Chapter 9
I spent a bit of time cleaning up the snow that had blown onto the areas I’d already cleared and then shoveled a path to the hot tub. A tub that was calling my name. My leg twitched in reply.
Might be time for a relaxing soak. So what did my dumb ass do? When I went back inside, I dusted off my man card and said, “I’m going for a dip in the hot tub, want to join?” And no, I didn’t ask just so I could see Nicky half-dressed.
Okay, maybe a little. A lot. Dammit.
“That sounds delightful, but I don’t have a suit,” Nicky stated, looking slightly bummed.
The man in me wanted to say, “Go naked,” but I wasn’t a pig. Instead, I said, “Wear the t-shirt. I can loan you another to wear after.”
“Really?” Her expression brightened only to immediately drop. “I’ll have to pass. I can’t leave Zaza alone and hot tubs are too hot for children her age.”
“I can lower the temperature.” Excuse, did I just really say that?
The smile returned. “That would be so nice. I’ll get Zaza ready, and don’t worry, I actually have two pairs of swimming diapers so she won’t make a mess.”
A relief since it hadn’t occurred to me that the baby might shit in the tub. “Sounds good.”
“I’m coming too,” Percy announced.
Why the hell not? The more of us in there, the less likely I’d do or say something stupid.
I hoped.
It took a few minutes for us to get organized and changed.
I wore my robe over my shorts and carried a few towels.
Nicky wore my shirt and a lumberjacket found hanging on a hook, which should have looked ridiculous with her bare legs peeping out.
Wrong. Sexy as fuck. And when she got in the tub and my dark shirt molded to her upper body… I needed a distraction, STAT!
I used Percy to keep myself from ogling and wanting what I couldn’t have. “So Percy, gotta ask, how do you know you’re a dragon?”
“Because, unlike humans, we are born with the knowledge of our maternal progenitor.”
Which then led to a back-and-forth as I tried to understand what that meant.
Basically, a mother dragon passed on all their knowledge—language, customs, geography, even politics—to her progeny. The only thing the kids didn’t inherit? Personal memories. Wild.
After that explanation, the next logical question seemed to be, “What’s a dragon’s purpose in life?”
“We collect treasure and expand our power and territory with the ultimate goal of ruling the world.”
I digested that last part of the reply and laughed. “No, seriously.”
“I am being serious,” Percy insisted. “It is our most fervent desire to become a dragon overlady.”
“Don’t you mean overlord?” I corrected.
“If I were male, I would,” Percy sassed.
“Wait, you’re a girl dragon?” I exclaimed.
“You thought I was a male?” squealed Percy. “How insulting.”
“I, uh, wasn’t sure what you were.”
“My genitals made it kind of clear,” Percy huffed.
“I honestly never looked.”
“Hmph.”
Nicky soothed the mistake over. “We should have known, given your lovely lashes.”
Odd I’d not noticed them until mentioned, and come to think of it, Percy did give off a bit of a feminine vibe. Being a man, I stuck my foot in my mouth again. “So, as a female dragon, does this mean you’re going to lay eggs?” And was it wrong to wonder if they were edible, like chicken ones?
“No. First off, my body has more maturing to go through before it’s ready, and second, there is no point if there’s no male to fertilize them.”
“How do you know there’s no dude dragons?” I countered.
“If there were other dragons in the world, you wouldn’t be so woefully ignorant about my kind.”
Good point. “Shit. Guess so. Sorry about your luck. It must suck, knowing you’re the only one of your kind.”
“Not really. Less competition,” Percy said with a smile full of teeth.
“Is it possible there’s other eggs that haven’t hatched?” Nicky asked, drawing my gaze to her and the perfect peaches pushing through the wet fabric of the shirt.
Don’t look.
I averted my gaze.
“Oh, it’s very possible, and perhaps, once I’m more established, I’ll seek them out. Or not. Again, we don’t share very well, and why would I want to create issues with establishing my dominance?”
“Won’t you be lonely?” Nicky asked.
“Why would I be when I have you?” A statement spoken with no hesitation.
“You’re assuming we want to be your servants,” I countered. “Which I don’t.”
“And I’ve already told you there is no choice. You’ve been selected.”
“While I am honored, I’m afraid I won’t be around for much longer,” Nicky advised. “We’ve already imposed on Bruce enough as is.”
“You can’t leave,” Percy insisted. “I forbid it.”
I almost fist pumped until I reminded myself I needed Nicky to leave. Already I felt myself softening towards her. That would only lead to misery down the road.
“What Nicky does is not up to you,” I pointed out. “She’s planning to find a job and build a new life for her and Zaza.”
“Why would she do that when we will support her?” Percy sounded genuinely confused.
“Because it’s not Bruce’s place,” Nicky offered a firm reply. “He’s already been more than generous but it’s not up to him to provide for me and Zaza.”
My mouth opened, and I had to quickly rein in my tongue before it said, I don’t mind. How pathetic would I sound? The crippled soldier begging her to stay when she obviously wanted to leave.
Percy sniffed. “In olden days, it was a human male’s duty to care for females and their progeny.”
“Times have changed. Women fought for the right to live independently. It’s a good thing, wouldn’t you say? I mean, you’re female, too. You should be happy we’re no longer second-class citizens.”
Percy tossed her head and sniffed. “I said humans had the habit of denigrating females. We dragons never made a distinction between the sexes. With us, prestige comes with size, be it of our bodies, hoard, or conquered lands.”
“Should have called you Genghis,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Who is this Genghis?”
