Chapter 32
Chapter
Thirty-Two
My mom’s question hit my heart. I missed them, but I didn’t realize how much. Nodding, she smiled and pulled out a few things. Moving over to the stools, I pulled one out and sat down.
“Do you have anything for a migraine?”
Dad opened a drawer and tossed me a bottle of ibuprofen. Pouring out four, I tossed them back without water. A glass of iced tea appeared in front of me, and I thanked my mom. Taking a sip, it tasted like home.
“You okay? Was it the flight over?”
I shook my head. “I started fertility treatments this week. I had the third dose today, and it’s been better than the other two, but I’ve been nursing a headache. Laila knocking my head around didn’t help.”
“Fertility…treatments?” Mom turned around, her head slightly cocked to the side. “For you?”
Nodding, I clasped my hands together. “Since I lost my dragon, there is a real possibility that I’m the problem.
Ebony and I have been trying to start a family for a year, but nothing is working.
She’s fine, and even taking medication to help boost her, but I think it’s me.
So we are doing an experimental treatment while we were here. ”
Looking up at Dad, I expected to see judgement in his eyes. Instead, I saw panic. Genuine panic as he stared at Mom. I could tell they were mind-linking each other. The knife had frozen over the chicken she had been chopping.
“It’s fine. I don’t expect you to be supportive or anything…”
“No, Marcus.” Dad broke his stare with Mom. “We just hadn’t heard of any new fertility treatments for shifters. Eva is usually on top of that, and she comes over often.”
Shrugging, I sipped my tea. “Ebony was doing some research, and she showed me everything on it. We’ve spoken to the doctors for months about everything. We figured that since we were here for Mom’s birthday, we would do the treatment.”
“What’s it called?” Mom asked as she resumed her chopping.
“Lexi…something. I don’t know. It’s a crazy name.” I chuckled. “I have the flyer in my suitcase. I’ll bring it on Friday. You can give it to Eva.”
Mom nodded, but Dad spoke up. “Is it…multiple treatments? You said this was dose three?”
“Yeah. I have two more doses. One tomorrow and one on Friday. It’s before the time we were planning on coming, so it shouldn’t impede anything.”
Dad’s hands curled up into fists. After a moment, they uncurled, and he ran his hands through his hair. A plate appeared in front of me, and I smiled. Mom had shredded some chicken and made three soft tacos. Grabbing one, I took a bite and sighed.
“This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like dear. I can’t take credit for the chicken though. Colt was the one who made it to go in enchiladas yesterday.”
I ate while my parents busied themselves around the kitchen.
This was so much more civil than I expected.
I still hadn’t asked about Ebony coming, but I expected a lecture about how unhappy they were over my choice.
Even if they tolerated our relationship.
There was nothing, though. Which was a good sign.
“Marcus, do you mind humoring me for a moment?”
Dad waited until I finished my food to ask me. I nodded, standing up and walking over to the sink. Mom tried to take the plate from me, but I bumped her away. She smiled, kissing my cheek. It was gentle, and it surprised me how good it felt. Not that I was expecting it to hurt, it just felt nice.
Wrapping my arms around her, I buried my head in her hair. She smelled the same; smelled like home. Her arms wrapped around me tightly.
“I’m sorry. I just…really missed this.”
“Never apologize for this, Mar. Never. I love you so much. I missed you and I’m just glad you’re okay.” She leaned back, but didn’t remove her hands. “I expect more visits. I’m not going that long without a visit again, do you understand?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“Good. Now shoo. Go do whatever your dad needs.”
Chuckling, I followed into the hallway. I expected him to go to his office, but he turned to go out the front door. He held the door open for me and then shut it as we walked down the porch steps together.
“I came because I wanted to make sure Ebony was safe coming here. After everything that happened.”
Dad hummed. “Marcus, you are our son. Whether we agree with your decisions, that never changes. We love you. We wouldn’t attack someone who was innocent.”
I nodded. “Beau and Laila might be an issue.”
He laughed. “Might be an issue taking out their anger on you.” His laugh teetered off. “I’ll talk to them. Don’t worry. I might not be a ten, but I am still the head of this family.”
“I didn’t even know Laila was back.”
“She came back to us with Colt. They met, and he…helped her. Laila feels indebted to Colt, and so she protects him. He tolerates it, for the most part, in exchange for her working on her relationship with Peter. They’re not perfect, but it’s much better than it’s ever been.
Better than Queen and Keith, that’s for sure. ”
Our footsteps crunched on the gravel until we got to the grass.
Technically, it was a landing zone, but it was nearly as big as a football field.
We used to play as kids, using Mom’s all-purpose flour to mark the lines.
Keith and I would invite our entire class when we were in elementary school.
It was loud and chaotic, but it was some memories I held close from before he and I took different paths.
