Chapter Sixteen
Elouan didn’t see the pretty gold dragon again, which saddened him more than it should.
Though what would he have done? Courted the omega?
Until he found out the full story of Jules, and if he was indeed the gold dragon, he wouldn’t turn to a strange omega simply to have a dragon mate.
That wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
As much as Elouan had longed for a weekend in dragon form, Monday couldn’t happen quickly enough. Not quick enough for the local elk, either. He took out his frustrations by hunting.
Darkness hid his bulk among the trees. In the open, an accumulation of softly falling snow might show his silhouette. There, a few yards away…
The elk lifted its nose, bugling a warning. Elouan pounced after the fleeing creature. He flapped his wings, going airborne, only to crash down from above, taking the hapless prey to the ground.
His dragon reveled in the kill, though the human side of Elouan preferred not to hunt alone. Once more, he pictured the beautiful golden dragon.
Elouan cleaned the cabin as promised, packed up his meager belongings, and hiked to the meeting place where the helicopter waited.
He remained sullen during the return trip, thoughts springing from Jules to the golden dragon. Jules had left to spend time in a mountain cabin. He had to be the golden dragon.
The pilot didn’t even question Elouan. The beautiful surroundings and cozy cabin stayed behind. Elouan took memories back with him.
Elouan flopped onto the couch the moment he returned to the apartment and texted Jules: You're back?
Yes. Couldn't wait to come home appeared on the screen.
Elouan smiled, warmth spreading in his chest. I missed you.
I missed you too.
Since you were gone, I went away on a trip of my own.
Really? Have fun?
Time for a bit of the truth. It was lonely. I wished you were there.
Oh, to hold Jules in his arms again, but what about those overbearing guardians? He typed: When are we going riding again? Based on the rapidly falling temperatures, next time they’d have to take Elouan’s truck.
Three dots appeared on the screen, flickering for several seconds before the message appeared: Saturday?
I can’t wait. Lunch tomorrow?
Sure!
See you then! Elouan pocketed his phone. Yes, he’d decided. No more thoughts about dragon omegas, no matter how lovely. Whether or not Jules proved to be Donovan’s elusive missing brother, Elouan’s heart and his dragon had decided.
But, damn, wouldn’t it be great if the two were one and the same?
Curtis came into the living room shirtless, sweatpants hanging low, shoveling the contents of a cereal bowl into his mouth. “How was your trip?” he asked around a mouthful.
“Fine. I saw more dragons on the first night but had the mountains to myself for the rest of the weekend.”
“It happens that way sometimes. Of course, Dad and I usually go with a group.” Curtis placed the bowl on the coffee table and scratched his hairless belly. “Want to go out with me and some friends this Saturday night?”
Elouan couldn’t keep the grin off his face. While he vowed to spend more time with Curtis, Curtis wouldn’t be alone. “I’m afraid I have a date.”
Curtis’s bright smile fell. “Oh. Jules again?”
The scowl wiped away Elouan’s good humor and the newfound goodwill toward his roommate. “Why not hang out with us one day, get to know him? He’s sweet, smart….”
“He’s just not for you. You need a suitable mate for a king when you go back.”
Elouan sighed. “We both know that’s not likely to happen. I’m tired of living for someday after waiting for three years. I want to live my life.”
Curtis said nothing, dropping onto the far end of the couch and picking up the TV remote.
It was so unlike him to leave a dirty bowl on the coffee table.
Was he jealous or something? Why? Curtis never lacked for lovers, and he’d never shown signs of attraction to Elouan, which would’ve been awkward.
No amount of strange behavior could ruin Elouan’s good mood. “I’m going to bed.” Without waiting for a reply, Elouan climbed the stairs to his room and closed the door.
Curtis took him in when Elouan first arrived, but the urge to move might come from more than Elouan’s own desires. Had there been subtle hints for him to move on? Maybe he and Curtis would work better as friends than as roommates.
Then again, maybe he was simply trying to justify buying a house without Curtis knowing, even if his original intention had been to modernize the house to sell at a profit.
Yeah, Elouan could slowly cash in his gold, claiming an inheritance or something. He’d need to ask Leon. If anyone knew how to turn a hoard into cash, he would, having been in the human world for nearly thirty years.
Visions popped into Elouan’s head of his own place. The castle would have been his home for life had he stayed in Adrakus.
