Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
Sloan saw Harden from across the commons, and he strode over to him, poking him in the chest. “What’s with you telling my mate he smelled like pickles?”
Harden swatted his hand away. “He does smell like pickles. It’s unnatural. He normally smells like honey.”
“He’s pregnant and the baby wants pickles. You really hurt his feelings!” He liked Harden, but the guy was clueless.
“What?”
Harden blinked at him like he had lost his mind.
“He’s pregnant, Harden.” Sloan lowered his voice. “What would normally be fine is really different to him now.”
“Well… I didn’t mean to hurt him. He’s my friend. The brother of my soul. Why didn’t he just say so?”
“Because he thinks he’s going to be a terrible father.” Sloan sighed. “It’s been a wild ride.” God, it was pretty out here right now though. They’d had a snow last night, and he loved how it made everything soft.
“What should I do? I haven’t seen him very much… does he want company? I can bring jerky and wine…”
“I think it would be great if you and Cade came, maybe. Poe too. I think he feels very alone, even with me there all the time now.” Poor Tyr just didn’t have a whole herd of dragon relatives.
“He usually comes to town four or five times a week, but we haven’t seen him.”
“No. I know.” Sloan grinned. “So I came to get you. And maybe kick you a little. Come to dinner?”
“Of course. Does he need anything from town? Uh… wool? Butter? Books?”
“Yes.” If Harden wanted to bring gifts, then Sloan would surely let him. “He needs his clutch. Like his very own support system.”
“Sure. That’s why we’re here. We’ll play some cards, tell stories before the fire. I can spend the night, even.”
“That sounds perfect, my friend.” He clapped Harden on the shoulder. “Now, I’m off to trade for pickles.”
“Oh, I’ll bring some spiced meat. It goes great with pickles.”
“Thanks, Harden. I appreciate it.” He waved, then headed off to meet with a gardener named Joliah, who apparently made fruit pickles. Tyr actually teared up thinking about them this morning, so Sloan was going to get them. Period.
“Mate of Tyr! How does the day find you?” Joliah had a case of pickles waiting for him, plus some amazing crumbly cheese.
“I am well.” He produced a lovely red stone. Apparently, the metalsmith was going to make it into a diadem for Joliah’s mate. “Will this work?”
“Oh, it’s more than enough. In fact, I will provide pickles until Tyr tires of them.”
His eyes went wide. “Tyr wept for your wares, Joliah.”
The dragon’s scales rattled, a deep blue flush on his cheeks. “I am sorry he is out of sorts, but I am so pleased if my pickles give him happiness.”
“They truly do.” Sloan took the box Joliah handed him, and he was surprised when he got a kiss on both cheeks. “Bright blessings, mate of Tyr. My mate will love his stone.”
“Will you be attending the Thanksgiving at Poe’s?”
“The Giving Feast or Friend’s Feast? Yes, we wouldn’t miss it.”
“Tyr and I will both see you there, then.” The Giving Feast. He loved that. He thought Tyr called it Friend’s Day as well. This was how legends and traditions were born, and he was getting to see it firsthand.
“If you check with Mistress Feyana, I think you will find she has some amazing butters today.”
“Thank you.” Bread and butter had quickly become his favorite treat here. It was rich and rustic and so damn yummy. So he would go see the lady dragon in question.
He made his way to the tiny shop next door to the bakery, hoping she would remember him. Tyr had introduced them once when taking her honey for her butter.
“Ah, bright blessings, Sloan!” Feyana looked up, smiling as the bell at her door tinkled. “I see you got pickles.”
“I did, yes. My pregnant mate wanted them so much he cried.”
“Ah. And now you would like butter to go with the bread next door?”
“Yes, my lady.” Sloan bowed as much as he could holding a crate of pickles. “That’s for me.”
Her laughter was much like the bell over her door. A round little dragon, she had wild pink scales that marched from her neck to her scalp, and a pair of golden eyes. She was lovely and sharp as a tack.
“They have a lovely brown bread, a sweet bread, and a rustic loaf. You should get one of each.”
“I will. And the butter with the herbs and the sweet one with the spices, please. And what could you need by way of trade today?”
“What do I need?” She chewed her lower lip. “I need you to talk to Harden about getting me more milk from some of his animals.”
“He’s coming to supper tonight. I’ll persuade him.”
“Ah, then that will be trade enough.” She winked at him before gathering all of the things he’d asked for and putting them in a rough cloth bag.
