Page 10 of Chosen: The Lenkov Journals

Theo

Theo waved to Ethan as his roommate stepped out of their dorm room carrying his hockey bag. Ethan was headed to his away game, leaving Theo alone for the weekend. Not that Theo would be alone for long.

He’d had to make do with only talking to his mates via text all week, except for Wylder. Wylder, Ethan, and Theo had met for meals and Wylder liked to walk Theo to different classes.

Mitch had portaled out of Dario’s apartment on Monday night at the summons of his sire and while Theo hadn’t gotten to see the demon hunter again, Mitch texted in the group message set up for all the mates.

Dario had flown out to New York for an emergency meeting. Aleksander was still in town, but he and his brother Evian were looking into the history of the dark elves. There was so much going on and Theo was supposed to be concentrating on his studies? Yeah, that wasn’t easy.

Theo had spent more time in the library than ever before.Most of that reading through the Lenkov journals and sharing with Wylder what he read.

He’d gotten all his work done except one paper due at the end of the next week. So Theo wasn’t behind on his schoolwork—it just wasn't holding his attention. Although Theo should have time to work on his paper and read more of the journals sometime that weekend. Even if they were all meeting up at Dario’s apartment to spend a few uninterrupted days together.

Being forced to spend all his time away from his mates and on his schoolwork made Theo tense. Wylder was picking him up to take him to Dario’s place soon. He still had an hour before Wylder was due. Wylder had to work his shift at the campus bookstore before he was free for the weekend.

For the first time, Theo had taken his co-workers up on their offer to cover shifts for him instead of the opposite. Warren especially had been excited for Theo. Theo had simply said he had the opportunity to go out of town with friends and all his co-workers had stepped in to cover his shifts. It was at that moment that Theo realized he’dbeen making friends, he had been having the college student experience, and his life was better than he’d ever thought it could be.

Not only did he have four—Hellcats! Four!—men interested in him, but he also was seeing his hard work pay off.

Knowing he had some time to kill, Theo went to his bed and pulled out the newest journal. The one that Alek’s human father, Tate, had written.

Theo might have never met Tate, but Theo felt like he knew the other man.

The journals weren’t as formal as Theo had feared. And Tate was funny. He told stories about the adventure and battles he and his mates went through that left Theo on the edge of his seat.

Theo opened the journal where he had placed a bookmark. It wasn’t the place he’d stopped reading. It was where he’d found his favorite passage.

Vadir Lenkov. That was the man’s name. My first mate. The man that appeared one day and changed my entire world. I hadn’t known of the paranormal world. About other realms. Or the battle between good and evil. All I’d known was this man had appeared too attractive. Too perfect. I had immediately been suspicious.

If I’d known how my life would turn out, I wouldn’t have fought it as much.

I was angry that my fate and destiny were not my own. That some magical power decided who I would love and how my life would turn out. I’d not known then how lucky I am. Let me tell you our story.

Theo grinned before bringing the journal to his chest.

He loved that passage. The beginning of Tate’s story.

Theo identified with Tate so much. He wanted to be able to tell his story too. He didn’t know if he’d be able to do it like Tate, but Theo wanted to try.

Theo set the journal down, closing the cover. He still had plenty of time before Wylder arrived. He began to strip.

Neatly he folded his clothes before placing them on his small bed next to his packed bag. Crouching, he called forward his transformation and shifted.

He shrank and the room appeared larger.

Theo gave a full-body stretch before he scratched one ear with his back paw. Oh! That was the right spot. He scratched and licked before straightening up. He peered around the room, looking for something to play with. Of course, he didn’t have any kitty toys—that would be hard to explain to his roommate—but Theo was sure he could find something. He jumped up onto Ethan’s bed and sniffed around. Hmm, Ethan needed to wash his sheets more often. Theo sneezed before he eyed the desk across the room. He could probably make it. At least he could try.

Theo leapt and he…almost made it. He landed in the chair instead, which pushed the chair into sliding into the dresser. Well, that was actually fun. He needed to try that again!

Time went by quickly as he sent the chair all over the room. A knock on his door startled him and the chair went out from under him when he jumped. Theo yowled before he ran to his mattress and under the covers.

“Theo?”

It was Wylder! Theo peeked out from under his blanket.

“Theo, did I hear—” The doorknob turned before Wylder’s head appeared around the door. “Baby?”

Theo popped up from under his blanket. Wylder looked good in a tight hunter-green tank and those shredded jeans he favored.

“I thought I heard my kitty.” Wylder shut the door. “Although you shouldn’t shift without locking the door.”

