Page 8 of Unhaunt Me

“Not as catchy, huh? What’s up with the Moony? He’s not here? Or did he spray himself down? I guess it could’ve been Nettie that came out but it’s me and I’m mated and an alpha. Sohe doesn’t need to worry about me skittering off. Did he go to tell the other Moonys?” they asked. “It is he/him, right? I mean, assuming is usually right with Moonys but you know what they say about assuming.”

“As far as I know,” I nodded. “He’s like a padlocked diary.”

“Then do what my megalomanic mother did and pry the edges apart. Then you can hold it up to your eyeball and try to steal his secrets,” Roary said as they rounded the desk and settled into the seat behind it.

“Didn’t you booby trap it with squid ink that one time in middle school?” I asked.

“Yep. But you’re not a megalomaniac. You’re not worried about what’s going on inside his head and how it’ll affect your reputation.”

Sometimes it was easy to forget not every member of the flight was created equally in the one-for-all attitude department. Sure, she came around over the decades but Roary would never be close with her. I wouldn’t either and she tried when she figured out we were friends in high school.

“What’s Breezie and the kids up to today?” I asked about their family.

“We were out on the water but don’t worry they’re still hanging out at the beach. Won’t be able to pull a day like this off again until next summer.”

“Sorry,” I bit my lip.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you’re bumming off work. You methim.You metthe one.I expected you to already be gone or perhaps to walk in on your christening the desk. Why do you think I stomped so much coming down the corridor? Wanted to give you a head’s up in case the magic let you be shy,” they chuckled.

“He asked me to the ball,” I said and bit my lip again.

“Maybe he had something to take care of. Which Moony is it? Is it the diplomat? I’ve heard he’s a hot head.”

“No, thankfully and you know it can’t be Sunny. You were here with me the last time he came in with Fred and Elio.”

“OH! It has to be the hot broody one, then, right?” they asked.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Tons of emphasis on the broody.”

“Someone’s broken that one’s heart and you’re the lucky one who gets to put it back together. He’s probably telling his egg mama and all them that he’s gonna be gone for a while.”

“Egg mama. Is that how they say it now?” I arched a brow.

“One of my teens used it the other day. I told her not to and now here I am,” they shrugged. “It’s catchy.”

“Let’s hope it’s not that catchy,” I managed a laugh. “If anyone calls me ---”

“You’d be an egg daddy.”

“That sounds--- like it belongs in a kink club.”

“Baby, it does,” they laughed. “You’re so innocent. Ever heard of a breeding kink?”

“Uhhhh…. Were you and Breezie planning on going to the ball?” I changed the subject.

Breeding kink. My dragon liked how that sounded a little too much.

Breeding kink. He might go along with it as long as it was Casimir doing the breeding.

“No. We’ll be out tomorrow night gathering candy eggs with the kids. Tonight, we’re going to get all the sleep we can. You should nap today if you can. I mean, if you’re not going to see tall, hot, and broody until tonight --- sleep while you can.”

I blushed and turned away to glance at the calendar behind the desk. That was how it was supposed to work, right? I wasn’t supposed to sleep tonight. Maybe not tomorrow night either. Casimir and I were supposed to be awake until we collapsedfrom sexual exhaustion, still hungry for more of each other. My insides were filled with the sinking suspicion that wouldn’t be how tonight went for me.

“That bad?”

“What did he say to make you feel so out of sorts in the bad way?” Roary asked.

“It’s more what he didn’t. What he didn’t do,” I sighed. “Are you sure you all can cover my shifts? I mean, I might not even need the time off.”

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