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“Absolutely. And this is my little gargoyle.”

Cosmo growled. “He’s not a gargoyle.”

“He perches better than anyone I know. He can be incredibly still, and he is absolutely granite colored. Aren’t you my little gargoyle?”

“Gar grill.” Elliot beamed and then looked at his father and roared. “GAR GRILL, DA!”

“I have a headache. I’m going to go upstairs and die,” Cosmo said.

They all stared a moment, then Elliot kind of whimpered and snuggled in.

“Don’t worry, little gargoyle. Your da’s head just hurts. He’s very busy making another baby.”

“Rocks?”

“Possibly. It could possibly be making the baby out of rocks. You never know with your fathers.”

Cullen, you know that that’s not true.

Oh, don’t start with me.Cullen shook his head.Until the point wherein someone can come up with a better answer, we’re sticking with rocks. Right, Uncle Corbin, or do you want to try to explain?

“I like rocks. We could totally go play with rocks, all three of us somewhere not in here.” Good brother.

“You so have a point, brother. I’m starving, and everything makes Cosmo puke. Let’s go outside and cook something stinky.”

Burgers and bacon with blue cheese.

I do love it when you’re alliterative.

Cullen and Corbin looked at each other and then started to giggle. “Do you wanna go make burgies, little dragon? I mean little gargoyle?”

“Burgies! Burgies wif cheese!”

“All right, burgies with cheese. Eddie, are you coming?” The huge magpie that was little Elliot’s constant companion and best friend came swooping down, brushing the little boy’s toes with his wing and cawing loudly.

“There’s nothing that bird likes more than to sit on the grill and pick hamburger. Which door do you want to go out of?”

“Oh, let’s go out into the front. It’s summer out there. It’s bitter cold in Lunastra. I mean, unless you wanna go see Mother in the Summerl?—”

“No, no.” Corbin glanced at Elliot.She’s on a tear. She’s all frustrated about something with Dad, and I don’t want to get in the middle of it, so let’s just not.

Fair enough, I don’t want any trouble. Especially not with their mom. She was a fae high born and could be very…imperious.

They headed out to the human realm, which was one of the directions their house faced. The day was sunny but not too hot, and it would be perfect for grilling.

Corbin set up the grill. Corbin loved to grill stuff, and they were all dragon enough to love meat, which made their mother roll her eyes.

Even though they were out in the human realm, Cullen didn’t bother to glamour any of them. With their fae blood, they never looked really human unless he magicked it, but they were somewhere that they couldn’t be seen from the road or hiking trails, so they went with natural. Which meant Cullen was in his violet splendor, and Corbin was an electric green. Little Elliot was silvery gray all over, and he was so adorable.

Hawk, who was Cosmo’s mate, would join them soon, he would bet. The big guy had been over in Lunastra, or the dragonlands so to speak, for a meeting.

“Grill ahoy!” Corbin called.

He chuckled, watching Eddie the magpie swooping and dive-bombing Corbin, waiting for food.

Elliot waved at him. “More twicks.”

“More? Greedy little dragon.”