Page 53 of Magic and Mayhem

“We need a new plan. I don’t like this one.” Glancing between them, I frowned to make them understand their idea wasn’t going to work. “What is Plan B?”

Or C?

D?

They just shook their heads…woefully unprepared for the reality of dealing with a human Daddy.

“This one isn’t working for me and I would like another. Please.” Yes, good manners always helped.

I was also very patient while they realized I was not kidding.

“I’ll do it.” Lorne finally shrugged, renewing my confidence in my mother’s lectures on getting what I wanted without being a brat. “I don’t think he’ll be surprised. He knows we’re weird.”

Nearly giggling, Alick nodded even though we were special, not weird. “I’ll help. He’ll probably appreciate having another human around to help explain things.”

Why?

“Do you think we’re confusing? I was more worried about Daddy finding new things to worry about like what to feed me. I told him I was an omnivore, but he’s really smart and can always find something new to add to his worry list.” Smart people were frustrating sometimes but I was very lucky to have Daddy.

For some reason that made Alick laugh so hard Boyd had to take over the conversation. “And this is why you are not going to be allowed to be alone with the deputy when it’s time to tell him aboutThe Wight.”

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “We’re not creatures.”

Boyd huffed. “I’m not going to figure out how to go back in time and choose another word for our community. Blame Old English and German for that, not me. Now, can we move on to when you’re going to tell your Daddy you’re a dragon?”

Ugh.

I’d rather debate old words that didn’t make sense any longer.

“Um, I think he said something about three dates before we have important conversations?” Had the sheriff said that? Someone had said that. “So what counts as three dates?”

“Um.” Alick was wonderful and immediately started brainstorming instead of being dramatic or giggling more. “A date is separate activities like eating or doing something. So you had one when he took you out to dinner. Two when he took you grocery shopping and fed you pancakes. Three when he made you breakfast this morning?”

Sounded good to me.

“So is this like an intervention thing or do we sit down over dessert and coffee or is it a picnic topic?” There might be other options but those were the first that came to mind. “Can you eat stew at a picnic?”

“A picnic?” Boyd finally stopped being dramatic but for some reason he was confused.

“So I can shift when he gets curious.” I thought that should’ve been obvious. “And food makes everything nicer. Oh, a dessert picnic so I can take care of Daddy and then show him my dragon? We could have dinner first?”

He’d like that.

Daddy liked my desserts.

“He’ll think you’re pretty, Lorne. You can shift too.” Daddy was very smart and would probably want to see different types of dragons.

Alick was back to giggling again. “Your Daddy might not want to see shifting right off the bat once he realizes you have to get naked for that.”

That was a very good point.

“You know, he was kind of weird about me being naked and he even put that on a list of boundary stuff he was worried about.” Most of the time humans made very good sense but theweird about being nakedthing was very odd.

“Do you think he doesn’t want to see Lorne naked?” That just seemed strange to get worked up about, but Daddy liked to worry. “Lorne’s a very cute dragon and he’s got a nice body. Everyone should want to see him naked.”

Alick was going to have to stop giggling before he’d make any sense at all, so I focused on Lorne, who was smiling. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No. I like being naked except for not being able to shift and wear my sparklies at the same time…and thank you for the compliment.” He sighed. “The charms to make my sparklies fit both my forms are just too expensive.”

---