Mate Healer (2 page)

Chapter One

Rustling from the bed sheets caused Lian Blythorpe to cringe. Damn, he'd hoped to escape without the usual morning after conversation. He slipped his clothes on quietly. Maybe the guy would go back to sleep and, goddess willing, he'd be able to leave the room without any drama. Unfortunately, like usual, the goddess didn't offer him any luck.

A rumpled head of blond hair appeared from beneath the covers followed by blinking blue eyes. Lian's bed partner took in the sight of Lian dressing and his pretty gaze narrowed in accusation.

"Leaving already?" The man's expression belied his bland tone.

Lian held back the biting retort hovering on his lips. Would a person who planned on staying get dressed? He didn't want to be a jerk, but what did the guy expect? Hearts and flowers? Vows of eternal devotion? Even if he believed in that crap, he wouldn't share them with someone he picked up in a hotel bar. Lian didn't believe in instant love, he only had to remember what obsession did to his parents to want to stay clear.

"I told you I had an early flight," Lian forced a gentle tone as he dredged up a tiny amount of patience. He couldn't blame the guy for the fact Lian didn't find him memorable. Lian knew as soon as he left, the man would disappear from his mind and become another in the long string of men who'd graced Lian's bed. Maybe one day he'd find someone to share his life with but today wouldn't be it.

With a heavy step, he walked back to the bed, buttoning his shirt as he went. He didn't like to brag but the sight of him unclothed had derailed more than one person, although the last guy who called him pretty walked away with a broken face.

Lian smiled at the memory.

A long, wistful sigh left the blond, his eyes pinned on the sight of Lian's quickly disappearing skin. "Will you be coming back this way?"

"No." Lian saw no reason to give his fling hope. He didn't make promises he couldn't keep. He'd been honest when they hooked up the night before, he wouldn't change his story now.

Lian leaned over and gave the guy, whose name he'd already forgotten, a gentle kiss on the lips. "Have a good life, sweetheart. You deserve it."

He didn't actually know if his partner for the night deserved a good life or not, but Lian liked to give his lovers a happy memory to reflect on later. It flirted with bad karma to go around breaking mens' hearts and Lian firmly believed if you put negative energy out into the universe it always came back to bite you in the ass.

Grabbing his bag by the door, Lian blew a kiss to his watery-eyed fling and escaped the hotel room.

With a relaxed stride and a clear conscience, he headed out to catch his flight to Dragait.

* * * *

Lian exited the spaceship and walked directly into the port. He loved it when that happened. He hated it when they connected him to a side building and he had to wait for a tram, or even worse, another space shuttle to transport him to the planet. Dragait's system had the smooth efficiency of people who planned well in advance. Lian draped his travel bag over one shoulder, glad he'd packed light and that the rest of his bags were on the way to the med center without his intervention. Pulling up the map on his compad, he struggled to decipher the directions to his new place of employment. He briefly considered taking a teleport but generally medical facilities only had a few machines and saved them for emergencies. Lian would hate to be taking up the hub when someone needed help.

As he traversed the station, Lian glanced up periodically to make sure he didn't walk into anything. He'd foolishly told the medic facility they didn't need to send a car despite his complete lack of a sense of direction. Lian liked to examine his surroundings before beginning a job, and if they'd sent transportation he'd have felt compelled to go straight there.

Three different kings had individually contacted Lian asking for help with the dragon people's fertility issues. Despite his youth, Lian's expertise on alien biology and his touch healing abilities were highly coveted. He'd always dreamed of seeing dragons. As a boy, he'd been obsessed with the creatures and even now he could admit, after several drinks, that the fixation with the beasts had never really faded. Even without a personal incentive to see the beasts, Lian would've come. Medical mysteries intrigued him. He hoped with his experience he'd be able to cure or at least find the source of their difficulties.

On his home world of Leaue, most of the population was self-healers. If they became injured they healed themselves with little fanfare. The feeling of uselessness, along with their homophobic culture, had Lian fleeing the planet as soon as he came of age. At eighteen, he'd caught the first spaceship out of there and hadn't looked back since. He had no one to return to anyway.

