Kael didn't respond immediately.
He simply looked at the rings, his expression unreadable, and that brief silence stretched just a little too long for Riley's liking. Worse, there was nothing through the bond. No shift, no ripple, nothing that hinted at what his mate was thinking, and that absence settled uncomfortably in Riley's chest.
But in truth, the golden dragon had simply been caught off guard.
He had long known that his twig was planning something, some sort of surprise, but not this. With them going to the mall, he couldn't have expected him to return with these, of all things.
For a moment, his thoughts stalled as he stared.
Then the feeling came. It surged all at once, heated and familiar, settling in his chest in a way that made it difficult to look away.
It was then that Riley felt the shift.
And just like that, the tension in him eased.
Ah.
So he liked it.
Relief, joy, and satisfaction slipped through him so quickly it almost made him laugh.
