Chapter Twenty-Three
Rux
They’d been talking for hours. The food had long since gone cold on the table, and the candles burned down to stumps.
Sam rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses, leaving them slightly crooked. Rux’s fingers itched to reach over and straighten them.
“I should probably...” Sam started, then stopped. He looked down at his hands, twisting them together in his lap. His cheeks had gone pink. “There is something I need to tell you, before this goes any further.”
Rux’s dragon stirred anxiously, and Mabon and Urien both leaned forward slightly.
“I’ve never even been on a proper date,” Sam said in a rush.
The words came fast, like he needed to get them out before he lost his nerve.
“Let alone considered a relationship with three people. I’m not...
experienced… at anything. Is that...” He swallowed hard, still not looking up. “Is that okay?”
The vulnerability in his voice made Rux’s chest ache. His dragon crooned, demanding he go to their mate immediately, wrap around him, and show him he was wonderful exactly as he was.
Rux stood, his chair scraping against the floor. Sam’s head jerked up, eyes wide behind his glasses, and Rux realized he’d probably moved too fast. He forced himself to slow, to cross the space between them with a lot more care, kneeling beside Sam’s chair.
“Look at us,” Rux said gently. “We’re inexperienced too.”
“You’ve been together for a hundred years, and I’m sure you did a lot of living before you found each other,” Sam said, his voice low.
“Some, not a lot – it’s always more difficult to hide our secrets if we get close to others who didn’t know.
And with each other, yes, it was easy, and we found our way over time.
But with humans? With courting? With anything that isn’t dragon tradition?
” Rux shook his head. “You already know all the mistakes we’ve made... ”
Behind him, Mabon snorted.
“We’re all figuring this out together,” Rux continued. “We’ve already proven we’re terrible at it.”
A laugh bubbled out of Sam’s mouth. “You weren’t that bad,” Sam said, and there was a smile tugging at his lips now, tentative but real. “The six coffees were kind of endearing. In a concerning, please-stop-consuming-caffeine-before-your-heart-explodes sort of way.”
“I was nervous,” Rux admitted. “My dragon was screaming at me to tell you everything immediately, and I was trying to act human and normal, and you were right there looking at me with those eyes and that smile, and I completely forgot how conversation worked.”
“You talked about the flooring,” Sam said.
“It was nice flooring.”
“It was laminate.”
“I panicked!”
Sam laughed again, and Rux felt the sound all the way through him. This close, he could see the gold flecks in Sam’s brown eyes and count the freckles scattered across his nose.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, either,” Rux said quietly. “None of us do. But we want to learn, with you, if you’ll let us.”
Sam’s hand moved until his fingers brushed against Rux’s, where they rested on the arm of the chair. The touch sent electricity through Rux’s entire body.
“I want that, too,” Sam whispered. “I’m just scared I’ll disappoint you.”
“That’s impossible,” Rux said fiercely. “You’re our everything. You couldn’t disappoint us if you tried.”
“You told me I could refuse the bond.”
Ouch. Rux didn’t like hearing that, but it was true, and he could be honest in return. “That wouldn’t be disappointment, that would be heartbreaking, but we’d understand. It has to be your choice, Sam, always.”
Urien shifted in his seat. “Perhaps we should establish some parameters,” he said quietly. “Make sure we’re all clear on what happens next.”
Sam nodded, pulling his hand back. Rux immediately missed the contact but forced himself to stand, to give Sam space.
“I need time to process this,” Sam said. “All of it. The dragons, the Treasure thing, the bond. This is...it’s everything I’ve ever written about, which means it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed about, but when dreams become reality, that can take some adjustment. Can you see that?”
“Of course,” Mabon said immediately.
“And you need to figure out how to get along with Basil,” Sam continued, his voice gaining strength. “Because he’s not going anywhere. He’s my cat, and I love him, and if this is going to work, you can’t just - I don’t know - keep getting mauled every time you visit.”
“The cat hates us,” Rux said flatly.
“The cat senses you’re predators and is trying to protect me,” Sam corrected. “Which means we need to help him understand you’re not a threat. That you’re...” he paused, frowning. “Are you a threat?”
“Never to you,” all three of them said in unison.
“Then that includes Basil, too, so we’ll figure it out together.
” Sam looked at each of them in turn. “I want to do this properly. I realize that when you all met each other, you were quick to…” - he blushed, but kept going – “become instantly comfortable with each other, but human brains don’t work like that.
I need to get to know you all, and for you to know me.
That means real dates, normal things, and no more grand gestures without talking to me first about what I actually want. ”
“No more gold bars,” Mabon agreed.
“No more attempted business acquisitions,” Urien added.
