Cyrus
Boen didn’t have to help me, but after explaining that he wanted to and didn’t feel compelled to since he was sharing my room, I allowed it.
Besides, what better way to spend the day, even doing everyday things, than shoulder to shoulder with my omega.
I introduced him to everyone, and Arnaud put in a special batch of red velvet cookies with cream cheese chips just for him. Boen charmed everyone he met. I didn’t blame them. He charmed me at first sight.
“What else can we do?” my mate, who didn’t know he was my mate yet, asked after a stint of taking calls at the front desk. He deferred to me on most questions, but he did a good job, keeping his cool even when the guests were not.
“I was thinking you and I would have lunch after we go help Sandra.”
He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. His brow furrowed. “Sandra? Did I meet her?”
I shook my head, wanting to kiss his pouty lips and barely refraining. This was tough on my dragon. Dragons weren’t known for their patience and calm. When my parents met, they were mated and marked that night. Then again, they were both dragons.
When a dragon found their mate, the rest of the world fell away.
Humans liked to date and be courted, but I only had this week to not only convince him that he was mine but also tell him that I was a dragon—then get him to stay. A tall order, but my dragon had confidence we could do it.
“You didn’t. Sandra is one of the hardest working unsung heroes on our staff. She works in the basement of all places.”
Boen smiled revealing a dimple on his left cheek. “Is that right? I happen to love unsung heroes. Show me the way.”
I led him down to the laundry room and let him go in before me. “Oh, there’s my favorite boss,” Sandra said loudly over the hum of the machines.
“Sandra, this is…this is Boen. He’s here for the week. I told him I wanted him to meet the most important person in this place.”
Sandra came over with a beaming smile and shook Boen’s hand. “Nice to meet you. And yeah, I’m pretty much the best. You’re hanging around this one?” She hooked her thumb at me. “What is there, an investigation? Criminal? Federal? Sexual harassment?”
Poor Boen. All the color drained from his face while his mouth opened in a large O. “What?”
He took two steps back and I had to stop it before he got too far. “Sandra. You’re scaring the omega.” I pushed a little alpha snarl into my voice. Sandra was a dragon as well.
“Oh, I was only kidding, Boen. Sorry. I kid around when I meet new people. Sometimes my jokes border on inappropriate. Really. I’m sorry. Cyrus is the best boss. And I’ve seen him help ducks cross the road. Really, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Boen looked up at me with his mint-green eyes. “You did scare me but I believe you. He’s been very kind and don’t worry about the joking. Sometimes I blurt things out at weird times. It’s a thing with me.”
“Welcome. Cyrus will show you the ropes. Folding laundry is his therapy session.”
I shrugged. With my hand on the small of my mate’s back, we made our way to the pillowcases piled up on a table. The smell of laundry detergent and disinfectant clouded my senses, but nothing was strong enough to taper the scent of peach cobbler coming from the omega next to me. “Forehead lines are sexy?” I asked, nudging him with my shoulder.
“Yeah. That. And they are sexy. One day, I might write a dragon romance, in fact.”
Cyrus turned to me. “A dragon romance? I like the sound of that. What kind of books do you write now?”
Boen smiled, folding some things but didn’t immediately answer. “I write dragon fantasy graphic novels.”
I turned to him, all the folding forgotten. “Are you serious? I read some. What’s the series name? Maybe I’ve heard of it.”
“Oh, um…” he looked down. A new blush covered the back of his neck. “I’m sure you’ve never heard of mine.”
“Try me.” I coaxed and took his hand in mine. Friends did that, right? Not just alphas trying like hell to flirt with their mates?
“I write under the name B. Talon. The series is…”
I nearly jumped into my scales with excitement. “ The Dragonrider’s Journey . I have the entire series!” Giddiness bundled in my belly, and I barely refrained from hopping up and down. “Silas is my favorite.” Silas was the main character in the series.
“You do? He is? How? They are meant for middle-school readers. I thought only children’s bookstores carried them.” His body turned to me but by the wringing of his hands, I could tell he wasn’t used to talking about this with people.
“There’s a bookstore in Dragon’s Landing. They have all kinds of shifter books and dragon ones especially. I was passing by it one day and noticed Silas.” He kind of looked like me, but I left that part off.
My mate cocked his head sideways and studied me with an intense gaze. “I didn’t see it before. But you are just like him without the scales. My hero. The character I mean. Silas. Silas is my hero.”
“Kind of sounds like Cyrus too.”
Boen stepped toward me. “It’s uncanny, you know? It’s like I drew you before I knew you. Hey, that rhymed!”
He didn’t realize how close to accurate he was. The dragon on his page could easily have been modeled after me. I loved that he could see it, even in his human form. We shared a laugh.
“I was thinking you and I could get some lunch.”
He gave me a half smile. “I thought this place only served brunch.”
“Well,” I said, taking his hand in mine and Goddess bless me, he allowed it. “I happen to be in with the owner and the chef and he’s preparing something special today.”
“Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
Derrick welcomed us into the kitchen with open arms. It was all clean and spotless from brunch, but he was playing with recipes for the rest of the afternoon, as he did.
“You did all of this for me?” The cutest omega in the world said as he took the offering of a seat.
“I did. I wanted to get to know you. Thank you for sharing your pen name. You just had a new release, isn’t that right?”
“I did. A few weeks ago, in fact. It even sold out in some stores. Hard to believe it, sometimes. That’s why I was given this trip, even if it wasn’t real. You know what I mean.”
I laughed. It was adorable the way he just said things he thought.
I laughed. “Can I be nerdy and ask for you to autograph my books?”
“You absolutely can. Maybe we can make a trade.”
“For what?” Please be something sexy or naughty or at least romantic. Please. I poured a little of my desire into my words, hoping he got the hint. He was more than another guest I was simply being kind to. My dragon and I would revolve around him for the rest of our days.
“Tell me what you know about dragons? You live here. I mean, it’s not called Dragon’s Landing for no reason. A little history? I just want to know more.”
Such a curious little human.
“I could do that. Sounds like a good trade to me.”
We talked more while Derrick served us a meal fit for kings. Roasted meats and vegetables. Fresh bread. He’d even made a berry pie and topped it with homemade vanilla ice cream. I didn’t even know we had an ice cream maker.
“This morning, I almost thought I saw a dragon,” Boen said between bites of pie. “From your apartment window.”
“Is that right?” My beast perked up inside me. He knew something I didn’t already.
“But then I realized it had to be drones.” He dabbed his chin with a napkin. “You know, for the fest. Like they do at the sporting events.”
“It’s possible.” I had to play coy for now. There would be a time and place to tell my mate that I was a dragon shifter, and in fact, the very one he’d seen that morning, but now wasn’t the time. My dragon wanted me to tell him right that second, but we disagreed.
“It makes me think of Silas, you know? The dragon in my books with golden eyes and the scar. I wish I could meet that dragon.”
“Anything is possible.”
Boen smiled. “The more I stay, the more I like this place.”
Good. Please stay. Forever, in fact.