Rowan
The absolute audacity of Byron to send an enforcer to try and drag Allison back! I was ready to scream, to find anything to throw at the guy if I ever had the displeasure of seeing his stupid face.
“I don’t know how you had the restraint to deal with him,” I growled and stomped out of the clinic lobby. “I would’ve punched him in the face if I had dragon strength.”
“You’re cute when you’re murderous.” Nix smiled, sidling up to me and throwing an arm around me, which I quickly shrugged off. I was too angry for snuggles.
Greylen chuckled. “Why don’t you stop irritating our mate? Griffin needs help organizing a few cabin moves with all these horde politics.”
“Fine…” he whined, kissing the top of my head.
“I need to go, too. I want to make sure that the new cameras at the front of the den are up and running. You’ll be okay?” Grey pressed against me, holding me in his arms for a moment.
I smiled, patting him on the cheek. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl. I know how to take care of myself.”
“And she’s got plenty of support when she finally decides to accept it,” Bastian added, and I shot him a withering look.
Grey just chuckled. “Perfect. I’ll check in after a few hours, then.”
Kissing me, he squeezed me against his chest, then slowly slipped away and left to go check on yet another of the improved security measures that he’d become obsessed with. The clinic quieted, and I let out a sigh, starting back toward Ma’s room.
“I should get back to Ma. We c—”
“Nope,” Bastian cut me off, grabbing me by the shoulders from behind and guiding me through the door. “Nina is taking care of icing the burn.”
“Bastian! I—Ugh. Where are we going?” I asked, resolving to go with him because I was too tired to put up much of a fight.
“You need to rest and eat. Ma is stable, you can take a few hours.”
I shook my head. The idea of doing anything for myself instead of looking after my patients felt wrong, especially in this case. Ma had been attacked because of me. Fucking Cyrus had gone after Celia—because I ran. Ma deserved everything I could give her, even if that left me a bit haggard.
“She needs me. I can’t leave her. I’ll just grab something to eat at the clinic. I’ve got some protein bars stashed in here,” I argued, doing my best to reassure Bastian as we crossed the lawn and entered through the back door into the kitchen.
“No. Sit,” he ordered as he shuffled me toward one of the small tables.
I collapsed into the chair, glaring at him, but he didn’t seem even slightly fazed as he went over to the kitchen cabinets and opened them, pulling down a plate and then a small can, which I guessed was some sort of condensed soup.
The large family kitchen, usually a bustling hub of activity, was oddly quiet without Ma.
“Who’s dealing with meals while Ma…?” I asked, looking around at the desolate space.
“Most dragons are fending for themselves. All the cabins have their own kitchen, and people regularly cook. We’ve just always liked hosting meals here to keep everyone together. Without Ma, though, that’s falling to the wayside.”
My stomach clenched, and I really did not have any appetite. “I can see that.”
“I’m nowhere near as good a cook as her, but I can make grilled cheese and tomato soup.” As Bastian spoke, he pulled out a loaf of bread and a pan and got to work.
He grabbed butter and cheese from the fridge, then pulled out a small pot to get the soup heating on the stove.
It was such a silly, simple thing, but I’d never seen Bastian attempt to cook, or spend much time in the kitchen at all.
He’d been avoiding me pretty avidly for so long, but now he was here, cooking for me.
It was sweet, despite the guilt I still felt.
“What if I don’t like grilled cheese?” I snarked, narrowing my eyes at Bastian, but there was no real fight in my voice. I was too exhausted, which I supposed was his point. Damn him for being so observant.
But I didn’t mean the thought in the slightest. I was just grumpy about actually needing to care for myself.
It felt wildly inconvenient that I couldn’t just forgo sleep and food until after Ma got better.
The ability to turn those things off would be fantastic, a little superpower I could use as a better healer.
I’d never been very good at caring for myself; I was always last on my priority list.
Bastian turned to me, still holding the frying pan, brow raised. “Since you came here, I’ve watched you shove so many of these into your mouth that I wondered if you believed it to be a food group of its own.”
My cheeks heated, and I shot him a small smile back, leaning my elbows on the table. “Oh, yeah? You’ve been watching me?”
I couldn’t resist batting my lashes at him.
He chuckled and went back to work.
