Page 42 of Delinquent Dette
“And I am already freshly bred.” Frikka snickered and Suyin grumbled, ushering the pups back up the stairs.
Life was good.
Would be better with some fresh sourdough.
He took a deep breath.And Sten always delivers.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sten
Frikka was an attentive nester. Always had been. Maybe always would be.
Torfi and Fjallarr had hung around, determined to see their new grandpups. Sten had a hunch it was to see if they managed to make another bicolored pup. Frikka thought it was just to annoy him. Either could be the case. Torfi was hard to read.
The two eggs had developed in the two months since their laying. They were sharing more complex thoughts, liking warmth from Frikka more than Sten. Loving when many Dettes nested together. They liked Leo and loved when Peter or Jasper came.
Watching Jasper attentively snuggling their eggs made Sten’s heart ache for his son. He so badly wanted to find his mate, but anxiety kept him from leaving his private space much. He’d been pursued by Drakes hard in his youth and fearfully hidden since. Shui had been introducing Jasper to single Drakes on and off, and it was largely a failure. Horny bastards didn’t know how to just have a conversation.
Sten knew how to have a conversation…and be a horny bastard. But one was more important on a first meeting. Jasper just wanted to be a papa so very badly.
Sten’s phone rang that afternoon as he was in the kitchen, making breadyet again. He’d have rather been doing thebreadwith Frikka, or was it making bread… He never could get the saying quite right. Frikka wasn’t ready, though. He’d healed, but his nerves had made him a little too anxious to enjoy sexy times.
Sten answered the phone, tilting his shoulder to the receiver. “Hey, Sten. I have ahugefavor.”It was Suyin.
“Hmm?” Sten struck a lame across the surface of the bread before sprinkling some sesame seeds for effect.
“Frikka’s the only other one set up for it and is already nesting… The Drakes found a nest in the wilds. Dette didn’t make it.” Suyin sounded anxious. “They really need a nester.”
Sten hissed under his breath. “I’ll ask Frikka, but he’ll likely say yes. Rolf has an egg, too.”
“They’re related to him somehow. He got one sniff and nearly had a panic attack. We tried them with a stag couple and they’re just not thriving, either.” Suyin sighed heavily.
“One moment.” Sten trumped across the kitchen and shouted down the steps, phone still pinched to his ear with his shoulder to keep his dough-covered fingers off the screen. “Dette!”
“There better be bread behind that shout!”
“I’ll bread you later!”
“Breed!” Frikka’s correction made more sense.
“It’s going in the oven in a minute. Suyin called and has some eggs from the wilds that aren’t doing good. Nester passed on and they’re just not thriving.” Sten waited at the top of the stairs.
“How many?” Frikka called up.
“He wants to know how many,” Sten asked, listening for Suyin’s response.
“Three.”
“He says three!” Sten waited for a response.
“Bring them over. Nest has room.” Frikka’s voice didn’t carry a hint one way or the other in his opinion, but Sten knew he would do the right thing.
“He says bring them.” Sten went back to his bread, ready to transfer it to the oven. He grabbed the preheating Dutch oven with his bare hand—being a dragon had perks, and slid the bread inside before popping it back in.
“Ok. We’re on our way. Save some bread for me.” Suyin started, then halted. “The gluten kind, not the—”
“I would not bread you for any amount of gold. It would be a race between Frikka or Sile that would kill me if Bryn or Shui didn’t find me first.” Sten snorted and Suyin hung up.
