Page 49 of The Naga

It would just have to be my little secret.

Twenty-One

Khush

When we stepped intothe dining room, every set of eyes turned to us. I felt my ears go red, wondering if maybe I should apologize for the earlier disaster.

Before I could find the right words to say, Keoni barreled into me, throwing his arms around me and almost knocking me off balance.

"You're okay!" he cheered, and other voices joined in, telling me they were glad I was fine. When was I going to learn?

Stepping back, Keoni scanned me head to tail, his lips pursed thoughtfully. "You look like you're doing better now."

"Yeah, I am. Thanks," I added, meaning it from the depths of my heart. Keoni waved me off, then grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward our table.

"Slow down, kiddo. We still need to grab some food, and I gotta say hi to Jacinta before they track me down," I said, and he pouted at me as he let me go.

Smiling fondly at the little brat, I led Dustin to the counter, where Jacinta flagged me before I could even grab dishes for us.

"Khush! I see you're doing better," Jacinta said, and I nodded quickly.

"Thanks for the lunch."

"Don't get used to it. Next time you're late, I will make you do the dishes," they warned, making me smile. In their own way, they showed me just how much they cared about me, and I realized I was glad.

I was glad my parents hadn't wanted me, because it'd led me to my real family. The people in this room, the people at the Sanctuary, they were my family, and it was time I forgot about the people who'd given me nothing but pain.

I had a mate now, a man who loved me for exactly who I was, and one whom I loved just as much. I had a family, and maybe, someday I'd have a little family of my own, with kids who could be anyone or anything they wanted to be, who would be loved and accepted for who they were.

Jacinta asked Dustin a couple of questions, simple things, though the glint in their eyes said they'd caught my scent all over him. The fact they didn't mention it told me they were fond of Dustin too, and the thought made me happy. I wanted my family to care about Dustin just as much as they did about me. I wanted him to truly be a part of the Sanctuary.

Once we had our food, we made our way to our table, where Silas, Touya, and Keoni were already half-way through theirmeal. Dustin settled on a chair while I curled my tail under me, placing my plate on the table.

"You're looking better," Silas teased, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm doing better too, thanks for asking."

Dustin chuckled, and I smiled over at him, feeling a sudden urge to feed him again. I could almost hear the teasing from my two jerk friends, though, so I restrained myself.

"Awww, he's such a smitten kitten," Keoni said, and I was pretty sure everyone in the room heard him.

I scowled at him, then shrugged, deciding to hell with it. There were worse things I could get teased about than loving Dustin.

Leaning over, I pressed a kiss on Dustin's cheek, making him turn to me with wide, surprised eyes. His cheeks were full of food like a chipmunk, and the sight made my heart skip a beat. Could he be any more adorable?

When I glanced back at my friends, they were watching me with identical sappy smiles, even Touya.

I braced myself for the teasing, but none came. Instead, Silas reached over and patted my shoulder.

"I'm so glad to see you happy, Khush." His dark eyes twinkled happily, and I smiled back at him, glad to have friends like him and Keoni. Sure, they drove me crazy sometimes, but without them, I was sure I would've lost my mind.

Dustin leaned into my side, and I brushed the tip of my tail against his ankle as I started eating, sharing a moment of connection where no words were needed to understand each other.

As we ate, the conversation drifted to more general topics. Keoni talked about helping Draven with his new project. Apparently, now that he was finished with the wheelchair, he'd decided to create a new version of Keoni's cart, one that would be less clunky and more 'pretty,' according to Keoni. I'd neverknown the dwarf to be without an active project, and I had a feeling he was starting to run out of ideas. Why he couldn't just take a break every once in a while, I had no idea.

Silas and Touya talked about their latest visit to the human world, and how they'd stumbled across an old friend of Touya's. I listened to them talk, chipping in every once in a while but mostly staying silent and just enjoying being around my friends.

When Dustin started telling stories about his teenage adventures—I missed how the topic came up, but the moment he started speaking, my ears tuned right in—I turned to watch him, loving the animation on his face as he used his hands to describe things, barely taking a breath in his remembered excitement. Hearing how much fun he'd had made me happy, and when he was done, I brought up a memory of my own, a prank Silas and I had played on Headmaster Morrigan.

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