Later that morning, as Dray walked to where he was meeting Nathan, he couldn't stop thinking about that early morning conversation with Felix. He was so distracted he didn't even notice that he'd walked right past the meeting spot and was making his way down the mountain.
"…ay! Dray! Dray!"
Nathan's loud calling finally broke through Dray's musings. Dray snapped out of his thoughts just in time to stop himself from walking into a tree.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed as he halted to a stop.
Nathan jogged up to him. "Are you okay? I tried calling you several times."
Dray rubbed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, sorry, I was just lost in thought."
Nathan gave him an odd look. "Enough to almost walk into a tree? Dray, are you sure you're okay?"
Dray finally met the young werewolf's eye. "Yeah, just had an… interesting conversation with Felix this morning."
At the mention of the merman, Nathan's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Oh? What about?"
Dray stared at those sparkling, purple eyes. "You're not going to let this go, are you? He asked, deadpan.
Nathan's grin grew wider. "No."
Dray sighed again. "He spent all night reading that book you lent him."
Nathan's eyes widened. "All night?"
Dray nodded.
When Dray didn't offer any more information, Nathan sidled up closer to him, playfully tugging on his arm. "So… What'd you talk about?"
"He's questioning himself and everything he was taught growing up."
That simple sentence was enough to dampen Nathan's curiosity. "Oh," he whispered. "If he wants to talk, I'd be willing to listen."
Dray rubbed the wolf's hair affectionately. "Thanks, I told him you probably would."
Nathan beamed at him. "So, where is he? Is he going to train with us?"
Dray laughed lightly. "I'm sure he'll be willing to train with us. But right now, he's sleeping. After all, he did stay up all night reading your naughty book," Dray said teasingly, pinching the tip of Nathan's nose.
Nathan pulled back from his grip, gasping dramatically. "What? Naughty? I have read no such thing. My books are romantic, not naughty." He stuck his tongue out at Dray, causing them both to erupt into laughter.
"Yeah right," Dray breathed.
As their laughter died down, they began their warmup for the day.
**********
A couple hours later, tired and sweaty, Nathan and Dray made their way back to their homes to get cleaned up before lunch.
"Nate!"
Griffin's call came just moments before the large dragon scooped up the little wolf, pulling him into his chest in a tight hug.
"Hi, Griff. How was your morning?" Nathan asked, snuggling into his mate's embrace.
"Lonely without you."
Watching the two mates, Dray chuckled quietly to himself, already used to their random moments of affection.
Nearby, from the second-story window of his room, Felix watched the pair being affectionate with each other. A strange feeling of loneliness spread through him as his eyes slid to where Dray was standing.
"Could we ever have that?" He whispered to himself.