Leo’s expression softened. “They’re loud. Opinionated. They argue about recipes and wine pairings like other families argueabout politics.” His smile grew fond. “My mom and dad are still the heart of it all, though they’re slowly starting to step back from some of the day-to-day at the restaurant. My older brother, Caleb, handles the business side. Matt has taken over kitchen duties. He’s quite the chef.”
As he spoke, Estelle tried to picture these people, not as threats, but as individuals with lives and personalities. It was harder than it should have been.
“You sound... close,” she managed.
“We are,” Leo agreed. “Growing up, there was always someone around, someone cooking, someone talking, someone asking about your day. It could be overwhelming sometimes, but...” He shrugged. “You were never left wondering if you mattered.”
The simple way he said it made Estelle’s heart ache.
“I’ve never had that,” she admitted quietly. “Not really. I lost my parents young.”
Leo stayed still, letting her go on.
“I don’t remember much about them,” she said. “Only fragments. I mean, I know at least one of them must have been a dragon shifter, maybe both. But no one was there to explain any of it to me. No one to tell me what I was.”
The old loneliness rose in her again, but she kept going.
“When I started to feel different, I thought something was wrong with me. I was maybe a year or so from my first shift. I didn’t have words for any of it. I just knew I felt... wrong in my own skin. Restless. Too aware of everything.” She swallowed. “So I did what I always did back then when life got too much. I ran off into the mountains to be alone.”
Leo’s gaze sharpened, but he said nothing.
“My first shift happened up there,” Estelle said quietly. “And it was terrifying. I didn’t know what was happening. I thought I was dying. I thought I’d lost my mind.” A brittle laugh escaped her. “Instead, I turned into a dragon and nearly flew myself off a cliff.”
Leo winced softly.
“I would have been completely lost if Maris hadn’t found me afterward. She taught me what I was. How to shift without fighting it. How to live with it.” Estelle’s voice softened. “Maris taught me how to be a dragon.”
She taught us how to be one. Two halves of a whole,her dragon said softly.
Yes,Estelle replied.
“And now there’s us,” she said aloud before she could stop herself.
Leo’s eyes warmed at the words. “Yes,” he said quietly. “There’s us.”
The simplicity of his answer steadied her. She thought of Adara sleeping downstairs, of how her daughter had taken to Leo instantly, of the way she’d explored his greenhouse with wide-eyed wonder.
What would it mean for Adara to have not just safety but belonging? To have people who knew her name, who watched her grow, who would one day help her understand what she truly was instead of fearing it?
It felt almost impossible.
“I’m not saying we need to introduce you to everyone at once,” Leo said, as if reading her thoughts. “We could start small. Maybe breakfast here, just with my parents and brothers.”
“Here? Not at the restaurant?” Estelle clarified.
“Here,” Leo confirmed. “Private. Controlled. On your terms.”
He’s offering us a middle ground,her dragon noted.Not hiding, but not full exposure either.
Estelle stood, needing to move while she thought. She walked to the window, looking out at the forest surrounding Leo’s house. Bear Creek had called to her, had pulled her here with a force she couldn’t explain. She had thought it was the mountains, the isolation, the promise of anonymity.
But maybe it had been more. Maybe it had been this, the possibility of something beyond survival.
“Adara would love them, wouldn’t she?” she murmured.
Leo came to stand behind her, not touching but close enough that she could feel his warmth. “They would adore her. My mom, especially. She’s been waiting for grandchildren for years.”
The casual inclusion of Adara in that category, grandchildren, made Estelle’s throat tighten.
