by Minerva Howe
“Maybe? I think like calls to like.”
“I think so too.” Devon seemed like he couldn’t stop grinning.
“I can’t wait to take him flying.” They had soared last night in their own way, and it had been magical, but Ollie would be a natural, and he knew it.
“Has he changed all the way yet?”
Eagan shook his head. “Not yet. Soon.”
“You have to tell us once he does. You know we’ll all want to greet and groom.”
“Your favorite part.” He pulled Devon into his arms, taking a hug, and only peeking a little at his auction over Devon’s shoulder.
“Yes. Win your auction. Silly dragon. So much drama.”
“Hush, you.” He took Devon to the breakfast nook. “I’m sending you the link. Be my wingman.”
Oh, dear, that was funny. Wingman. He loved a good pun.
Eagan sent the link to Devon, then went back to hovering over his bid button. That bookshelf was his. Well, Oliver’s. He would have it.
And it would be perfect for their third… He watched the timer tick down, bidding fingers ready.
Devon waited too, and when a bid came up that wasn’t his, he nodded. Devon punched in a bid, and suddenly they had a little triangle. He could tell, though, when his competition started to get discouraged. Then they stopped bidding.
“I’ll put in four hundred. You put in four twenty-five. Just in case he tries to snipe us,” Devon said.
“Fair enough.” He bid again, just to cover his tracks as Oliver walked in.
“What are you two doing? You look guilty.”
“Hmm? Hello, love.” He tucked his phone away. Devon didn’t, but he did get up to pour juice, eye glued to the screen. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Like a rock.” Oliver pushed into his arms. “You were inspiring.”
He hugged Ollie to him, kissing that slightly bruised mouth. “I do try. Good Yule, my love. Are you excited?”
“I am!” Ollie took the juice from Devon, smiling.
His phone dinged, the tone telling him he’d won the auction. Excellent. Now he just had to sneak in a way to pay.
“Dude, Ollie, you’re gonna love tonight,” Devon said. “A big fire. Wishes. Food. Lots of stories of dragons past.”
“I am a fan of all of the above. I can’t wait.” Oliver hugged Devon, then slipped into Eagan’s lap to hug him and lean.
Eagan took a sip of juice when Ollie offered it. “Tyson is sure to have lovely new stones for us. He likes to pick a theme and have some wild story to back up why a certain gem fits.”
Devon nodded, eyes twinkling. “I Googled it last year and called his BS. He then told me it was dragon lore.”
“I have small gifts—books that will be fun to read. Nothing heavy.” Oliver kissed his cheek.
“Mmmm. Save those things for Christmas Day, hmm? The weighty things.” Eagan was just bouncy, he felt so good.
“The weighty things. I like that.” Oliver’s laugh filled the air. “Devon and Brand want big books.”
“They do. You want little ones with original dates and signatures…”
“I’m a size queen,” Devon agreed.
Oliver met Eagan’s gaze, eyes twinkling. “Are you?”
They all cracked up. Ollie kissed him again, then moved to get some food, and Eagan paid for his auction win discreetly.
Devon winked at him, then pulled out some grapes. “I’m going to see if our daughter has devoured her father whole yet.”
“Okay. Be careful,” Ollie murmured. “You might take a log of sausage to toss at her so she has meat to gnaw on.”
“Bitch.” Devon said it mildly before heading out.
Eagan peered over Ollie’s shoulder into the fridge. “What do you feel like, love?”
“Mmm…bacon? I’d love a bacon sandwich and a cuppa.” Ollie pulled bacon out of the fridge to hand it to him.
“Then that’s what we’ll have.” He would make bacon, then maybe they would play a board game. Ollie loved those collaborative ones, and so did Tyson.
“I’d love that. We’ll sit around, play, and enjoy ourselves.” Oliver chuckled. “Maybe Arielle can be the bad guy.”
“Oh, I bet she would roar.” He grinned. “I got her dragon footie pajamas for tonight. I know she’ll be adorable.”
“I can’t wait to see. I want to see her play with her new baby castle. She can eat the princess.” Ollie snapped his teeth together.