Dang, he hadn’t thought about that. Ethan wouldn’t have locked the door when he left because Theo was still in the room. He laid his chin in his paws and looked up at Wylder. Was his human mate mad? ‘ Meow.’

“Hey!” Wylder crossed the room and sat on Theo’s bed. “I’m not mad. I just want you to be safe. It’s my job to protect you.”

Theo nuzzled Wylder’s thigh. His mates were so sweet, but Theo wasn’t helpless. Okay, he might not be the bravest either, but Theo didn’t need all his mates to stress out over his safety. Wylder had a lot of responsibilities, even more than Theo, and Theo didn’t want to be a bother.

“Damn, you’re so cute. I love when you’re my cuddly little kitty.”

Theo loved it too. In his human form, Theo found connecting to other people hard. There were so many expectations. His cat loved affection and while shifted, he could indulge himself.

Wylder rubbed him down until Theo was on his back, purring. “We should probably head out. We don’t want the guys to worry.”

Fine, if they had to. Theo flopped over.

“I’ll go back into the hall while you get dressed.”

His mate was awesome! Theo couldn’t say that he didn’t want his mates, but he was still nervous. In text messages, Wylder flirted shamelessly with all of them. Theo might not be experienced, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have needs. Lately his showers had gotten longer as he often found himself worked up.

Wylder dropped a kiss on the top of Theo’s head before he strode to the door. Theo waited until the door was firmly closed then jumped off the bed. He called his shift once again and became human. There was no dizziness, even with two quick transformations. Eating regularly sure helped. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so hard on Dario.

They’d gotten into a small, a tiny, really, argument when Theo found out that Dario had put a thousand dollars into his dining fund. Theo did not want his mates to pay for things. He’d worked hard to get into college and make his own way. It was Wylder who’d finally been honest with Theo and explained how his mates needed to take care of them. It was built into their DNA. Wylder didn’t need the money the same way that Theo did, but Dario added funds for Wylder as well, and Wylder accepted the funds with no issue. Theo had been adamant that he didn’t need help, Dario had been frustrated, and Wylder had smoothed things over.

It still hurt his pride, but Theo did appreciate the ability to eat when he was hungry. Or even eat before he was hungry. He’d even been able to buy bottles of water to keep on hand.

He quickly dressed before calling out to his mate. “You can come back in, Wylder.” Theo sat on the side of his bed to pull on his shoes.

The door opened and Wylder grinned at him. “Hey, baby.”

Dario and Wylder both had nicknames for him. The terms of endearment made Theo feel special.

“Hi! Sorry, I lost track of time.”

Wylder shrugged. “I am a bit early. Are you ready to go?”

“Yep!” He was actually excited. It hadn’t been long, but Theo already missed his mates. Text messages were not the same. Theo wanted to get to know his mates better and this was the perfect opportunity.He rushed to his bed, making sure to add the journal to his bag.

“Come on then.” Wylder grabbed Theo’s bag. “And don’t forget to lock your door.”

Theo rolled his eyes. He was not a child. He did know how to survive.

“I saw that,” Wylder sing-songed as he strode to the door.

“You did not! Your back was turned,” Theo accused.

Wylder merely laughed.

Theo stomped behind his mate and made double sure that his room was locked. He lifted a brow at Wylder as his mate waited a few feet away.

“Okay, sassy pants. I get it. I can’t help that my instincts push me to protect you.”

Theo sighed. He knew that. “Okay. Let’s go!”

Wylder offered his hand and Theo eagerly twined their fingers together. He was holding hands with his boyfriend! Well, one of his boyfriends, but that was a whole ’nother story. They took the stairs down and went out the door.

“I drove my Jeep over,” Wylder said. He led Theo to the closest parking lot. There were several groups of students calling out to one another and climbing into cars. They had weekend plans and for once Theo was right there with them. Theo couldn’t have wiped the smile off his face if someone had paid him.

“You’re really excited,” Wylder commented as he unlocked the Jeep.

“Yes!” Theo agreed. “We get to spend all weekend with our mates. I actually have plans for the weekend.”

Wylder winked. “Oh, I know.”

Snorting, Theo shook his head. He liked when Wylder flirted with him, but the sleeping arrangements had already been made. Dario’s place was huge and they all had their own rooms and bathrooms. Still, a slumber party while watching movies had been mentioned, and Theo was pretty sure he would handle that. He hoped so anyway. He’d never slept in the same bed as someone else before.

