Chapter 24 Dragon VS Baby #2
“You know that means I need to look, right?”
“Your lawn is perfectly fine! There’s no monster digging it up!”
Lie, Ottis’ pulse said. And lie again.
Large fingers closed around Ottis’ wrist. Doc pulled his hand down gently, although he didn’t have to because the holes were also on the other side of the lawn.
Doc looked around, taking in the disaster. Ottis bit his lip.
Marcie kept on digging.
“I, um, I can’t pay for the damages,” Ottis mumbled. “But I can help put the dirt back?”
Doc snorted. Then his breaths came faster, like he was... laughing. “Marcie did this?”
“Would you believe me if I said it was a surprise mole monster attack?” Ottis whined.
He peeked at Doc. Doc didn’t sound angry at all. He was still relaxed, his eyes crinkling.
Maybe... Ottis might not get in trouble, after all.
“That must be a tiny mole monster, then,” Doc said, still huffing. He looked around in amazement. “How long did she take to do this?”
“I don’t know! I woke up to find all this.” Ottis gestured weakly. “Her digging sent dirt all over my face.”
Doc peered at Ottis more closely, swiping the dirt off his eyelids. “Did you swallow any?”
Ottis groaned. “Yes.”
“You poor thing.” Doc was grinning again. But unlike every other day, Ottis could see his smile through the translucent lace. It was amazing.
This unwound the anxious knot in his stomach. He drew his first deep breath in minutes. “Your smile looks good.”
Doc froze. Then he patted his own face, his fingers freezing over his lace mask. He looked self-conscious for a second. “You think so?”
Ottis nodded. Doc flashed a quick smile and pulled Ottis onto his lap, wrapping his arms around Ottis’ waist.
“I think we need a shower after having all this dirt scattered on us,” Doc said. “Marcie too.”
“My dirt is falling off me and getting all over you,” Ottis said awkwardly.
“It’s nothing compared to what’s already on me.” Doc gestured at the lawn holes on his side. “We’ve both been generously... sprinkled.”
“Like wedding rice,” Ottis blurted. “But with dirt.”
Then he slapped his hands over his face. It was one thing for Doc to talk about them being in each other’s futures, but getting married? That was way beyond the relationship they had right now.
“Um, I said nothing,” Ottis squeaked.
Doc was silent for a few moments. Then he hugged Ottis tighter, his voice warm. “We can fix the holes together.”
“Oh, thank Mother Moon,” Ottis breathed. “I was gonna suggest plugging them next. Not like my hole, but you know, close.” He cringed at himself.
Doc laughed.
Marcie chose that moment to stick her head out of her current hole, barking excitedly.
“What is it, hon?” Ottis asked.
She climbed out of the hole and began to dig in a fresh patch of grass.
“I think she beat you on this,” Ottis said morosely. “Marcie: 2, Doc: 0. Remember what I said last night? I said she was gonna destroy your lawn. Maybe I jinxed us.”
“It doesn’t matter, either way. I’ll have it fixed.”
“That can’t possibly be cheap!”
“Eh.” Doc shrugged. “I could turn this into something else. It was getting boring with just grass everywhere. We could plant some shrubs in these holes, maybe wolfnip.”
Ottis’ breath caught. “Really?”
“Yes.” Doc looked thoughtful. “Maybe we can plant something different each time she digs up the lawn.”
That made Ottis’ heart stutter. “You don’t mind her... doing this again?”
“I don’t mind.” Doc grinned. “I was due for a change of pace, anyway.”
It was so kind of him. Ottis swallowed hard. “Well, you might be tied with Marcie on this, then. Marcie: 2, Doc: 1.”
“Sounds good to me—”
Scarcely had Doc gotten the words out of his mouth, when Marcie climbed out of her half-dug hole, her little body wriggling with excitement. She looked tired, but she wandered back to them with a happy grin.
Ottis scooped her up, lifting her to eye level. “Hon. You’re not supposed to go digging everywhere in Doc’s backyard,” he chided gently. “That grass wasn’t for digging!”
“Well, I guess it is now,” Doc said, lifting a shoulder.
“I’m sorry anyway,” Ottis mumbled.
Doc leaned in and gave him a quick nuzzle, the lace catching between their faces.
When Marcie wriggled again, Ottis set her back on the ground. She shifted back into a human baby and crawled over to Doc, reaching out to him with a handful of dirt.
Ottis could’ve melted. Doc sucked in a slow breath. When he opened his hand, palm facing up, Marcie dropped her handful of dirt into his hand.
“That is too adorable,” Ottis said, clutching his chest.
“Thank you, little one,” Doc murmured, closing his hand over the dirt.
Marcie picked up another handful and offered it to him. Doc accepted it with his dirt-filled hand; Marcie gave him more. This kept going on, until dirt piled up and trickled between Doc’s fingers onto his knee. Neither of them stopped Marcie, though. She was having too much fun.
Ottis looked at the hole-covered ground and sighed. “Your gardener is going to be so mad at me.”
“Nah. I’ve known him for a while. He’ll appreciate a challenge.”
“All of my previous alphas would’ve beaten me for something like this. I would’ve hit them back, but then I would’ve had to pack up and run immediately.”
Doc narrowed his eyes, his shoulders growing stiff. “Well, that won’t be the case here. Your other alphas were all pieces of shit.”
“They were.” Ottis sighed. “I wish I could’ve gone back in time and told my past self to choose more wisely, but maybe then I wouldn’t have ended up here.”
“Who knows? At least you’re not with them now.” Doc brushed off his hands and pulled Ottis into a hug.
“I mean... There’s still Sevrian.”
Doc growled. “There’s that. I’ve been wondering if he’s linked to that attack the other day.”
Ottis stiffened. “What if he is?”
“I’ve got this place secured with spells.” Doc sighed. “But...”
“But spells can still be broken, if someone knew how.” Ottis’ stomach sank like a rock. “And it’s going to destroy your lair.”