Everard had no such qualms. “My brother would never…” he began, then trailed off, looking between Geoffrey, Ian, and Matthieu. “Never mind. Apparently, my brother would. How long has this been going on, Geoff?”
Yes, that was decidedly censure in his brother’s tone.
Geoffrey’s stomach let out a loud gurgle of hunger, and he clutched desperately at the excuse that it gifted him. “As much as I hate to interrupt the stream of rampant speculation going on, as I’m sure the entire room heard, I’m quite famished.”
Harrison nodded, but he didn’t move back to his seat. “Really? Ev says you’re never hungry. How curious.”
“Indeed,” Geoffrey said as forbiddingly as he could, given the circumstances. Beside him, he sensed Ian stifle a laugh.
Since Harrison showed no signs of moving, Geoffrey and Ian instead walked around him and found seats near Matthieu. That was perfect, and as it should be. When he was with Ian and Matthieu, Geoffrey felt entirely complete for the first time in his life. It was like he could do anything; was capable of anything.
Geoffrey looked up and into the magenta-hued eyes of his slightly older brother. Everard appeared put-upon and cranky, which was to say he seemed much as he always did. Geoffrey sent his brother a tentative and apologetic smile. Everard’s eyes widened in surprise, then crinkled as he smiled back. More warmth flowed over Geoffrey. Maybe things would be okay. Even if Father rejected him, his brothers might not. Not all of them, at least.
Geoffrey opened his mouth to say he knew not what, but Ian beat him to it, looking directly at Everard as he spoke as if expecting and braced for a challenge. “Geoffrey has been my lover for most of the past century. When he brought Matthieu to me for the experiment, we didn’t know what to do, but Matthieu suggested we try to work things out between the three of us. And we… did. Eventually. And now we’re together.” Ian took Geoffrey’s hand in his own and held it tight, possibly for reassurance, and possibly to keep him from fleeing. Geoffrey had a feeling it was both.
Everard’s brows rose almost to his hairline. “Together?”
Harrison plopped back down into the seat next to his mate. “Oh, yes. Can’t you see it, Ev? It’s beautiful.”
“See what, pudding?” When he gazed at his mate, Everard’s expression softened, going back to its former fatuous state. Geoffrey would have found it quite nauseating, except he no doubt looked at Ian and Matthieu in the very same way.
“Their bonds, Ev!” Harrison said excitedly. “I can sort of see them on my own, but they’re faint. I have to squint, but not with my eyes. With my brain, if that makes sense. But when I touch Darwin, I can see them much more clearly.” He stroked the small, pink whelp that sat on his shoulder. The whelp, in turn, butted his head against Harrison’s jaw. “He’s such a good helper, yes he is.”
“The bonds?” Everard asked sharply. “Please explain what you mean, cinnamon roll.” He kept looking between Geoffrey and Ian and Matthieu as if looking for something that couldn’t be seen. Then he sniffed the air and gave Geoffrey another sharp look.
Down the table there were a few chuckles, an exasperated sigh from Vadim, and an outright snort from Snorre.
“Oh, yes,” Harrison burbled. By now, the entire room had stopped chatting and eating to listen to him intently. “Darwin sees them even more clearly than I do, and he thinks I’m a bit backward, but he’s trying to be patient with his papa. Isn’t that sweet?”
“Harry!” Everard barked. Geoffrey was certain that was the first time he’d heard his brother address his mate as something other than sustenance, and based on how Harrison stiffened, it wasn’t a common occurrence. “Please attempt to stay on topic, butter bean. You see mate bonds? Since when?”
Harrison screwed up his face. “I think it sorta started when your magic changed me, but the bonds are something I’ve only noticed since Darwin hatched. What I see are… auras, I suppose. The more I know the dragon, the easier they are to spot. Disgraces have them, too. Probably because they are, essentially, human dragons. I sometimes see a bit here and there in the Attendants, too.”
Everard looked appalled. “And you didn’t see fit to inform me of this?”
The boy looked sheepish. “I thought it was something everyone could do. I’ve never been a dragon before, Ev. I just,” Harry waved his hands, sending bits of scone flying, “figured it was a rather dragony thing to do. When I first started having suspicions that it wasn’t normal, after remembering how Iggy and Alistair had been treated by the council, I started to think up ways I could prove what I was seeing via extensive documentation and experimentation, but—”
Everard shut Harrison up by the expediency of kissing him. “Enough. You can experiment later to your scientific heart’s content, but for now, trust that I believe you. Now, what’s this about bonds, sweet potato? Are they really what you see? Are you sure?”
Harrison wrinkled his nose in thought. “I can only speculate, you understand…”
“Speculate away, my boy,” Snorre interjected.
Everard gave Snorre a nasty look. “Yes, sugar plum. Speculation is fine.”
Darwin nuzzled his snout under Harrison’s hand.
“With Darwin’s assistance,” Harrison said, “I believe I can see three distinct types of bonds: egg bonds, whelp bonds, and mate bonds. They are similar, and also distinct in nature. Egg bonds are soft and rather fuzzy. Whelp bonds are much more straightforward and present, if that makes any sense, and mate bonds are like…” He paused and chewed at his lower lip. “Like entwined streams of electricity, I suppose. It’s not the right phrasing, but it’s the closest I can come. Perhaps, when Darwin’s older, he can explain the phenomenon in more precise detail. Mr. Jormun’s mate bonds are very complicated, and they twine around him and his family. It’s really quite lovely. But you see, his alpha mate is also an Opal. Obviously compatible. But Topaz and Amethyst, as dragons from completely opposite ends of the color spectrum, should repel each other, and they don’t. I wish I had more data. Are there more alpha pairs to study?”
There was a bit of a stunned silence in the room. Ingrid cleared her throat and said, “Harry, dear, I’m afraid not. Alpha pairs are not common, you see, and dragon law forbids them. We were all surprised when Erik mated first with Vadim, because we didn’t know what that would mean, but then he and Snorre mated and the rest of us did, too. He’s ours now, and we won’t give him up, but it’s not…”
“Natural,” Geoffrey stated.
“Nonsense,” Matthieu countered. “There is nothing at all unnatural about what you and Ian feel for each other. I feel it, too.Stop beingridicule. There is nothing unnatural about love.” He huffed with annoyance.
“Hear, hear,” Snorre said, lifting his glass, which was filled with ale and not tea. “Well said, lad.”
Harrison scrunched up his face. “Iggy knew an alpha pair. Human, not dragon, of course. At least I think they weren’t, but then I thought Iggy wasn’t a dragon and look how that turned out.” At a look from Everard, Harrison colored, then said, “Anyway, that alpha pair who probably weren’t dragons taught in the English department at our university. Iggy told me to be nice to them, and not pester them about their relationship, but I don’t understand what the big deal was. You want who you want. I probably shouldn’t want to be with a dragon, but I do. And I am.” Harrison beamed. “It doesn’t really matter who the bonds are between, because they’re real. I can see them, and so can Darwin. If the magic allows for them, who are we to question that?”