Lost in memories, Lian forgot to look where he was going and tripped on a loose bit of tile. Luckily he caught his balance before he fell on his ass but his compad didn't fare as well. The little computer flew from his hands and hit the floor with a thud.

"Blast!"

He sighed with relief when he picked it up and found it unmarred.

"Careful," a deep voice cautioned.

"Sorry. I'm not usually so clumsy." Lian brushed off his pad before glancing up at the speaker. His mouth dropped open when he focused on the man who'd stopped him from falling. Rich, black hair curled in a sexy tumble around a strong face set with light green eyes. The man's face, too masculine for pretty, oozed sex appeal.

A whimper rolled up Lian's throat. The heat from the stranger's gaze sent shiver bumps popping across Lian's arms.

"Um, hello." Annoyingly, Lian's usual smooth speech deserted him. He figured it would be rude to jump the man and climb him like a monkey on a tree.

"Hello," the stranger replied.

His green eyes examined Lian as if he wanted to devour him. Lian had absolutely no objections to that plan.

* * * *

Until a second ago, Nevair had never thought of a man as beautiful; handsome, sexy, or hot, yes, but not an object of beauty. He threw that opinion out the door at his first glance of the man before him. A narrow face with high cheekbones framed amazing eyes the color of the blue sky on a cloudless day, and smooth flawless skin the color of deep gold covered the man's fine bones. Nevair didn't know where he came from but he wanted to examine how thoroughly the gold tone covered the man's body. The stranger's hair, a dark brown, made Nevair itch to touch and see if it ran through his fingers like the fine silk it resembled.

Mine,
Nevair's inner beast whispered. He froze. His dragon half had never claimed anyone before, it barely acknowledged other people. To have it jump to attention unnerved Nevair more than a little.

Although his advisors had presented him with a variety of men, and women on optimistic days, none of them held a fraction of the appeal of this blue-eyed beauty.

Nevair looked at the map glowing on the man's compad and decided to push his advantage. "Are you lost?"

An impish smile crossed the man's soft lips. "I was trying to decide that." A self-deprecating laugh plucked at Nevair's heart. "I'm afraid my goal of reaching the medical center is doomed if I can't even get out of the space port."

Nevair nodded his agreement. For the first time, temptation to break his self-induced vow of celibacy trampled his common sense. As the spiritual leader of the dragonkin, Nevair had to choose a man above reproach to be his partner despite what Tres liked to pretend. No one would think it odd if Nevair dated, but it had never felt right. However, in that moment, Nevair didn't really care about the moral fiber of the man before him, his dragon would willingly toss everything aside if they got to keep him.

"Lian Blythorpe." The gorgeous man held out his hand.

Nevair resisted, growling over the distance between them as they shook hands.

"Nevair Dragonfang." The lack of recognition in Lian's eyes told Nevair his new friend hadn't visited before. Nevair's position as the planetary religious head made his name famous across Dragait.

Lian stepped closer to Nevair. "I don't suppose you could give me directions?"

Standing so near, Lian's scent had Nevair breathing deeply to capture more of the fragrance. Lian smelled like cloves and lavender, an oddly enticing combination. "I'd be happy to help you with anything I can."

Unbidden, an image of Lian sprawled naked across Nevair's finely woven sheets burst into his mind like a brilliant waking dream. Nevair hardened at the picture filling his mind.

"Mmm, just what I like to hear from a gorgeous stranger." Lian flashed Nevair a flirty grin.

Nevair smiled back. "What are you going to do at the medic center, Mr Blythorpe?"

"I've come to do some research regarding dragonkin fertility. Sadly, I can't even seem to figure out how to get out of this goddess-damned airport." Lian waved his compad in the air.

Nevair jumped at the opportunity given. "The medical center is only a couple miles from the cathedral. I can have my driver give you a lift. It'll save you from having to catch an expensive transport from here." He would've offered to see Lian all the way to the medic center personally, but Nevair needed to attend a meeting soon and couldn't spare the time. "Why did they not send a car for you?"

Lian shrugged. "I told them not to bother." He narrowed his eyes in a considering way as if contemplating Nevair's offer. "Hmmm, my mother always told me not to get in a car with strangers."