Theo climbed in the passenger seat as Wylder opened the driver door. It didn’t take long for them to pull out of the parking lot and be on their way. It was hard not to fidget in his seat. He’d missed his guys all week.

“I spoke to Alek earlier. His brother wants to come by this weekend and go over the journals with us. He asked me if it would be okay?”

Professor Blake would know who Theo was. He’d been very careful in class never to have the journals visible. What if his professor didn’t think he was good enough for Alek? Professor Blake knew him.“Oh…uh…”

“I told him we should talk about it tonight. That way we can discuss it as a group.”

“Professor Blake is…nice.”

“I bet he’ll be surprised to see you.” Wylder glanced over.

That was what Theo was worried about.

“Mitch warned that his sire was anxious to be introduced to Mitch’s future mates as well.”

“The demon?” Theo squeaked.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Wylder shrugged. “Luckily Mitch’s sire is busy this weekend and can’t make it.”

Theo blew out a relieved breath. “Okay.”

“Problem is we are going to have to meet our mates’ families eventually.”

Theo peered over at Wylder at the strange note in his tone. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sort of glad we don’t have to worry about meeting my family. Since they think I’m dead and all that.”

He slid his hand over Wylder’s thigh in comfort.

“We weren’t close. Not really. We only got together a few times a year for big holidays. We were expected to do our duty and not complain. It didn’t matter if we wanted to serve or not.”

“Did you not want to be a soldier?” Theo questioned.

“See, that’s the thing. I have no idea. From the time I was a kid, I knew that I would be joining. There was no other choice. If I didn’t join the military, then I wouldn’t have volunteered for an experiment.”

“You wouldn’t be enhanced.”

“I don’t really care about that. But I wouldn’t have met you or our other mates.”

“That’s true. And I guess if I wasn’t raised in a state group home, I wouldn’t have been at the state university.”

“Alek keeps bringing up destiny, and I guess that means that everything that happened to us was for a reason.”

Theo huffed. That pissed him off. There were hundreds of different ways for Theo to have ended up at the university without being abandoned and lost. “I don’t know what I think about that.”

“Me either,” Wylder said. “I guess I’m saying that maybe it’s good my family thinks I’m dead.”

Theo wished that he was better with words. That he knew the right thing to say. Instead, he chose just to speak from his heart. “Well, I am sorry that we won’t meet them eventually.” Theo smiled. “Although eventually is far into the future. Like way far. But anyone that made you must have some good qualities.”

Wylder nodded in agreement.“They really do. They’re good people.”

“How long do you think we have until we’re forced into meeting the rest of Alek’s family?”

“Not long,” Wylder guessed. “I don’t think he’s even told anyone except Evian.”

“Is…” Theo took a deep breath. “He’s not embarrassed about us…me…right?”

“Of course not,” Wylder said. “He’s trying to give us time.”

“That’s good.” Time was what Theo needed.

“He’s not a bad guy. I don’t think any of our mates are.”

“Oh! I believe that!” Theo piped up quickly. Each one of his mates had reached out via the group text messages and personal ones. He was getting to know them. Wylder was crazy and fun. Dario doted on Theo and always wanted to look out for him. Alek was more uptight, his messages concentrating on giving information to Theo, but he was sweet too. Mitch was the hardest for Theo to get to know. The demon warrior hated texting but he was trying, mostly for Theo and Wylder’s benefit. Mitch just picked weird topics and Theo now knew way too much about the hell realm.And swords. Daggers. Weapons in general.

“Good.” Wylder turned into Dario’s parking garage. “We should trust our mates, but we also need to follow our instincts and gut feelings. It might be hard, but we need to concentrate on each other before we worry about destiny.”

Good advice. Theo wished it was that easy. He couldn’t forget that he was supposed to be part of some magical mating group that was meant to save the world or something. Who in their right mind would think that Theo could save anyone?

Wylder parked in the first available space. He turned off his Jeep before shifting to look at Theo. “No worrying this weekend.”

“No worrying,” Theo promised. He hoped it was one that he could keep although he doubted it. Theo was a worrier by nature. At the moment Theo was more excited than anything else.

Wylder pulled out his phone before sending a text.

Theo’s phone chimed and he pulled out his own. Wylder had texted the group chat.

Wylder: We’re here, Dragon Daddy.

Theo snorted.

Wylder eyed him. “Oh, come on! He acts just like a doting Daddy. He actually sent me a package of underwear this week because I mentioned all of mine had holes in them.”

Theo covered his mouth as he giggled. He could totally see Dario doing that.

