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Chapter 20

Kostas

T urned out, Malcolm McKittack was only one of Elrith’s children in the city of Lyric. He had brothers, Jasper and Declan, and a sister named Sasha who Kostas hadn’t met yet. She was the one Malcolm was worried about, the one who made the brothers all exchange tightlipped, worried glances when she came up in conversation.

After leaving Elrith behind, there’d been nowhere to go, nothing to do. Kostas’s apartment was his, for the moment. But if he didn’t have a job, he couldn’t afford it, and Malcolm didn’t like it anyway. Kostas had all but forgotten it.

They could go back to Otis, but the man wasn’t prepared for long-term guests. They needed a plan, a solution that kept Malcolm safe and happy and didn’t steal an old man’s bed out from under him.

But Elrith had listed others, and with some twisting, Malcolm had admitted, “Declan despises Elrith. He used to live across the hall from us, but he’s shacked up with a dragon now and?—”

“Call him.”

Malcolm had blinked at him like he was crazy. “I can’t ask Declan?—”

“He’s the nymph, right? I’ve heard about him. His people live nearby. They’re kind.” Nymphs were to sirens what dolphins were to sharks. Quick thinking, adaptable, clever. Whatever Declan thought of Malcolm, he’d adjust. “Please”—Kostas rubbed Malcolm’s arms and waited for his incubus to meet his eyes again—“for me. Call. If he’s an ass, I’ll make it my business to drive him from our oceans.”

Malcolm had groaned, but given in, and that was how they’d wound up in a dragon’s lair on the rocky cliffs over the coast, surrounded by luxury, with the stuffiest dragon Kostas could imagine.

Clearly, Augustine wasn’t used to company, but he would glance at Declan every time he gave Malcolm something—a room, some meal, a handful of gold for the spending—like he could gauge the exact amount of pleasure Declan received from every act of kindness shown to Malcolm, and drank it all up.

It was like the dragon didn’t have a hoard of his own, but had gathered one for his mate. He was peculiar and quiet, and Kostas liked him, even if he had only stared and blinked when Kostas nudged his side while Malcolm and Declan were sniping at each other, and asked, “This how you can tell they’re related?”

Malcolm and Declan didn’t see eye to eye on a great many things, but the sarcastic shots fired between them seemed to bounce right off both. It wasn’t the sort of sibling relationship Kostas was used to, but it seemed to work for them, somehow. Perhaps because growing up with Elrith forced a kid to keep the zingers ready at hand, to never seem too vulnerable.

No matter how they griped, Declan didn’t turn them out, and Malcolm didn’t demand to leave. There was an extra room, plenty of space, and Kostas was more than happy to see Malcolm safe. It was one feeling he was sure Declan shared.

Right then, they were arguing about getting out of the caves. Malcolm wanted to see people, replace his wardrobe, get groceries .

He didn’t even need to eat, though he’d been doing it more as Kostas had taken over cooking. There wasn’t a lot he could contribute to a staggeringly rich dragon’s household, but he could cook. Declan liked all the fish, and Malcolm had warmed up to the idea. But Kostas had a feeling that this particular argument had more to do with making sure he had plenty than Malcolm’s real concern that they were running out of meal options.

All those sharp, pointed words of Malcolm’s, brandished to Kostas’s own benefit.

It was sweet. And all the arguing was giving Kostas a headache.

He walked out to the cliff overlooking the ocean to get a bit of quiet. The blue waves broke against the rocks down below.

It was wonderful to be this close to the sea again—a luxury he hadn’t allowed himself for years, associating the sound of the ocean with the hunt, with his family. He still missed them, but he had a new family now, was building one, and they needed better from him than viciousness and hunger.

He sighed, letting his head fall back and closing his eyes, his song vibrating from his throat in tune with the ocean and wind.

It had gone quiet, and a moment later, Malcolm pressed in against his side, his head settling in the dip between the ball of Kostas’s shoulder and his collarbone when Kostas lifted his arm to let him close.

Malcolm turned his head up, eyes wide and guileless, unbothered by all the shit he’d been carrying around since they met, already forgetting the argument with Declan in favor of smiling for Kostas.

Shockingly, when incubi were happy, they weren’t assholes. Not predatory or sharp. They were almost... bouncy. Sure, sexy and slinky, but Kostas had never seen anything that lit his heart up in his chest like Malcolm’s smile. A happy incubus was a rare gift, and Kostas intended to keep his.

“Do you want to go swim?” Malcolm asked, the offer out there, simple and without strings. He kept trying, over and over, to make sure that Kostas had everything he needed, never realizing that the only thing he needed, the one thing he couldn’t secure for himself, was Malcolm.

Kostas cocked his head to the side, a smirk spreading on his lips as he tightened his arm around Malcolm’s waist and pulled him closer.

“Yes, definitely, but there’s something I have to tell you first.”

Malcolm flinched, just the smallest twitch around his eyes. He did that from time to time—expected the very worst and braced himself for it.

Kostas didn’t know him well enough to know the full history behind that expectation, but he wanted to learn all the things that made Malcolm who he was. In the meanwhile, he would keep making his silly little jokes until Malcolm stopped thinking there were something out to get him and finally realized Kostas would never say anything to hurt him, never allow anyone else to either.

He leaned in, nudging the tip of his nose past the curtain of Malcolm’s soft hair, and whispered, “Fish live in the water, sweetheart.”

Malcolm made a soft sound of distaste, but he didn’t tug away. “I’m not an idiot. I know that much.”

“They pee in there.”

There it was. Malcolm shuddered in his arms, turning to press his nose against Kostas’s collarbone. Admittedly, the least of anyone’s worries about what was in the ocean should be fish pee, but Malcolm still shrank from the idea.

When he pulled back, his eyes were narrowed and discerning. “But you plan to swim anyway?” Malcolm confirmed.

Kostas smiled. “I’d like to.”

“And what are you going to wear?”

“Not a damn thing.”

Malcolm grinned, his bright eyes dipping hungrily to Kostas’s chest. “Then I guess I’ll come. For the show.”

Kostas grinned. He dragged Malcolm in and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. “You can have that any time, darling, but I’d still like to swim with you.”

Till the end of his days.