This was a part of living together, of sharing our lives. We’d become accustomed to the other person, and we sought each other out without hesitation.
When we’d been dating, we looked for each other in the crowd, and of course would draw together, happy to make that connection.
But here, now, in our home, we still reached for that contact, that assurance, that joy of knowing the other person was there.
“You sure you don’t want to get some rest?” He hooked his fingers into mine and tugged just a little. “We’ve got a very comfortable bed. Right over there. Just waiting for us.”
“Tempting, but I want to take care of this situation while it’s fresh. Let’s go downstairs, drink cocoa, and figure out how to deal with this mess.”
Chapter Six
Spud jumpedoff the couch and wiggled and wiggled to Ryder, begging for the attention of his favorite human on Earth.
Ryder knelt and made good-boy noises, giving him a thorough petting while Spud licked his face and whined happily.
The dragon-pig just sat on the couch and glared at me. Puffs of smoke curled up from its nostrils.
“Cocoa?” Frigg asked.
“Please,” I said, eyeing the dragon-pig.
“Coming right up.” She unfolded her long legs from the armchair and headed into the kitchen. “You too, Ryder?”
“Make mine a double.”
“So you’re a marshmallow and whipped cream man, are you?”
“Tonight I am.” He dropped down onto the couch and draped his arm across the back. Spud was there already, the shark offering dropped instantly onto the altar of Ryder’s lap. Then the dog rested as much of his body as he could over Ryder’s thighs.
The dragon-pig was still glaring at me. It growled.
“Hey, buddy,” I said to the little pink menace. “Are you purring?”
The sound it was making wasn’t quite a purr, but I’d never heard it make that noise before. “Do you want a cup of cocoa too?”
“I think it’s mad at you,” Jean said.
“No, it’s—”
The dragon-pigoinked.
“Okay, you’re mad? What did I do?”
The dragon-pigoinked some more, adding in growls and grumbles and a weird bird-like whistle now and then.
“Wow,” I said. “I do not speak dragon, but if I did, I’d think it was chewing me out.”
“It is.” Frigg brought in a serving platter loaded with cups of cocoa and all the extras. She offered the platter to Ryder, and he took a mug.
“You speak dragon?” I asked.
She tipped her head back and forth. “A little. This one has an accent I can’t quite place, but yes, it is angry at you.”
“Why? What did I do?”
She paused and listened to the grumbles.
“You got attacked.”
