To my surprise, Rorik seemed even more excited to watchIce Princessa second time. Maybe he liked knowing what to expect.
His very first comfort movie,I thought with a smile.
I dragged my focus from the screen to subtly watch Rorik from the corner of my eye. He was mesmerized. It was like watching somebody witness real magic for the first time. I smiled wider, and snuggled closer to him. As his familiar scent filled my nose, I relaxed against his broad shoulder. I felt so happy.
The movie took its usual twists and turns until finally it came to the seconds before the big musical number.
Rorik whispered, “It’s starting.”
Meanwhile, Aurum groaned, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth. “It’s starting…”
‘Let It Snow’blared out from the speakers in full force, dousing the beach in its catchy tune. As the music played, I noticed Rorik rocking in his seat and bouncing his leg to the beat.
I grinned at his honest excitement. He was so fucking cute, I couldn’t stand it. Who knew my big stoic bear would finally open up because of a song from a kids’ movie? Maybe he simply felt accepted enough to let go, have fun, and be himself.
A sudden wave of emotion hit me. Tears welled up in my eyes. Rorik had been through so much, and stayed strong through it all. But he didn’t need to act tough anymore. He had me to protect him—and every other alpha dragon on this island. We’d never let him be treated the way he’d been in the past.
He was one of us now. And once you belonged to a dragon, there was no going back.
As the credits rolled,I turned to Rorik and asked, “So? Did you like it the second time around?”
“I loved it,” he blurted, grinning ear to ear. Childlike joy sparkled in his dark eyes.
Behind him, Aurum yawned loudly and stretched in his chair. “Well, I’m gladsomeoneenjoyed himself… Am I allowed to leave now?”
I snorted. “Get outta here, bro.”
Aurum wished us goodnight, then ran away so fast a cartoon cloud of dust nearly kicked up behind him.
With him gone, I escalated my PDA. I looped my arm around Rorik and kissed his cheek. “Did you have fun tonight?”
He nodded vigorously. “A lot of fun.”
His smile was shy but honest. I recognized how much effort it must’ve taken him to come out of his shell.
“So, you like movies?” I asked, my heart pattering.
“If they’re all like this, then I love them.”
My heart soared at his enthusiasm. “They’re not allIce Princess, but there’s a lot of great movies out there.” I paused. “Do you want to watch a different one with me tonight? It’ll be in our room, not on the beach, but…”
Rorik took my hands. “I’d like that. Very much.” He tilted his head. “We never did finish that other movie, did we? With the… dinosaur?”
My jaw dropped. He was gonna need my emotional support for this one, but I was thrilled he brought it up.
I leapt out of my seat, still gripping Rorik’s hands. “Holy shit, you’re right. Get up. We’ve got couch snuggles to do and a movie to finish.”
Rorik nodded, then glanced backwards at Aurum’s abandoned bowl of popcorn. It was half full.
“Can we bring more snacks?” he asked, flushing.
I chuckled and ran my fingers over those pink, round cheeks I loved so much. “Anything you want, my big beautiful bear.”
23
Rorik
I staredout the great window behind Jade. His office smelled like books, tea, cat, and a weird rubber scent I couldn’t place.
