Chapter Two #2
“It doesn’t look like it affected you,” Ethan commented. He was drawing something on his sketchpad. Liam wanted to know what that something was, but he didn’t dare ask. He suspected he’d see soon enough, anyway.
“Me and the other kids were all homeschooled,” Liam explained.
“The clan is made up of a few families, and they’re quite traditional, although not badly so.
The moms stay at home with the kids, and the fathers go to work.
Going to the academy was the first thing I decided for myself, and while the clan and my family were supportive, they were also scared.
They live in their own little world, and they don’t know what to expect when it comes to the outside world. ”
“And now, you’re in it.”
“Exactly. My mother is especially worried. She doesn’t mind me being a firefighter since I’m a dragon shifter, but she worries about the rest of the team, other shifters, and everything, really.”
Ethan hummed. He didn’t ask Liam how he got the burn scar. Liam was a dragon shifter, so he shouldn’t have it. It had happened when he was very young, though. Maybe that was when the universe had decided that he should be a firefighter.
“Anyway, convincing her and the others to let me go wasn’t easy.”
“Are they still worried now that you’ve met your team?”
Liam grimaced. “Dragon shifters have a reputation, even amongst other dragon shifters. Mom’s really worried about Austin and West.”
“She doesn’t have to be. They’re good people.”
“I think they are, but she doesn’t know them. I think it’s going to take a little while for her to calm down and accept the idea that no matter how much I love her, I’m never going to have the same life she and my father have.”
“What kind of life is that?”
“Small. Closed off. They’re happy living in the clan house, surrounded by people they’ve known their whole life, doing the same thing every day. I guess it has its appeal, but I want more.”
“Is that why you escaped to the forest?”
Liam shrugged. “Yeah. In that house, you’re never alone. Going into the forest was the only way for me to be truly alone. The forest was my refuge and the place where I dreamed about what my life would be like one day.”
“Did you think you were going to be a firefighter?”
“Not quite. I like it, though. I want to help people, and since I’m a dragon shifter, it makes sense.”
“I suppose it does. But not all dragon shifters want to be firefighters.”
“I don’t think it’s about the firefighter thing specifically.
It’s about being allowed to be what I want and having the opportunity to spread my wings, both literally and figuratively.
As much as I love my family, staying with the clan would be too suffocating.
I need space, even though I’ve never had it in my life. ”
“Maybe that’s why you needed it so badly.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s hard to feel like I’m not betraying them, though.”
“Is that what they told you? That you’re betraying them?”
“No. Once I convinced them, everyone was incredibly supportive, even my parents, and I knew they were worried. I don’t blame them. With how isolated they are, this world is unknown to them. They want things to continue that way, but it’s impossible for them to ignore all of that when I’m out here.”
“There has to be a compromise there.”
Liam smiled. “There is. I visit as often as I can. It’s a bit more complicated now with my shifts, but we’ll make it work. I know that they worry so much because they love me, and I didn’t leave them. I left the clan and the house.”
“It is where they live, though.”
“But it’s not where I live, not anymore.
I don’t know if I’m happy yet. Maybe I’ll change my mind and go back, but I don’t think so.
I truly feel like I did the right thing.
” He just hoped life wouldn’t show him otherwise.
He wasn’t sure what he’d do if this firefighter thing didn’t work out.
He’d always be welcome with his clan, but he couldn’t imagine going back to living there.
A soft touch on his shoulder startled him. He jerked forward, and the touch vanished immediately. Liam sucked in a breath. He wasn’t sure what Ethan had been doing, but it had to have something to do with the tattoo. “It’s okay,” he said. “You just surprised me.”
“I just wanted to check the scar. I need to know where it’s the thickest.”
“Do whatever you need to do.” If it meant having Ethan’s hands on him, Liam would be happy.
He held his breath while Ethan gently touched him. He couldn’t feel much everywhere on his scar, but the spots where he could felt like they were on fire again.
Well, Liam didn’t remember what had happened.
He’d been too young, and he was grateful for that.
Now that he’d gone through the academy, though, he could too easily imagine it.
Ethan’s touch wasn’t that kind of fire, but that didn’t mean it didn’t make Liam burn. It was just in a very different way.
Ethan cleared his throat. “Well, tattooing over the scar shouldn’t be a problem. I have a few sketches that you can take a look at if you want. They’re very rough because I want your approval before I start drawing the real thing, but here.”
