by Starla Night
“Why?”
“She trusted him too much. He was like Briar, always coming up with a sure-fire business idea or investment, but then once he got the money, he’d ghost people and leave behind unpaid bills. A lot of investors sued him over that.”
“But not you.”
“There was no point. The money was gone.”
“Family is supposed to be a team. He contributed nothing.”
“I used to be angry but…” She shrugged again. “He died bitter and alone in a motel in Reno. That’s enough punishment, I guess.”
Jasper stroked her cheek. “You are a good person, Rose.”
She snorted. “Yeah, well, remember that the next time I piss you off.”
Jasper followed her into the bath, increasing power to the water filtration system as he did so. “So Briar has never tried any dragon treatment for traumatic brain injury?”
“No, but it happened a long time ago.”
“Time is no issue. Dragons fly at high velocities; we injure our brains. My boss hit a steel support beam at high speeds, and his personality changed. He grew louder, swore frequently, and attacked a supervisor. That’s when they finally cleared the schedule for his treatment.”
She didn’t want to get up her hopes. “He went back to normal?”
“Not the old normal, no. He remained angry, but his volume decreased and he stopped swearing in front of supervisors.”
Even a small change would be amazing. “What’s the cost?”
“Free.”
“Okay, what’s the catch?”
“We could not afford a medical bay when we set out from Draconis. The Carnelians have the only medical ship, so I must ask Pyro for its use.”
Ooh. Hmm.
“Briar hates hospitals.” After watching their mom shrink into a skeleton, Rose wasn’t a fan, either. And then Briar had to get herself injured extra times. She’d spent way too long in hospital beds. “She’d never agree.”
“You must convince her, Rose.”
“It’ll be a huge fight.”
“But it’s important. Isn’t it?”
She closed her eyes and leaned into the marble. Yes, it was important. Rose was so used to losing. Against Grandma, against a shallow pool and a misloaded semi-trailer, against cancer.
But Jasper was right.
If she could get her sister back, even a little, then she wouldn’t have to worry about Liam, or even about Briar herself.
“I’ll try,” she said, and he smiled.
She didn’t return the smile.
Because, if she didn’t get Briar treatment, then someday Rose would definitely lose the fight.
Chapter Eighteen
Jasper awoke beside Rose.
They cuddled from head to toes. Her soft buttocks pressed against his firm cock. Her head rested on his forearm, cushioned by a pillow. Her chest rose and fell, and her belly gurgled in her sleep.
Today was a wonderful day.
He didn’t want to rise. Jasper snuggled against her, pressing his nose to the back of her head. She smelled like honey soap. He sighed.
On his bedside table, his phone lit with a silent notification. This was perhaps the twentieth notification since midnight and the fifth since he’d skipped the morning conference call to Draconis, even though he’d responsibly texted Mal.
He ignored it.
The alarm clock chimed.
Rose groaned and stretched. “Not ready.”
He rolled over and disconnected the alarm. In the factory, everyone had trained to sleep and rise on command. Jasper kept the ability, even after a life-changing night of sex. He’d set the alarm for Rose, at her request.
“Did you sleep well?”
She cracked her lids, smiled, and wrinkled her nose as she stretched again. “Like the dead.”
“So, not much, then?”
“If I slept any harder, I’d be dead.” She laid flat and quirked her lips. “What’s in this bed? A flock of geese or a magic spell?”
“Advanced fiber technology.”
“I suppose that’s better than the alternative.”
“What’s the alternative?”
She smiled. “I have no idea.”
He leaned in. Their lips touched, and his cock tightened with readiness. He knew how she felt straddling his waist, enrobing his manhood, losing herself in pleasure. And he wanted it.
The alarm chimed.
She groaned and tightened her arms around him, deepening the kiss.
He eased his lips free. “You requested the alarm—”
“Ignore it.”
He’d never been late for an appointment in his life, and she’d stated that if he didn’t set the alarm, she and Liam would be late, and he would, therefore, be late. He considered the dilemma for a fraction of a second before obeying her command and melting against her sweet, sexy body.
Small feet pounded down the hall. The door banged against the wall. Liam shouted. “Rose!”
She jumped and scrambled free of Jasper. “Ah! What?”
Liam grinned. “Can I have candy?”
“What? No, of course you can’t. It’s breakfast.”
“Aw!”
“And we, uh, have to get going.” She shot Jasper a regretful glance and scooted out of bed, her silk pajamas fitting her form just like Jasper had known they would when he acquired them for her long ago. “Change your clothes.”
“But I want candy!”
“If you get ready, you can have breakfast.”
“I don’t want breakfast.”
“Okay, well, I do.” She hustled into the bathroom, then stuck her head out. “If I have to get you dressed, I won’t have time to make cinnamon toast, and you’ll be stuck with boring old cereal.”
“But I like cinnamon toast!” He stomped on the floor.
“So, go get dressed.”
“Cinnamon toast!”
She stepped out again. “I’m going to count to three.”
“Don’t count to three!” Liam raced out of the bedroom shrieking.
