Forget the Moon! - 12. Chapter 12

Honey didn't open his eyes until he felt a soft thud signaling they'd landed. The Omega clung to the dragon's body, relishing the beast's higher body temperature that warmed Honey. It left him feeling loose and relaxed. As completely crazy as it was, the big dragon made Honey feel safe. Although, the beast hadn't eaten the Omega yet. Honey decided to assume it was a kind dragon.

Jedrek thought Honey must not be comfortable in his hold. The dragon knew his skin and scales were smooth but hard and hot enough to cause discomfort. But the Omega clung to Jed when he felt blades of grass tickling his bare soles. Jed peered at the blond werewolf uncertainly, then was shocked when Honey pressed a quick kiss to his snout.

"Thank you so much," the Omega said earnestly. "It's been…it's been a hard day, and then those men. I thought they were going to…" Honey shook the thought away, his unbound hair falling about his face. "You saved me." Honey spread his arms wide, trying his best to hug the emerald and violet dragon.

The dragon let out a rumbling purr and promptly curled around the Omega as if he were a rare jewel to be hoarded. He caught the scent of two other familiar wolves as they rushed towards them, but he let out a warning growl and held Honey hostage. The beast even covered Honey's naked form with one of his wings.

Silently, Gideon caught his worried mate up and backed slowly away from his friend. The Alpha knew the non-verbal signs from Jedrek. It was in the way Jed tilted and moved his head, almost birdlike; the fierce glimmer in the dragon's violet eyes; the flick of the long tail; and the shimmer of flames tickling Jedrek's nostrils. The dragon's beast was ascendant and in full protective mode. It would be twenty minutes or more until Jedrek would let even his best friend close. Gideon didn't think Jedrek would intentionally hurt them, but the dragon was ridiculously strong and the Alpha wouldn't risk his own Omega to Jed accidentally bumping Regan too hard and sending the curly-haired wolf flying.

Gideon placed a gentle but firm hand over Regan's mouth, blocking his mate's protests, and carried him quickly into the house.

Honey hadn't even noticed them, nearly wallowing in the warmth surrounding him. He ran his hands over scales like rainbow dipped emeralds. They were so perfectly smooth it was almost soft, like silk under his fingers.

"So brave and strong," Honey cooed, leaning forward to rub his cheek against an especially pretty section. "Such a wonderful, amazing, big, tough dragon. You're amazing."

The dragon's noises became chittering chirps of content. He put on a little show with his scales, willing the fire that coursed through his veins to light them up for Honey's entertainment. When the Omega's Tanzanite eyes lit up, the beast couldn't have been happier. Jed gave the top of Honey's head a gentle lick.

"And you're the sweetest, handsomest, best dragon ever!" Honey reached up, rubbing Jedrek's cheeks. The Omega's effusive praise continued, complimenting each of the dragon's fierce and beautiful features as well as elevating beast's character to near sainthood. Honey couldn't seem to help himself. The blond felt nearly giddy with the warmth and happiness that was such a stark contrast to how he'd been feeling since Jedrek had confronted him that morning. Honey had been so filled with joy at finding his mate, a mate who was big and strong and made his body sing brightly.

Honey hiccuped as he continued petting and praising the dragon. Soon, tears came with ragged sobs shaking the Omega's body as he hid his face against his dragon's warm side.

"He d-doesn't want me," Honey cried, heartbroken. "I c-can't…how can I go home? How can I face my family? Where will I go? If my mother was alive to see me…" The Omega's words became unintelligible as he wailed.

The dragon's clawed paws gently curled around the wolf's form, rubbing Honey's back. He didn't like seeing the Omega upset. Not one little bit. A keening sound of sympathy resonated from the back of the beast's throat as he snuggled Honey closer.

To the immense creature, it seemed to take much too long, but Honey's sobs finally slowed to sniffles. Hiccups followed, as they did whenever Honey cried too hard. He wiped his eyes with the heels of his palms and gave a final sniffle. When the Omega looked up at the dragon, he was a mess. Honey's hair was falling into his eyes and tangling at the ends, his nose was red, his thick eyelashes were clumped by tears.

Jedrek immediately gave the side of the Omega's face a long, warm lick. He did the same with the other side, along with the top of his head. The dragon was well into the grooming when he felt the presence of the two other wolves approaching them again. This time, they were both ignored.

"Holy crap, Holton, he's just about ready to EAT him!" Regan huffed from behind the Alpha, who had adamantly refused to allow him to get any further to the dragon.

