Page 47 of The Dragon's Stone Hearted Mate
“They’re already beautiful,” Morvan said, his eyes now locked on the yellow stone growing from my hand.
“Do you think I was mean to Mori?” I asked. “I feel bad about not explaining it to him but it’s…”
“None of his business,” Morvan shrugged. “Seriously, I get that you two are friends now but that doesn’t mean you have to explain our sex life to him or how we reproduce. I like Mori. He’s a good guy but he’s nosy.”
“He just looked so damn sad about it.”
“He’ll hear no a lot in life. It’s good for him to get used to it,” Morvan said. “Look, I’m the last person who want to be an asshole but drawing a firm boundary isn’t being an asshole. I’ll field any dumb questions that come in if others see it. Curious or not, they can mind their manners.”
“Shit,” I sighed and rolled onto my back. “I didn’t even think about that. Everyone is going to ask a million questions.”
“I’ll punch them if they get too insistent.”
“What if they’re an omega?” I laughed and side-eyed him.
“I’ll get Cutter to do it. You’ve seen him kick ghost ass.”
“I’m surprised you’re not mad at me for not telling you about him sooner,” I said.
“It wasn’t your story to tell and unless he wanted me to know it really wasn’t my business either. That’s the thing. If everyone minded their own business, the world – all the worlds – would be better places,” Morvan turned on his side to face me. “Not knowing he was a ghost didn’t hurt me. Mori not knowing how your hand came to be in that delicate condition doesn’t hurt him. Though, if he asks again, I’m going to tell him to go ask his parents to give him the talk because he should know where babies come from by now.”
***
Cutter didn’t move into the house with us. He didn’t show up for our mating feast to which I wore a glove to protect the ever-growing yellow stone on the back of my hand. It was like he disappeared into the nothingness. Morvan was worried but I told him maybe he finally got to move onto wherever dead people go. Maybe he took a chomp out of Torvan’s scaley tail on the way to one of the good places, but he worried as if Cutter wasn’t a grownup who could make it on his own. He’d survived his death this long without our help.
Our mating feast took place a little later into our relationship that most celebrations of that sort but those who came to celebrate us didn’t seem to mind the wait. The triplets came all the way from the west stateside coast to celebrate with us and brought their mates and children along with them. Their babies were still so tiny and smelled so --- well, new.
Robin, Steel, Iris, Midnight, and Powder. I said their names over and over to myself so that I might commit them to memory. Soon we’d have a little baby of our own. I made sure by the end of the feast that I had a chance to hold them all. How long had it been since I saw a baby? Held one? At one time it felt as if the whole point of my life was to raise little ones and ensure they were ready for whatever life threw at them. I had missed it almost as much as I missed Morvan.
After Steel’s carrier, Odell, took him back, I spotted Crilus sitting by himself at the edge of the big garden. The others were occupied with catching up with each other’s lives and he tried to look like he belonged but he looked as if he was sitting on a row of cacti instead of a stone garden wall. So, I joined him. No decent host allows anyone to feel that left out.
“Sorry if I’m bringing down the vibe. I don’t think I thought this through,” he said as soon as I joined him.
“You’re not. You’re allowed to sit on your own,” I said. “Though, if you’re sitting on your own because you think that the mates of the triplets don’t like you because you’re part of their mates’ past, I hate to inform you, that I really don’t care if that’s the case. I don’t think it is but if it is, well, forget them. You’re our guest.”
“I don’t want to ruin their good time,” he shrugged.
“By breathing?” I arched an eyebrow and rested my ungloved hand over my gloved hand out of habit.
“Having an interesting sex life has it’s downsides.”
“Did you and Morvan ever hookup?” I asked.
“No,” Crilus shook his head. “Morvan was never really part of the bar scene. Would you like me less if I had?”
“No,” I shook my head. “He deserved a life before I was in the picture.”
“The dog is watching,” Crilus pointed out.
“Ah, Guardie. The dog who isn’t a dog.”
Guardie started out as traumatic magic trapped within Odell. Now, he was a full-fledged bodyguard who took on the appearance of some Irish dog. He was a beautiful creature, but his birth was a little unnerving. I hoped Morvan’s trauma was never trapped within him like that.
“Come and eat with us,” I invited him.
“I’m not sure I should. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted,” Crilus said, flashing me a sad smile.
“You are wanted. It’s my party. Well, mine and Morvan’s and we want you here. That’s why we invited you. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to be here, though. It’s a lot.” I took a deep breath and tried not to be ‘nosy like Mori.’ I nearly failed and almost asked if he was still in love with one of the triplets, but I was better off not knowing. Like Morvan said about so many things, it wasn’t my business.