Jasper felt like he’d watched them talk past each other and miscommunicate, and yet, they had accomplished something. “Will he dress?”
“I give it 50-50 odds.” She didn’t seem bothered, though, and shook her head. “Kid alarm. Much more effective than anything else.”
Indeed.
Rose disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a short time later looking refreshed. Her skin glowed and the tired circles under her eyes lightened; an easier smile lilted her lips, and she hummed as she sorted through his closets of clothing until she settled on a simple red-white-yellow stripe form-fitting blouse and blue jeans.
His phone lit with messages again and again.
Jasper stowed the phone in his pocket, messages unread.
The stress of managing multiple, conflicting expectations was familiar. In the spaceship factory, dragons had called for him constantly, and he’d had to fly from station to station assessing and assisting as fast as he could. Some tasks could be combined, but other tasks had required his full attention. No matter how desperately another dragon called, he could not pause his current task. The functional integrity of the spaceship required his total commitment.
That commitment he now gave to Rose and Liam.
Liam was half-dressed when Rose reached his bedroom; his clothes rumpled the floor and intermixed with the toys. How could a small child disperse so much in such a short time?
Rose didn’t ask. She sorted and piled while directing Liam to do the same.
“Tidying after a child is a second full-time job,” Jasper commented, helping her.
“Yeah, that’s the one advantage to fewer toys.” Rose buttoned Liam’s denim shorts, stuffed him into green crocs with fake white teeth and crocodile eyes, and they descended to the kitchen for breakfast.
There, Rose taught Jasper how to make cinnamon toast—a circular bread known as an English muffin tanned to a light crisp and dusted with cinnamon. Butter was an extra
rich treat. For Liam, she also got out his leftovers and encouraged him to eat, saying, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” while she herself drank only instant coffee and packed leftovers for her lunch.
“I have more food.” He opened a shelf to show the square footage of comestibles. “Six months’ worth for a cabin crew of twenty.”
“I know, I’m not used to eating much though.”
“Rose, don’t you be the martyr.”
“I’m not.” She closed the drawer with her hip and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a good provider. I promise.”
His heart glowed, reassured. He satisfied her with his provisions. He fulfilled his primary duty.
From here forward, their relationship was unbreakable.
She collected empty breakfast plates and shooed Liam out to the airlock. Jasper reviewed his mental checklist as the airlock changed pressure and he flew them into the dawn.
As they completed each step, their lives would intertwine. The first and hardest step had been to get Rose to see him as a marriage candidate. Accepting his lair, approving his provisions, and then joining as his mate had been easy. After this, she would move sentimental items into his lair, end her lease at her apartment, complete the human marriage ceremony, and birth his dragonlet. Simple.
The project of finding his life partner and happiness was basically accomplished.
His phone buzzed.
Following Rose’s directions, he landed them in front of Liam’s preschool. Liam scampered to the steps where other small humans played with their caregivers. She let go of Jasper and looked around furtively, her glow diminished and her shoulders hunched protectively.
He touched her cheek, slowing her. “I will return.”
“Thanks. I mean it.” Her sober expression lightened for a moment. She leaned in and kissed his jaw, murmuring sweetly, “For everything.”
His cock hardened in his trousers. Her soft breasts brushed against his chest, encased in the lavender lace bra and striped shirt he’d purchased for her, and he knew how they felt to caress and tease.
She smiled, her thigh brushing his arousal, and she turned to go to the school.
A woman in business dress raised her hand, calling for Rose. “Mr. and Mrs. Owens? I’m glad I caught you.”
“What is it?” Rose asked, standing in front of Jasper and not correcting the woman. “I heard you wanted to talk to me.”
“Yes, I wanted to ask about Liam’s permission slip.”
“Permission slip?”
“We’re starting a new program where we go across the street for an hour of children’s gymnastics. The permission slip is due today.”
She rested her hand on her hip. “Is there an extra cost? Because we’re already subsidized.”
“No cost. We need your permission to take him across the street.” She addressed Jasper. “We spoke to your mother about this.”
His brows rose. “My mother? How would you speak to my mother?”
“She picks Liam up every day.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Rose said, without correcting the relationship. “Do you have the form? I’ll sign it right here.”
“Actually—”
“It’s no problem,” Jasper assured her. “We can acquire it. But Rose, why did you agree that the mother who comes every day is my mother? My mother is nowhere near this planet.”
Rose sucked in a deep breath, smiled tightly, and said, “We’ll be right back,” to the confused administrator. She led him around the corner of the block, out of sight of the preschool, and tapped his chest. “Let’s fly.”
He obeyed, carrying her to her grandmother’s house. “You don’t usually lie.”
“I know, it’s just…I look more like my mom than my dad, and you’re white, so your skin color matches my grandma’s.”
“Hmm.”
“Trust me. It was awful when we were growing up. ‘Are you adopted? Did you have a different dad?’ They said that to our faces in school, teachers and other students. It’s easier to let people believe their assumptions than to argue.”
“That’s funny.”
