Chapter Twenty-Four
Sam
By the fates, I’m freaking shaking. Sam tightened his hands on the steering wheel as his brain churned, still desperately trying to come to terms with his new reality.
Dragons…dragons were real...he’d touched real dragons…three naked men…I didn’t touch them, should I have touched them… Probably not. Sam shook his head. That would be taking things far too quickly. But three amazing men had stones on their chests, all beating for him. How did this happen?
He had a desperate urge to call someone – Maya, Emma, or his therapist, if he still had one. Because that wasn’t possible, Sam started laughing instead.
The whole situation was completely insane. He’d walked into dinner thinking maybe - just maybe - three attractive men were interested in him romantically, which already seemed impossible enough.
Instead, he got actual dragons, who could shift forms, who had lived for centuries, and who had hoards and magic and ancient courtship traditions that they’d bungled spectacularly because they didn’t understand how to buy a single coffee or leave vegetables on doorsteps like normal people.
Sam’s chest felt warm and full…giddy, that was the word he was looking for. He felt giddy. Three dragons wanted him and had wanted him from the first moment they’d seen him. How many people could say that?
“I’m their Treasure,” Sam said aloud, testing the words, as he glanced in his reflection in the rearview mirror. He still looked the same, and aside from feeling as though he was filled with bubbles, he knew he was still the same person.
And yet, they want me anyway. They think I’m worth everything… just like mom.
In that moment, Sam wished his mom were still alive.
He already knew what she would’ve said if he’d gotten home in the early hours of the morning after being out all night.
She’d have sat him down in their kitchen, made him a pot of tea and some toast, and then listened as Sam explained about the dragons, the heart stones, and what they meant in relation to him.
She would tell me to go for it. Sam blinked away a few tears. She always believed I was meant for a wonderful life… although she’d also demand to meet them as quickly as possible, so she could lay down a few ground rules of her own.
His mom had always been his greatest strength and strongest protector. Somehow, even though Sam hadn’t believed he deserved more for the longest time, his mom had inevitably been right.
Sam’s throat tightened as he accepted how happy his mom would be for him, and truthfully, if he could ever share the truth, Maya and Emma would be happy for him, too – not that he could ever tell his friends, but he never had secrets from his mom.
Blinking rapidly, Sam focused on the road. I need to sleep, and then I need time to process all this, so I can work out how to date three people at the same time. Not an easy thing to do for someone who’d had one forgettable coffee date in his entire life.
But underneath the overwhelm, the lingering shock, and the practical concerns, was something brighter - Hope.
He wanted to try figuring out how someone like him fit with three ageless dragons who hoarded books, plants, and recipes, and apparently, him.
His phone buzzed in the cup holder. Probably Maya, wondering why he hadn’t texted after last night’s mysterious dinner plans. Or Emma. Or…
He glanced at the screen.
Rux: You got home safe?
Sam’s heart gave an extra flutter as he smiled. They’d watched him drive away less than ten minutes ago, but of course, Rux was already worrying.
At the next red light, Sam typed back: Almost there. Still processing that my life is a paranormal romance novel now
Three dots appeared immediately.
Rux: Better than the ones you write?
Sam laughed.
Sam: TBD. My vampires never tried to buy the coffee shop
Rux: They should’ve done. Mabon’s very thorough when he commits to something
The light changed. Sam drove the last few blocks home, his phone buzzing with messages he’d read when he parked. His cottage appeared around the corner, looking just the same as it always did. It’s me who’s changed, he thought as he pulled into the driveway and cut the engine.
Through the front window, he could see Basil’s silhouette on the sill, his tail flicking. This is going to be interesting.
Unlocking the front door, Sam found exactly what he expected - twenty pounds of indignant tabby blocking his path, ears flat against his skull, tail whipping like a metronome set to fury.
“I fed you before I went out, but yes, hello to you too.”
Basil’s green eyes narrowed to slits as Sam closed the door and dropped his keys on the hall table, before crouching down. “I know, I know. You tried to warn me.”
The cat’s tail flicked rapidly from one side to the other.
“But here’s the thing…” Sam scooped Basil up, ignoring the warning yowl. The cat went rigid in his arms. “You were right. They are dangerous. They’re dragons.”
Basil had stopped struggling at least. “Yep.” Sam carried him into the kitchen, settling onto a chair with the cat on his lap.