“No more elaborate meals that could feed thirty people,” Rux finished reluctantly. His dragon grumbled - feeding their mate was important - but he understood Sam’s point.
“Just...honesty,” Sam said. “Communication and taking things slow.” He bit his lip. “Is that okay? As I said, I realize dragons probably don’t do slow, but…”
“We’ll do whatever you need,” Rux interrupted. “Slow is fine, as long as we’re working on things together.”
Sam’s smile was worth every moment of restraint, despite the fact that Rux’s dragon was already protesting. “Together. I like that.”
The clock chimed five times. Sam blinked, looking toward the windows where the sky had begun to lighten.
“I’ve been here all night,” Sam said, sounding surprised.
“Time moves differently when you’re where you’re meant to be,” Urien said softly.
Sam’s cheeks colored again. He stood, smoothing down his blue jumper - the one Rux had noticed the first day and had filed away as important information. “I should get home. Basil will be wondering where I am, and I have chores to do before work tomorrow.”
“We could drive you,” Mabon offered.
“I have my car, remember?” Sam’s lips quirked. “You haven’t moved it to your hoard yet.”
“Don’t give Rux ideas,” Urien muttered.
Rux had been considering it.
They walked Sam to the door together, Rux’s dragon tracking every movement, memorizing the way Sam looked in their home. He fit even if he didn’t realize it yet. The cottage was too compact for someone who should be surrounded by comfort, beauty, and everything they could possibly provide.
But they’d agreed to go slow, to proper courtship and to letting Sam set the pace, so Rux swallowed down the invitation for Sam to stay the night. Basil wouldn’t like that, and Sam had been adamant that somehow Rux and his mates were meant to make their peace with the furry menace.
At the door, Sam turned to face them. “Thank you,” he said. “For telling me the truth, giving me a choice, and for...for wanting me.”
“Always,” Rux said, his voice rough.
Sam took a breath, then stepped toward Rux. “Can I...?”
Rux opened his arms before Sam finished the question.
Sam fit against him perfectly. His head tucked beneath Rux’s chin, his shoulders exactly the right height for Rux to wrap around. He felt amazing in Rux’s arms, and his dragon settled in a way it never had before.
“You smell like cinnamon,” Sam mumbled against Rux’s chest.
“I bake a lot.”
“I noticed.”
Too soon, Sam pulled back. He moved to Mabon next, who hugged him carefully. Mabon’s eyes drifted closed, his heart stone glowing visible through his shirt. When Sam stepped away, Mabon looked like he’d been given the greatest gift.
Urien held Sam with the same care he gave his most precious plants, as if Sam was a rare being that needed protecting. Sam sighed into the embrace, and Rux watched Urien’s tender expression, loving that look on his mate’s face.
When Sam finally stepped back from all of them, he was smiling. “I’ll call you,” he said. “Tomorrow, or probably later today… After I’d had some sleep and processed a few things.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Mabon assured him.
Sam opened the door, then paused on the threshold. He looked back at them, and Rux knew what he would see - three dragons trying desperately to appear calm and human while their heart stones blazed in their chests.
“This is real,” Sam said softly. “You’re real. This whole impossible thing is real.”
“Yes,” they said together.
“Okay.” Sam nodded, like he was convincing himself. “Okay. I can do this. We can do this.”
“Together,” Rux reminded him.
Sam’s smile widened. “Together.”
He walked to his car - a sensible thing that Rux’s dragon immediately wanted to replace with something safer, more reliable, more worthy of carrying their Treasure.
But that would be another grand gesture that Sam had already said no to.
So Rux watched Sam climb in, start the engine, and pull away down the long drive toward the gates.
They stood in the doorway until his taillights disappeared.
“He didn’t refuse us,” Mabon said quietly.
“He wants to try,” Urien added.
“He let us hold him,” Rux finished. His arms still felt warm from where Sam had been. His dragon was purring so loudly he could barely hear his own thoughts. “He fits like he was made for us.”
“Of course he does,” Mabon said. “He’s our fourth.”
Rux’s heart stone glowed in rhythm with Mabon’s and Urien’s - proof that everything had changed, and that nothing would ever be the same. Their Treasure knew the truth, wanted them, and had said yes to trying.
“We need another plan,” Mabon said suddenly. “For proper courting. To help him understand what this means. A way to introduce him to dragon culture without overwhelming him. For dealing with that demon cat…”
“Later,” Rux interrupted. “Right now, I just want to stand here and remember what he felt like in my arms.”
Urien’s arm was heavy on his shoulder as he hummed in agreement. “Our Treasure. Finally.”
“Finally,” Rux echoed.