Dragon Collector (Dragon Hoard Book 2)

by Minerva Howe

  “Go. I’ll call if I need you. I swear.”

  “Okay, okay.” He laughed when Eagan took his hand and towed him out.

  Time to go play with his own dragon.

  Eagan watched Ollie go through their treasures. That was always the best part of going saling, wasn’t it? The sorting out what amazing things you’d found. Ollie loved that part.

  They had discovered books and toys, a lovely Victorian storage bench and a few smalls. He’d gotten his Spode, which no one else had wanted to pay for. And he’d gotten his lover some first editions. A Stephen King. A DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, which was worth far more than the twenty he’d paid. And the most lovely Anais Nin that the seller had no idea was anything at all.

  Oliver was over the moon, looking at everything, sharing it with him. It was magic.

  “So what’s your favorite?” Eagan asked, loving the joy.

  “The books, of course, although the chair makes me crazy happy.”

  “Good. I like it too.” He loved it, in fact, because Ollie did.

  “So we’re going to keep it? I mean, you. You’re going to keep it?”

  “We are.” His heart thudded at Ollie saying “we”. Ollie wanted to be a we. For some reason, he was resisting, but he wanted it.

  “Excellent. Just absolutely excellent.” Ollie beamed at him, pushing up into a hard, happy kiss. “What a grand day!”

  “It was. I ate the cinnamon rolls.” He had to shake his head, even as he bent to take another kiss, then another. He swung Ollie around, almost dancing.

  His lover laughed into his mouth, following along as if they’d danced together forever. Sometimes he felt that was how long he’d known Ollie, but that was a fantasy. Ollie still had a lot to learn about him, even if he’d started off better informed than Devon had with his brother Brand, who really hadn’t told Devon anything, the jerk.

  To be fair, Devon was fearless, and Ollie worried about things. Endlessly. It was part of what made him so kind and considerate.

  And Eagan always felt cared for, loved. Craved.

  “Now, what shall we order for lupper?” He would have to call in a grocery order to stock the house for the weekend, but they could have something else amazing from a restaurant today. “Chinese? Old-fashioned pizza parlor goodness?”

  “Pizza. We should share a pizza.” Ollie rubbed their noses together.

  “That sounds perfect.” They would get pizza, breadsticks, maybe some lasagna for tomorrow. He had just the place on speed dial.

  “Doesn’t it? You, me, pizza, blowjobs, Coke.”

  “Yes, please.” Oh, now. That was a plan, all neatly laid out. “Movies, perhaps, though I want you to see some of the treasures I’ve brought home.”

  “I want to see them all, E. Every one.”

  “You’re the greatest treasure in this house, though.” He kissed Ollie again. “I do love having you here.”

  “I love exploring here. Your home is magical. Like you.”

  “Come along, love. Let’s order pizza, and then we can look.” He wanted to be settled in completely before he took Ollie to bed.

  Then he might tie the man there. Oh, that visual made his mouth dry.

  “You all right?” Ollie stopped, touching his cheek.

  “Having a sweet fantasy about after we eat.”

  “I like those. Fantasies.” Oliver slid one arm around his waist. “First, pizza.”

  “Indeed. Let me call. They don’t have an online order form.”

  “Ha. You’re such a luddite, I imagine you’d rather call than try to navigate online.”

  Eagan growled a little, but Ollie was right. He was more technology friendly now because of Ollie, but really, he liked all things old.

  He called in an order for all the food, and Ollie was laughing at him by the time he hung up. “Don’t make me pinch you love,” he teased.

  “You’d have to catch me first, and you have so many rooms.” He loved that happiness. Eagan thought it was rare that anyone got to see this side of Oliver.

  “I know all the secret passages, though.” He loved that about his house. It had a secret room off the library, and a few servants’ passages and stairs that were so cleverly disguised it was tough to find them.

  “You do. Have you discovered them all? I think I could wander in here for decades. I love Brand’s library, but this place is a treasure.”

  “I’m not sure. There are places where those blueprints you found me don’t match up.” Ollie was the king of research.

