Chapter 6
Six
Miles
The scent of cheese and tomato sauce hit me the moment I pushed open the door, and Mateo groaned in delight and made a beeline for the kitchen as April took off after him. I rubbed at my arm as I glanced back at Duckie, who seemed a little hesitant as he followed me inside.
Okay? I asked through our bond, and his head jerked up, his eyes meeting mine.
I was getting better at reading his expressions, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious what he looked like in his human form.
Was his hair brown like the feathers on his chest?
Or blond like the feathers of his wings?
Were his eyes the same midnight black as they were now?
Yeah, a little nervous, he admitted, and I smiled.
I understand. They'll adore you. I promise.
Duckie nodded, and I led him into the kitchen, since that was where everyone had gathered.
Our dads were behind the counter, wearing a matching set of 'Kiss the chef' aprons that Papa had bought on a whim ages ago.
The kitchen was warm, the aroma of spices, cheese, and tomatoes filling the air as Papa buzzed around from the stove to the oven to the sink and back again. Papa didn't eat, but he'd be damned if he didn't cook every day for his family.
On most days, that was just Dad, but today he had a full house, and he planned to take advantage of that.
Dad's only job was to "stand there and look pretty," something I'd heard a lot growing up in this house.
It got funnier—and sweeter—when you realized that Dad wasn't the conventionally pretty one out of the two of them.
Our dads were the epitome of “opposites attract,” inside and out.
While Dad was a 6'6" mage with a bulky lumberjack frame, flaming red hair and beard, and yellow-orange eyes that reflected his fire magic, Papa was a 5'5" vampire with dimples, unique purple eyes, and a waif-like frame that appeared far more breakable than it was.
While Dad was a total softie who would let us get away with most things, Papa could be sweet and nurturing and strict when he needed to be. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with, and the best parents we could've asked for.
"Hey, kiddo," Papa said as he whizzed around the corner to give me a hug, startling Duckie who jumped back with a squawk. Shit. Had I forgotten to mention Papa was a vampire?
Sorry! You okay? I asked through the bond the same moment Mateo did as Papa pulled back to give Duckie an apologetic look.
"Sorry, kiddo. I didn't mean to startle you. Mateo said your name is Duckie?"
Duckie blinked up at Papa, then nodded, and Papa beamed at him, then glanced back at Dad.
"Look at how cute he is, Cassian."
Dad smiled, then walked around the counter to greet Duckie himself. "Hello, Duckie. It's nice to meet you. I'm Cassian, and this is my mate, Gustave."
"Call me Gus. Or Papa works too," Papa said, and Duckie's surprise filled the bond, bringing a smile to my face.
Can you tell them I said it's nice to meet them?
"Duckie says, 'It's nice to meet you,'" Mateo translated as he hopped off the counter and went over to stir whatever Papa had been cooking.
"It's nice to meet you too. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, you can ask us anything you want to know about these two," Papa said, making Mateo snort. "I also have pictures. Lots of them."
I groaned, realizing maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that Duckie was in his duck form. I could only imagine what Papa would've dragged him into if they could communicate with each other.
I would love to see some pictures, Duckie said, his curiosity clear through the bond.
Mateo and I shared a glance, and I sighed as I told Papa what Duckie had said.
Emboldened, Papa started telling Duckie about the time Mateo and I had gotten lost trying to 'explore' the town, and how April had searched the whole town until she found us.
It was a funny story now, but back then it'd been terrifying.
I was still glad we'd done it though, because that day had cemented it in my mind that our dads loved us, and would never send us away, no matter how troublesome we were.
It was when I'd started to think of this house as our home.
While they chatted with Mateo playing interpreter, I joined Dad behind the counter, helping him finish up dinner.
Dad wasn't quite as talkative as Papa—he was the grump to his sunshine—but I'd never had to wonder if he loved us.
Dad was never stingy with his love, and nobody could give hugs like him.
It didn't matter how old we got, If either of us had a bad day, we knew we could come over and ask Dad for a hug, and he'd make it all go away.
Growing up, he'd pushed away many panic attacks of mine with his hugs.
Once the food was ready, Mateo and I set the table while the dads brought the food over, and Duckie took the chair between Mat and me as we sat down to eat.
I served a plate for Duckie, then one for myself, and when I glanced up, I found Dad and Papa watching me with mirroring smiles.
"What?" I asked as my cheeks heated up, and Dad shook his head.
"Nothing, kiddo. How's the food?" Papa asked, and I sighed.
"It's good, really good," I said, then paused as Duckie mirrored my sentiment. "Duckie likes it too."
Papa beamed at us as he took a sip from his opaque tumbler, though everyone here could scent the blood. I was used to it by now, and I was glad to see Duckie wasn't unnerved by it either.
"Thank you, thank you. So, Duckie, what did you do before you came to Mistvale?
Did you drift around or did you have a fixed place?
" Papa asked, and I glanced over at Duckie, curious about his answer.
I hadn't known how much I could ask him about his past without making him uncomfortable, so I'd stayed on the cautious side. My father had no such compunctions.
Well, I traveled all over. I migrated every winter with the other ducks, and came back in the summers.
Sometimes I'd spend weeks at a park if it had a pond, people-watching.
