“Cocoa, soup, and a sandwich. I do wish you’d eat something.”
Geoffrey looked at the time. It was already half past six.
“No time,” Geoffrey said. He threw back the covers, took the chocolate from Angela and drank the whole thing, then handed her back the mug. “I have a dinner engagement.”
Angela looked at Geoffrey as if he had two heads. “You do, sir? You never said.”
“I apologize. Give me the sandwich. I can take it to the boys.”
His housekeeper brightened. “Oh,” she said. “That’s a lovely idea. I’ll just wrap it up for you, shall I? Give the boys a pat for me. And say hello to Mr. Brand, as well.”
Geoffrey nodded absently and went to his wardrobe to pick out something to wear. He usually didn’t fuss much with his appearance, but today, he wanted to look good.For my men, he thought with a combined touch of both worry and amusement.
* * *
The boys all honked at him excitedly.
“Shh,” Geoffrey admonished, and they all hushed. “Order.” The boys lined up obediently in order of precedence: Killian, Lucian, Bellamy, Ashley, and Flake. He took the wrapped sandwich from his pocket, cut into five perfect pieces, and gave a section to each bird. They all gobbled them up with alacrity, but Bellamy, naturally, finished first and then tried to find more.
“Please tell me that wasn’t turkey,” said a voice from behind him. Geoffrey turned, and there was Ian, and Matthieu behind him, hovering with an uncertain look on his face.
Geoffrey felt offended. “Of course not. It was a cheese sandwich. A very nice Stilton. Good lord, Ian. Do you know me at all?”
Ian smiled at him, and even in the dim twilight, it was like seeing the sun break through clouds. “I apologize, my love. Now that you’ve fulfilled your calling of spoiling the boys, would you care for dinner?”
“Yes,” Geoffrey said. “That would be for the best. Matthieu is hungry.” He paused, realizing what he’d just said. “I mean—”
“I am capable of speaking for my own hunger,monsieur dragon.” A wave of irritation rolled off Matthieu and crashed into Geoffrey.
Ian cleared his throat. “I am also hungry, so why don’t we sit down to eat? Then, after dinner, we can discuss our strategy.”
Matthieu snorted with derision, but he was worried. Geoffrey laid a hand on his arm. “We will find a way, I promise you.”
“The three of us,” Ian said.
Matthieu looked between Ian and Geoffrey with uncertainty. “Nous trois?”
Ian took the boy’s hand and raised it to his lips, then kissed his knuckles. “Oui, Mattie.”
Matthieu pulled his hand back. “Matthieu, not Mattie,s’il te plaît.” But under his irritation, Geoffrey felt a tremor of pleasure. Matthieu was no more immune to Ian’s charm than Geoffrey was.
* * *
After dinner, the three retired to Ian’s study. Ian poured each of them a measure of brandy. Ian sat in one of a pair of leather chairs, while Matthieu sprawled, pensive, on the tufted sofa.
“Monsieur dragon grincheuxis bursting with something he wants to say,” Matthieu said, breaking the silence that had fallen. “I cannot make out what, though. This bond is very strange. Is it normal that there are times when I feel…” Matthieu frowned and seemed to search for the correct verbiage. “Other?I do not know how to describe it apart from that. Almost like there are feelings secondary to my own, but that do not belong tole dragon grincheux.Or, perhaps, they do? It is all so confusing. I’m not sure I care for it.”
“I’m not sure you have a choice,” Geoffrey snapped. “Do you think I would have chosen this? Any of this?” Both Matthieu and Ian recoiled, as if they’d been slapped. Geoffrey ran a hand over his face. “I apologize. That was ill-mannered of me. But I don’t relish being different from my brothers, or all of dragonkind, for that matter. I never have. If I could have desired an omega, I would have been grateful for that a hundred times over. I didn’t want… this.” He gestured to his entire person.
Geoffrey immediately regretted his words. Through the bond, he felt Matthieu’s pity and underlying worry. Geoffrey couldn’t feel Ian’s emotions as clearly, but loving him for a century had taught him to read his lover well enough. Ian was hurt and dismayed by his outburst. The pain radiated in Geoffrey’s soul as clearly as it would have had they really shared a bond.
“How happy you must be now,” Ian said, his tone now cool and impersonal, “to finally have what you desire. I won’t stand in your way, you know. We’ll find a way forward that won’t involve war among our clans and then, once things are settled, you two can be together. Until then, Matthieu will have to remain with me, but I promise our relationship will be platonic only. I will not challenge you, Geoff, for your mate.”
“No, Ian, I didn’t mean—”
“Non!” Matthieu’s cry of negation joined Geoffrey’s.
But Geoffrey could see Ian had already retreated inside himself, as he did sometimes when he’d been pushed too far. All Geoffrey could do was watch and curse the words he’d said, or the way he’d said them, and perhaps his entire existence.
