Page 19 of Dragon, Actually
“I’m Llyvia, queen of this hive. It’s much less serious than it sounds,” she adds quickly, noticing my awed expression. “More like a club president than human royalty, ha ha. I just wanted to let you know how happy we are that you’re finally here. We’ve been bugging Myrran for weeks to introduce us to his mate.”
A nervous giggle slips out of me. “Oh, the future wife thing is just a joke. We just met. We’ve only been on a couple dates.”
She raises a brow but doesn’t argue. “Right. He’s in the kitchen.” She nods toward the other end of the church, where one transept houses a gleaming open kitchen, the other a busy, inviting dining area with long wooden tables. I spot his emerald-green scales right away.
“Thanks for the warm welcome,” I say to Llyvia. Should I curtsy or something? I hope I’m not breaking some kind of dragon etiquette and embarrassing Myrran.
“You’re always welcome here. In fact, I hope you stay for a long time.” She pats my shoulder, sounding sincere. Myrran wasn’t exaggerating about their preference for communal living, I guess. “See you at the feast tonight.”
As I approach the kitchen area, Myrran turns and spots me, his familiar grin easing my nerves. “You made it,” he says, relief clear in his voice. He looks incredibly handsome in a black button-down shirt that sets off his green scales.
“So did Mr. Whiskers,” I say, nodding to the cat carrier weighing down my right arm. Mr. Whiskers gives a well-timed, miserable yowl.
“Perfect. Let me take him.”
I hand him the carrier, grateful for the help.
Another dragon waves at us from the kitchen, calling, “Is that Jewel? Bring her over here! I need her to taste the chiles en nogada to make sure it’s right!”
My mouth instantly starts watering. “You guys made chiles en nogada?!”
Myrran nods. “And walnut mole sauce for the roast chicken. And polvorones for dessert. They might not be exactly how your family makes them, but I wanted you to feel at home.”
“Wow.Wow,” I breathe, looking at him in awe, my heart fluttering inside my ribs like a thousand migrating butterflies. I’d mentioned my favorite foods so casually, but heremembered. Not only that, he’d hunted down recipes and actually cooked them for me. “That’s so incredibly thoughtful. Like, I know you’re a thoughtful person and do nice things for all your friends, but this is above and beyond.”
“Youare above and beyond,” he shoots back, sounding serious. “Listen. Before we go taste the food, I need to talk to you about something. Privately.”
A sneaking suspicion curls around me like a dragon tail. “Sure,” I say, my stomach flipping. “We should get the cat settled anyway.”
He leads me to his room—or lair, as he calls it—where a huge nest of blankets and pillows dominates the space. He sets the carrier down gently and turns to face me, his expression grim.
My excitement morphs into nervousness. “What’s going on, Myrran?”
He rubs the back of his neck. “Hear me out. I know we’re not that serious yet. Don’t worry—this isn’t me proposing or anything.”
“That’s…good?” I say, uncertain where he’s going with this.
“It’s not good.” He sighs deeply. “I’ve been keeping something major from you because I didn’t want to upset you.”
My heart sinks. “What is it? Just tell me.”
I steel myself for the worst. If I can handle the overt criticism of my body and face during go-sees, I can handle anything. A criminal past. A secret baby. Gambling debt. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.
“We dragons…we don’tdate.”
“What are youtalkingabout?” I shake my head, confused. “We’ve literally been on a date. Is this some weird friends-with-benefits conversation where you’re warning me not to catch feelings or something?”Too late for that.
He grunts impatiently. “No. Fuck. I’m screwing this up. When we scent our alokoi—our mate—the bond is permanent. It’s why we don’t date casually. It’s never casual for us.”
“Wait. You scentedme?” I ask, the pieces clicking into place. Why he brought a giftwrap girl two kinds of dinner even though we’d just met. Why he was so upset when I left the restaurant without saying goodbye. Why he didn’t think anything of inviting me to stay over for Christmas. Why Llyvia called me his mate.
He nods. “You’re my alokoi. This might feel casual to you because you’re human, but for me…it’s forever.”
Forever?My mind whirls. What does that even mean for us? Am I supposed to just…accept it and move in? Is there some kind of initiation I have to do or test to pass? Can we have children together? Does hewantkids?
“So…have I scared you off completely?” He looks at me uncertainly, trying to gauge my reaction. He’s so sweet. Not just to me, but to everyone. And even though that made me insecure at first, it also tells me what kind of person he is. He’s always going to be kind and thoughtful and family-oriented, because that’s who he is.
As I stare back at him, my heart pounding as I imagine a lifetime with him, I realize that I’m not scared of the idea. Not even a little. “Nope, still here.”
