Page 19 of Dragon Keeper
“Yes, exactly. We’ll have to go down and meet everyone. I want them to meet my mate. They will love you.” Tyr finished off his pastry, wiping up crumbs.
“Is the ocean far?”
“It’s just a small flight. We’ll go soon. Perhaps in a few days. The bees need me today.”
“They do,” Sloan agreed when both Riley and Brayden opened their mouths. “We were harming them, guys. By not coming over to join my mate. It’s not necessarily our fault, but it was happening.”
Brayden looked stricken. “I’m so sorry, Tyr! That’s awful.”
“It can be hard at this time of year anyway.” Tyr sighed. “But my queens…”
“Maybe they’re not really fully gone,” Riley said. “Maybe they’ll come back to you some way.”
“They always do. But I was worried for all my hives.” Tyr came to lean on him, as if he had to touch Sloan, arms dangling down Sloan’s chest.
So he reached up to pet Tyr, stroking his arms, then holding his wrists. It felt good, the contact, soothing, as if they neededto touch often and at length right now. “What can I help you do with the bees?”
“Do you want to come see them?” Tyr kissed his cheek. “All of you are welcome to. I promise, as long as you have goodwill, they’ll leave you alone.”
“Then I’ll come,” Riley said, and Sloan was proud of him, because he knew how hard this was for his brother. He probably just wanted to go back to the houses up on the mountain and look at technology and such. But he was making a huge effort.
Thank you, brother. He focused on sending that to Riley only. He wasn’t certain if he’d succeeded, especially when Tyr squeezed him a little.
Riley just tried for a smile. “You need to put on clean clothes, Sloan.”
He sniffed. “I probably need to bathe a little too.”
“You do.” Brayden wrinkled his nose.
Tyr’s laughter fell around them. “Come, mate. I will show you to our bathing room.” He pulled Sloan up, and as soon as they were out of sight of his brothers, Tyr kissed him, pressing against him hard. “Good morning, my mate.”
“Good morning, Tyr.” He stroked that little smattering of scales on one cheek. “So pretty.”
“Thank you. You are… I have no words.” Tyr kissed him again, gently. “Now, come and wash with me. I waited for you so that we could do it together.”
“Thank you, Tyr. Breakfast was amazing.” It was funny, because they had sat and talked for hours, and he knew so much about Tyr, but touching him was so amazing, so wondrous, that this was completely different. This was stolen moments. This was life together.
They walked to the bathing room, holding hands. “Oh, wow. Look at this.” There was an amazing huge tub that looked like it would fill continuously once turned on, and then a cornershower to just rinse off quickly. There were places for bees to perch in the shower, and he glanced at Tyr.
“If they get too wet, they can’t fly well. So I make sure when they visit, I don’t harm them.”
“That’s so cool.” He just— This dragon amazed him. He was so utterly at one with his bees. That was true dedication.
Tyr stripped him out of his pants, then turned on the shower. It was big enough for them both. “We will bathe in the tub together soon, but now your brothers await us.”
“True. Theywillcome looking too. They’re terrible that way.”
“Siblings are that way,” Tyr said, stripping off his loose robe.
“Is your sister bad about that?”
“No. But my brother was.”
“Oh, Tyr, I’m sorry. Is he gone?”
“No. Not the way you mean.” Tyr’s shoulders hunched. “He left the village for the city. I— we don’t really speak.”
There was a story there, but he wasn’t going to go there on day one. He would tease it out when they were more in each other’s pockets.