A few months ago, I got hurt when I was flying too low.
That's when I ended up at an animal sanctuary.
Someone there realized I was a shifter, and they sent me here, Duckie explained, and Mateo repeated it out loud for the dads while I mulled over it.
I couldn't imagine how bored he must've been surrounded by all those actual ducks. Even at the park, he wouldn't have been able to communicate with the people he was watching. It sounded like such a lonely life.
What could've been bad enough to force him to live a life of solitude for all these years?
Duckie
After dinner, Gus decided we should play a board game, and they spent twenty minutes explaining the rules of The Game of Life to me—I was sure I'd played it before, but it'd been so long that I didn't remember any of it—before setting up the board.
Mateo played the dice for me while I moved my piece with my beak.
We played for hours, and while I was nowhere near winning, I had more fun than I could ever remember having.
By the time the game ended, it was past eleven, and Gus and Cassian convinced us to spend the night, even though the twins' house wasn't that far away, and it wouldn't be unsafe for us to walk there with the whole 'a dragon protects this town' thing.
Still, none of us could say no to Gus's request, and it became downright impossible when he promised to make chocolate pancakes in the morning.
"Duckie, you can sleep in Micah's room if you'd like," Gus said, and I blinked, then glanced at my mates.
"That's a good idea," Mateo agreed, then added, "You can sleep in my or Miles's room if you want, but I feel like you'll be most comfortable there."
Micah's room sounds good. He won't mind, would he?
Nah, not at all. He rarely stays over anymore, which makes sense. He has three sexy mates to cuddle with, Mateo said with a waggle of his brows, and Miles groaned, making him chuckle.
"Can you not talk about how sexy you think Micah's mates are?" Miles asked out loud, catching his dads' interest.
"What's this now?" Gus asked, making Mateo's eyes widen.
"Hey, now. You know I didn't mean anything by it. Ace, remember?"
"Aren't you the one who said 'Just because I'm ace doesn't mean I don't have eyes, Miles?'" Miles asked, throwing him under the bus as he turned to me. "Come on, Duckie. I'll show you to Micah's room."
Leaving Mateo with their dads, Miles led me up a large staircase, and down a hallway to a large bedroom The stone walls were covered in colorful tapestries, one of which was a large pride flag.
One June, I'd participated in a Pride parade in Seattle, and turned into something of a local legend as the 'duck who loves Pride.' I'd seen many flags like this one then, though I didn't know what they all meant.
Micah's room was warm and welcoming, despite the chill seeping from the stone walls.
You don't see many stone houses these days. Is there a reason your parents chose this place?
Miles offered me a gentle smile as he opened the windows to air out the room, then turned to me as he leaned against the desk near the far window.
Dad did, yeah. When he bought this place, his magic was unstable.
He later found out it was because he has some warlock magic in his veins, and he was trying to use it the wrong way.
But back then, he was afraid of his powers, and thought it would be harder to burn down a house made of stone, he explained, though I got the feeling it wasn't the whole story.
It was a good thing he picked this place.
Why so?
Miles grinned, then pointed at the floor. Dad found Papa buried in the basement of this house.
My eyes went wide, and I flew to the edge of the bed. You're kidding! How did he end up there?
His sire put him there to keep him safe, but couldn't get back to free him because she was still being followed. It was a whole thing, but Dad found him and figured out a way to wake him up. They've been together ever since.
Wow. I shook my head, stunned by his dads' story. It sounded like something you'd see in a movie.
Hey! I wanted to tell that story, Mateo whined through the bond, making Miles chuckle.
We don't have a lack of strange mating stories, Mat. You can tell the others.
Ain't that the truth. Also, fuck you for getting me in trouble.
Miles grinned. He could be as playful as Mateo when he wanted to be, couldn't he? He was just a lot more devious about it, so it wasn't obvious.
"I'll leave you to get some sleep. Our rooms are on the other side of the hallway, so let us know if you need anything, okay? The bathroom is at the end of the hallway. I'll leave the door unlatched."
I nodded, then watched as he left the room, sliding down a block of wood attached to the door that kept it from shutting.
It took me a moment to realize it existed so April could get into the room without needing help.
Did that mean she had the full run of the house?
The twins had said she was an honorary family member, but I hadn't realized how true that was until now.
Once Miles had left, I flew back to the small mountain of pillows at the head of the bed and snuggled in, glad I'd taken another dip in the bathtub earlier today.
I buried my face into the lavender-scented pillows as I closed my eyes.
The house was a little colder than the twins' because of the stone walls, but not uncomfortable.
I heard Mateo's footsteps as he came up the stairs, and he stopped at my door as his voice came through the bond. Night, Duckie.
Goodnight, Mateo, I replied, then listened as he went to his room across the hall.
Maybe now that I had a home and people I wanted to get to know, people whom I'd be safe with, I could shift back. Not today, but maybe someday soon. Because I'd like to talk to my mates' parents myself. I'd like to chat with Mateo, maybe work on the haunted house with him.
I'd like to get to know Miles better, to hold his hand, to touch his face... maybe touch his lips with mine.
I would like to be a full-fledged person someday, instead of a person in a duck's body.