Nevair laughed. "I can assure you I have the highest credentials, but I make no promises about not stealing a kiss."

Lian's smile warmed Nevair to his toes. "I consider myself warned, or is it promised?" Lian linked his arm through Nevair's. "Let's go, unless you need to wait for your luggage?"

Nevair indicated the bag on his shoulder. "I already have mine."

"You travel light," Lian commented.

Nevair shrugged. "I had a short two day trip. You aren't carrying much either." He tilted a head towards Lian's small satchel.

"They're delivering the rest of my stuff to the clinic," Lian explained.

"Good, then we can go." A shiver traveled up Nevair's spine at the slide of Lian's hand across his arm.

His travel exhaustion vanished beneath the sizzling touch of Lian's smooth fingers. He couldn't remember the last time a man excited him. People usually treated him like a eunuch. Tres always claimed Nevair intimidated them. Men couldn't flirt with someone they were in awe of. Also, Nevair's dragon didn't like to be surrounded by strangers, which would have made it difficult to go down to the local bar and find hot sex for the night were he so inclined.

For years, Nevair had searched for the proper man to become his mate. He'd gone on several carefully supervised dates but none of them had ended up matching his or the council's requirements. Looking into Lian's cheerful gaze, Nevair wondered if he would care about anyone else's opinion about this man. His dragon stirred and whispered to him again.

Mate!

Nevair quickly ushered Lian towards where his driver and hoverlimo would be waiting.

Exiting the spaceport, Nevair kept his stride shorter than usual to match Lian's smaller step. The man's cheek came to the top of Nevair's shoulder, a good height for kissing without too much strain. Nevair bit his lip at the thought of brushing his mouth against Lian's. He bet Lian tasted sweet.

His driver, Shean Portman, waited by the vehicle, a chauffeur hat firmly positioned on his silvery hair and his back more rigid than any soldier.

"Welcome back, sir." His cool grey eyes swept over Lian without comment.

Shean had worked as a bodyguard at one point in his life and knew the value of discretion. Some days Nevair could still see remnants of a man always on the lookout for danger. Nevair refused to have a constant babysitter. His compromise with the council had been Shean.

Lian frowned and removed his hand from Nevair's arm. Walking over to Shean he waved a hand towards the driver.

"May I?" he asked.

"May you what sir?" Shean shifted his feet nervously.

For the first time in the five years they'd known each other, Nevair saw apprehension in the driver's eyes.

"I'm a touch healer. I can fix your back." Lian scowled. "You have two fused vertebrae and your thoracic spine is out of alignment."

Shean looked up and down the street at the crowds of people rushing about. "You're going to fix it here?"

Lian laughed. "I only need to touch your back. You don't need to strip naked or anything."

"I can't afford to pay you," Shean confessed.

The reluctance in Shean's voice snapped Nevair's attention away from admiring the fine shape of Lian's ass.

"I'll cover any expenses," Nevair offered.

He'd only heard of touch healers by reputation and even he knew they were notoriously expensive. Lian didn't seem to be the type to take advantage of a poor man, but Nevair didn't really know him.

Instead of bartering over charges Lian shook his head. "I offered so there's no charge. Here hop in the back and I'll fix you up quick."

Shean's eyes widened as if Lian had lost his mind.

"Go ahead," Nevair urged.

Curiosity ate at Nevair like a hungry barn mouse. He'd never seen a touch healer work. "I won't distract you will I?"

"No. It'll be fine if you want to watch." Lian's smile reassured Nevair more than any words.

Shean opened the back door ushering Lian inside first. Lian slid across the seat dragging his bag with him.

"Sir?" Shean tilted his head.

"Oh, definitely. I don't want to miss this." Nevair gave Shean his suitcase before climbing to the opposite side of the vehicle to leave room for Shean beside Lian.

The driver vanished for a moment to put Nevair's carry-on in the trunk. He returned a few seconds later to pop his head in.

"What do I do?" Shean asked.

The driver moved uneasily into the back seat, his polished shoes scuffing against the floorboard.

"Turn around and lift your shirt so I can touch your back," Lian instructed.

Shean's hands shook as he slowly raised his shirt and turned so he sat with his back to the healer.