"I'm -hic- okay!" Honey told them and stuck an arm up to wave, trying to indicate he wasn't being devoured. "Don't hurt him! He's a -hic- very nice dragon! Is that you, Regan?" Honey hiccuped twice more and giggled as the dragon's tongue bath reached the Omega's ticklish neck.

The curly-haired Omega let out a sigh of relief. "You sure you're ok, Honey?" He prompted. "My mate's a massive, albeit needlessly beautiful, wolf in his alternate form. But, he's still not as big as that dragon. I was super worried."

"Thank you, love," Gideon purred, hugging his feisty mate from behind and nuzzling behind his ear. "But there is nothing more lovely than you. I also think you're the perfect size for a mate."

"Yes," Honey called. "Wait! -hic- Where's Jedrek? I don't want to see him! I don't think -hic- I could bear to see him right -hic- now."

Regan felt several things at once. Since he was being held by his own loving, if controlling, mate, it wasn't fair to Honey. So, he felt quite guilty standing before him like that. But, it wasn't enough for him to shove Gideon away. Then, there was the fact that he knew exactly where Honey's mate was...and the blond wolf was so not gonna like it.

"Uh...about that," Regan responded hesitantly. "You kind-of already are looking at him?" He explained as he motioned towards the seagreen beast. "Your enormous mate makes one heck of an enormous dragon."

Honey let out a series of hiccups as he slowly turned his head to look the dragon in his dark amethyst eyes. The Omega sucked in a breath and stiffened, then attempted to scramble away from Jedrek, flashing his pale behind to the yard. Gideon quickly covered Regan's eyes, not because he was bothered by his mate seeing the other Omega nude but because the Alpha wolf knew Jedrek might not be understanding about others seeing Honey's plush booty. Gideon quickly averted his own eyes.

Honey didn't go far before the dragon gently clasped him in his grasp once again and continued to groom him. He shot a sideways glare towards Gideon as he lifted one of his wings again to shield the blond from view. Meanwhile he let out a low rumble that was meant to calm the Omega down.

"N-no! Let me go!" Honey cried, pushing at Jedrek's snout and kicking his bare feet ineffectually. "You don't want me, so let me go! I'll leave and you'll never see me again." The Omega sniffled and hiccuped at the same time. "I promise I won't bother you and I won't let my cousin, either."

A heartbroken keening was heard as the dragon began to gently pet the little Omega, keeping him close to his warmth. However, he did stop licking him clean. In a moment of desperation, he shot violet fire at the wolf in his paws.

Regan freaked the fuck out, but Gideon once again held him back. "He just freaking flambéd Honey!" He argued as he tried to get out of the Alpha's grasp.

{You are mate. Mate is ours.} A voice that sounded like Jedrek if he had the vocabulary of a three year old resonated in the blond Omega's mind.

Honey stopped struggling, looking up at the exotic creature that held him gently in his talons. The very talons that could so easily tear him to pieces.

"Jedrek?" the Omega said hesitantly, a quaver in his voice.

He knew he shouldn't let that one word, mate, coming from the dragon allow a small sliver of hope to pierce his heart. He couldn't seem to stop it, though. Honey wanted so badly for his mate to want him, hold him, desire and cherish him. It was like a hot ache in his chest. The blond was so distracted by his thoughts and feelings, he didn't notice a tiny curl of violet flames escape the corner of his lips at his next hiccup.

The beast finally lowered his wing for the other two to see that the blond Omega was safe. However, he made sure that his paws effectively concealed the little wolf's lower body. ..{Jedrek beast,} he responded {True self.}

The dragon had difficulties communicating with a non-dragon mate. How could he fully explain to the little thing that his dragon form held Jedrek the being's raw feelings and real sentiments? That the human side of him was in denial, and that the beast refused to let their mate leave them?

{Mate can't leave us.} The dragon pleaded as he lowered his head so that the Omega could see the sadness in his large, purple eyes. {Mate stay?}

"You changed your mind?" Honey asked, hope unfurling like a flower in the sun. "You want me, now? You don't want to break the bond and send me away?"

{Jedrek Beast never send mate away,} the dragon insisted. {Mate stay?}

Honey sniffled once more, giving a last, soft hiccup, before hugging the dragon's snout. "Okay. I'll stay."

"Thank goodness," Gideon murmured softly to Regan. "I was worried for a moment we'd have a lovelorn dragon rampaging the city."

Just as the last comment slipped from Gideon's lips, a violet glow shimmered off of the dragon's scales and he began to shrink until he was once again human in form. Jedrek promptly stumbled backwards until his entire body collapsed on the grass behind Honey. The slow rise and fall of his chest was the only sign that he was still breathing.