“Why?”
“You have much more in common with your grandmother than I do. You’re genetically related and human; I’m neither.”
“I know, but we’re not used to aliens in our lives, so no one thinks of that.”
“And I have always thought we were a similar color.”
She raised her brows, giving him her familiar you-must-be-crazy look. “Why do you say that?”
“Because.” His scales shimmered to the surface, just under his human skin, and her eyes widened with understanding. “You match my dragon.”
She stroked his skin. “Magic.”
“Not at all. Shifting is a dominant trait. Human’s lack of ability is recessive—”
“Okay, that’s right, I forgot.” She tapped his arm. “Go back to normal.”
“Technically, this is still normal.”
“You know what I mean.”
He retracted his scales. They landed in front of the house beside the Jaguar. Mud and animal prints spackled the surface but it was otherwise in good condition.
“Wait here.” Rose started up the steps.
“Rose.”
She turned on the top step. Worry wrinkled her eyes. “What?”
His confidence waned. “Am I still compartmentalized out of your family life?”
Chapter Nineteen
Jasper’s question struck Rose hard.
She sucked in a breath and let it out. Her hardened shoulders sagged. She rubbed her cheek. “No. I just…no. It’s fine. You can come up and meet Grandma.”
His chest lifted again. He floated up the steps in one hop and landed beside her.
Rose pushed in the door. “Grandma?”
The house was warm and moist, and a fetid odor tickled his nose. Yellowed newsprint covered the windows, narrowing the dim corridor.
Rose stepped around a dark stain on the worn carpet. “Grandma?”
The older woman sat in the kitchen squinting at a paper beneath a bare, hanging bulb. “In here.”
“Grandma, you forgot the permission slip for Liam’s preschool trip.” Rose pointed over her shoulder. “This is Jasper.”
Grandma set aside the paper and heaved to her feet with a cry.
“Jasper, this is my grandma.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Rose’s grandma clenched her faded floral housecoat. A toe poked through her flat slippers. “You…”
“He’s my old boss, and now we’re kind of dating.” Rose pressed his forearm to lower his hand. Her grandmother watched him like he was a deadly predator and she was cornered. Rose faced her grandmother chirpily. “Right, so where’s the permission slip? On your bulletin board?”
“Maybe.”
“Here it is.” Rose grabbed the top one. “Why didn’t you mention it?”
Grandma clutched her elbow and stared at the lower cabinet. “Dancing’s for rich people.”
“They told me it was free.”
“Liam’s too innocent.”
“Movement is supposed to be good for his delays.” Rose frowned at the other papers. “Grandma, what’s this notice about charging you for damages to the common room?”
“Briar’s friend broke the washer. They want me to pay a replacement.”
Rose huffed. “What about your broken stove? And AC? And the crack behind the toilet? And the mold? Hey, this letter came three weeks ago. Payment was due yesterday.”
“I didn’t want you to worry…”
Rose’s shoulders tightened. “Okay. Okay, we’ll figure something out.”
“We can fix all the problems.” Jasper reached into his jacket for his human currency. “For the mold, we will rip out the walls, the flooring, the pipes, electricity—”
Grandma flinched like he’d raised his fist. “Destroy my home?”
Rose shooed him into the hall. “Not now.”<
br />
“The sooner the better.”
“Rose, my home…”
“No, it’s…We have to go.” She marched him out of the house. On the porch, she hugged him close and tapped him to take off. “Preschool.”
He lifted into the air. “Your grandmother shouldn’t store her food near toxic plants.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem. She never has food in her house.”
“That is a serious problem.”
“I know, but you can’t give Grandma money.”
“I will not hold it over her.”
“No, I mean, you literally can’t give her money, she’ll just give it to someone else who needs it more. You’d have to hire the contractor yourself. If the rot goes all the way through, it’ll be a huge deal, maybe even condemn the house.”
“Then why are you letting your grandmother live in that place?”
She choked. “I’ve been trying to get her to leave for years!”
“So why not hire your own contractor and make the changes?”
“Because we can’t just rip down the house. We don’t own it. It’s not supposed to be our problem, it’s supposed to be the landlord’s. We reported him a bunch of times but nothing happens. I don’t even think it’s corruption I just think it’s incompetence, slipping through the cracks, I don’t know. A different person answers every time I call.”
“What about the charges?”
She shook her head, depressed. “I’ll…I don’t know.”
“You won’t fight your landlord?”
“Well, the charge is probably right. Briar’s ‘friends’ break things. A lot of things. And even though the landlord owes us for the living conditions, it’s not right to shirk our responsibility.”
“You mean, the responsibility of the person who broke the machine.”
“Yeah, but they’ll never take responsibility, and Briar has no money, so it’s back on me.” She sighed and groaned. “Just when you think you’re coming out ahead, something new pops up and wrecks everything.”
He smiled. “You describe every product launch everywhere.”
“Yeah, I shouldn’t complain. I don’t, usually. It’s what compartmentalizing is for.” Then, she frowned. “Oh, but you asked.”