  “But that’s cool! We should revisit that. We—” Oliver stopped and pinked. “I’m being silly. I’m sorry, E. I get in here and I forget myself.”

  “Why is that silly?” He pulled Ollie close again because his lover had stiffened and wandered away a few feet. He wanted to seduce Ollie with all of his tools, and the house was a rather large carrot.

  “Because I want to forget myself here. I want to explore and play and lose myself in you. We both know I can’t, but I want to, sort of desperately.”

  “Why can’t you?”

  Ollie struggled a bit to get away. “We know why.”

  He sighed, letting Ollie go before he panicked. His urge was to take Ollie to his basement lair and keep him there. He had a lovely hot sand area which kept his scales polished, and a comfortable bed for his human self when all he wanted to do was hide from the modern world.

  That would probably just cause more distress. “You know perfectly that I love you, Oliver.”

  “I do. I love you, but I’m not a dragon. I’m not like Devon. I’m just a human being. I can’t be what Dev is to your brother.” Oliver looked so crushed, so trod-upon. “I want to, but I don’t have it in me.”

  “Oh, love.” He held out his hands, wanting his sweet boy to come to him. “You’re perfect just as you are.”

  “You believe that?” Oliver walked right to him, which felt perfect.

  “I do. With everything in me.” He knew Oliver was his mate. It wasn’t jealousy of Brand finding his mate or a proximity feeling or something ridiculous. Ollie was his. He’d known it the first time Oliver had braved Brand’s lair to protect his friend.

  He loved that, how Ollie had rushed into danger more than once, even though he thought he wasn’t brave. His mate was amazing, and one day he would learn that.

  Oliver hugged him tight. “You are impossible, you know that, right?”

  “Mmmhmmm.” He could make the same noncommittal noises his brothers always did. He did know he was stubborn. That came with the dragon.

  Oliver chuckled for him, leaning against him for a minute. “Yeah. Totally impossible.”

  “But yours.” Eagan nuzzled Oliver’s temple. “Now, I think we have time for the amazing piecrust table I picked up in New England before the pizza comes. The finish is original.”

  “Oh. Show me?” The mention of the table had Ollie’s eyes lighting up. “I need to see it.”

  “Come, love.” They had so much to explore, and Ollie was such a good partner in crime for him. They held hands like children and ran up to the turret room he’d placed the table in as a reading chair side.

  He wanted to give Oliver decades of rooms to explore.

  Centuries.

  too

  If he had to buy five houses all over the city, he would.

  “One house is enough, dork.”

  “Is it? I have some things stored at Tyson’s too.” As well as Brand’s.” He had things all over, but his house was an eight thousand square foot monstrosity with a carriage house, so he had space.

  “Well, you travel to them a lot, you have holidays, baby showers, all that.”

  “We do. You know Devon and the insufferable ones consider you family.” He would repeat it until Ollie believed it.

  “I do. Devon and I have been friends for a long time. I love that, you know? That you guys let me in.”

  “Mmm. You were so brave, standing up for him, helping find him when DiMarco took him.” DiMarco was a book col
lecting rival of Brand’s and a vampire to boot, and he’d kidnapped Brand’s mate for nefarious reasons. Ollie had been amazing during the whole ordeal.

  “Brave? Me? I was terrified, but… Dev’s my best friend and my business partner. We’re sort of important to each other.”

  “Yes. That’s brave, love. To be scared and still act.” He hugged Ollie close. “Now, sit and tell me that table is the right height.” He grinned, knowing Ollie would never say it was wrong.

  “I love it. It’s nice here too. A good place to rest your book.” Oliver settled, looking at home, the fading sun golden where it came through the window.

  His heart clenched a little. His mate. “Good. Good, I thought it would work for you. I know you like a quiet place with a view.”

  “I do. You spoil me.” Oliver smiled at him. “We need a chair for you. So we can relax together.”

  “Or I could put you in my lap.”

