He looked at her, then at me. "I’m glad you’re here," he said, earnest. "I always wanted to know."
The words landed like a stone in my chest, heavy and perfect. "I wish I'd been there," I said. "Better late than never, right?"
Bryce nodded, satisfied.
Bryce had one last question, the kind that only a kid would ask. "If I turn into a dragon, can I keep my own room?"
"Absolutely," I said as both Krystal and I chuckled. "You might need a bigger bed."
I let the moment work its way into my memory. I’d replay it later, a hundred times, but right then, in the heart of the old house, with the sun warming the floorboards and the kid staring back at me with a piece of my own soul in his eyes, it felt like the start of something good.
Nothing ever stayed perfect. Not for long.
The way Vivienne floated into the room made it clear she’d been waiting for the right moment. She carried a tray stacked with cookies, three kinds at least, all arranged in a way that would have made Martha Stewart sweat. Her vintage dress flashed green and gold at the cuffs, every detail screaming "look at me," but she only had eyes for the kid.
"Am I interrupting?" she sang out, as if she hadn’t timed it just so.
Krystal forced a smile. "Just chatting."
Vivienne crossed the carpet in two smooth steps. She set the tray on the side table, then bent down until her face was level with Bryce’s. "I thought you might like a treat," she said, her words warm enough to melt butter. She reached out, fingers light on Bryce’s arm, the gesture casual but not random. "My family recipe. Only the best for first meetings."
The dragon inside me bristled. Something about the way she lingered, tracking every twitch and flicker of Bryce’s expression, set my instincts screaming. Her hand hovered a second too long, thumb tracing the curve of his elbow before she let go.
Bryce glanced at his mom, checking for approval.
Krystal nodded. "Go ahead, bud."
He picked a cookie, a plain sugar one, no frosting, then turned to Vivienne, manners on full display. "Thank you."
She beamed, her attention never wavering. "You’re very welcome, dear. It’s always wonderful to meet someone new, especially a friend of the family."
Bryce’s fingers drummed a tiny pattern on the plate. Vivienne watched it, eyes sharp. She straightened, finally, but didn’t step back. "How’s your day going, Bryce?"
He shrugged, chewing around the edges of the cookie. "Good. We’re talking about dragons."
Vivienne’s delight rang a little too bright. "Fascinating creatures, aren’t they? Did you know they can sense magic even when they’re asleep?"
He shook his head. "No. I didn’t know that."
She leaned closer. "Well, now you do."
Krystal’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, but she didn’t speak.
Vivienne let the silence stretch, her gaze flicking between mother and son with a proprietary air. I recognized the look. A hunter sizing up rare game. She ran the show for another beat, then turned to me, all false casual. "Zaden, you’re a lucky man. He’s clearly very special."
I managed a smile.
Vivienne finally stood and, with a last, lingering look at Bryce, excused herself. "I’ll be in the library, if anyone needs me. Enjoy." She glided out, her perfume trailing like smoke. From the hall, I heard the faint click of her heels and nothing else.
The room felt different, recharged but unsettled. Bryce finished the cookie but left the rest untouched.
Krystal was the first to break the post-Vivienne spell. "Are you still into music?"
"Always," I said, relieved for something normal. "I started with piano, but I’m better with my hands. Drums, mostly. Sometimes I think in rhythm."
Bryce perked up at that. "I do that, too! I get in trouble at school for tapping on the desk."
"Then your teachers don’t know what they’re missing," I said. "Have you ever played real drums?"
