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“Elliot! You are not to explore alone.”

“Wif unicorn!”

Orion whistled, pulling out more waffles. Nope. Not touching this convo.

“Now I know that Orion did not come up and take you out of your bedroom.”

Elliot just blinked innocently. “I hungy.”

Oh, I hate when they challenge each other.Cullen rolled his eyes.Hawk needs to come home. Cosmo’s tired.

Orion nodded, and Corbin poured more coffee.

Cosmo just stared at his son, and Elliot stared back, the air just sort of crackling between them.

Are they always like this?

Oh yeah. Elliot’s stubborn. It doesn’t help that he’s super dragony. He responds way better to Hawk. I think he’s going to be one of those huge ponderous dragons, you know? I can feel it in my bones. The good news is, that Elliot’s basically lovable, and he loves his dads. He’s sort of like a pit bull. He wants to please, but he really also has a little bit of obsessive tendencies and he’s a little stubborn.

Are you a pit bull too?Orion teased, though he knew better.

Cullen was more like a border collie. Quick, clever, easily bored, equipped with a desperate need for something to do, and awfully pretty.

Oh no, I’m totally more like a Pomeranian. A vampire Pomeranian.

Suddenly there was a low laugh, and Hawk came swooping in, his arms full of baskets of god knew what kind of fruit and a bunch of bread and rolls and bright blue flowers that he offered to Cosmo with a kiss.

How fascinating.

“Sorry, am I in time for breakfast?” Hawk’s eyes belied his breezy attitude. “Are the waffles ready?”

“They are getting there. I am a waffle-making machine.”

“Elliot, tell your father you’re sorry.”

Elliot gave Hawk a cheery smile. “Sorry!”

Cosmo stared, then dropped the flowers on the table with a thud. “I’m going back upstairs. You can be with your son and enjoy your breakfast.” Cosmo didn’t even storm off. He just walked away.

“Do you not want waffles?” Corbin asked.

“No.”

Hawk sighed and shook his head. “Son, I swear by all I hold holy. I’m not sure I’m going to survive you being a teenager. I’ll take Cosmo a plate in a bit.”

“Is he all right?” Orion hated having so much drama, and Cosmo seemed so grumpy.

“This pregnancy has been tough. He’s been sick the whole time. The healers in Lunastra say that he’s fine—his magics are a little unbalanced.” Hawk glanced at Elliot, who was now happily playing with a couple of bright stones the magpie had brought over. “This one’s not helping. He’s just such a dragon. What are we going to do when hormones hit?”

Cullen shook his head and smiled. “Just send him down to Cade. I bet Cade and Poe could deal with him just fine.”

“Now who were they?” There were so many names, and Orion hadn’t gotten to meet any of them yet.

Give him time. It hadn’t even been a week, he thought.

Cullen offered him a warm smile. “You know how we’re a portal now? Go to the Land of Summer on one door, the human world out another, and then if you go out through Cosmo’s house, then you end up in Lunastra. That’s the dragon world. I’m pretty sure you don’t get to go there.”

“And why not?”