Bonds of Fire

  ~

  Yakov was watching him again; Drekken could feel the youth's eyes on his back as he led the party through what had turned from the head of a wooded valley into a forested canyon. They had parted after just a few minutes of kissing, but still Yakov's attention on him sent starts of delight out through Drekken and he knew he was more attached to his friend than he had been to any human in a long time. Immortality had made him cautious about relationships, since he had seen too many partners age and die, but he knew denying what Yakov inspired in him was a lost cause.

  However, since they had returned to the others, the atmosphere had been strange, in no little way due to the fact that there was still a wall between him and Malachi and a largely silent lunch had not been able to rid them of it. Drekken was therefore not surprised when he found the older empath falling in beside him and he glanced across at Malachi's serious profile.

  "You do realise Yakov has you on a pedestal now?" Malachi began quickly, his voice low.

  Drekken checked over his shoulder to where Yakov was carrying Keril and talking to the other dragons. Yakov smiled brightly and rolled his eyes before wagging his head at Malachi's back and Drekken winked back. However, he straightened again when returning his attention to Yakov's scowling protector and agreed, "I am aware of that."

  "And you've seen how vulnerable he can be."

  Drekken nodded again, not wanting to interrupt what Malachi had been working up to.

  "He was thrown away when he was a kid, no-one wanted him. If you hurt him, I'll kill you."

  Drekken started walking more quickly then and took Malachi by the arm, moving him along with him. He put a little distance between them and the slowly moving youngsters and then stopped, turning to face the hostility in his friend.

  "I have no intention of throwing him away, nor you either," he assured.

  "We've heard that before," Malachi dismissed immediately and tried to pull his arm out of Drekken's hand.

  Yet, Drekken wasn't finished, and he clamped down on the empath's bicep.

  "I don't make promises I don't intend to keep," Drekken said, emphasising every word.

  Yet, the promise did not have the desired effect, in fact, Malachi's expression darkened and he huffed repeatedly. The strong, defensive stare was gone, and the youth's gazed danced around Drekken's face, but did not look him in the eye. Malachi was still trying to free his arm, but Drekken refused to let go. Eventually his persistence was answered.

  "You can't have him," Malachi snarled, his tone low and hurting.

  Drekken was slightly stunned by the accusation, since the tease from the two empaths in the cave had been worked in such perfect tandem that he has not even considered pursuing just one of them. He paused, now recognising jealousy when he saw it. Malachi stilled as well, confused by Drekken's silence.

  "I don't want him, not without you," Drekken sighed and faced the second of his realisations that day.

  Malachi looked so young then, his dark eyes uncertain and confused.

  "But you've been flirting with him all the time," Malachi revealed he was the watching kind.

  Drekken chuckled and dismissed, "That's because Yakov is easy to flirt with."

  "But," Malachi began, hackles rising a little again.

  "But you're harder work," Drekken stole his words and risked a tease, before leaning forward and whispering in the youth's ear, "and so worth it."

  He let go this time when Malachi pulled away and stepped back, because he caught his friend with a heady look instead.

  "You come as a pair," Drekken recalled the innuendo to underline his more serious promise.

  Eventually, Malachi nodded.

  "Great, all sorted, can we keep going now?" Yakov made them both jump as he walked straight between them and Keril chittered at them over Yakov's shoulder as the youth strode on up the slope.

  Renar came to a halt between them and looked up from man to man enquiringly. This caused a tail back of dragons, since Renar filled the space between them and so there were shortly four wondering faces staring at them.

  "Are we alright?" Drekken took the bull by the horns, since it didn't look like Malachi was going to speak any time soon.

  There was a slight colour to Malachi's cheeks when, much to Drekken's relief, he nodded again. Drekken knew there was more talking to be done, but it would have to wait until they found somewhere safe for the night, so, with his own respectful incline of the head, he then turned and followed Yakov.