“Actual dragons, who can shift into these massive, beautiful creatures with scales and wings and…” He paused, scratching behind Basil’s ear.
The purr that emerged was a good start. “You knew. That’s why you attacked them every single time. ”
Basil’s expression clearly said I told you they were dangerous, but did you listen? No.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you.” Sam kissed the top of the cat’s head. “You were protecting me, being a very good, very violent familiar.”
The purr increased slightly. Basil headbutted Sam’s chin, then bit his thumb.
“Hey!” Sam pulled his hand back. “I’m apologizing here.”
Basil meowed, his face indicating the only thing that was going to soothe him was chicken from a tin. Too little, too late.
“Look.” Sam stroked along the cat’s spine, feeling the tension still coiled beneath the fur. “I’m going to need you to be nice to them, you know. They’re not going away.”
The purr cut off like someone had flipped a switch. Basil twisted in Sam’s lap, fixing him with a stare that could’ve curdled milk. His tail started up again - thwap, thwap, thwap against Sam’s thigh.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Sam said. “But they’re not actually going to hurt me. They’re…” How did he explain this? “They think I’m their destined mate, their Treasure, which sounds insane when I say it out loud, but…”
Basil sniffed at Sam’s shirt and hissed.
“They’ve been nothing but kind. Awkward and a bit ridiculous, but they’ve been kind to me, and they’ve been very kind to you, too.
You just didn’t want to see it.” Sam met his cat’s furious gaze.
“And yeah, they’re dragons. Ancient predators who could probably level this cottage with one swipe of their claws. ”
Sam’s throat tightened. “But they knelt for me, Basil. They showed me their heart stones and told me the truth, even though it could get them separated forever. They shifted as soon as I asked. They…”
His voice cracked. The cat studied him for a long moment, then climbed up Sam’s chest and bumped his forehead against Sam’s chin. Not quite forgiveness. More like I’m watching you make this terrible decision, and I’m not happy about it.
“I really like them,” Sam whispered. “All three of them, which is completely insane, but…”
Basil meowed, softer this time, and settled against Sam’s chest with a sigh that sounded remarkably human.
“So I need you to at least try not to murder them.” Sam scratched under the cat’s chin. “Can you do that for me?”
Basil’s purr rumbled back to life. Sam took that as a maybe.
His phone buzzed again. Three messages from Rux, two from Mabon, one from Urien. All checking if he was okay, if he needed anything, if he wanted space or company or… Dragons, apparently, were terrible at playing it cool.
Sam smiled and typed back to all three: Home safe. Basil and I are having a talk about not committing murder. It’s going about as well as expected
“Come on.” He stood, still holding Basil. “We both need sleep. And then I need to figure out how to date three dragons without completely losing my mind.”
/~/~/~/~/
That was the most amazing dream… Sam woke at half-past eleven to Basil kneading his sternum and sunlight streaming through the curtains.
His phone screen lit up with a good morning text from Rux.
Not a dream, then.
He groaned and pulled the pillow over his face. Basil meowed indignantly and resumed his assault on Sam’s ribcage.
“Fine, fine.” Sam shuffled downstairs, fed the cat, made coffee, and stood at the kitchen window staring at nothing while his brain tried to reconcile dragons are real with “I have to work tomorrow.”
After his second cup, Sam wandered to his laptop. The document sat exactly where he’d left it on Friday night - the chapter where Kieran, Dante, and Alaric were about to reveal their vampire nature to Michael, their unsuspecting barista mate.
Sam read the first paragraph and started laughing, and once he started, he couldn’t stop. He laughed until tears streaked down his face, until Basil appeared in the doorway looking vaguely concerned, until his stomach actually hurt and he had to gasp for air.
His vampires. His careful, tortured vampires, circling their oblivious human with centuries of supernatural grace and logical courtship strategies.
They had nothing - absolutely nothing - on his dragons.
Sam wiped his eyes, closed the document, and opened a new one instead.
He always thought better when he wrote things down, and after the night he’d had, he had a lot to write.
Sunday, November 17th
I met three dragons.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard. Where did he even start?
Actually, that’s not true. Rux saw me first. Through a window at Harrison’s grocery store. While I was carrying coffee and minding my own business like a normal person who definitely wasn’t about to become some kind of destined supernatural mate.