Dragon Eggs Under the Tree (Starscale Mates #4)

Chapter Six

Brender

“Sorry about the tree. If I knew you were bringing a kid over, I wouldn’t have told everyone I could play today,” Oliver said, smelling remorseful.

“I didn’t know I was bringing a kid over when I left the house. I didn’t expect to do anything besides bake cookies and come home to you still gaming.”

“My friends are online. They all live on 1.”

“Make friends here then or fly over to see them.”

“We like the game.”

“I like that game – sometimes,” I admitted, handing him another box of ornaments. “It’s okay to play it sometimes but I was counting on you today. Kid or no kid, mate or no mate, I like having a living tree. I like not murdering a tree just to decorate it. It was my favorite part of the holiday as a kid. It was always like we had a visitor from the woods living with us for a month or so.”

“My favorite part was you coming to visit.”

“Now you have a munchkin that’s going to look up to you,” I pointed out. “One who I’ve been told has separation anxiety.”

“He didn’t seem too anxious when you guys got here.”

“I think that’s because his dragon has already accepted me into the family. Can’t say the same for his dad. He’s not thrilled that I brought Saer here to save the tree without waiting for him to say it was okay.”

“I can talk to him. It was my fault,” Oliver frowned, pushing the stack of boxes closer to the ladder that led back down into the main house.

“No,” I shook my head. “Make friends with your new brother-in-law and nephew but stay out of our relationship. You screwed up with the game and tree, but it was me who brought kiddo here.”

“So, am I going to be living alone?” Oliver asked, looking back at me over his shoulder.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what Stellan wants to do. I don’t know how fast he wants to move.”

“Isn’t that like killing you?” Oliver asked. “It’s supposed to if everyone is to be believed.”

“Like you couldn’t imagine, baby brother,” I shrugged. “But it’s his life too.”

“What would your old arena friends say about that?”

“You have some messed up ideas about my friends. Most of them have mates of their own by now or at least have a spouse or partner. Sure, we had some wild days but not in the way you’re thinking. I haven’t heard of you going on many dates but either way let me give you some advice – advice our parents probably gave you but you ignored – if you have to pressure someone into it, it’s never gonna be fun. You’re also an asshole but that’s something you should already know.”

“But mates should want to, right?” he asked.

“That’s complicated. Let’s get this stuff down there before Saer explodes from eating too much pizza.”

“Too much pizza? How can you suggest such a thing exists and still call yourself a dragon?” he laughed.

***

Decorating the Yuletide tree took much longer than I anticipated. While I worked with kids, I’d forgotten how long they take to do everything. I didn’t mind watching Saer carefully consider where each and every ornament should go after Oliver and I strung on the lights and garland. I’d never tire of watching Stellan’s face light up watching his hatchling explore the various Yuletide bobbles I’d collected over the years. He didn’t even frown at the little ceramic sword with a big gift bow tied to its hilt. A fan made that one for me back when I still fought in the arena.

“It’s really coming down now,” Oliver announced, glancing out the window as we cleaned up the mess we’d somehow made with empty boxes.

“It’s dark,” Saer announced. “Are we going home in the dark?”

He didn’t smell like he enjoyed the thought of that at all. I almost invited them to stay the night. It was only right. They were family now but Stellan and I still hadn’t talked about my and Saer’s little adventure.

“Maybe,” Stellan glanced at me.

“Would you like to stay the night?” I asked Stellan, choosing my words very carefully. “We have enough room for everyone. Place is so big you’d think our parents planned on two dozen kids instead of two.”

“What do you say, kiddo?” Stellan asked the yawning Saer.

“Okay,” Saer gave a hesitant nod.

“If you want to go home, we will,” Stellan said.

“Are you afraid to stay?” Saer asked, sitting down next to his dad.

“Only a little,” Stellan grinned.

“Me too.”

“So? What do you think? Too scary to stay?” Stellan asked him and I held my breath.

Thinking of Stellan on another world was out of the question. Fuck. Stellan being across the room was almost out of the question. Everything inside me wanted to cross the room and carry him upstairs to my bed.

“I think we can stay,” Saer yawned.

I shot Oliver a look I hoped he read as ‘don’t game all fucking night and keep them up,’ but didn’t stick around to follow up on that. Instead, I headed upstairs to ensure the one guest room that hadn’t been upcycled to another purpose was ready for my mate and his hatchling. Saer followed me up the steps, yawning every step of the way.

“I didn’t bring my pajamas.”

“One night without them will be okay. I think.”

Fortunately, there were sheets on the bed in the guest room because Saer didn’t give me time to consider changing them. Kid climbed right in and pulled the blankets over his head. His eyes drifted closed and he was out before Stellan caught up with us.

“Look what you did,” Stellan laughed. “You tired him out today. I’ve never seen him so talkative around other people.”

“Am I forgiven then?” I asked hopefully.

“Maybe. As long as you don’t run off with him again and after today, he might encourage that behavior,” Stellan said, leaning in the doorway.

“Maybe he needed an adventure.”

“He probably did,” Stellan gave an inch, “but I didn’t need the heart attack.”

“I tried to tell you.”

“You didn’t wait for an answer.”

“Thought you were busy.”

“Phone was dead as a rotten scale.”

“You’re hot when you smell agitated,” I said before I could stop the words from coming out of my mouth.

“You’re a A-S-S-H-O-L-E to use that line right now,” he shook his head.

“Maybe but it’s true. You were hot before you were agitated too.”

“If we hadn’t just met this morning, I’d slug you.”

“K-I-N-K-Y!” I laughed. “How long do we have to know each other before that’s on the table?”

“Longer than tonight.”

“Okay,” I nodded, feeling a pang of longing shoot through me. “There are some clothes from when I was younger in that wardrobe.” I pointed to the oak monstrosity my carrier had bought at one point or another. “They should fit you. Night.”

I squeezed past Stellan and left him to get ready for bed. A better brother might’ve headed downstairs to help Oliver clean up after our little party but I’d cleaned up after him enough. Instead, I headed into my room and stripped down to nothing before hitting the shower.

“He’s in our house!” My dragon protested as I turned on the hot water. “How can he stay down the hall?! This isn’t how this works! Do I need to tell him how it works?”

“I’m glad he can’t hear you right now,” I grunted back to him as I stepped under the water. “I’m sure he’d have some choice words for both of us if he could. He knows how it works. It doesn’t work like it did for our parents or grandparents and it shouldn’t. It shouldn’t bother me that he’s not tearing my door off the hinges to get in here with me. It shouldn’t bother me that he wants to wait.”

“But it does,” my inner beast pointed out.

I swallowed a roar and turned my face up into the water.

“Not doing that,” my dragon shook his massive head.

“Not doing what, jackass?”

“Nope. Our mate is down the hall. Go get him. This isn’t a self-service station!”

“It is tonight,” I shrugged.

My fingertips tingled again, and his claws tried to work their way out. I struggled against him to maintain control but in the end the scaley fucker won. Any other night, I’d have gone downstairs and had a brandy but with Saer around I didn’t want to chance him stumbling upon me drinking. What sort of example would that be?

I held my hands with the dragon claws where the fingernails should be up under the water after I switched it to cold. My hopes of freezing him out didn’t last long. The bastard was always hot under the scales and enjoyed a good cold swim. Usually, so did I.

“Both you assholes are working against me,” I muttered under my breath and got out of the tub before he decided to shift anything else into his form.