  Oliver’s lips parted, but he could hear the pizza delivery man pulling into the drive, so now was not the time. Damn it all. Why didn’t he have a butler like Brand did?

  “So hire one, lover. Someone to handle the house. Your housekeeper is amazing—maybe she and her wife can be live-ins.” Ollie was hearing his random thoughts more and more.

  Eagan pondered that. Stella might like that idea. Heaven knew his house was big enough they could cohabit and never see one another, and Stella’s wife was an artist, so they could probably use the reduction of bills. “There’s room in the carriage house, and that way they could have some privacy…”

  “See? It’s a grand idea, and you’d have someone here while you are traveling, seeing the world, hanging with your brothers, seducing me.”

  “Indeed.” He laughed, pulling Ollie to his feet so they could trot downstairs and get the pizza. “See, I need you about to have these ideas for me. I get hidebound.”

  “You? No.”

  That gentle laughter made him snort, steam pouring from his nose.

  They bounced to the front door and retrieved the food, taking it to the kitchen to eat. There was a formal dining and an informal dining, but Oliver enjoyed the kitchen nook best.

  “Look at all this food.” Ollie laughed. “You’ll make me fat.”

  “No chance.” His love was trim and slim, no matter how much he ate. And Eagan didn’t care. His lover was perfect, just the way he was, no matter his size.

  “Says you. I’ve seen the kind of calories…oh, smell that lasagna.”

  “Mmhmm. It’s like cheesy garlicky heaven. I’ll get plates.”

  “I’ll pour drinks. What would you like?”

  “I think tea, love. The iced.” Devon had taught him to enjoy cold tea. Before they’d met, he had been something of a hot tea snob.

  “I’m on it.” Ollie bounced over, turning on music from his voice-activated system.

  He served up, giving them each a small piece of lasagna as well as pizza, since Ollie had been making yum faces over it.

  “Oh, this looks amazing. What was your favorite find of the day?”

  “Mmm. You,” he teased, but he meant it. “The Spode, though, was a great deal.”

  “It was. You did great.” Oliver fed him a bite of lasagna.

  He nipped it off the fork, the tomato and cheese flavor bursting on his tongue. “Oh, good.” His eyes crossed.

  “Mmm…dragons like red sauce.”

  “We do. We like anything that has real flavor.” He winked, then returned the favor. “Taste that cheese.”

  Oliver ate, moaning softly. “It’s so rich. Especially when you feed it to me.”

  “It does make every bite better.” They worked through that, then fed each other bites of pizza. He liked quattro Stagioni. Oliver liked Greek.

  His mate liked salty.

  “I do.” Ollie’s eyes traveled down his body, gaze landing below the belt.

  Everything beneath the waist perked up. “Flirt. I see how you are, trying to distract me. I need my strength for that.”

  “You know, I never flirt. Seriously, you make me feel—silly and giddy and daring.”

  “I want all of you, love, and you know it’s safe with me.” He fed Ollie another bite, this one a cheese stick, which had garlic butter and crunchy parmesan on it.

  “Mmm…” Oliver nodded to him, though, agreeing. “I know I’m safe here. Which is good because I’ve had the weirdest feeling…”

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing.” A slight smile and shake of his head, and Ollie was eating again.

  “Good.” He watched Ollie lick his fingers, his dragon surging.

  “This was delicious, E. Seriously. I loved it.”

  “We have lots to snack on as we go.” He snapped up the last bite of the bread he had on his plate. “Feeding you is one of my great pleasures.”

  “Flattery will get you laid.”

  “Promise?” He started putting food away, shocked at how much they’d eaten while wooing each other. When Ollie wasn’t watching every morsel, he ate like a dragon.

  Oliver hopped up to help, filling their teas again, reorganizing the fridge. “You have my word.”

  “Shall we take the drinks to the bedroom? We can sit on the balcony for a bit.” He would love to have Ollie in his lap and tease them both.

  “I’d love that. Yes, please.” Oliver was obsessed with his balcony, with the view.