“Thank you, lady.” He held out the crate of pickles, and she plonked the bag down on top.
“Tell your sweet mate we miss him. Please come to the feast?”
“You have my word. Tyr is already making honey cakes to bring.” These people adored his mate, and it made him feel so good inside.
“Oh, good. He’s such a love, and we all want to see how he’s getting on.”
Sloan laughed. “He’s getting bigger, is how.”
“Oh, and you still have so long to go!” She cheered for him. “Enjoy this. There is only ever one first pregnancy.”
“I am. I think Tyr is waiting for the storm of emotions to ease.” He chuckled, because now that he understood the tears, they didn’t bother him much.
“Oh dear. My mate? She sobbed over everything—good and bad. I can tell so many stories…”
See, this was what Tyr needed—other dragons supporting him and telling him tales.
“I would love that.” Impulsively, he asked, “Will you and your wife come to supper tonight?”
“Well, I would love that. You said Harden was coming as well? What should I bring?”
“Oh, we’ll have lots of nibbles, which is what Tyr wants right now. So if you want to bring whatever your favorite is…”
“Of course! I will bring some meatballs with dipping sauces. Everyone loves those.” She seemed so pleased to be asked.
“Oh, that sounds amazing.” He freaking loved meatballs. And he thought Tyr would adore that. “Then I will see you around dusk.”
“I look very much forward to it.” She beamed at him, fluttering her scales a bit and making a lovely song.
He nodded, because his hands were full, and he headed out. Brayden fell into step with him outside, surprising the hell out of him. “Hey. What are you up to?”
“Tyr sent me with the cart. He said you walked, and that you would end up with too much to carry.”
“He’s a smart dragon.” He unloaded his arms into the wagon, and they walked on. “I wasn’t expecting you home.”
Brayden shrugged. “I needed to come home. Also, I figured I had a brother who needed me possibly, too.” Brayden bumped shoulders with him.
Sloan nodded to him. “I think Tyr needs family around him. I believe it’s important.”
“Yeah, I think so too. His sister and I were talking, and she’s coming to visit, along with the baby. Her mate has to go on some kind of fishing expedition, I guess.”
He looked at Brayden sideways. “You guess?”
“The culture of the water dragons is fascinating. There’s an entire universe underneath the ocean. An entire world of mer-dragons, some in their human form still have tails. They have an entire life down there under the sea.”
Sloan chuckled and kind of gave Brayden a half smile. “What does that have to do with fishing?”
“Apparently, there are groups of dragons who go out for extended periods of time. And they fish. I guess down in the ocean the winter isn’t the winter. It’s just a thing. I don’t know, but Aleana wants to bring the little one to come and see everyone.” He sniffed at a cart that held meat pies.
“I would love that. I think Tyr needs people around him. Dragons to keep him company. This isn’t a solitary experience, pregnancy, and we live away from the village a bit. I’m worried.” He wanted Tyr to have what the other members of the clutch did, but Tyr had always been rather solitary.
“All right, well I’m here for the duration. Or at least until the summertime, when there’s all that work to be done, and I can think of more fun things to do.”
Sloan snorted, laughing. Brayden amusing the hell out of him. His brother was the absolute opposite of lazy. But working the hives with the bees had not been his idea of a great time.
“Where are you headed next?” Brayden asked.
“Just wandering. I think that I’m done with the actual shopping.
There’s no need for new clothes for Tyr yet; his belly’s not gotten large.
It’s a sweet little bump, but nothing big.
And I’ve already spoken to someone about clothing and extra pillows and— Do you know how many of those big goose-looking birds they used to make a pillow? ”
“I guess hypo-allergenic is just not a thing here,” Brayden deadpanned.
“Have you ever met a dragon with allergies?”
“Not yet, but give me time. I’m meeting lots of different dragons.” Brayden chuckled and shook his head. “I tell you what, I’m just in awe of these mer-dragons.”
They grabbed a hot drink and a pie from the common area.
It wasn’t coffee, but it was damn good, and every morning someone in the village was pouring out cups like it was just the most natural thing in the world.
The sense of community here made him very happy.
He loved how, while he could pay for things with coins, the economy really worked on a barter system.
And the fact that he was Tyr’s mate and part of the guard was enough to trade with him.
They headed back out toward the hives together, deciding to go through the woods instead of back the way that he’d walked in. There was just enough space on the trail for the wagon.