“She can.” He loved how Ollie was with Arielle. He adored her, and he understood her dragon nature. That made his chest swell with pride.
That baby dragon was the most loved beast in the entire universe.
“I’ll make toast,” Ollie said when Eagan pulled out the bacon.
“Thanks, love.” His lover was in a lovely mood. Utterly joyous. Eagan approved.
“You’re welcome.” Ollie danced about, and he laughed, clapping in time with whatever music was going on in Ollie’s head.
Soon they were joined by Ty and little Arielle, who wanted to dance too, her crazy little roar demanding attention.
Ollie held out his arms for her, and Tyson bumped hips with him, yodeling loud.
“Good Yule!” Tyson rumbled.
“Happy Yule!” Oliver rumbled right back, and Ty shot Eagan a shocked look.
Eagan gave his big brother a broad wink. He could see Ollie’s scales, so surely Tyson could too.
“Rarrrr!” Arielle growled, then bounced and clapped.
“Rar!” Oliver growled back, spinning her around and around, making her cackle.
This was what he’d been waiting for his whole life. A mate. A purpose. He had it now in Ollie and his brothers and his niece.
For a moment, Eagan simply couldn’t breathe. Then the world snapped back into place because bacon grease snapped at him, and he laughed. Ah, Yule. He did love it. Eagan knew he had one more wish to make on the Yule log, but if he didn’t get it, he would be all right.
He had so much to love already.
Oliver had eaten too much at their Yule feast, so he spent a day in bed, drinking tea and sleeping. Rule number one—never try to keep up with dragons in the food arena.
God.
He was going to explode. Boom.
“Are you all right, love? Do you need more tea?” Eagan poked his head in the door, smiling.
“Hey. Yeah, I think I’ll come down and—” He burped. Loud. Whoa.
“Woo. There you are, my dear. Get it out of your system.”
“Oh.” He put a hand to his chest. “Now I have heartburn.”
“Maybe we should switch to peppermint tea.”
“Maybe… Maybe Sprite and peppermint tea. Not in the same glass.” But at the same basic time.
“Of course, my love. Be right back.” Eagan zoomed, off, and he laughed out loud.
Eagan had been bringing him things all morning. Tea. Books. Crosswords.
He got dressed in puffy sweats and heavy socks, curling up in their big chair and a half near the fireplace. Maybe sitting upright more would help with the buzz under his breastbone. Really, he never had tummy troubles.
Still, he’d had a ton of those sausage balls. And those spur of the moment pizza rolls. A ton. It was a little embarrassing, honestly.
Eagan was back in no time with a cup of tea and a glass of Sprite. “Ah, you moved. Good idea. Here we are.”
“Thanks, dragon. Want to sit with me? I promise not to burp on you.”
“I do. Shall I sit in the chair, or pull up another?”
“Oh, with me.” He stood, letting Eagan slide into the chair, then sitting in his lap.
When Eagan put a hand low on his belly, he moaned, because it felt so good.
“Never eating sausage balls again,” he said, then cracked up, because it wasn’t true. At all.
“Not so many, perhaps. But they were so worth it.”
“Devon was super pleased that we all liked them. They had cheese, I noticed.”
“He�
��s a bit obsessed.”
Oliver cracked up, leaning hard against his dragon. “Did you like your book? I thought you’d love a nice Knights Templar novel.”
“I did, love. I do love conspiracy theories. Did you like your Shirley Jackson? I know she’s had a resurgence.”
“You know I did. I adore her work. Thank you for this holiday. It’s been amazing. I feel…just right.”
“I’m so glad. I know you were tired and worried before.” Eagan petted him, rubbing his tummy in slow circles, melting him. The heartburn was slowly fading, and he hadn’t even touched the drinks.
“I was jealous and bitchy and being pouty. Now I’m with you and happy.”
“That’s all I can ask.” Eagan just—well, Ollie would think he was too good to be true if he didn’t know how magical dragons were, how patient.
“We can ask for amazing furniture and incredible first editions…” he teased.
“We can. We do! Auctions are lovely.” Eagan’s laughter was a little evil genius. Uh-oh, what had he bought now?
