CHAPTER 107: THE RECKLESS AIDE

In his nine hundred years of existence, Kael Dravaryn had never thought he’d be attacked like this.

But if he was of such a mind, one human aide was definitely of the belief that, in the expansive land of Eryndra, no one had probably been as crazy as him.

Just as expected and yet unlike anything he could have imagined.

Soft.

Supple.

And most definitely surprised.

As for the last one? That was the reaction of the dragon lord who was currently—impossibly—touching lips with one equally startled human.

For Kael, it was unthinkable. For Riley, it was something worse: it was right.

The moment their mouths collided, Riley felt it.

A jolt. A flash.

Like he’d been slightly electrocuted. The kind of shocking zing that stole his breath, stunned his brain, and left him absolutely certain that this was either genius or insanity.

Maybe both.

His head froze for a fraction of a second, eyes wide, lips pressed against the dragon lord’s, before memory came rushing back—why he was doing this, what he needed to accomplish.

And so, with all the desperation of a man forcing the impossible, Riley moved.

He wrapped his arms around Kael’s neck, tugging him down because even while straddling the man’s lap, Kael was taller, broader, and infuriatingly out of reach.

Riley angled himself carefully, pressing closer, tilting his head to find better access.

His focus narrowed on Kael’s lower lip.

Supple, warm, unexpectedly soft. The very last thing Riley had expected from someone who spent most of his life terrifying, well, everyone.

But who knew that even someone like that guy would have something so vulnerable, something so unlike yet very much like the prickly dragon lord.

Riley’s mouth closed over it. His tongue traced, coaxed, tasted. His teeth followed, grazing slowly and deliberately before he drew what remained of the catatonic Kael in, sucking lightly as if testing the dragon lord’s patience and all the luck remaining in Riley’s own fragile body.

Kael’s mind stalled, caught somewhere between disbelief and something dangerously close to utter silence. His hands were still tied behind his back by Riley’s tie, and he hadn’t yet caught up with what was happening.

But Riley had.

He bit down.

Not feral, not savage—but firm, decisive, the kind of bite traded in heated skirmishes of lips and pride. Enough to leave its mark. Enough to make the dragon lord bleed.

The sting bloomed instantly, copper sharp against the heat of mouths pressed too close. Riley hissed against Kael’s lips, startled, his breath mingling with Kael’s as he realized what he’d just done. Realized what he’d just accomplished

Both pairs of eyes widened, darkened irises in pure disbelief at what just happened.

Riley had been successful.

He had drawn blood from the dragon lord—not with blade or fist, but with his mouth.

And from all places... his lips.

Riley’s tongue darted instinctively, brushing against the cut on Kael’s lip.

The taste—sharp, metallic, foreign—made his whole body jolt. He didn’t even realize what he had done until it was over, and then he recoiled like he had touched fire. Practically launching himself backward, he nearly slid off Kael’s lap.

He was panting.

His face, ears, even his neck burned red as he swiped his tongue over his own lips—still stained with Kael’s blood. The action was instinctive, guilty, and he bit down on his lower lip as if that could erase what had just happened.

He didn’t even realize how telling the motion was.

"Huh?" Riley blinked, confusion spiraling, as he finally looked back at Kael.

But then his eyes widened.

Kael’s hands, which were supposed to be tied behind his back, were free.

The dragon lord lifted one hand to his mouth, his tongue dragging slowly across the cut on his lip, sealing it shut as if it had never existed.

Predatory golden eyes fixed on Riley, pupils narrowed into sharp slits. The image was devastating—an embodiment of some divine god ready to strike back. Every inch of him radiated raw, restrained power, coiled like a spring, promising that whatever came next would not be gentle.

Then—

"Mnff—!!!"

This time, it wasn’t Riley leaning in. It was Kael.

He was yanked forward, pulled flush against the dragon lord’s body. One large hand clutched at his back, anchoring him. The other cupped the back of his head, fingers spreading wide, engulfing him. Riley was caught, buried, surrounded as Kael’s mouth claimed his.

This was different. Rougher. Purposeful. And all too new for even someone like him, who thought he’d kissed before.

If they had touched lips earlier and he had sucked to get what he needed, Riley’s toes could attest that this was something else.

Definitely different.

The first impact was startling.

Kael’s lips pressed against his, firm and unyielding, knocking the air out of Riley’s chest. For one blinding moment Riley thought he’d be overpowered, that the dragon lord would simply force his way in, but he didn’t.

Instead, Kael, that—that guy, cheated!

His mouth moved with deliberate precision, coaxing, melting Riley’s resistance from the inside out. Every stroke of his tongue was fire and honey, turning Riley’s bones into molten wax. He could have fought, should have fought, but his body betrayed him, shuddering and giving way to the relentless tide.

Up to the end of his days, Riley knew he’d blame that exact moment. The moment he lost. The moment he gave in to Kael—no, to Kael’s desire.

Desire to inspect. To take. To check the insane aide who had dared to do something very, very reckless.

And yet, beneath the heat and hunger, Kael’s intent was frighteningly earnest.

Riley gasped, shocked, but the sound slipped straight into Kael’s mouth, and the dragon lord took the opportunity. His tongue slid past, gaining access to somewhere he never thought he would share with his very own boss.

The aide’s mind imploded. His entire being twisted into knots. Every nerve was alight, every breath stolen.

And yet—when Kael sought, Riley gave.

His lips parted willingly, his body melting into the force pinning him still. His hands, which had flailed uselessly before, found anchor in Kael’s shirt, bunching the fabric in desperate fists.

Kael tightened his grip on Riley’s waist, dragging him impossibly closer. Their mouths clashed, devoured, burned.

They went at each other senselessly, breath after breath lost in the pull, the tug, the overwhelming hunger that neither of them had expected but both of them had given in to.