The kitchen fell into easy silence as I watched Bastian cook. He set the pan on the stove and put the pot next to it, cracking open the can of tomato soup and pouring it in. He used the can to add the necessary water and then turned the stove on low.
Next was the sandwich. I was utterly absorbed in watching him spread the butter on the bread, before flipping it butter-side down in the small cast-iron skillet.
He put the slice of cheese on the bread, then reached for a bottle of an unknown spice and shook a bit on top.
After buttering the other piece of bread, he put it on top of the sandwich and turned on the heat.
It was only a few more minutes before Bastian was plating my sandwich, cutting it diagonally, and pouring the soup into a mug.
“You know, I’ve always put my tomato soup in a mug like that.” I grinned at him as Bastian brought me the food and sat down next to me.
“I know.” He said it like it was nothing, and I cocked my head at him. “I’ve made these for you before.”
I let that one sit with me for a minute. I couldn’t remember him making them for me, but it pleased me that he remembered. “Thank you, Bastian. I really appreciate it. Then and now.”
“No problem,” he grinned, nudging the plate toward me. “Eat up.”
“You don’t need to babysit me. Surely you should be helping the others with horde stuff?” I asked, lifting the sandwich to my mouth.
He shook his head. “No. I’m exactly where I’m needed. If I’m honest, I want them to take the lead for a while, anyway.”
“How come?” I cocked my head to the side, taking a bite and moaning at how good it tasted. This was definitely not a protein bar.
Bastian chuckled but quickly sobered. “Well, this is their horde, too. I think, even when we became a clan, a small part of me still saw myself as the leader, as the next ‘rightful’ Alpha.”
He used air quotes around rightful, and I didn’t miss the way he glared at nothing in particular, thinking of his father, no doubt.
“I think a small degree of that is understandable, considering who you were raised by.” I shot him a look, and we both sighed through a sarcastic scoff.
But Bastian shook his head after a moment. “I am nothing like him. I allowed his attitude to rub off on me. It didn’t hit me until recently just how bad it had gotten. I wanted to please that man, but he’s willing to hurt people to get what he wants. I can’t—won’t—be like that.”
“I imagine it was quite the shock.” I picked up my soup, blowing across the surface and then taking a sip.
It was so simple, but the taste was exactly how I remembered.
That familiar comfort warmed me inside and out.
I quickly dunked the sandwich into the soup, embracing the simple joy of what Bastian had made for me.
He snorted. “It was… like the ground had been ripped out from under me, and I landed on broken glass. All I can do is try to fix it, though. It’s the best I can do to show the horde that I’m not like him, that I would never hurt them like he did.”
Silence surrounded us again, mainly because I was feasting on the grilled cheese and soup, devouring them. I didn’t realize how hungry I was, and when I picked up the mug to have another sip, it was empty.
“There’s more in the pot. Hold on.”
I smiled when Bastian stood, taking my mug and refilling it for me. My stomach didn’t feel hollow, which was something after surviving on protein bars and water for a few days now.
As Bastian walked back over to me, I asked what’d been lingering in my head. “How do you want to go about fixing things with the horde? I have confidence that you can, but you should know that it’s going to be a lot. He’s done so much harm.”
Bastian placed the mug of soup in front of me again and took the empty plate, sinking into the dining chair once more.
“I’m going to be a better Alpha than my father. I’m going to listen and take responsibility. I’m going to divide the power the way I should have long ago.”
I couldn’t help but snort. “You’re aware that the bar is extremely low. All you need to remember is not to try to murder people. And look at that. Oh my God, you’re way better!”
Playfully shoving me, Bastian narrowed his eyes.
“And I’m going to listen to you. You’ve been a threat to my father since we met.
I think it’s because he knew—maybe in the back of his head—that you were going to change me, make me better, less…
restrictive, less set on keeping everything the way it was. ”
My mouth dropped open, and I stared at him for a moment.
Still, a smile slowly spread across my face, because I could really see that Bastian was trying.
He had good intentions, and he was willing to listen.
That spoke volumes. The sincerity in his expression made my insides feel…
mushy? It was hard to put my finger on it.
“Well, keep up stuff like this”—I gestured between us, still grinning at him—“and I think you’ll be on the right path.”
He nodded, looking me dead in the eyes, his hand reaching out to rest over the one of mine that was on the table. “If I’m walking beside you, I know I am.”