10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Mattias
There was something bittersweet about returning home with so few of the dragons we’d hoped to rescue from Caspian’s herd.
For as much as my mate felt responsible for not bringing help back to them in time to prevent the loss of lives that had taken place in his absence, I felt just as deeply to blame.
The ocean was my domain. What happened to those who dwelled in it ultimately rested on my shoulders.
I’d been unaware of there being anything amiss with the lampreys.
The parasitic bloodsuckers were a creature I’d hardly paid any attention to over the years, which in hindsight, made them the perfect tool for our enemies to utilize.
Spending my days helping to assemble the new homes Amaru and his herd picked out was penance, as well as a means to vent some of the frustration I felt through physical activity.
I wasn’t the only one, either.
My brothers spent as much time out here as I did, as did my mates, and Torin and Quint, despite having just discovered one another.
As each protectors’ mate was discovered, the time we actually had to devote to them had grown shorter, much like my temper.
Hammering another nail in place felt good.
Watching a tiny house village slowly take shape felt even better.
Each home was crafted to resemble a miniature version of a New England seaside cottage, with front porches wide enough for a couple of chairs and windows that faced the ocean.
My private beach was no longer private, but it was safe, even more so now that Raven had strengthened the wards here.
With the cliff face serving as a backdrop as well as a wind buffer, the cove was protected.
Hurley, one of the few Elders besides Amaru who’d survived the relentless attacks by the Gorynych, had opted to have his home built on the peak overlooking the cove.
Not only that, but he’d requested it be a miniature lighthouse, so he could help keep watch on what remained of his people.
On the opposite peak, a member of the herd named Sebastian had asked for one to match, the pair insisting that they would coordinate their efforts to keep the cove under constant surveillance until things were safe again.
Baird’s people moved amongst them, all skilled builders, they aided in the construction efforts, while Upalo and Ronan’s people lent their metalworking gifts to the cause.
Patio chairs, lanterns, they were thrilled to use their talents again while helping the latest wave of newcomers get settled in.
The spirit of cooperation wasn’t unique to the compound either.
Larkin’s reports were filled with similar instances of longstanding members of Dragon City helping new dragons assimilate to life here in our mountains.
Most arrived with next to nothing. Some were frightened, fleeing atrocities, and struggling to find their footing after their lives had been turned upside-down.
All were welcomed as long as they came in peace and wished to live in harmony.
As the sun began to set, I headed inside with my mates to clean up and finally launch the first part of the surprise I’d been cooking up for them for the past few days.
“Caspian, make certain that you dress warmly after you shower and put on socks,” I said as I urged him toward the bathroom door.
If I joined them in there, we’d never leave, so I’d use the shower in the guest bathroom tonight.
“Why do I need socks when you have a perfectly functional fireplace?” Caspian grumbled.
“Because we aren’t staying in tonight,” I declared.
“Ohhh, okay, mysterious surprise, huh? I like that,” he replied and ducked into the bathroom, while Kes eyed me skeptically.
“Since I don’t need to dress warmly, what would be your wardrobe suggestion for me?” Kes asked with a flirty little smirk. I loved how with each passing day the shell he’d hid behind chipped away.
Was he flirting with me?
Odem would know if this was flirting. He was the king of flirting.
In fact, Ronan would know too, he was just as bad, though only when it came to my brother, who he was extremely possessive of.
It felt good coming from Kes, who always seemed to restrain himself before fully allowing his playful side to shine through.
Sometimes I worried that he was afraid of getting too comfortable here with us.
Whether that was ingrained in him from years of constant travel with Upalo and Canyon, or if Kes still expected us to reject him, was impossible to determine.
It might even be a mix of both. I knew trust would take time to forge but there were times when I wished I could just track down everyone who’d ever hurt him and hurl them into the furthest depths of the sea.
We just might get that wish, human.
Aye, but loss of life is never a first choice nor is polluting our beloved waters.
Hmph.
My dragon and I were quite protective of our mates.