Liam took the offered sketchpad. He hadn’t been specific when he’d mentioned a forest, so Ethan had come up with different kinds of trees. His work was beautiful, and Liam couldn’t believe he’d carry Ethan’s art on his skin for the rest of his life. Just that would make everything worth it.
He reverently touched his fingers to the pages. He already had his favorite one, and he didn’t have to think. “This one,” he said, brushing his fingertips over it.
Ethan nodded. “All right. I’ll start sketching, and if you leave me your number, I’ll send you the results when I have them. You’ll be able to make changes.”
Liam nodded, still staring at the sketchpad. That was probably the only reason he noticed the scales on Ethan’s arm.
Ethan had pushed up his sleeves when he’d started drawing. His forearms were covered in tattoos, which wasn’t a surprise. The scales were, though. Dragon shifters didn’t have scales in their human form. They didn’t have anything dragon in their human form.
Ethan did.
Liam desperately wanted to ask, but he didn’t because he knew what would happen if he did. He’d spook Ethan, and that was the last thing he wanted. No, Liam wanted to know more, and the only way to obtain that was to let Ethan come to him.
So that was what he’d do.
* * * *
WHEN ETHAN WALKED INTO Jonathan’s apartment, he was greeted by the smell of garlic and oregano, as well as the laughter of his friends and their loud voices.
He smiled, his shoulders relaxing without him meaning to.
He wasn’t in his apartment, but this was as close to home as he was when he wasn’t there.
Jonathan popped out of the kitchen, smiling when he saw Ethan. “Finally.”
Ethan took off his shoes and abandoned them by the door. “It’s not my fault that my last customer took so long.”
“You should have told her to come back another day. She was late.”
Ethan shrugged. “Yeah, but I didn’t want to waste the evening. Besides, it only took me an hour.”
“At least you’re not late for dinner.”
Ethan tried to never be late for their weekly family dinner.
Jonathan would have something to say about it if he was, but more than that, this was the one time during the week they had time to all be together.
Even Austin and West came when they weren’t on shift, and Ethan could hear them laughing in the kitchen, so he knew they were here.
For some reason, that made him a little nervous.
It didn’t have anything to do with them.
He was fine with their presence now that he knew them, but having them here made him think about Liam.
Liam made him nervous. Ethan hadn’t figured out what kind of person he was, even though he seemed nice.
Austin and West didn’t know Liam much better than Ethan, but they spent long hours with him, so maybe they could tell Ethan about him. He just wasn’t sure how to ask, though.
It turned out that he didn’t have to. When he walked into the kitchen after saying hello to Caleb, Dani, Christy, and her boyfriend, John—who were squeezed on the couch talking—it was to find Austin and West chatting.
West was at the stove, using a wooden spoon to stir something in a pot.
Ethan’s stomach grumbled. Jonathan had managed to find himself a man who could cook, which was great for these family dinners.
“Hey, Ethan,” Austin said when he saw Ethan.
He sometimes reminded Ethan of a big puppy.
For some reason, he was always happy to see Ethan, even when Ethan was grumpy.
He’d never let Ethan’s mistrust of him change the way he behaved, and Ethan didn’t think he ever would.
Austin was persistent, but he knew when to give people space.
That was probably why he hadn’t outright asked Ethan about his shifted form.
“Liam came to the shop today,” Ethan announced for some reason. Okay, he did want to talk about Liam, but he hadn’t meant to start with that. He could have kept things smooth and easygoing for a little while, but now, West, Austin, and Jonathan were staring at him as if he’d grown a second head.
Ethan felt his cheeks flush and eyed the window. Would they try to stop him if he tried to climb out? Austin and West probably would be able to. Still, it was tempting.
“When?” Jonathan asked. He was frowning. “I didn’t see him.”
“You were tattooing that guy’s back.”
Jonathan grimaced. “That took me hours. My back still hurts.”
“He wants me to cover a scar,” Ethan continued. He wasn’t going to tell them anything else, especially not what Liam had told him about his family. That was Liam’s story to tell if he wanted to.
“What do you think of him?” Austin asked.
“I’m not sure. He seems nice.”
“He is nice. Maybe a little bit too nice sometimes. The other day, this lady kept trying to grope him, but he wouldn’t tell her to fuck off to her face.”