But first, lunch.
The kitchen was alive with the smell of cheddar and frying butter. Krystal had the griddle going and was laying out grilled cheese on a plate. She hummed as she worked, the oldies station on her phone playing a song about California girls. I loved her for it, but I loved her more for the way she looked over her shoulder when I came in, catching my worry before I could say a word.
She slid a sandwich onto a plate and slid it toward me on the counter. "Food. You’ll need it if you’re going to keep up the dragon dad routine."
I took the plate, ate a sandwich in two bites, and let the salt and fat mellow the noise in my head. "I think we’ve got a problem with your camera system."
She shrugged, unbothered. "I told you those eBay specials weren’t going to cut it. I installed them years ago and have barely looked at them since. I haven't needed to."
I smiled. "They’re fine, but I’m getting weird flickers on the night feeds. Like something’s setting off the cameras, but not triggering the motion logs."
"Not a deer?"
"Not a deer," I said. "It’s always right outside Bryce’s window. And a few of the cams on the south end are offline."
She licked cheese off her thumb, unhurried. "You want to run new lines?"
"Yeah. And I want to add a couple more, maybe get some IR floodlights. If it’s just a fluke, I’ll feel stupid for a day. If it’s not…"
She looked up, and the expression on her face was a blend of amusement and pride. "You’re such a dragon dad already."
I grinned, the worry easing enough to let the compliment in. "It’s the mate bond. Makes me want to dig a moat around the house."
She plated another sandwich, then nudged it my way. "You don’t need a moat. You have me. And a kid who can throw a couch across the room when he wants."
That sobered me up. "How’s he doing?"
She frowned. "He’s better today. The siphoning helped. But he’s got another headache. It’s low grade, but he’s not talking much."
I set the plate down. "I can check him, if you want."
"After you finish lunch. He’s in his room."
I wolfed down the rest, then padded to the hallway. The door to Bryce’s room was half-shut, the inside shaded and quiet. I knocked and poked my head in. "Hey, kiddo. Are you alive in there?"
He groaned, then rolled to face me. His skin was pale, but not sickly. Just tired. He rubbed at his temple. "It’s not bad. Feels like a thunderstorm in my head."
I sat on the edge of his bed. "You want to take a walk? Fresh air helps sometimes."
He shook his head, then shrugged. "Maybe later. Did you see anything weird on the cameras?"
"Yeah," I said. "Have you ever seen blue light outside your window?"
He considered, then nodded. "Sometimes. But it’s not scary. It’s like a buzzing. I thought it was a dream."
I ruffled his hair. "Dreams sometimes mean something. You’ll tell me if it gets worse?"
"Promise," he said. He meant it. The mate bond hummed again, light and steady. He was fine, for now.
Krystal called from the kitchen. "Bryce! If you don’t eat, you’ll shrivel up and die. Come get lunch."
He groaned but smiled. "See? She’s the real dragon."
I followed him out, watched as Krystal made a big show of cutting his sandwich into tiny bites. She winked at me as he devoured the plate.
After lunch, I loaded up my shopping list and kissed Krystal on the cheek. She wiped her hands on a towel, then pulled me in for a real kiss. Her lips were soft, but the grip on my neck was pure wolf. "Don’t spend the mortgage on security cameras," she said.
I grinned. "No promises."