“How is Keith?”
Dad let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. There was a while he wasn’t letting the kids come around, per Queen’s instruction. Alpha-wise, he’s great. He’s just struggling with Queen. They just had their fourth, and she’s been…exceptionally difficult.”
Shaking my head, I stopped when my dad stopped. “I really wish he could find happiness with her. Everyone deserves that with their fated mate.”
The look of sheer disappointment that Dad gave me was unnerving. I’d seen a couple of times, but not to this depth. It was gone quickly, replaced by a smirk.
“Well, you’ve somehow grown your beard longer than his. He’s kept it tidier than…” He motioned to my face. “Whatever that is.”
“How could you? My mate enjoys my facial hair.”
His eyes looked me up and down. “And the extra weight?”
“Also her doing.”
He hummed disapprovingly, but I could see the humor in his eyes. “Can you get down on your knees for me? You can sit back on your legs.”
I nodded, turning to face the direction he was pointing. Going down on my knees, I sat back on my heels. Pulling my shoulders back, I stood up straight. His hand brushed my shoulders before I felt his hand settle in the middle of my back.
“What are you doing?”
“Just checking something. Close your eyes. I want you to breathe slowly and deeply until I tell you to stop.”
Slipping my eyes shut, I did as he instructed. After the third breath, I could feel his hand warming up my back. On the fifth, I gasped as his hand was so hot that it burned my skin. It pressed against my scales.
“Dad!”
“Breathe, Marcus.”
Inhaling and exhaling, I continued as his warmth spread over my body. I felt super-heated. Something I hadn’t felt for a while. Suddenly, Dad’s hand disappeared. It was only for a moment, though.
He roared behind me, and his fist slammed into my scales the moment I was at the apex of my breath. My body lurched forward and shifted from human to dragon fluidly. There hadn’t even been a single crack of bones. It was so quick that it was jarring.
A bout of flames left my mouth as I roared. Except that I hadn’t roared. I wasn’t in control. My mind froze, unsure of what was happening. Something forced my dragon forward.
Surging into the sky, I had no control over my body.
Bursting through the clouds, we climbed higher and higher.
Dad’s dragon joined us, streaming into the sky together.
He seemed to try to corral my dragon, except that all my dragon wanted to do was fly north.
I felt his need to go north as though I needed it more than I needed to breathe.
My dragon felt frustrated because Dad blocked our route.
Eventually, my dragon snapped at him, but Dad wasn’t having it.
He flew up and then slammed down on top of us, pushing us to the ground.
Holding us down, I tried to take back control.
My core was roaring out of control, but I did my best to rein him in.
Nothing was working. Mom and Beau had come out, watching from the sidelines as Dad roared at my dragon. He was trying to get him to give me back control. I could feel his defiance and his feeling of betrayal, aimed at me. As though I had done this to us.
We struggled for at least ten minutes, my dragon breaking free once before Dad got him down again.
I kept trying as well, but he wasn’t having it.
There was another roar above us, and an earth-dragon landed ahead of us.
My dragon tried to let out a bout of fire at it, but Dad put his foot down on our mouth.
Struggling under the full weight of my dad’s dragon, he continued to fight. Until almost immediately, they went slack. I was confused. All the fight drained out of him against my dad. He was still refusing to allow me to take over, but he didn’t move as Dad stepped off us.
I focused on what he was seeing, and I was surprised to see Colton, a hand on our snout. He was smiling softly, speaking even softer. I couldn’t understand it, and I realized he was speaking Ancient Draconic. Whatever he was saying was subduing my dragon’s rage.
They talked for about five minutes. I felt like a spectator.
Dad had shifted back to his human form, a smile on his face as he watched his apprentice.
Mom and Beau were even smiling. I didn’t understand what was going on.
The wolf touched his forehead touched out snout for a moment before he stepped back. Suddenly, I was thrust forward.
Immediately, I shifted back into my human form. I gasped, on all fours, as I tried to ground myself in the grass. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of me. A hand touched my shoulder, and I focused on the touch for a moment as I breathed.
Looking up, my eyes widened as I saw Colton squatting in front of me. He was watching me, as though waiting for me to say something. Instead, I put my head back down. Sobs wracked my body, and his small arms wrapped around me. My head fell onto his shoulder.
For so long, I thought I was broken. I thought I wasn’t worth saving. My dragon was part of my soul. A part of who I was. It was the reason why I struggled after he was gone.
Except he wasn’t gone. He was inside me.
My core was alight again. I’d gotten so used to the isolation and cold emptiness.
Now, I felt scorching hot. My flames spread over me.
Everything I had stuffed down burst out of me all at once.
All in the arms of this little wolf shifter.
He didn’t say anything, just held me. I didn’t want to admit it, but I felt the same way as I did when my mom hugged me. It felt like home.