Page 9 of Our Haunted Omegas (Moonscale Heirs Duet #1)

I almost pointed out that I knew he’d been with someone since the last test but that wasn’t my business to spread around.

What he told or didn’t tell his mate was between him and Odie.

Some guys didn’t like to know what their mates got up to before them.

Not everyone was as liberated or open as we were.

Moonscale London still had its stuffier corners.

Odie hugged Ambry goodnight and Cobalt and I touched hands.

No matter how many years age put on us some habits never died, and we had to touch each other at every parting.

It made middle school hell until Teal headbutted one of the kids who said we were ‘too close’ for brothers.

The implications of that statement horrified me.

Not because the world thought weird things but because he wasn’t close enough to anyone in his family to want to hug them goodbye.

You never knew when someone’s door would show up and that meant you should always give everyone a proper goodbye.

“Don’t you start catching it too,” Cobalt said over his shoulder as Odie led him down the apartments tiny hallway. He didn’t have to turn sideways to fit down it and I took that as a good sign.

“Are you catching Odie’s anxiety too?” Ambry asked, opening a closet on the farthest side of the living room.

“Not exactly. I was thinking about how the kids teased us for being close in middle school. It was just kid stuff but you never know when it’ll be the last time you see someone.”

“Wow. You do the same mental acrobatics as Odie,” Ambry laughed. “From teasing to death. Wait!” he turned to look at me. “You didn’t kill them for it, did you?”

“Teal headbutted one of them but no one died for teasing us,” I chuckled.

“Good. I’ll help you hide bodies but if you’re going to make me do extra manual labor make sure it’s for a good reason. Middle school bullying doesn’t qualify someone for the death penalty.”

“Do you need helping getting stuff out of the closet?” I offered, perching on the end of the sofa aching to be useful to him.

“I got it. It’s just a box. Mostly candles and stuff.

Some photos. Not many survived the great flattening of London.

Yeah, yeah. That’s not the proper name but as a kid that’s what it felt like.

We’d all run underground and then some giant would come stopping through the streets flattening houses, ice cream shops, and schools. ”

“Is that what— Never mind,” I stopped myself.

“Everyone except his dad. His dad died giving birth to him. That’s not really my thing to talk about either but he hates when people think he had a stepdad because his bio dad was a deadbeat,” Ambry frowned, kicking the door shut behind him and crossing the room.

He sat down on the other side of their little, circular coffee table and started unloading things from the box.

“We don’t set this up for every festival.

Sometimes we set it up for no reason. I just figured they’d like to know we both met our true-mates.

My dad has sent a few texts congratulating us and letting me know to tell him if we need anything.

Missy told him what happened. I think he’s relieved that it’s you all.

I mean there are a lot of cultural differences still but he seems to think you two can talk us into ‘finally enjoying life.’”

“No one’s going to tell you to quit your job.

You know besides Teal getting his heartbroken that’s the whole reason we stayed in London.

It’s probably not going to happen – that our grandparents and parents die but we stayed to learn more about how it all works.

We’ve been learning our whole lives, but we’re focused on different things now.

Though, those things aren’t really mine to talk about. ”

“Teal,” Ambry grinned.

“If he wasn’t my brother, I’d be jealous of the way you say his name.”

“Everyone who knows anything about the world says his name like that. That’s why it’s a miracle—” he stopped. We might be alone in the living room, but we were both on the flight link and I’d have put money on my grandcarrier paying more attention to us now than he usually would.

Ambry spread a silky tablecloth over the table.

It was embroidered with the skyline of Old London before the war.

He set out candles and framed photographs before pushing himself upright and coming to sit on the loveseat with me.

My arm wrapped around his shoulders as if it had a mind of his own.

Not touching him left me aching and being close to him was the only thing that soothed that feeling and massaged out that emotional knot.

“You can see why I warned you about the apartment,” Ambry said, searching for something to talk about.

“It’s cozy,” I shrugged. “Look, you’re here. That means it’s the best damn apartment in all of London.”

“He wasn’t lying about punching and kicking in his sleep. It doesn’t happen every night, but it happens a lot with his nightmares.”

“What about you?” I asked.

“I don’t have as many. Though—That’s his to talk about to,” Ambry sighed.