Dario: How about I spank your ass and show you Dragon Daddy?

Wylder’s grin was wicked as he hummed.

Dario: On my way down.

Wylder pocketed his phone before he opened his door. Theo followed suit and climbed out of the Jeep. He had to drop down a way as the Jeep was too tall. Wylder grabbed both bags.

“I can carry my own bag,” Theo complained.

“Enhanced.” Wylder moved both bags to his left hand. He wiggled his right fingers toward Theo. “And this way you hold my other hand.”

Theo twined his fingers with Wylder’s. He liked holding hands. He liked any contact with his mates. Especially the kissing. Theo was hoping for more kissing, lots more kissing, and maybe a little touching.

They crossed the parking garage to the elevator where Dario was supposed to meet them. To access Dario’s penthouse floor, they needed a key card. Dario was having some made that week and should have them ready. They couldn’t get to Dario’s floor right then without Dario.

The elevator chimed before the doors opened.

Theo caught his breath. Dario wore a faded light pair of jeans and a white button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled up and the collar opened, showing off his long slender neck.

He was literally mouthwatering.

Theo might have whimpered.

Wylder hummed.

“Hello, my boys,” Dario greeted, motioning them into the elevator.

* * * * *

Dario

The way that both his boys were staring at him had Dario hiding a smile. The hungry look in their eyes matched and it was all Dario could do to not grab them and yank them into his arms.

It had been a long week and he’d missed his mates.

The stupid business trip to the east coast had irritated him and he’d taken that frustration out on the CEO that had messed up one of his businesses. Dario did not suffer fools, especially ones that thought they could steal money from him. The CEO had been dealt with, but Dario still had to spend days cleaning up the mess. He hadn’t wanted to leave his mates but he had to take care of his business.

He grunted as both Wylder and Theo slammed into him.

Dario’s back hit the side of the elevator but he managed to get his arms around his boys. Theo grinned up at him from his left while Wylder fitted himself to Dario’s right side.

“I need to program the elevator,” he told them.

“Kiss,” Theo whispered.

“Yeah, kisses first.” Wylder was a bad influence and Dario loved that about him. His two boys were very different from each other but the two of them called to the same side of both his human and dragon instincts. Two boys that already had Dario wrapped around their little fingers whether they knew it or not. They were going to be big trouble for him. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Theo’s lips before doing the same to Wylder.

“That’s…” Theo pouted, pushing his bottom lip out.

“Elevator,” Dario reminded him. He reached out and swiped the card in his hand before pushing in his four-digit code. The elevator was barely moving before Theo was up on his tiptoes with his mouth against Dario’s and Wylder’s lips on his neck.

Groaning, he gripped both of his boys as they assaulted him in the very best of ways. He didn’t care how long the elevator took as he was busy encouraging Theo and Wylder to do whatever they wanted with him. Theo drew his mouth away as Wylder’s lips replaced his. Theo’s smaller hands pushed up under his shirt.

Shit! Dario wasn’t prepared for this bombardment of feelings and arousal. This was not how the night was supposed to go. He’d planned not to push his mates and settle in for a quiet night.

Distractedly, he heard the elevator chime as it reached his floor.

“Damn, that’s quite the show!”

“Mitch!” Theo excitedly greeted their other mate while rushing toward him.

Wylder finally released Dario’s mouth before leaning his weight on him. “Damn, that was a good kiss.”

“It was a wonderful kiss,” Dario agreed. “Come on. I don’t think Mitch was expecting to be attacked in quite that way.” Mitch was holding on to Theo, who’d jumped into his arms as they kissed passionately. Mitch was very vocal in his appreciation of the way Theo said hello.

Dario had to reach out and catch the door before urging Wylder forward.

“Theo.” Dario ran his hand down Theo’s back. “Let Mitch breathe, little one.”

Theo pulled back from the kiss before turning his head. “But I missed you guys. Wait! Do demons even need to breathe?”

“Demon warrior,” Mitch corrected once again.

Neither Wylder nor Theo would stop referring to Mitch as a demon. “Maybe Wylder would like to say hello as well.”

Theo blinked before squirming. Mitch set the boy down on his feet although he seemed reluctant to release the little shifter.

“Sorry, Wylder,” Theo said.

“It’s okay, baby. It was hot watching you make out with our demon .” He stressed the last word.

“Not a demon,” Mitch grumbled but he reached for Wylder and tugged him closer.

Wylder smirked as Mitch claimed his mouth.