“Do I have to wait to find out?” Because he knew it was for him. Eagan wouldn’t be so evil if it wasn’t for him.
“Yes. It’s only a few more days, and we said weighty items at Christmas.” Eagan rubbed some more, so he wasn’t going to argue. His dragon might stop if he did.
“I’ll be patient.” He’d found an amazing Russian jeweled letter opener for Eagan. It was covered in sapphires. Nothing terribly showy, but classy. Faberge in era, if not in name. Eagan would love it.
Well, Tyson assured him he’d done great, anyway. He hoped not just because Tyson wanted it for the stones.
He was so looking forward to seeing the whole ritual Devon had told him about last year.
“Your hands are so warm, dragon. Maybe we should have another bath soon.”
“I think that’s a fine idea. The steam really seems to soothe you.” Eagan just kept petting, and he felt so sleepy and lazy, but not stuffed and nauseated again.
“I guess I’m just a water baby.”
“As am I, hmm? Brand can have the fire. Steam is so much more useful.”
“It is! I should have gotten you a steampunk novel.” He cracked himself up.
“Ha! I keep telling Brand he should have been a blacksmith instead of a librarian, ew essentially. He would have been well-suited.”
“He’s too fussy.” Ollie giggled. “Maybe a glass blower. That’s a little persnickety, when you get right down to it.”
“Yes, well, he told Devin I was the persnickety one. What a marvelous word.”
“You? I don’t think so. You’re great working with me.” Eagan had attention to detail, but it wasn’t irritating.
“Thank you, love. I enjoy it so much when we hunt together.”
He laughed. “No need for sheep or princesses nowadays. You hunt treasures.”
“Hoarding.”
“Collecting,” he rubbed their noses together. “Love you, dork.”
“I love you too. Feel better?”
“I do. I think I’m still going to be lazy.”
Eagan nodded firmly. “I approve.”
“Cool. Want to be lazy with me?” He pulled the blanket around them and handed Eagan the book.
“I do.” Eagan waited for him to point out where to start, then read to him.
It was magical, and everything he needed.
He curled in and listened.
10
Eagan kept his hopes to himself.
Instead of talking to his brothers and sharing his thoughts, he smiled at everyone and practically danced on air. But he wouldn’t let Ollie overhear him talking and run away again. His lover was carrying his child. He wasn’t absolutely sure—Oliver had less sickness and more heartburn, and he didn’t seem to have any foods that he had an aversion to.
But he was glowing. He had heartburn. And he wanted to wallow in the water, just like Devon had wanted to wallow in heated blankets.
It suited Eagan completely. He loved watching Oliver swim and float, being lazy and easy in his skin.
In fact, he loved the idea enough to plant a seed for the next time, because this was meant to happen twice, after all. He marched up to Tyson’s workroom, knocking before he breezed inside. “You should put in a pool.”
“A pool? Me? Why?” Tyson blinked at him, one eye huge and whirling with facets behind the magnifying lens strapped to his head.
“Because you’re the only one with the room to put in an indoor pool. Brand and I have hot tubs, but Ollie will need room to swim and it’s too cold outdoors here.”
“Room to swim…” Ty’s eyes narrowed. “O-kay…”
“Mmm. He’s going to be doing more in the water, I think. I’ll take him to the hot tub tonight.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“You dog. Is he?” Ty blinked at him. “But it’s not the equinox.”
“It’s not. But it is a solstice.” He shook his butt a little. “I think it’s happening, Ty.” Eagan snorted at himself. “I wasn’t going to say anything, and I won’t have him upset with talk, even by me.”
“I—Of course not. I would never. We have to tell Brand.”
“I know. I do. But—” He pulled out his cell, waiting for Brand to answer. “Brand, come to Ty’s shop. Alone.”
“Are we setting someone on fire? Arielle would love that.”
“No, brother. I need you up here, please.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll haul my butt up the stairs then, shall I?” Brand groused.
“Yes, you shall.” He hung up, winking at Ty.
“He’s going to lose his mind.”
Eagan growled. “So long as he does it quietly.”