“Wear something comfortable,” I said, trailing my fingertips down his arm, “and socks, because if you don’t, he won’t want to.”
“I heard that!” Caspian called out over the running water. “And you’re absolutely right.”
“I’ll wear them,” Kes said before surprising the hell out of me when he went up on tiptoe and brushed a tender kiss over my lips.
Was it odd to feel giddy over being kissed by one’s mate when that wasn’t the first kiss we’d shared? It was the first he’d initiated, though. To me that was better than the first time I’d kissed him.
The only thing I took with me across the hall was my robe, since I did not intend to be in human form for the first part of the date, one I couldn’t take credit for. It was my dragon who’d come up with the idea, inspired by a few of the animated movies Kes and Caspian had shared with me.
The look on my mates faces when they came downstairs to find me in that robe…my dragon’s chuckle filled the room and my mates instantly ceased protesting my request that they get dressed.
“You won’t need those,” I told them when they reached for their shoes. “The socks will be fine.”
“Works for me, I hate shoes,” Caspian muttered.
“Entirely too restricting,” Kes declared.
“I’m not fond of them myself,” I said as I led them outside.
I shifted beneath the stars and lay down, spread my wings flat, and urged them to climb on.
Allow me to be your chariot tonight, I thought to them.
“How unique,” Caspian said as he carefully climbed on my back. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this model before.”
“Definitely a classic though,” Kes said, rubbing his cheek against my side before climbing up. “Just feel these lines.”
My dragon rumbled with pleasure and waited for our mates to get settled before launching into the sky.
We promised to show you the city. The best way is from the air.
Better than a flying carpet, Kes gushed.
I loved that it had taken him no time at all to get where my dragon and I had been coming from.
The last thing I expected was for him to take it one step further and start singing the song while I flew.
I could feel some of the sadness that had weighed so heavily on Caspian melted away as Kes held him while I gently turned and flew toward the city.
Look, I can see lights, Caspian said as the song came to an end.
It’s beautiful at night, Kes murmured.
It truly was. Our small city was thriving as tiny artisan shops began cropping up in the front rooms of dragons who’d opted to work from home and craft beautiful treasures as a means of supporting themselves.
We had an ice cream parlor now, three doors down from the diner, and rumor had it that there would be a bakery soon too.
I couldn’t wait to see what else the industrious dragons of our fair city created next.
Banking left, we flew them past the park, where someone sat playing their guitar for a group of teenaged dragons sprawled out on the lawn.
My wings, able to produce great gusts of wind or waves of water if we clapped them together too hard, barely made a sound as we dipped low enough to listen to the chorus of the song before flying away.
We circled the library, so they could see the fountain out front of three dragonets holding books, while another sat listening with his book on his head.
The colorful LED lights made the water change colors, and my dragon and I delighted in the sound of our mates oohing and ahhing at the sight.
I flew them past the theater, which was up to two screens now.
They still played classic movies on the first Wednesday of every month, something my mates might be interested in viewing one day, though to be honest, I preferred my den and had considered turning it into an in-home theater, with how much the two of them enjoyed the moving pictures.
As far as surprises went, the idea certainly had merit and would be something to look into in the morning.
Right now, we had more sightseeing to do before we moved on to phase two.
I flew them past the small but thriving marketplace, as well as the shop Ronan had raided for baby clothes the moment he discovered he was having girls.
Look at all the tiny baby things, Caspian cooed.
We get to shop there, right? Kes asked.
Absolutely.
That’s going to be so exciting! Caspian declared.
There was a home goods shop and hardware store, a pottery studio and one that sold beautiful stained glass sun catchers, plant stakes, wind chimes and other garden accessories.
As we passed the submarine sandwich shop, my dragon remembered what else was out this way and flew past the end of the street, skimming the treetops to reach the frozen pond on the other side of Dragon City.
The full moon reflected off the pristine ice, so perfect that I knew only another ice dragon, like Kes, could have made it so.
Dragons of all ages ice skated here, not that my dragon needed skates to gracefully glide across the ice with our mates clinging to our back, giggling before we took to the skies again.