“Don’t get me wrong I have my own anxieties about the war.

Anytime I talk to someone it feels like it’s going to be the last time.

Like I had to text Missy when we got home because I was afraid she’d die mad at us, and we weren’t trying to be dicks.

If Dad doesn’t answer when I call him, I’m certain he’s dead.

Yes. I’ve done therapy. Nope. It still hasn’t gone away.

And nope, the family link doesn’t help unless he says something. ”

“I would probably think the same thing about my parents,” I said.

“I believe you.”

“You should. They always answer the phone. It doesn’t matter what’s going on. If they can’t answer they text or use one of the links or something. If they acted out of character, I’d worry.”

“I sort of want to climb on your lap right now but that seems to be at a great juxtaposition to the topic of conversation,” Ambry said, his cheeks glowing pink.

“I don’t think it is,” I said, picking him up and putting him on my lap. “I happen to think the lack of seating was planned on your and Odie’s behalf. You planned to have only a love seat so if you had guests someone would end up on someone else’s lap.”

“Usually, we make new boyfriends sit on the floor,” he said, his expression turning serious again.

“Glad to know we’re sofa-league,” I smirked. “I think I really need to kiss you. All my atoms are squirmy and you keep talking and I can’t look away from your lips.”

“You know kissing leads to other things, right?” Ambry asked.

“Don’t you still have the test in your pocket?”

“Well, not right this second. I did take the apron off, mate,” Ambry laughed, and I could’ve drowned in the sound. “But that’s only one.”

“Well, I think Cobalt and Odie are going to sleep and I don’t think you plan on fucking around with Teal no matter how you say his name,” I said, settling my hands on the tantalizing curve of his hip.

“Uh… One,” he pointed to me. “Two. Odie isn’t the only one who avoids doctors.”

“There are more tests in the glovebox. Hell, there might be tests in the basket. Teal’s a forward thinker like that. Though, it’s hard to get a dragon sick.”

“Eh, no it’s not. You just carry most things and spread them around without showing symptoms,” he poked me in the chest. “I’m not playing that game of you passing unseen cooties of my own back to me.

I don’t think I’ve caught anything but if this is forever, I want to make sure we start off in a good place.

It’s bad enough we met at my job and---”

“That’s not just your job, though, mate. That’s your future. That’s your family’s business. That would be like us meeting at public court and me saying ‘aw, shucks, why did we meet at my job?’”

“If you say so. I was wearing an apron and screaming at Missy for throwing sponges at me. It was not ideal.”

“One day we will laugh about it when we share that story,” I pointed out. “It’s what old people do and one day we shall be old. I bet our kids will love it.”

We both fell silent. The opportunity to discuss offspring hadn’t arisen in the short time since we met.

I wanted kids. Of course, I wanted kids.

I grew up in a house full of cousins and siblings.

I couldn’t imagine not having kids but since that wasn’t a feat I could accomplish alone what I wanted didn’t matter that much.

If I didn’t have kids maybe Cobalt or Teal would, and I could be the uncle who spoiled them so rotten that their parents had to try to unspoil them before sending them out into the real world where Uncle Indigo would still be around to bail them out of trouble.

“I’m not quiet because it’s a no. I’m quiet because how the hell would we fit two kids in this house? I mean, even if we only have one and they have one…. But you’re triplets…”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“But I don’t want to live in a mansion. We’d never keep it clean and what happens if you really have to pee and the bathroom is far away? Or if Odie has a panic attack or I do or---”

“No one said we have to live in a mansion. Though, if we have three kids and they have three kids – all on the first try – we might need a mansion when they’re teenagers. We can’t expect to be as lucky as our parents were and have all of them get along like we do.”

“I thought you’d say something like your family will take care of it,” Ambry laughed.

“Well, they will or would if we let them. You can say no. I just think that having a nice home isn’t a sign that you’re a bad person. Your apartment is small for two people, but it’s really nice, mate.”

“That’s why we got it,” Ambry nodded. “I don’t know. I just… I know not every war was Clarence’s fault. I know outside of having wars here everyone is pretty much taken care of but I don’t want to forget where I come from. My dad is a hard worker and before you say it—”