Tyson rolled his eyes, which again, weird with the lens, then took the magnifier off. “Will you trust us once in a while. You were the one to blab last time and he heard.”
“I know. I know, why do you think I’m so worried?”
“Hey. It will be fine. I’m happy, brother.” Tyson hugged him tight. “In fact, I’m over the moon. More dragonets.”
“I know. I—” He blinked, tears steaming in his eyes. “I can’t.”
“Shh…you will be an amazing father.” Ty held him, his big brother his eternal rock.
He leaned, joy just totally overwhelming. “I felt like I was flying, then plummeting last time. What if I’m wrong?”
“He’s manifesting scales, Eagan. He’s going to be a dragon and have your young.” Ty patted him, which wasn’t gentle but it was calming. “And the baby will adore me with a passion.”
“Naturally.”
“Did I hear baby?” Brand slipped inside, alone as requested. “Not my Arielle, right?”
“No, brother. I think Ollie. I really do.” His heart was just pounding.
“Really? Honestly?” Brand’s eyes lit up. “Brother!”
Brand picked him up and swung him around. “Shhh!” He was so paranoid, it was probably ridiculous. “I don’t want Ollie to worry.”
“I know. I understand.” Brand kissed his cheek. “But congratulations, nonetheless. What do you need? What can we do?”
“Nothing right now, aside from not clutter up the hot tub tonight.” He nudged Brand with his elbow. “Seriously, right now, he’s having heartburn but not sickness, and I told Ty, no food sensitivity yet. So we’ll just float for now and keep an eye on him.”
“So, that’s what the Sprite is for. Has he tried milk? Does he need less spicy meat? We can make a ham.”
“A ham might be nice. And I think I might have to invest in peppermint tea. He really liked that.”
“Mint ice cream?” Ty suggested.
“Oh, good idea. He adores ice cream.” He loved to watch Ollie lick it off his spoon and fingers.
“I’ll make an order. Ham, peppermint everything, milk, Sprite. Got it.”
“Thank you, Brand.” He took the hug Brand gave him, letting it comfort him just as Tyson’s had. “I’m going to be a father.”
“You are. I’m goin
g to be an uncle. I love it.”
“Do you?” He wasn’t sure. Why, he didn’t know? Brand was solid as a rock and so supportive.
Brand clapped him on the back. “That’s your mate’s hormones talking, I promise. You know we’re ecstatic.” Then Brand frowned. “But the solstice, not the equinox… This is a development.”
“Yes. We need to research this. I thought the timing was quite clear.” Tyson shook his head. “Research. As soon as Oliver knows.”
Brand’s head tilted. “Ollie doesn’t know?”
“No.” He sighed. “It’s still so early, and he was so freaked out when he left before. I just want him happy and comfortable until his birth line starts to show.”
“Oh. I have no place to talk, but…surely he suspects.”
Eagan shook his head. “I think he’s just happy and busy and safe. I think he’s purposefully not thinking.”
“Maybe. He does seem to have made up his mind to stay with you, and if he thinks he’s fully human…” Tyson spread his hands when he and Brand stared. “What? It would be depressing.”
“Have you seen his scales? They’re turquoise. Pure beauty. They make me shiver.”
“I thought I did.” Brand beamed. “Oh, Eagan. This is just proof you shouldn’t get so down, Tyson. Your mate is coming.”
“Do you think so? Honestly? I—it’s like an ache.”
“I’m sorry.” He sent out a stream of steam for Tyson to breathe in and find some calm. “I know you’ve been sad and worried.”
“But now we have something to be excited about. A new baby. Our Arielle’s first Christmas. It’s perfect.”
“It is.” They all grinned at one another.
“Now, since you all interrupted my work, who’s going to feed me?” Tyson complained. “Not that this outpouring of emotion hasn’t been lovely.”
Brand poked him. “I happen to know where there’s cheese.”
“I like cheese.” Tyson chuckled. “And crackers.”
“And Lyle’s summer sausage,” Eagan added. “They go well together.”
“They do. I know he makes some that are less spicy for his wife. I’ll get him to bring one up for Ollie,” Brand murmured.
