Page 7 of The Ruby Dragon's Unconventional Mate

“Lars, honey, you’re a guardian. You have a job.”

“I know I’m a guardian. I know I have a job. They’re both guardians, but obviously he assumes I don’t work as hard.”

Samuel sighed softly. “Did you talk to Logan?”

He shook his head. “No. Logan’s convinced that I’m just being terribly unfair to these poor, poor, abused alphas, these poor big men.”

“Oh yay, there’s nothing like a little alpha bias to keep you going, is there?”

“Tell me about it.” At least Samuel’s keep understood omegas could be guardians. “And of course, I’m the one who’s not got any babies. I’m the one who doesn’t have a mate, so I’m the one who gets to train them because, you know, I don’t have anything to do.”

Even if Lachlan wouldn’t leave the house.

Samuel winced. “You know that’s not true, right? We know. I mean, maybe with Logan it’s true, but we all know that you have things to do.”

“Thanks, honey.” He bounced the baby girl on his knee and smiled down at her. He did work. He dealt with the schools. The programs in their wing for the kids. He handled all their financial needs, all their disputes. He’d helped Samuel establish a library for them.

He was good at what he did, and he didn’t need Bryant freaking Markham alpha-holing all over him.

Even if he was gorgeous and Lars still missed him.

“You’re amazing at what you do. Please, don’t stress it. Maybe they’ll learn to be nice. Jake did.”

“Jake was going through an enormous amount of stress. He had a brand-new baby, his sister had just died. His sister-in-law had just died. He just got a new house, and he was a brand-new guardian. And then you showed up, and you’re amazing.” Lars did adore Samuel, simply adored the man. He sighed. “I just, I don’t know… I just don’t. I’m just not comfortable in my skin right now. I feel like I’m fighting a lot with Logan.”

Samuel shook his head. “Well, surely they’re trained now, I mean. You all know what to do.”

Lars nodded and grinned a little bit. “I gave them to Bea.”

Samuel’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t! She might eat them!”

Good. “I did. I decided that Jake and I needed to spend more time together. And so I took Jake.”

“So Logan’s just out there on his own, is he?”

“He is. He does have more children coming, after all.”

“Children? Do they know if it’s more than one?”

Lars shrugged. “Well, they say once you’ve had more than one, it’s just easier to continue doing it.”

Samuel shook his head. “That’s a lot of babies!”

“Are you and Jake going to have any more?”

Samuel shrugged. “Maybe, but not for a little while. Grant… Grant is a little challenging right now.”

Samuel looked at him with those big, big violet eyes, and he nodded in sympathy. Grant was unlike any dragon they’d ever heard of. The little one could make things happen—doors opening, things going across the room. It was a little intense.

“Thank goodness that he’s basically a cheery little boy. And Celeste? I would literally lose my mind without her, but honestly, Grant tends to goohand stop doing what he’s doing when you correct him. It’s just every so often he has…well, as you know, he’s a kid, he gets frustrated and mad. I’m dreading adolescence. The hormones. Can you imagine? So we’re discussing it.”

Poor Samuel. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re both incredible dads.”

Samuel sighed and grinned at him. “Thank you. I think you will be an incredible dad. You’re the best uncle.”

Lars shook his head. “You know, I don’t think I want babies. I don’t think I want to mate. I’m not even sure I want to be a guardian anymore. Right now, I just want to sit in my house and read books and pretend that I’m living in a castle somewhere with a moat.”

“Would you have a human guarding it?” Samuel teased.

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