Chapter 671: Warm arms are always welcome

Cass, like when Lucian came back both prior times, seemed to be able to sense when the dragon was coming home. It was like he had a beacon made just for Lucian. His head came up from where he was working on papers in his office, his eyes going to the window.

Edgar noticed first, the man still insisting on working on the couch. When Cass had tried to bring it up the night before, while they were cleaning up, Edgar had explained that he didn’t want to do anything big without Lucian around anymore. Cass had nearly swallowed his tongue hearing that, and there was no way he could argue with him after, either.

Cass understood that feeling, loud and clear, and so, he’d shut up.

"He’s coming." Cass muttered and Edgar paused. He glanced towards the window, where Cass was looking, and put down the papers he’d been working on.

"I’ll go get him." He said. He got to his feet, smiling at Cass warmly. "I know you’d like to go in person, so I’ll make sure to bring him here right away." Edgar slid his gaze to the new maids. "If you two don’t want to witness your Master being devoured, I suggest you wait in the hall." Edgar told them.

Both girls, Sage and Ember, nodded at Edgar’s words. Cass had realised when the girls had shown up the next day that he had forgotten their names and hadn’t bothered to ask them personally what they were.

He felt it was okay, given the tense nature of the weekend and why they were suddenly replacing Sam instead of slowly replacing Sam, and the girls didn’t seem to mind. He did think that Sage’s name was a bit...strange given how appropriate Ember’s name was. Pink sage? He’d never heard of it before.

Maybe that did exist here and he was just ignorant. Didn’t matter, as the girls took one look at Cass and how he was wistfully staring out the window and nodded. They left the room with Edgar, leaving Cass alone.

Cass heard the dragon land, the roar that he let out shaking the windowpanes and Cass swallowed. Slowly, carefully, he got to his feet. He had been right to worry that his hands wouldn’t go back to normal yesterday. They were still pointed and sharp, but Gideon had helped him file them down so that they wouldn’t inconvenience him. Edgar had helped him dress this morning as well.

Careful, cautious, Cass stared at his hands that looked human, but were tinged black at the tips, ending in sharp, dangerous-looking nails. He winced as he remembered how torn up Edgar’s back had been when he’d seen it last night too.

Was that the future? Cass tearing up their backs? Gods, they’d need to tie up his hands so that he didn’t hurt them more. He was well and truly turning into a monster, one cum shot at a time.

That thought should have made him blush, but instead it made him thoughtful, introspective. He was feeling rather somber when he felt the energy in the room shift. He heard the rapid footsteps, held his breath as he felt the chaotic energy of Lucian outside of the door. Cass braced himself, standing up straight, fumbling to take off his sunglasses and place them on the desk behind him as he let out a shaky breath.

The knocks came.

"Come in." Cass called and the door exploded open, Lucian barely hesitating as he stormed into the room, his orange eyes wild, his hair disheveled and he made a beeline towards Cass. He reached for him, scooping him up and enfolding Cass in his arms. His face went to Cass’ nape and throat, inhaling Cass’ scent and letting out a soft, nearly quiet growl.

"I’m home." Lucian growled and Cass felt a knot form in his throat. He pressed his face against Lucian’s shoulder, holding onto him tightly.

"Welcome home." Cass whispered, squeezing him tightly. Lucian backed him up until his feet weren’t on the floor and Lucian was wedged between his legs. Cass sat on the edge of his desk, holding the bigger man in his arms as Lucian kept inhaling his scent. Cass noticed how he was shaking slightly, trembling as he held Cass.

Cass wanted to ask. He wanted to know how they were doing, but given that Lucian wasn’t saying that they’d failed, Cass took that as a good sign. He would have apologised if something had gone wrong. At least, he was pretty sure he would have.

Even if it wasn’t his fault.

Cass just held the man, his own emotions wild. It didn’t feel like it had only been just two days since they’d seen each other. It honestly felt like he’d been gone for just a minute, but so much had happened that he knew that wasn’t true. Cass just let the man hold him, find comfort in him, and only raised his head slightly when Edgar re-entered the room quietly, smiling at the two of them before he headed back to his spot on the couch.

He looked significantly ruffled, so Cass had a feeling he’d gotten a good squeeze from the dragon as well.

"They’re fine." Lucian eventually rasped, Cass giving a small jerk as he wasn’t expecting him to talk. Edgar turned towards them, putting the papers he’d picked up, down.

"Are they?" Cass asked and Lucian nodded. He didn’t move, didn’t let go of Cass.

"We...we barely made it." He admitted, and Cass heard how hard he swallowed. Cass squeezed him tighter.

"But you did." Cass reminded him and felt how Lucian shuddered.

"I’ve been scared in my life many, many times, but that? That was in the top five." He admitted. Cass just held him, letting him speak. "He was so-I-" What he said after that wasn’t in a language that Cass could understand, and that was okay. It felt so raw and painful that Cass knew he was probably speaking of what he saw. It almost felt good that Cass couldn’t understand. That way he wouldn’t look at Byron with pity when he saw him next.

Or, less pity.

