Page 71 of Dragon's Revenge

He was safe. Gods, he was safe. He would always be safe with them. Dempsey was dead. Adar had killed him for what he’d done to Oliver.

Tears came, and once they started, he couldn’t stop them. “We need to get him inside,” he heard Delton say, but it was like his voice came through a thick layer of mist.

And then strong arms lifted him and he was cradled against a broad chest. He kept crying as Adar carried him, endless tears that he couldn’t explain, couldn’t hold back, couldn’t stop. They kept pouring out of him like a break in a water line, and he surrendered to it, letting them come.

Finally, they were inside, where gentle hands took off his jacket. He was carried to the couch, where he was tucked against Adar’s chest, a blanket wrapped around him. But Delton was there too, whispering words of encouragement to him, telling him he was safe, that he would be okay, that he could let it all out.

And when the tears finally stopped, when he felt like he had nothing left to give, the last bit of tension left his body, and he sagged against Adar. “I don’t wanna have sex,” he croaked.

“I know, baby. That’s okay.”

Delton didn’t sound shocked. Oliver opened his swollen eyes, blinking a few times to clear his vision. “I don’t mean right now. I mean, in general. Like, ever. Well, outside of my heat, probably.”

Delton’s eyes were so kind and understanding as he met Delton’s. “I knew what you meant. And that’s okay.”

“But we’re mates. Doesn’t that mean I’m supposed to…have sex?”

“No.” Delton firmly shook his head. “Sex is never a requirement. It’s a gift that should be freely given.”

A gift. Oliver had never thought about sex like that. To him, it had always been… How did he even describe it?

Something forced, taken from him without his consent. An ordeal. Abuse. Trauma. Nothing but pain and suffering.

“Stay with me, baby,” Delton said, preventing Oliver from sliding back into the memories.

“How long until this stops? Until I…forget?”

Adar made a wounded sound as if he himself was hurting, and for a moment, his arms tightened around Oliver. But it didn’t trigger fear in him, only comfort.

“Forget?” Delton hesitated, then took Oliver’s hand and laced their fingers together. “You’ll never forget, but over time and with therapy, you’ll be able to reduce the flashbacks and the painful memories. It will become…bearable. Manageable.”

“W-will I ever learn to like sex?”

This time, Delton didn’t miss a beat. “That’s not the goal, baby. The goal is to lighten the heavy load of your trauma, not make you want something that carries so many bad memories.”

“B-but… But we’re mates. How can we be mates if we don’t have sex? How will you ever…love me if I can’t do that for you?”

“Sex isn’t something you need to do for us,” Adar said softly. “It’s something you should only do if it makes you happy, if you like it. And if you don’t, that’s fine.”

Oliver didn’t understand. How could they be so cool about it, so calm? Why weren’t they upset?

“Oliver, baby, being mates isn’t about sex. And when we fall in love…” Delton gently lifted Oliver’s chin so their eyes met. “And notice I saidwhenand not if… When we fall in love, it won’t be because of sex. Sex is only one way to express attraction or love. Adar and I like you for who you are, not for your body or what it can offer us.”

Something unclenched inside Oliver, like a clamp being released. “You mean that? You won’t be angry if I can never…be with you that way?”

“I promise.” Delton looked at Adar. “And I know Adar feels the same way.”

“I do,” Adar confirmed. “It doesn’t change anything for me.”

How could that be? But they wouldn’t lie to him. They’d never do that, especially not about something that important. “It’s hard for me to believe, but I’ll try.”

“That’s enough.” Delton squeezed his hand. “But we do need to make some ground rules together to set expectations.”

“Like what?” Adar asked.

“Well, like agreeing on what we are all okay with. Like, are you okay with us kissing you, Oliver, or would you prefer we always ask permission first? How would you feel about Adar and me having a sex life together? Is that something you’d be okay with, and if so, would we need to do that with or without you present, or does it not matter to you? How do we handle your future heats? We could talk to Enar to see if we could experiment with heat blockers to save you from going through your heat. Or maybe there’s a surgical option. I mean, there is for wolves because a hysterectomy ends heats, but I’m not sure how it works for dragons.”

Oliver’s head dazzled. So many questions, so many decisions. But above all, so much understanding. A deep sense of peace washed over him. They meant it. They were fine with it, with him. They accepted him the way he was, with all his baggage and limitations. All he had to do was communicate. And so he took a deep breath.

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