“A warlord who rampaged and defeated a great many armies to capture a vast amount of territory.”
“A male title wouldn’t have suited me,” Percy said with a shake of her head. “But I am curious how you chose the name Percy? Especially since you were unaware of my sex. What great things did this sexless Percy accomplish?”
I gaped and my mind whirred. How pissed would Percy be to discover I’d in fact named her as if she were a dude?
Nicky saved me. “Percy is actually short for Persephone, a fictional Greek Goddess who ruled over the dead and the underworld.”
“Oh, what a wondrous choice. A dragon is, after all, practically a god.” Percy preened but only for a second. “Wait, I thought you told me you didn’t know I was female?” Suspicious eyes narrowed on me.
“Percy is actually the unisex name created to honor the goddess, suitable for males and females,” Nicky replied.
I glanced at Nicky to mouth, ‘Thank you,’ because she’d saved me from dealing with an angry little lizard who might have tried to chew my ankles in rage.
“Persephone is quite a mouthful,” Percy mused aloud. “But it has a majestic tone to it. While you, as my closest servants, may continue to use Percy when addressing me, I shall expect you to introduce me to newcomers using my full name and my title, once I’ve selected the one I like best.”
“Title?” I repeated.
“You know, your majesty, empress, queen, warlady.” Percy spouted off a few. “I wish to study the languages a bit more to see which best resonates.”
My little dragon and her delusions of grandeur. “Moving away from names and titles, you mentioned getting rich. How are you going to do that?” Because I couldn’t exactly see Percy getting a job.
“By accumulating treasure, of course.” Percy rolled her eyes.
“Sounds like you’re planning to steal people’s stuff.”
“Hardly steal. If one can’t protect their possessions then that’s hardly my fault. Then there’s the wealth generated as I take people into my service and their assets become mine.”
“Whoa.” I held up a hand which Zaza took to be game as she slapped it.
When had she ended up on my lap? “I am not giving you my stuff.” Bad enough my ex took more than fifty percent of my asses, which had been quite a rude slap, considering she made more from her job than I did with the military.
At least I retained all the rights to my books and royalties.
“There is no giving,” Percy explained as if I were a simpleton. “It became mine the moment I selected you. Same as Nicky.”
“Hate to tell you, Percy, but I own pretty much nothing,” was Nicky’s wry reply.
“At least you have skill in the kitchen, so you’re forgiven.” Percy waved it off.
“Are you telling me, back in the day, a dragon just had to show up and people would hand over their stuff?”
“Of course not. Some protested.”
“And what happened to them?”
“Depended on the dragon. Those with fire would usually burn their homes to the ground. Those who witnessed tended to be eager afterwards to pledge their wealth and fealty.”
“Hold on, you’re saying dragons breathe fire?” That was kind of cool. I had a thing for flamethrowers. Got to use one a few times and damn, did it make a guy feel powerful.
“Fire, water, acid, and air are the main ones. Every dragon hatched will end up with an ability.”
“What’s yours?” Nicky asked.
It was so weird to see a little lizard shrugging. “I won’t know until I reach that stage of molting.”
“How many stages does it take?” Once more Nicky questioned.
“Some will see their power in as few as two. Others can take up to six, but that’s usually a result of poor feeding. Given my time since hatching, I should have been on my third or fourth shed by now.” Yes, a dragon could pout.
“I’m sure whatever power you get will be fabulous,” Nicky stated.
“Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I think Zaza needs to be dried off before she turns into a wrinkled prune.
” I was a gentleman—unwillingly—who looked away as the wet Nicky—wearing nothing but panties and a molded t-shirt—exited the tub. I was pretty proud of my self-control.
“You and the female will make a fine couple,” Percy declared once Nicky moved out of sight.
I just about choked. “Excuse me? We are not going to be anything.”
“Why not? You are obviously attracted to each other. She is without a provider. You without a wife.”
“That’s not how things work,” I muttered.
“Why not?”
“Because for one, she’s technically still married.”
“But abandoned her spouse, rendering her available again.”
“I doubt she’s even thinking of dating given she left an abusive relationship. Nicky’s focused on building a new life with Zaza.”
“Which she can do with you,” Percy insisted. “You could provide as well as protect her should her miscreant husband attempt to take her back.”
“I could, and would, but we don’t have to be a couple for me to do the right thing. Besides, she’s not interested in me romantically.”
That made Percy snort. “I keep forgetting how dumb you are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you are blind to the way she looks at you.”
How did she look at me? No. I wouldn’t go down that road.
“You’re imagining it,” was my harsh reply. “She has no need or use for a crippled ex-soldier with a drinking problem.”
“Are you whining about that little scar?”
“Little?” I couldn’t help an incredulous note.
I stood on the bench and pointed. “I’m missing a chunk of flesh.
In constant pain. I walk with a limp. And see how that scar bisects into my groin?
The doctors managed to save my balls”—which hadn’t been too certain when they’d stitched me up—“but the damage left me sterile, and you know what young, attractive women want.” I lowered my voice to hiss, “Babies. So no, Nicky is not interested in me, and even if she were, I’d turn her down because she deserves better. ”
And with that, I went stomping back into the chalet, thankfully without seeing Nicky, who was in the washroom with Zaza. I pounded up the stairs and threw myself into my chair and began to type.
It wasn’t hard to do because Brett was modeled after me, and in this chapter, he went through the same reality check I just had in the hot tub.
He told the girl to find someone more worthy. And then he went to go get drunk.
Lucky bastard.