  “Come on.” He let Ollie carry the drinks and fought the urge to carry Ollie. As he settled on the lounger on his balcony, then pulled Oliver into his lap, he couldn’t help but think this was the most perfect day he’d had in ages.

  “Mmm…The sun is going down. This is lovely.” They had a fine mosquito screen up that didn’t hinder the view but stopped the bloodsuckers from getting in and making his lover grumpy.

  “It is. Now, I want to ask you something, and I don’t want you to get upset. The equinox is coming. Will you visit Devon and Brand with me?”

  Oliver met his eyes, a little frown between his eyebrows. “I haven’t seen Arielle in weeks. I’d love to. I mean, I can watch her if you guys need to do dragony things.”

  “No, love. We just want to have some family time, and you belong there for that.” Ollie kept trying to act as though he was an outsider, and they all knew better. Even Tyson.

  Depending on Oliver’s mood, however, it could become an argument.

  “I want to see her. Hell, I want to see Devon. I miss his face.” Oliver kissed the corner of his mouth. “I don’t know that I’m going to risk having wild monkey sex on the equinox, though…”

  “Hmmm.” He just petted Ollie’s stomach. “Anything you want.” He had a feeling they would be having a great deal of wild monkey sex. Eagan could be very persuasive.

  The universe had a way of being incredibly persuasive, to be honest.

  “Thank you.” Ollie gave him a wicked, happy grin. “It’s not the solstice now, though. You know that, right?”

  “I do.” He chuckled, letting it ghost over his lover’s lips. He rose, lifting Ollie in his arms. “We should practice, certainly.”

  “Practice makes perfect, or so they say.” Ollie smiled against his lips. “I’m all about perfection.”

  3

  Oliver itched all over. He’d gotten into something on his walk, and it sucked, and he was grumpy.

  He didn’t have a tub in his apartment, just a shower, so he was going to text Eagan and see if he could just come for the long weekend early. Just spend five days instead of four.

  First though, he needed to call Dev really quick and make sure that it was okay that he come with Eagan in a couple of weeks, find out what he needed to bring, and find out what toys his Arielle needed.

  He called Dev and put the phone on speaker, letting it ring as he texted E.

 

 

  The text came in as Devon said, “Hey, Ollie! How’s it hanging, man?”

  “Hey, old ma
n! It’s good. I think I brushed up against poison ivy or something. No big. How are you? How’s the baby?”

 

 

  “She’s huge. And she just burped in my face. When are you coming to see us? We miss you.”

  “Well, she’s eighteen months old. That’s huge.” He chuckled softly. “That’s why I called, to be honest. Eagan invited me to ride with him for the solstice, and I wanted to make sure that was okay with you.”

  See him. See him be polite.

 

  “Of course, it is! I’m tickled he asked so I don’t have to kick his ass.”

  He could see Dev trying it, too. Eagan was the smallest dragon of the three brothers, after all.

 

 

 

  It took forever for Eagan to text, but he did it for Oliver, so that made all the difference in the world.

  “You okay, Ollie?” Devon asked.

  “Itchy, but yeah. Yeah, Eagan texted. I’m heading over for the weekend.” He sighed softly. He was about to have a good weekend. He was. “What does the little one want from her Uncle Ollie?”

  “Um. Well, right now she’s obsessed with purple kitties. Vampire ones especially.”

  “Purple vampire kitties. I’ll—” Shit. “I’ll get right on that.”

  “If anyone can, you can.” Devon chuckled. “I’m so excited to see you.”

  “Yeah.” He bit his lip. “The only thing is… It’s the equinox. He’s going to be disappointed, Dev.”

  “Why, honey?”

  “He thinks…he thinks I can be to him like you are to Brand. I love him, but… I’m a guy. I’m just a guy.” And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a dragon, for God’s sake. Dragons mated on the equinox had babies, according to this prophecy Devon had found in Brand’s old books. How could he disappoint Eagan that way?

  “Hey, I had no idea I could be like I am.” Devon snorted. “Eagan loves you, man. You’re not going to disappoint him.”