Chapter Twenty-Nine
Abi knew he’d laid Nash bare. He hadn’t meant to. He just wanted to know what had happened. He needed to live in the ugliness of what Mallor had done to Nash so Nash wouldn’t have to live in it alone.
Abi sat in Nash’s lap with his head on his shoulder and thought about the horror he had exposed.
He should apologize, but sorry seemed like a weak word. Every fucked-up, painful thing Mallor had done to Nash and his family was out there now. So he sat, silent and hopeful that Nash wouldn’t decide to leave him after all. If he did, Abi wouldn’t fight it.
Someone had found a guitar. The strum of the strings went perfectly with the crackle of the bonfire. Someone brought supplies, including marshmallows. Daruss helped carve a point at the end of a long stick with his pocketknife.
Their families meshed together under the stars. The Dragon Skulls were still giving Peter a wide berth, but they were warming up to him a bit at a time.
A Dragon Skull named Ronan played the guitar, and Eshan sang. Abi loved Eshan’s voice. He sang around the house all the time. The song he chose that night, Abi had never heard before, though. It was about extraordinary love.
Nash rubbed Abi’s back and held him tighter. “Thank you, baby.”
Abi lifted his head off Nash’s shoulder and met his gaze. “For what?”
Nash let the tears form in his eyes. His emotion rose between them. “For giving me the truth.”
Abi pressed his forehead to Nash’s and shut his eyes. Emotion lodged in his throat, and for a moment, all he could do was breathe around it. Words escaped him. “I’m so sorry for making you relive it—”
Nash put a finger over Abi’s lips. “Don’t do that. Don’t apologize. You’ve given them back to me. My parents and Axel.”
Ronan stopped strumming the guitar. Eshan stopped singing.
Nash didn’t seem to notice.
“We used to build a fire here with my parents. My brother always wanted to do it. He thought he was good at everything, but he always seemed to take forever.” Nash took his finger away from Abi’s lips.
“Dad would get impatient and end up helping. Dad would let Axel take the credit when Mom doled out the praise. We had s'mores and hot dogs a lot. Dad and Mom would shift and fly together. They left Axel in charge since he was the oldest, and that made him feel helpful.” Nash’s voice thickened with emotion. “That’s all Axel ever wanted to be.”
Daruss raised his bottle of beer. “To Axel. May we all be lucky enough to know him in the afterlife.” Daruss met Nash’s gaze from across the flames. “May we all get to know him in this life through you, brother.”
The dragon shifters roared as they raised their bottles. Abi’s family was a little more subdued, but they all joined in.
Abi hugged Nash. “Thanks for sharing that with me. With everyone.”
Ronan strummed the guitar again. He played a song about wanting one more day, and Eshan sang. He knew all the lyrics to every song, or so it seemed.
Nash kissed the spot in front of Abi’s ear. “The memories are flooding back. Things I’ve forgotten. You gave them back to me.”
Abi didn’t think he did. Not really. And certainly not on purpose. Sometimes hearing the truth and getting justice made the bad stuff fall toward the back. It didn’t erase it. That would never happen. It left a little more room for the good stuff to step forward and make itself known.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
“So long as you stay right here on my lap. Every second of every day. I’ll be perfect.” Nash kissed him again.
Abi smiled. “How will that work exactly?”
“I don’t know. You’ll figure it out.”
Abi chuckled. “Oh, I see how it is. It’s all on me.”
“Not all of it.” Nash worked his hand under Abi’s shirt. His fingers were cold on Abi’s skin. “We’ll figure it out together.”
“Figure what out?”
“The logistics of staying together. All I ask is that we visit the cabin a couple of times a year.”
“We could do that. Stay together. Come back here. It might be nice after a long job is over. We could make love under the stars and eat campfire food. Maybe you could teach me how to fly because that shit is kind of hard as a dragon.”
Staying together was the most important part. All Abi ever wanted was forever with his mate. He’d finally found a mate who wanted forever with him.
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