Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
H ayden had to talk to Daniel.
Had to.
As they chugged into Thanksgiving, Jacks was starting to hit what, in humans, would be the terrible twos. He was just mad at the world, feeling contained in a tiny body not meant to hold all his magic.
And as Daniel dealt with him, Daniel was getting more… dragony all the damn time.
“You have to tell him, Hayden,” he murmured as he e-signed an investment document. “Have to.”
Suddenly Rita was right there with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. “You do. Honestly, if he shifts, and he doesn’t know, he’s going to be scared. Not just wigged out, but scared.”
“I know.” Hayden simply didn’t know how to tell him without sounding insane. “I’m not trying to keep anything from him. I just don’t know how to tell him.”
“It’s going to be harder to tell him if he comes up pregnant.”
Hayden winced, which didn’t stop Rita at all.
“Because I’m assuming that’s an option.”
“I don’t need a lecture?—”
She snorted softly. “That’s exactly what you do need, and that’s exactly what I’m here for.
You care for him. He’s your mate. Talk to him, and tell him the truth.
You can take him downstairs to the basement.
There’s room for you down there, and a nice, cozy, warm sand pit to rub. Take him downstairs and be cozy…”
If Hayden took him downstairs, cozy was not what was going to happen.
“Denise and I can watch the baby.”
“What if he sets the house on fire?”
Rita rolled her eyes. “Then I’ll put him in the oven and make him work for it.”
A laugh burst from him. “You are a wicked old witch, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea, dear.”
“Okay, okay. You freakish old bat,” he teased. Daniel? Can you bring Jacks to the kitchen?
That ought to work, right? Daniel had really started listening the last few weeks, even if he usually explained it away as acoustics or as a feeling or as a weird echo…
“He’ll get it. He’ll be worried, for sure, but he’ll manage. You have my word.” Rita patted his hand.
“Thanks, lady.” He waited for Daniel to appear with the baby, his lover frowning.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Jacks can stay with Rita and Denise for a bit. I think it’s time we talked like I promised.”
“Oh. Oh, sure. Do you mind? He’s having a decent day. He’s only bitten me twice. Yay.” Daniel handed over Jacks, kissing the baby on the nose.
“Jacks.” Denise stared into the baby’s eyes. “No biting.”
“Come on, Daniel.” Hayden took Daniel’s hands. “Let them sort that out.” He headed for the basement stairs, knowing the warmth of the sand pit would soak into the sitting room down there before Daniel saw the dragon wallow.
“Oh, where are we going? Do you have a finished basement?”
“We do.” He needed Daniel to begin thinking in terms of we, because he knew they were now. And he wanted Daniel to feel that deep in his chest. “The storage is mostly in the attic. This is someplace warm that we can sit and talk.”
“Okay. That’s neat. Usually you think of basements as a tad clammy.”
“Not this one.” He grinned. The sand pit was fed by some natural thermal currents, and he loved it. Oh, sure, he had a back-up heating system, but the sand pit was awesome.
Daniel hummed as they headed toward the basement, relaxing, one hand wrapping around his waist. Sometimes he needed to remember that adult dragon time was valuable. So was togetherness.
He steered Daniel to the sitting area, which was much like the old dens of the 1970s. Comfy. A little worn, but warm and homey.
“Oh, this is…this is wonderful, honey. So cozy.”
“I like it down here. No fireplace needed.” He sat on the couch and pulled Daniel to his lap.
“No, it’s cozy like I said.” Daniel leaned in, fingers sliding over his cheek, petting him.
“Mmmhmm. So there’s some stuff I need to tell you that might freak you out.” He just hoped Daniel didn’t lose his shit or run.
“Okay…Like what? Did you do something wrong?”
“No. Not…” He sighed. “Maybe. There are things I didn’t tell you because I honestly didn’t think I would need to.”
“Okay. So…tell. I’ll cope. I’m super cope-y.” Just say it’s nothing horrifying.
It’s going to be a shock. “What do you know about dragons?”
“Dragons? Like…knights and princesses and such? Or like Puff, the Magic?”
“Yes. I mean, that’s dragon lore, of course, but that’s the idea.”
“I mean, they’re cool. I’m opposed to knights killing them. I like playing D he just clung to Hayden’s neck and kept murmuring how much he cared for Hayden and how much he loved Jacks, and that this was all going to be okay.
He really hoped it was, but what if it wasn’t? What if he was fucking everything up right now?
He shifted Daniel’s weight to one arm and used the other hand to open the sliding barn door-type door between the den and the opening to the cavern holding his sand pit.
Here was the second moment of truth in this whole reveal.
“How did you get all this sand down here?” Daniel blinked, obviously confused.
“It took some work, but we brought it in. This is important.”
Daniel nodded. “Well, it’s beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen black sand before. White and yellow, sure. But black?”
Hayden nodded. “Volcanic rock. I like the way it feels on my scales. You…one day, you will too.”