"You made it, Lucy. He’s going to be okay. They’re going to be okay. Now, we just need to give them some privacy. You didn’t lose him." Cass told him gently, interrupting when the words seemed to get a little too choked. Lucian exhaled sharply, and Cass felt the heat of it roll down his back. Lucian squeezed him again, a little too tightly, but Cass was now sturdy enough that he wasn’t afraid he would break.

Lucian, however, didn’t think the same. He froze, pulling back suddenly, stricken.

"Am I hurting you?" He asked, worried, and Cass let out a soft laugh. He stared up at the worried, frantic dragon. A man who had probably just done the impossible, and Cass reached up, cupping his face. His stubble rubbed against Cass’ hands, prickly, sharp, and a reminder that the man was just that. A man. A single entity that had fears and worries and two big hearts.

"You are not hurting me. Can’t you see? You’ve been putting in a lot of work to fatten me up, remember?" Cass reminded him teasingly, and watched as Lucian’s eyes slid down Cass’ body, taking it all in. Cass felt how his mind wandered, the man pushing in closer. The hardening length of his cocks pressing against the seam of Cass’ pants.

"I have been putting in a lot of effort to fatten you up." Lucian rumbled, his eyes flickering between the human facade he put on and the heavy, all encompassing dragon who wore the skin so well. "I want to taste you, to feel you. Is that okay? I need to feel like I’m home." Those words shattered Cass.

He felt his face falter, and he knew that Lucian might take that as a rejection. He could feel how the man tensed, ready to pull away. Cass slid his hands to the back of Lucian’s neck and pulled him closer, not letting him escape.

"I’m not saying no. Don’t run away." Cass told him quickly and Lucian paused. "I just..." Cass trailed off before sucking in a deep breath. He was trying to calm his racing heart, the ache in his chest, and his own emotions. Slowly, carefully, he let out a deep breath.

He stared at Lucian’s chest while he worked through his emotions, his eyes caught on the ties that were never tied, dangling between them teasingly. Those damn pecs, so big and perky, mocking Cass’ now not flat chest. At least he had something to offer when they slept together, but not much. A nipple on a slightly thicker piece of cardboard.

Cass slid his gaze back up to Lucian’s, swallowing at the heat there.

"How in the world would I be able to refuse you if you asked to come home, Lucian? I’m not that strong." Cass whispered. Lucian’s face crumbled, and Cass felt the shift, the weight of everything come crashing down on him. He let Lucian tug him closer, burying his face in Cass’ throat again. He didn’t understand what Lucian said, the man reverting to his own language, one that was long dead, in this moment of release. Cass just held him, feeling Edgar’s gaze on them. When he met it, half expecting that the man would be angry or upset, he instead found that there was such a deep look of fondness that Edgar was giving them that made Cass’ eyes water.

That was on him. He’d expected jealousy, he was the one who was filled with fear that they wouldn’t get along, while the boys had consistently worked their issues with each other out, but not their emotional wounds.

Cass let out a shuddering sigh then lifted a hand off of Lucian’s back and beckoned Edgar forward. Edgar paused, his brows furrowing for a moment but Cass wouldn’t let him run away. He was a part of this, and if Gideon was here at the moment, he would be too.

"Lucian, Edgar is here too. He wants to offer comfort. Can he?" Cass asked, watching as Edgar’s eyes grew wide like saucers at Cass’ words. Lucian stiffened, then turned to stare at Edgar. Cass watched as Edgar’s gaze flickered between them and Lucian let out a rumble.

"Why are you even asking? Come here, Eddie. I have arms big enough for both of you." Lucian sounded depressed and Edgar wasn’t able to resist the call. Lucian didn’t know that they’d had some tense and serious conversations over the last few days that he’d been gone, but he somehow knew exactly what to say. Edgar swallowed, putting the papers down again and made his way over on shaky legs. When he was within grabbing distance, Lucian unfurled an arm and reached for him.

He pulled Edgar onto the desk beside Cass, spreading Edgar’s legs wide so that both men were straddling his hips and sighed as he buried his face into Edgar’s throat, and then Cass’.

"This is bliss." He muttered. Cass let out a small laugh, nuzzling into Lucian’s throat on the right side, the side available to him and Edgar sighed and nuzzled in on the left. He was a little more hesitant, clearly conflicted and Lucian let out a soft sigh.

"Is this really alright?" Edgar asked. "I...don’t mind giving you two a moment alone." Edgar muttered. Lucian let out a low, deep growl, a warning if Cass had ever heard it.

"Then you would be alone. Absolutely not. I’m needing comfort and I want to be comforted by both of you." Lucian told them. He raised his big, soulful, puppy-dog orange eyes up to stare at him. "I just want to be comforted. Can you help me with that, Edgar, Cass? My sweet, precious, lovely little humans?" He was buttering them up, and he didn’t need to. Cass smirked, glancing at the way that Edgar flushed.

It was clear that even when Lucian approached Edgar to jump him he wasn’t this sweet. Cass snorted.

"I’m happy to help, as long as we lock the door. I don’t want the new maids to get a fright." Cass told him and Lucian’s eyes simmered.

"Mm. Possessive, are you?" Lucian joked but halted when Cass’ own eyes flickered, glowing. That was answer enough to make Lucian’s face flush.