Suddenly, the little house he hoped to close on soon took on new life, as it would look after remodeling.
Complete with Jules inside.
The broad grin on Jules’s face, the way he bounced from his seat for a heartfelt hug, made the ribbing Elouan took from his coworkers worth every embarrassing innuendo. At least no one was on the girder watching him.
He let the hug continue longer than many people might deem appropriate, but to hell with what others thought. Elouan soaked in the comfort.
Bright pink flushed Jules’s face once he pulled away. “I’ve missed you. Did you have a good trip?”
“Yeah, it was nice. Beautiful country.” How surprising that nice was all it had been, not the rejuvenating experience Elouan had envisioned.
“A small cabin in the middle of nowhere that a coworker arranged. How was your weekend?” He watched closely for any action that might give away a touch of duplicity.
Some unnamed emotion flickered across Jules’s face, gone in an instant. “Relaxing. I got to enjoy the great outdoors.” He wrinkled his nose in a far too cute gesture. “The city can be so…confining.”
Elouan imagined a better weekend with Jules at his side. He discreetly sniffed the air but found no trace of dragon, or human either, for that matter. However, Leon made things work with a human mate. It could be done.
So confusing. Could Elouan simply ask? Subtlety wasn’t a usual alpha trait, but he could try. “The oddest thing happened while I was up there; I imagined I saw a golden dragon in the sky. Might’ve been just a hawk. What do you think?”
Jules turned away. “Where were you?”
“Somewhere near Denali. Where did you go?”
“Um…the Rockies, I think.”
“You don’t know?” The pendulum swung from human to dragon. Elouan’s dragon reveled in this development, while Elouan voted for caution since Jules and his guardians had obviously gone through a great deal of trouble to hide.
Two cups sat on the table, along with two paper bags. Jules pushed one toward Elouan, still not meeting his eyes. “I didn’t know what you wanted, but they have a great tuna melt.”
Elouan smiled, doing his best not to betray what he thought he’d figured out. “Tuna sounds great.” In either of his forms. Actually, the company far outweighed lunch. He could no longer keep his news to himself. “Remember how I told you I wanted to give flipping houses a go?”
Jules removed his sandwich from the bag, peeled back the wrapping, and took a bite. Once he swallowed, he asked, “What are you looking for? City? Suburbs? House? Condo?”
“Well, I put down earnest money on a small three-bedroom brick house, but the more I think about it, the more I think I might want to live there myself, at least for a while. I’m not sure yet.
It’s got a decent yard, and it isn’t too far from here, since traffic might be a problem getting to work.
” Speaking to Jules solidified Elouan’s resolve.
Yes, he’d make the house his own. Possibly their own.
Or at least until he bought and remodeled something more to his liking, then he could always sell the first house. Wasn’t that what he wanted to do?
Jules swallowed another bite of his sandwich. “There are a few houses for sale in my neighborhood, but they’re big and might need maintenance. Mostly built for large families during the ‘50s. I hate to see them sitting, allowed to rot until they have to be torn down.”
A large house? Plenty of room to move about?
A double garage might allow a place to shift, even if Elouan couldn’t stretch his wings.
“I’ve no problem with maintenance since I’m in construction.
In fact, if it’s an older house, I might want to renovate.
” Sharing a bathroom with Curtis for three years left Elouan longing for a large private bath and a Jacuzzi tub big enough for two.
Although the clawfoot tub in his first acquisition wasn’t bad—for one.
“Maybe we can drive around Saturday, see what’s available, if you don’t mind going house-hunting with me.
” The idea of looking for a place with Jules held a lot of appeal.
Images already appeared in Elouan’s mind of Jules in the kitchen, the living room…
the bedroom. He might even find the right moment to prod Jules for answers.
If nothing else, Elouan could show him what he’d already bought and would close on tomorrow.
“That would be great. Meet here at the same time as before?”
“Sounds good to me.” Elouan would count the moments until Saturday. In the meantime, he’d fine-tune his best fantasies.
Elouan signed where indicated, initialed documents about a million times, then finally left the attorney’s office, two sets of keys clutched in his hand.
Derrick slapped him on the back with a grin. “Congratulations, man. I hope you enjoy your new home, and call me if you ever need anything else.” He handed Elouan a couple of business cards. “In case you have friends in the market.”
“Appreciate it.” Elouan couldn’t help grinning back. “I might be interested in a few more houses to work on if this one turns out all right.”