"Jedrek!" Honey said in alarm. The Omega lunged to Jedrek's side, hands hovering as though afraid to touch him. He looked to Gideon and Regan. "What's wrong with him? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, just passed out I think." Gideon turned to the house. "Simon! I know you're right there watching everything! Bring some clothes for Honey and Gideon, quickly!"

The Alpha walked to the blond Omega's side, pulling off his shirt and urging Honey to put it on.

"It's alright," Gideon told Honey gently. "Jed's dragon side likely pushed forward a bit too forcefully and it will take some time for his human half to gather himself. He's just sleeping."

"Hey, hey, hey…" Regan interceded as he took Gideon's shirt back from Honey. "I don't think Jedrek would like for his mate to be wearing the scent of another wolf, especially not his friend's." He stood in front of Honey as if he were a folding screen to block the other Omega from being seen. "And, if I'm gonna be honest, I'm not exactly okay with that, either," he added in a low grumble.

Gideon chuckled, unable to keep himself from feeling more than a bit satisfied at Regan's possessiveness. "Would the recently washed clothes be acceptable for them, sweetheart?" The Alpha asked, the endearment tripping off his tongue without thought. "Simon should be here with them before long."

Regan glanced back at Honey to look the other Omega in the eyes. "Don't worry, I gotcha covered until he gets here. I'll make sure no one sees the goods," he affirmed. "My mate and Simon will also help carry Jedrek inside safely."

"Thank you," Honey said softly, stroking the inky locks from Jedrek's face. "I hope he's okay."

Simon arrived moments later with an armful of clothes. Honey dressed quickly, then firmly but politely made it clear he didn't need help dressing Jedrek's unconscious body. The rest of them turned their backs and pretended they couldn't hear the grunts and soft huffs of exertion as the blond Omega wrestled Jed's limp and very heavy body into sleep pants and a tank. Gideon didn't mention that dragons in human form were unusually dense, something about the condensed essence of a dragon's soul held in a smaller human body. Honey had figured that out for himself, if the delicate not-quite-cursing the blond man was muttering was any indication.

"Suffering fluffernutters," Honey hissed emphatically as he finally got the pants above Jed's hips and the drawstring tied. "You can turn around now," he told the others, blowing a strand of gold from his eyes.

As Simon and Gideon moved to lift Jedrek between them, Regan slung an arm around Honey's shoulders. "A dragon. The Great Eli would be proud," he commented with a grin. "How'd you find him? I stormed into Holton's office due to an injustice that I'm still working on fixing and that's when my stone flashed. You?"

"Ah, well…" Honey looked left and right, cheeks pinking. "I went to a bar with my cousin and he was there." The blond winced, as though waiting for Regan to berate him for doing such a scandalous thing. "I went home with him and…ummm…"

"Everyone's mate-finding tales really are different," the brown-haired Omega mused aloud. "My parents met at a construction site, and one of my cousins found her mate when he was in the middle of a concert. The disappointment of that whole orchestra when they realized she was only there for one of them must have sucked…"

"You really think he's alright?" Honey asked distractedly, unable to focus on the conversation as he watched Simon and Gideon curse and grumble as they hauled the limp dragon upstairs to a guest bedroom with the pair of Omegas trailing behind.

Regan let out a little sigh when he realized his distraction tactics weren't working. "If Gideon said he was only sleeping, I'm sure he's fine," He responded softly. "I mean, he'd seem more worried if Jedrek wasn't okay, right?"

"I suppose so," Honey agreed, then rushed forward to help settle Jedrek into the bed.

Honey pulled back the covers, tucking the dragon- moon above, his mate was a dragon -under the covers and arranging the pillows until the man looked comfortable. The Omega looked him over. Jedrek's skin was warm and he was breathing slow and deep. He really did look like he was simply sleeping. A knot of anxiety loosened in his chest, followed by a wave of fatigue. Honey stood, swaying a bit.

"Perhaps, you should rest with him," Gideon suggested gently. "I'm sure he'd sleep easier with his mate beside him."

Honey looked at the big Alpha, perking up. "You really think so?"

Gideon nodded as Regan turned down the covers on the other side of the bed for Honey.

"I guess it would be good, then… Maybe just for a bit…" Honey crawled into the bed and tucked himself tightly to Jedrek. He was so pleasantly warm. The blond Omega's bright blue eyes blinked slowly. "Thank you. All of you."

"Think nothing of it," Gideon said as he, Regan, and Simon retreated from the room. "Rest well, Honey."