Dario wrapped his arm around Theo’s shoulders. “I have everything ready for our weekend.” He led Theo into the apartment as Mitch and Wylder got reacquainted. Dario had wanted to have everything ready for the rest of their lives, but Fergie had told him he’d been getting carried away. Dario knew his assistant was right. It was still hard to hold back when he had so much to offer his mates.

“Cool.” Theo looked around as they passed the front door and into the entry. “Is Alek here?”

“Not yet. I didn’t even know Mitch had arrived.”

“Portaled in,” Mitch said as he walked with Wylder behind him. “You weren’t in the apartment, so I figured you’d gone down to get the boys. I saw their text.”

“Convenient,” Dario murmured. His apartment was not warded against portals and he hadn’t expected to come across that issue. Now that using portals seemed to be something they’d be doing, he didn’t know how to set that up without blocking Mitch’s entrance. Something to ask Aleksander about.

“And worrisome,” Mitch stated as if he was reading Dario’s mind.

“I’m not sure how to safeguard against trouble but not block you,” Dario admitted.

“It’s a good thing that one of our mates’ fathers is the most powerful mage known,” Mitch replied with a wink.

Oh, yeah. Dario was quite aware of the current chosen. The stories passed down from generation to generation in his family always told of how much they needed the protection that the chosen provided. Especially as the number of dragons had been dwindling. No one had ever mentioned there was a chance that he’d be destined for the same.

Dario had been called many things in his long life. He was known for his genius in the tech world. He was smart with investments. Dario had no problem providing anything his mates might need. He was not a warrior. Not like Mitch, and he suspected Aleksander had been trained as well. Dario had always used his mind to solve his problems. Fighting wasn’t where Dario’s strengths lay.

The excitement of finding his mate, or mates, had slowly bled away to worry.

It wasn’t just him, Mitch, or Aleksander that were meant to make up the chosen. Wylder and Theo were also destined.

Dario’s fear was not for himself. His boys though—Dario couldn’t imagine letting either of them walk into danger. Yes, Wylder might be enhanced and Theo might be a shifter, but they were innocent. Even though Wylder had military training, he’d spent most of his time serving being experimented on. He’d never been in any kind of conflict. Those were the worries that kept him from sleeping at night.

“Hey, are you okay?” Theo tugged his hand.

“I’m great, little one.” Dario hugged Theo to his side.

The past week, when he hadn’t been trying to clean up the mistakes in his company, he’d used the time to get to know his mates and prepare for their arrival. It was supposed to be a weekend spent together but Dario’s dragon hadn’t been quiet. He needed to provide for his mates—his dragon instincts demanded he woo and convince his mates to stay. He might have gone a little overboard.

“Where do you want me to drop the bags?” Wylder asked.

Now everything Dario had done would come to light. “I prepared a room for each of you.” Dario nodded down the hall.

“Great, lead the way.” Wylder gestured with his head.

Trying to hide his nervousness, Dario strolled down the hall with Theo still clinging to him. “I wanted you all to be comfortable while you’re here.”

The spacious apartment had been a purchase he’d made decades ago. Dario was now glad that he’d chosen such a place. It had plenty of room for all his mates. He came to the first door on the left. “Mitch, I put you here. It’s closest to the entrance and I felt you would be more comfortable being between any threat that came in and the others.” He turned the knob and pushed open the door.

Theo peered around Dario’s arm into the large room. Dario hadn’t done much more than adding some personal items that he hoped Mitch would like. He’d figured that Mitch would portal back and forth and bring what he needed. He did want Mitch to have plenty of space so he wouldn’t feel closed in. This room came with an attached balcony so he could be outside when he wanted.

Mitch walked in and whistled. “It’s perfect.” He went directly to the sliding glass door and opened it. He stepped out and took a deep breath. Turning, he smiled softly at Dario. “Perfect.”

“Please bring anything you’d like to keep here.” Pleasure raced down his spine. Dario had pleased their demon warrior. He backed out of the room to give Mitch privacy before nodding toward the room across. “Aleksander.” Aleksander’s room had enough space to be sectioned off as an office as well. With his duties to his family, Aleksander had already proven to be a workaholic.

He urged Theo and Wylder farther down the hall. “I put Wylder next to Mitch.” This time he waited until Wylder opened the door.

Wylder’s laugh of delight had Dario smiling along. Their human stepped inside the room. “It’s much better than that sardine can I call home now.” He dropped his bag on the king mattress before eyeing the massive big-screen television with multiple gaming systems under it. “Fuck yeah!” Wylder rushed to the entertainment center.

