Page 12

Chapter 12

Ollie

I spent most of my Sunday evening just trying to understand Malric’s side of things. Losing his first mate the way that he had, and still having to care for his three children, could not’ve been easy. Especially not for a creature so long-lived. To expect to spend your life with someone and then not being able to had to be heartbreaking in a way that couldn’t be put into words.

But that didn’t change the fact that it hurt when he and his dragon didn’t recognize me for what I was. Or maybe his dragon had. I only half processed our conversation at the bookstore. I’d been sitting there trying to hide from the hurt and he came walking in, his scent tearing open all of the wounds twice as deep.

I’d dreamt of meeting my mate for so long. I had this perfect image of how it would go. He’d sweep me off my feet and cherish me and love me in a way that only mates could. That had been my ultimate fantasy, and then reality came rushing in.

The reality that Malric hadn’t recognized me for what I was to him. He didn’t see me, not really. Not even when I had told him straight out what was happening.

Still, we would have to work through it. There was no other choice. We both felt the pull, both needed it. It just took him a little more time to get there. So much for wisdom coming with age.

I believed with my whole heart that this was just a bump in the road.

I’d spent most of the evening lost in my book because I didn’t wish to think too hard about the reality of the situation. Living in a fantasy land of unicorns and fae was a much better place to be. At least for now. It could be a problem for tomorrow—or the next day. I didn’t want to dwell on it, or else I’d be reduced to tears.

Monday came far too slowly. I was happy to be back to a normal work schedule. It was easy to keep busy because I had three children to chase after. It gave me both a sense of normalcy and a sense of purpose. Still, there were quiet moments where my thoughts were able to wander back to that night.

Kier and Tavian went to work as normal, and I worked with the children on different projects. Of course, one liked painting, another liked sensory bins, and the other one—well, she spent her time flipping through books. A girl after my own heart. I loved how all three of them were so very different, and their parents not only saw that in them but fostered it. I’d heard stories through my manny groups of so many dragons who wanted their clutches to not only be identical but take on the interests the parents had. A healthy childhood that did not make.

I was surprised when the doorbell rang. We weren’t expecting anyone, and most packages were just left on the doorstep without so much as a knock, thanks to a well-placed note for the delivery people.

When I opened the door, I found a man in a suit standing there with a box, I was extra confused. Wouldn’t they have seen the note, too? But then again, they weren’t driving around in a big brown truck wearing a uniform.

“Mr. Ollie?”

“Yes?” I wished I hadn’t opened the door. The man was definitely a dragon. But then again, none of my prey instincts were screaming at me to take cover, so he must’ve been part of Malric’s clan… possibly someone Malric knew.

“This is for you.” He handed me the package. It was addressed to me, but there was no postage or anything. “It is from Lord Malric.”

That explained so much.

“Right. Okay, thank you,” I said.

The man smiled, bowed slightly, and left. Malric had gotten one of his clan members to deliver me something. Okay. That was… odd. But also… sweet. Probably. I supposed what was in the box mattered as far as that was concerned.

“Pop-Pop!” Opaline said once I walked back into the house holding the box.

I smiled. “Yes, this is from Pop-Pop.”

How did she know that? The children must’ve been able to scent whatever this was. That was the only logical conclusion. That was unless he often sent men all dressed up to the house to deliver presents.

I took it to the living room. The children returned to their activities as if they had no interest in the box at all. Interesting. As a child, I’d have been all about what was in there.

My heart thundered in my chest and my palms grew sweaty at the anticipation. This felt big… Huge, even.

The box was a deep blue color, made of thick material, with a magnetic flip top. It was the kind of box that could be a present on its own. Malric wasn’t messing around.

I opened it slowly to reveal the item inside. A thin layer of blue tissue paper covered the item, and I moved it aside. Underneath was a first edition signed copy of the book that I was reading yesterday. A Gentle Heart Afloat: Letters from an Omega Abroad was a collection of letters written by omegas who made the voyage across the ocean in the 1800’s. The book I had picked up at the library was one of my absolute favorite comfort reads. It was one of the few books I owned multiple copies of, but with every re-print or new cover, I had to have one. One copy I had was simply for displaying on the shelf, the others for reading. One I had even annotated in the margins—that copy I could never show to anyone.

But this… This was a first edition. I’d looked into picking up one before, but the prices were outside of a manny’s range, even when they were in bad condition. And this one? This one was pristine.

Oh, my. I didn’t know what to say… what to do. I almost didn’t want to touch it. It was so perfect. So glorious.

Dear Ollie,

Courtship begins by learning about one another. In my younger days, it was tradition to share a piece of your hoard with your potential mate, and so I share this—an item I procured from a small bookshop in London not long after the book had first been published. I gift it to you knowing that, as my mate, what is yours is mine, and what is mine is yours, and that this piece will remain a part of my hoard. I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday and sharing more about myself. Until then, I’ll be thinking of you.

-M

Tears filled my eyes and blocked my vision. Oh, goodness. That was sweet, sweeter than anything anyone had ever done for me before. If his intention had been to soften my hurt feelings, he’d succeeded. There was still work to do, and a serious conversation to have, but it was a start. A good one.

I reread the note again and again. Each time, I felt his words just as deeply. Possibly more so. He gave me something so precious, not only to me on a personal level, being the book it was, but because it was precious to him as well. There wasn’t a more perfect gift on this planet.

Did Malric hoard books? Or something else that books would fit into? Was I about to walk into a library? Was I allowed to ask what a dragon hoarded? I couldn’t recall. I’d never known a dragon well enough to learn about hoards before. It was all new to me.

Either way, I almost wished that I didn’t have plans this evening. My plans weren’t actual real plans, either. I needed to do laundry. That was it. That was my whole thing to do. And also, I wanted to read. I could have postponed both of those things and spent more time with Malric, but I supposed tomorrow would have to do.

Perhaps his grandchildren would like to put together some pieces of art for him in the meantime. Something, anything to keep me occupied. Part of me wanted to call him, ask him to come over. But this was better. Giving us both the time we needed to make sure we were doing this right.

“Who wants to play with stickers?” It was a universal favorite, and I knew I’d have instant buy-in.

All three of them loved to cover a paper with cute stickers. They would like to do the same to walls and furniture and doors, too, but I was quick enough to prevent that. I didn’t need to lose a job due to sticker overload, something I’d seen a manny mention a time or two on the manny boards.

I used a permanent marker to make a thick outline of a dragon on each of their papers and let them go to town. When all the stickers were put on there, I would cut out the dragons. They were hardly Pinterest-worthy, but cute and made the kids happy.

They would make Malric happy too, and I wanted that. I wanted that so badly, I’d nearly caved on the two of us slowing things down like this. But it was important that we didn’t rush in again, because the last time I did, he wasn’t ready, and it left us both hurt and miserable.

From there we played, we ate dinner, and I helped put them to bed. All that was left was laundry and a whole lot of it. They might’ve been small, but they knew how to fill a laundry hamper like a boss.

As I took the last load out of the washer and put it into the dryer, I couldn’t help but be sad that I’d scrubbed the house in a far-too-successful attempt to get rid of Malric’s scent. What I would do right then to be able to wrap myself in the sheets he’d slept in and inhale his scent.

But I couldn’t.

Next time I saw him, I was going to rub myself all around him and not wash my clothes. Then I could be enveloped by his deliciousness all of the time. Was that creepy? Possibly. Was I going to do it anyway? Absolutely.