifter for support rankled every damn one of his nerves. It didn’t matter that it was an irrational feeling.

His mate was doing what he thought was necessary for his safety.

A good policy to have.

A fucking earth dragon, though. Gods, I hate them.

An earth dragon was a pain in the butt for an air dragon to fight and counter. Probably similar to how difficult it was for a water dragon to fight a fire dragon. Their specialties were opposites. That made the fight a test of strength of will, creativity, and guile.

If it wasn’t to the death, the fight would be fun, all things considered.

When Agnoroth yanked open the door and spotted Benji, recognition hit. “Fuck!” he snarled gruffly. “I know you.”

“And I you,” Benji declared, stepping over the threshold without an invitation. The earth dragon’s gaze slid past Agnoroth’s shoulder. “Kristof? Are you okay?”

Agnoroth took a step back and to the side, allowing him to turn and keep both the other dragon and his mate in his sights.

Kristof nodded, his expression sheepish. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

Growling upon seeing the way Benji peered intensely at Kristof—as well as how his nostrils flared, obviously scenting him—Agnoroth stepped close to his mate and wrapped his arm around him. To his pleasure, Kristof sank into his side.

An auburn-haired, hazel-eyed human pushed past Benji while saying, “Out of the doorway, hot stuff.” The human glanced between Kristof and Agnoroth, then dismissing him, went to Kristof. “Tell me what the hell is going on, Kris. You okay?”

Agnoroth continued to growl low in his throat, but he didn’t make a move to stop the human as he grabbed Kristof’s upper arm, invading his space. Clenching his jaw, he reminded himself that these were his mate’s friends and allies. They were there to help him... even though Kristof didn’t need help to be safe from Agnoroth.

These men don’t know that.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay,” Kristof assured, patting the other human’s hand.

Since Benji stood before him with his arms crossed and a glower on his face, Agnoroth assumed the human was Kristof’s friend, Cory. The pair had been mated for almost a year and a half. It was through Benji’s courtship of Cory that his own mate had learned that dragons existed.

Lucky turn of chance, that.

“Relax,” Kristof urged, lifting his hands in placation as he glanced between everyone. “Agnoroth isn’t here to hurt me.” As he watched, Kristof sucked in a deep breath, as if he was stealing himself up to say something tough or controversial. After blowing out that same breath, Kristof waved Agnoroth’s way as he stated, “Agnoroth is my mate. I’ve been dreaming about him for months. I—” His cheeks turned a deep red hue as he rubbed the back of his neck. Then he heaved a sigh as he flicked his gaze Benji’s way. “You all don’t lie about that kind of thing, right?”

Agnoroth felt Benji’s hard gaze pinned on him. “No,” he muttered, his voice hard. “We don’t.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Do we?”

Knowing exactly what Benji was implying—or searching for, perhaps—Agnoroth tipped his head just a little as he held the other dragon’s gaze. “No, we certainly do not lie about that kind of thing.”

Even though Agnoroth understood why Kristof turned to Benji for confirmation, that didn’t mean he had to like it. Pushing his annoyance down deep, he smiled at his human. He loved hearing Kristof’s easy acceptance of being his mate.

“Well, I guess you’ll be missing our Chinese buffet feast with us after all,” Cory stated, a cheeky smile on his face.

Kristof cocked his head. “Huh? Why do you say that?”

Cory laughed as he eased away from his friend and was immediately wrapped up by Benji’s open arms.