There was also a small desk off to the side for Wylder’s schoolwork, although he was too busy going through the different games to notice.

“What about me?” Theo tugged his arm. “Do I get my own room too?”

Of course, his little one did. Dario beamed at Theo. “Across the hall.” He’d put the boys between his master bedroom and Aleksander and Mitch. An added layer of protection.

Theo whirled around before practically leaping toward the door. He paused with his hand on the knob. “That was rude. I should have waited.” He dropped his head.

Dario hurried to pull Theo in his arms.“No, baby. I’m glad you’re excited.” Glad? That was an understatement. His fucking dragon was preening inside. “Go ahead.” He nudged Theo. “Open it.”

Theo peered up at him before giving a small nod.

Dario held his breath as Theo opened the door.

His little shifter didn’t say anything as he stared from the hall.

Was it too much? Not enough? Dario started to tremble. Had he disappointed Theo? Mitch had been easy to anticipate—he liked space and fresh air. Wylder talked about gaming and working out. With the gym already set up, Dario had chosen to make Wylder’s bedroom someplace he could relax. Theo had been harder to shop for.

It wasn’t that Dario didn’t feel like he knew Theo. He did. Dario just had doubts that Theo himself knew what he liked and wanted. Theo’s upbringing was merely one thing that Dario wanted to rip throats out over.

“Breathe.” Mitch stepped up behind him before wrapping an arm around Dario’s waist.

Dario leaned into the strong demon warrior, realizing, maybe for the first time, that he had support right beside him. It wasn’t up to him to make everything perfect. Dario was doing what he always did. He was getting ahead of himself.

Theo took two steps inside before he stopped again.

“He’s overwhelmed,” Mitch whispered. “He might not realize that this is your way of courting him, your dragon showing him that you can provide for him, but I do.”

Wylder pressed against his arm. “I do too. Give him a minute. It’s harder for him to accept things.”

Dario smiled as Wylder set his chin on Dario’s shoulder and Mitch held him tight. He had partners in this great adventure. He wasn’t alone, paying people to be at his beck and call—his mates wanted to be with him. No one had ever chosen Dario, except for Ferguson. Dario hadn’t known he was lonely. Who’d ever think that a man with as much money Dario had could be lonely? Dario had been though. Most nights he ate dinner alone or with Ferguson if his oldest friend wasn’t busy running around.

His home would be full soon. The fates hadn’t forgotten him, hadn’t forsaken him, and Dario was the luckiest dragon in the world.

His dragon was close to the surface. Wanting to see their mates. To watch as their mate accepted their gifts. The dragon wasn’t as patient as Dario’s human side.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Theo turned to him. Watery eyes met his before Theo smiled.

“If I could have described the room of my dreams, this would be it,” Theo said softly, holding out a hand.

Mitch encouraged Dario forward.

Holding his chin up, Dario marched to his smallest mate.

“Thank you.” Theo’s kiss was soft, barely a brush of lips against his cheek. “Thank you so much.”

“No thanks are needed.” Dario picked Theo up, relieved when Theo wrapped his legs and arms around him. “I needed to do this.”

With a head tilt, Theo silently asked for more information.

“I…” It was hard to explain. “I need to provide for you all. It doesn’t have to be something bought. It could be just making sure you eat, or that you sleep enough, or are happy. I just have to.”

Theo frowned then brightened. “A dragon thing?”

“Yes!” Dario was pleased Theo understood.

“Because we’re your mates?”

“Exactly. My dragon is just as happy as I am that we found you all.”

Theo nodded. “Do you…do you think that’s why my cat has been pushing to be let out more?”

“What do you mean?” It was Mitch who asked as he and Wylder formed a semi-circle around them.

Theo shrugged then looked away. Dario opened his mouth, but Theo gave a sharp shake of his head before rolling his shoulders.

“I have a lot of excess energy. My cat doesn’t really push to be let out but lately I can feel him…like right there at the surface. It’s weird. Not bad weird but different.”

“Didn’t you tell me that you’ve never been comfortable shifting? You were scared of being seen?” Wylder questioned softly.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe your cat feels safe with us. Around us. He knows that we would never let anything happen to you,” Dario suggested.

Theo peered around the room again as if he was deep in thought. Dario had bought every soft and cozy item he could find to fill the space. Blankets, pillows, stuffed animals. A gigantic cat condo was in one corner with numerous long runways all around the room. It was literally a cat paradise.

“Or maybe,” Theo said as a tear fell, “he knows that we’ve finally found our home.”

Fuck! Dario was going to cry with his precious boy.