“What would you like, Mercury? A cinnamon roll?”
“Yes. And something with syrup too.”
“French toast, again, it is.” Talon was off, and he took a moment to sit and breathe.
“Hello.” A very nervous, young-looking omega came up to him with a tray in his hands. “Would it be all right if I sat with you?”
“Of course.” Mercury didn’t mention Talon was coming back because he didn’t want the young dragon to be worried about taking up space or bothering them. He looked like he was very out of place and feeling nervous. Mercury understood that very well.
“Thank you.” The omega sat, smiling at him. “My name is Nayel.”
“Mine is Mercury. It’s very nice to meet you, Nayel.”
“Thank you for letting me sit with you. I just arrived here last week, and I’m very discombobulated still.”
Mercury raised an eyebrow. “Were you rescued from another keep?”
“No. I escaped. I came here on my own.”
Ah, that explained why young Nayel did not have a group of friends already. If he had been rescued by one of the big alphas, he would have been given protection and introduced around.
He put his elbows on the table and stared at Nayel. “Where did you come from, if that’s not too invasive?”
Nayel beamed at him. “It’s not invasive at all. I appreciate you asking. From far south on the eastern coast.”
“I come from far in the north on the eastern coast. It’s cold there all the time.”
“Oh, that does not sound fun. I find it very cold here.” Nayel kept grinning at him, “But at least it’s not terribly humid.”
“I imagine it is very humid where you come from, if it’s hot most of the time.”
Talon came trundling back over, raising an eyebrow when he saw Mercury sitting with Nayel. “I ordered your cinnamon roll, hailee. They are making you a complement of things that can be eaten with syrup to see which ones you like best.”
Nayel’s scales rattled with embarrassment, and he turned a bright pink color, almost like a squid dumping ink. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were already sitting with someone. Let me leave you.”
“Not at all. You’re welcome to sit with us, isn’t he, braaken?”
“Of course,” Talon smiled, and for him it was quite a gentle expression. “Was there something you wanted above all other things? I see that you only got what was on the hot line tonight. They can make special things, you know? Unless it’s fish. You can’t eat fish if you’re going to sit with my mate. It will make him ill.”
“Oh no, this is fine. I wouldn’t want to be any trouble to anyone.”
“Nayel just arrived last week,” Mercury told Talon. “He got here on his own recognizance.”
Talon’s other eyebrow flew up to meet the first one. “Did you? The blacksmith’s mate, Pye, did the same thing. I’m very impressed. It’s not an easy place to find.”
Nayel decked his head, his flush intensifying. “It was difficult, but it was worth it. I needed to get away from my keep.”
“Well, we are very glad you are here,” Talon said. “Perhaps I can get you something for dessert when I get more food.” Talon sat down next to Mercury, trying to make sure he didn’t intimidate Nayel, Mercury thought. His mate was so kind and wonderful.
Several more dragons stopped by to give congratulations, along with a couple of the shifters who worked in the lower regions of the keep, but who obviously knew Talon well. They had walked away, Nayel looked at him with a sweet smile on his face. “You are pregnant. Congratulations.”
“I am. I just found out today.” He leaned in and offered Nayel a smile. “It’s a little overwhelming. I mean, I’m new here, and all of a sudden I’ve got a braaken, and a baby coming, a home.”
“That’s how I feel. All of the sudden, everything is new, and I’m scared that I’ll mess up. Lose my job? Something.”
Mercury was careful to answer because he still didn’t have a job. He knew it was going to involve Kami and Talon in some way, if for no other reason because Kami wished it to be so and Kami was impossible to say no to, sort of like Jack. But he didn’t have one yet. “What do you do here?”
“I’m an IT guy. I help with the computers. It’s really fun, and I like the people I work with. I really feel like what we do is important, keeping everything up and running; it’s nice.”
